Panchayat Raj on the Ground

Panchayat Raj offers enormous possibilities of making local governance and the rural development
process more need-based, participatory and productive, while at the same time being accountable
and transparent.

WOTR conducted a study of the functioning of the PRIs in 12 villages, three each in the regions
of North Maharashtra, Vidarbha, Marathwada and Western Maharashtra during the year 2007. It has documented the possibilities and potentials of Panchayat Raj, the strategies adopted by enthusiastic leaders, the gaps and problems identified, and the tools that need to be put in place so as to make Panchayat Raj a productive set-up for development and progress. A set-up that would make Mahatma Gandhi’s dreams of local governance at the lowest level a reality.