GS Paper 2 10 marks · 150w 9 min Medium

To what extent, in your opinion, has the decentralisation of power in India changed the governance landscape at the grassroots?

Subtopic: Constitution & Polity · decentralisation and grassroots governance

Model answer outline

How to structure your answer

Introduction → 73rd/74th Amendments institutionalised the third tier → Changes: political deepening, women and SC/ST representation, participatory planning, scheme delivery → Unfinished agenda: 3Fs devolution, weak own-source revenue, parallel bodies, proxy leadership → Balanced 'extent' judgement → Conclusion

Full model answer

Detailed model answer

180 words · target 150 words · 9 min

The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments (1992) created a constitutionally mandated third tier, with regular elections, reservations and devolution to about 2.6 lakh rural and urban local bodies.

How the grassroots landscape changed

Political deepening: over 32 lakh elected representatives, with women holding roughly 46% of panchayat seats (21 states reserve 50%), have democratised local leadership.
Inclusion: reservations for SCs/STs and PESA, 1996 brought marginalised communities into decision-making, including in Scheduled Areas.
Participatory planning: Gram Sabhas and Gram Panchayat Development Plans under the People's Plan Campaign localise the Sustainable Development Goals.
Delivery platforms: panchayats anchor MGNREGA, Swachh Bharat and Jal Jeevan Mission; e-GramSwaraj and SVAMITVA add transparency and property records.

The unfinished agenda

Devolution of funds, functions and functionaries remains partial; few states have meaningfully transferred the 29 Eleventh Schedule subjects.
Own-source revenue is under a tenth of panchayat income, breeding grant dependence; parallel bodies and line departments bypass elected councils.
Irregular State Finance Commissions, 'sarpanch-pati' proxy rule and thin technical capacity limit autonomy.

Decentralisation has substantially transformed representation, voice and last-mile delivery at the grassroots; but genuine self-government — the promise of Article 243G — awaits fiscal and administrative empowerment.

Key points

What an examiner expects to see

Anchor the answer in the 73rd/74th Amendments: constitutional status, mandatory elections, one-third (now often half) reservation for women, SC/ST reservation, State Finance and Election Commissions.
Quantify the democratic deepening: ~2.6 lakh local bodies, 32 lakh+ elected representatives, ~46% women — the world's largest experiment in representative local democracy.
Show functional change: Gram Sabha activism, GPDP/People's Plan Campaign, panchayats as delivery platforms for MGNREGA, SBM, JJM.
PESA, 1996 as decentralisation's extension to Fifth Schedule Areas with Gram Sabha consent powers.
The 'extent' caveat: incomplete devolution of funds, functions, functionaries; own-source revenue below 10%; parallel bodies; irregular SFCs; proxy leadership.
A 'to what extent' directive needs an explicit graded judgement: transformation is real in representation, partial in fiscal-administrative autonomy.
Way forward: activity mapping, strengthening SFCs, own-revenue incentives, capacity building (RGSA).

Examples to use

Concrete cases, schemes and judgments

Kerala's People's Plan Campaign devolving about a third of plan funds to local governments
15th Finance Commission grants of ~Rs 2.36 lakh crore for rural local bodies (2021–26)
e-GramSwaraj portal and SVAMITVA drone-based property mapping
Hiware Bazar (Maharashtra) and Piplantri (Rajasthan) as panchayat-led transformation stories
21 states providing 50% reservation for women in panchayats

Keywords / terms

Terminology to weave into the answer

73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendmentsthree Fs — funds, functions, functionariesGram Panchayat Development PlanPESA 1996own-source revenuelocalisation of SDGs