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LEAD SHG members participate in the GPDP exercise (pg. 27) newsreach JAN_FEB 2019 IN THIS ISSUE 02 LEAD 21 CASE STUDY 48 CASE STUDY Scaling up Gram Panchayat Strengthening Local Pindarkone Gram Organization Development: Governance: A Development Panchayat: Setting The Way Forward Paradigm Examples of Governance Strengthening the organizational Recognizing the idea of the In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, capability of gram panchayats, the Panchayati Raj as crucial for the “The best, the quickest and the constitutionally recognized units foundation of the Indian political most efficient way is to build up of democratic governance vested system, the 73rd Constitution from the bottom... Every village with the responsibility of economic Amendment was passed by has to become a self-sufficient development and social justice, by Parliament in 1992, giving republic. This does not require addressing systemic issues within Constitutional power to local elected brave resolutions. It requires brave, the panchayats is both a process bodies, leading to a decentralized corporate, intelligent work...” and a journey form of governance in which each SHAILENDRA KUMAR SINGH, SURJODOY DR. ANJALI KAROL MOHAN and every village is responsible for NANDY AND DHIRAJ KUMAR MAHATO its own affairs NEHA JOSHI AND NIDHI TRIVEDI 08 REPORT 35 JOURNEY Building the Organization Activating Panchayats Capabilities of Gram through MGNREGA Panchayats: The pilot Implementing MGNREGA in its project in Jharkhand fullness is a movement to establish Evolving a process-centric local democracy and instruments Gram Panchayat Organization of local governance, honour Development framework, the local wisdom and knowledge, Anode Lab, in collaboration with promote power decentralization PRADAN, focussed on building to panchayats and encourage the organizational capacity of participatory decision-making. gram panchayats, knowing that if Jharkhand’s experience warrants the local body is capable and its telling. members and staff are inspired to DEBMALAYA NANDI perform, it can impact sustainable change in key development spheres SONALI SRIVASTAVA Newsreach, a bimonthly journal, is a forum for sharing the thoughts and experiences of PRADAN professionals working in remote and far-flung areas.Newsreach helps them reach out and connect with each other, the development fraternity and the outside world. 1 LEAD DR. ANJALI KAROL MOHAN Scaling up Gram Panchayat Organization Development: The Way Forward Strengthening the organizational capability of gram panchayats, the constitutionally recognized units of democratic governance vested with the responsibility of economic development and social justice, by addressing systemic issues within the panchayats is both a process and a journey Context democratic units of governance steering economic — development and ensuring social justice. INCE 2015, PRADAN AND ANODE This context provides the rationale for the Gram Governance Lab are implementing Panchayat Organizational Development (GPOD) the Gram Panchayat Organization framework. It aims to strengthen the organizational Development (GPOD) framework capacity of GPs. Conceptualized as a process and across 15 panchayats in Jharkhand and 10 in Madhya Pradesh.1 Gram a journey, the GPOD framework aims to address panchayats (GPs) are constitutionally systemic issues within the panchayats, using recognized units of democratic governance vested the philosophy and principles of organization with the responsibility of economic development development (OD) and behaviour. Foregrounding S the GPs as a unit of analysis and intervention, and social justice. It needs no reiteration that, despite this recognition, even after 25 years, in most the framework recognizes the members of a states—Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand being no GP—the functionaries as well as the elected exception—GPs are far from being autonomous, representatives—as primary agents of change. 1https://www.panchayat.gov.in/documents/10198/456811/Book_English_Framwork%20for%20RGS%20Abhiyan%204.pdf 2 NEWSREACH JAN_FEB 2019 REPORT CHANGES THROUGH PARTICIPATORY THEATRE Two years since, there is a conviction in working collaboratively with multiple stakeholders, to contextualize and implement GPOD to strengthen GPs as organizations and institutions of self- governance, having the potential to emerge as centres of excellence GPOD through SPACE immovable property and to enter having the potential to emerge — into contracts.” (Section 11 of the as centres of excellence. Over Madhya Pradesh Panchayat Raj these two years, the intervention The framework is being Avam Gram Swaraj Adhiniyam, has resulted in several tangible implemented as SPACE 2001) and intangible movements (Strengthening Panchayat Actions that enhance a belief in the for