To what extent, in your opinion, has the decentralisation of power in India changed the governance landscape at the grassroots?
Approach · directive: “to what extent”
What it asks · Give a reasoned view on how far the 73rd and 74th Amendments have changed governance at village and town level: real gains, and gaps in functions, funds and functionaries.
It asks 2 things — answer each
- Take a position: how far decentralisation under the 73rd and 74th Amendments has changed grassroots governance — the real gains
- Qualify it: the gaps in functions, funds and functionaries that limit the change, and what would complete it
Open with · Article 40 asked the State to organise village panchayats as units of self-government; the 73rd and 74th Amendments (1992) made that promise constitutional.
Cover
- Institutions: over 2.5 lakh panchayats and thousands of urban local bodies hold regular elections under State Election Commissions; gram sabhas give citizens a forum.
- Inclusion: about 14 lakh women, 46 per cent of elected rural representatives, now serve in local bodies.
- Delivery and planning: MGNREGA, sanitation, Gram Panchayat Development Plans and social audits; PESA extends self-rule to Scheduled Areas.
- State models: the Devolution Index 2024 report (released February 2025) ranks Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu highest.
- Limits: Article 243G leaves devolution to State law; weak State Finance Commissions, low own revenue and line-department control of staff.
- Distortions and urban gap: proxy rule, elite capture, and parastatals sidelining elected councils.
- Way forward: the 15th Finance Commission's ₹4,36,361 crore local-body grants (2021–26), activity mapping, capacity building and empowered gram sabhas.
Close with · Article 40's vision of panchayats as true units of self-government will be met only when funds, functions and functionaries move to them together.
Add value (verified)
- Article 243G makes devolution of powers and authority to panchayats a matter for State law, which explains uneven devolution across states.The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2024), Article 243G — Legislative Department ↗“the Legislature of a State may, by law, endow the Panchayats with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as institutions of self-government”
- Article 40 directs the State to organise village panchayats as units of self-government.The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2024) - Legislative Department ↗“The State shall take steps to organise village panchayats and endow them with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as units of self-government.”
- About 14 lakh women serve as elected members of Panchayati Raj Institutions and rural local bodies, 46 per cent of all elected representatives.President Droupadi Murmu interacts with Scheduled Tribe women representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions - President's Secretariat ↗“about 14 lakh women are serving as elected members of Panchayati Raj Institutions and rural local bodies across the country, which is 46 percent of the total elected representatives”
- The Ministry of Panchayati Raj's Devolution Index 2024 report (released February 2025) ranks Karnataka first, Kerala second and Tamil Nadu third.Karnataka Tops Devolution Ranking - PIB, 13 February 2025 ↗“Karnataka Tops Devolution Ranking; Kerala and Tamil Nadu Bag Second & Third Spot respectively”
- The 15th Finance Commission recommended grants of ₹4,36,361 crore for local governments for 2021–26.Fifteenth Finance Commission Report for 2021-26, Volume I (Main Report) ↗“for the five- year period 2021-26, we recommend grants of Rs. 4,36,361 crore for local governments”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2022, GS Paper II — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 223words · Minimalist IAS
Article 40 asked the State to organise village panchayats as 'units of self-government'. The 73rd and 74th Amendments (1992) made that promise constitutional. In my view, they transformed who governs locally, but only partly what local bodies control.
How decentralisation has changed the grassroots
- Institutions: over 2.5 lakh panchayats and thousands of urban local bodies hold regular elections; the gram sabha gives villagers a forum.
- Inclusion: about 14 lakh women, 46 per cent of elected rural representatives, now serve in local bodies.
- Delivery: panchayats run MGNREGA and sanitation works, prepare Gram Panchayat Development Plans and hold social audits; PESA extends self-rule to Scheduled Areas.
- State models: the Devolution Index 2024 report (released February 2025) ranks Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu highest.
Where the change stops short
| Dimension | Constitutional design | Ground reality |
|---|---|---|
| Functions | Article 243G | Left to State law, uneven |
| Funds | State Finance Commissions | Weak, low own revenue |
| Functionaries | Panchayat staff | Line departments control |
- Distortions: proxy rule by relatives of women members and elite capture.
- Urban gap: parastatal agencies sideline elected councils on water and planning.
Way forward
- Assured funds: the 15th Finance Commission recommended ₹4,36,361 crore for local governments for 2021–26.
- Capacity: activity mapping, training, e-governance and empowered gram sabhas.
Decentralisation has changed who participates and what is delivered; Article 40's vision will be met only when funds, functions and functionaries move together.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 3 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
