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IT IS a happy augury that the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) of Tamil Nadu is creating awareness among its members of the important issues bearing on healthy politics, good governance, economic growth, rural development and sustainable agriculture by organising periodical discussions.

The PMK founder, Dr S. Ramadoss and the party president Mr G. K. Mani make it a point to invite outside experts, intellectuals and academics to enrich the proceedings and conclusions of the meetings.

One such seminar held recently at Chennai was on empowering people through panchayats. It was a rewarding experience listening to persons such as the Union Minister of State for Railways, Mr R. Velu, the chief of the Rajiv Gandhi Chair for Panchayat Studies, Gandhigram Rural Institute, Mr G. Palanithurai, and the Union Minister of Panchayats, Mr Mani Shankar Iyer.

More than all, I was deeply impressed when Dr Ramadoss gave a forceful call for panchayat functionaries to be absolutely impartial and incorruptible in their dealings and to be efficient in the delivery of services to the people.

Mr Iyer spoke of a number of initiatives in the offing such as Gram Swaraj Yojana and Panchayat Empowerment and Accountability Incentive Fund, as also of the several rounds of talks he had had with the State Governments on ways to tone up the panchayati raj institutions (PRIs).

All his well-meant efforts may go awry if certain aspects affecting the smooth functioning of the PRIs are not addressed.

There is pressing need to harmonise the different laws and rules in force in different States, with uniform provisions, supplemented by manuals lucidly summarising all the government orders, circulars and schemes.

There should be a special cadre of general and technical staff for service in PRIs with common qualifications and service conditions.

It is imperative to change the mindset of the governing class so that they regard PRIs as co-equal partners, and not as lowest level agencies under their control.

The powers of PRIs should be specified in the Constitution along with the Central, State and Concurrent Lists.

In every State, there should be a department exclusively for PRIs, without the responsibilities being mixed up with those of the Rural Development Department.

It is time a national commission was asked to evaluate the working of PRIs so far to identify areas for corrective action and recommend measures to further strengthen them

B. S. Raghavan

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