Community Empowerment) Following the signing of the MoU, appropriateness and applicability in the two states. It involves an GPs are facilitated into a process of the framework. active engagement with multiple that underlines the need to stakeholders. These include simultaneously differentiate and Tangible results include the management and development integrate its components as an opening of Panchayat Bhavans, professionals, state and district organization: vision, organization regularizing GP meetings governments, grass-roots structure, incentives, resources inclusive of recording attendance, practitioners working with NGOs and action plans. Ultimately, GPs minutes and decisions, setting and CBOs and, last but not the are encouraged to plan for and an agenda, and maintaining the least, elected and executive implement solutions to identified requisite registers that mark an members of GPs. The latter are pain points. This essentially active GP. the most critical and should translates into GPs initiating necessarily display an interest action-planning with individual There are GPs in both the states and the will to improve the GP members, taking on the onus that have moved to a stage where functioning of GPs. of delivering on select functions. they are taking decisions and The objective of the process and planning actions around larger The framework entails an the journey is to encourage GPs to deliverables that aim at systemic iterative step-wise process move from sporadic fire-fighting solutions. For instance, GPs have (translating into a journey) that to process-oriented functioning. identified deeper intervention GP members embark upon to Gradually, GPs are facilitated and focussed engagement with strengthen themselves. In doing to establish and strengthen challenges related to education, so, it simultaneously draws structures and systems that agriculture and MGNREGA. To upon and embeds the legal and bring in accountability and resolve these challenges, GPs statutory provisions to engage transparency in their functioning, have been facilitated to establish with GPs. For instance, a starting through a pro-active division of and activate corresponding GP point of the engagement is a work and responsibility. structures as prescribed by the bi-partite MoU between the GP law, namely, setting up Standing and PRADAN, expressing the Two years since, there is and ad-hoc Committees. willingness to engage. This is a conviction in working premised on the state Panchayati collaboratively with multiple The intangibles include Raj Acts, recognizing the GP as a stakeholders, to contextualize and collaborative decisions around body corporate having the powers implement GPOD to strengthen recurring issues, enhanced “to sue and be sued as well as GPs as organizations and negotiation skills while the power to acquire movable or institutions of self-governance, engaging with block and district LEAD SCALING UP GRAM PANCHAYAT ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT: THE WAY FORWARD 3 This visible movement of GPs towards debating and thinking collectively and working collaboratively, evidences the relevance of this framework in strengthening governance at the grassroots panchayats, better conduct of Whereas the engagement with the stakeholders in this scaling the gram sabha (GS), etc. This GPs and the implementation process, assume significance. visible movement of GPs towards of various steps conceptualized debating and thinking collectively in the GPOD framework has There may be many ways and working collaboratively, led to (and continues to do of meeting these emerging evidences the relevance of this so) in positive movements in imperatives; here are a few possibilities. framework in strengthening GPs, the journey is far from governance at the grassroots complete. Thus, the first emerging Imperative One: Sustaining imperative is to sustain these and deepening the efforts of Way Forward: Emerging Imperatives positive movements and, at the SPACE in pilot GPs. — same time, incorporating the learnings and recognizing the a) Sustaining ongoing With the first phase of the SPACE project nearing completion (the evolving needs and requirements practices and interventions: initial agreement with PRADAN of GPs. Several GPs within the pilot is for 2016–18), there are two have reached a stage in A second emerging imperative emerging imperatives that which they have collectively merit mention. First, how do we is to scale the intervention and collaboratively created internalize the learnings from in a manner that impacts the aspirational visions for their the field to further enhance the magnitude of the challenge GPs. Deriving from these applicability of the framework? substantially. That the current visions, these GPs have Second, how do these learnings engagement

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