“Opinion | Next Decade Of Panchayati Raj:How AI Is Shot In The Arm For Grassroots Democracy”, News 18, May 15, 2026
“When India adopted the 73rd Constitutional Amendment in 1992, it set in motion the world’s largest experiment in democratic decentralisation.
Three decades on, as we mark National Panchayati Raj Day on April 24, we have around 2.6 lakh Panchayats, over 32 lakh elected representatives, and a remarkable body of institutional learning.
We also have honest reasons for unease. Gram Sabhas too often fall short of quorum. Women elected as Sarpanch find their agency circumscribed by “Sarpanch-pati” practices. Gram Panchayat Development Plans remain, in too many villages, pro-forma documents. Substantive participation by Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women is unevenly kept…….”
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