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Sector: Panchayat
In such a large country like India, one would
think that giving a voice to villagers would be
a far-fetched dream. However, this dream is a
reality through the Panchayat Raj Institution
(PRI, a local governing body). The Jassur
Panchayat of Nagrota Block has brought democracy
to the simple villagers and given them power
over the affairs of their own village. A model
of fairness and empowerment, the Jassur
Panchayat serves as an example of democracy at
its best. The active participation of the
villagers ensures that their voice is heard and
the requirements of the village are met.
The PRI operates through two main meetings, the
Upgram Sabha and the Gram Sabha. The Upgram
Sabha takes place in the different wards of a
Panchayat and it is here that villagers are able
to sit and discuss problems of the ward and the
development work that needs to be done. A list
is made based on the priorities that the
villagers designate to each concern. All members
of the ward participate resulting in cooperation
and positive changes.
The Gram Sabha takes place at the Panchayat
level four times a year. Before, government
policies were created at the central level and
then implemented at the village level. This
resulted in inefficiencies because many of the
specific problems of the village were not
addressed. However, after the creation of the
PRI and Gram Sabha, needs were determined at the
village level rather than from ‘above.’ The Gram
Sabha allowed the common person to participate
in the development of the village and gave them
responsibility for the changes that they wanted
to see take place.
The Jassur Panchayat has utilized these forums
to make changes in their village. However, this
was not always the
case. Before, many of the villagers did not see
the need to participate in these meetings. Many
of them could not see why they should stop their
work in the fields or in their homes to attend a
Panchayat meeting. There was no response from
the women of the village as they were normally
not given any leadership roles or even allowed
to leave their homes. Jassur remained fractioned
and undeveloped. This would soon change when
CORD workers came to the village and saw how
inefficient the PRI was running.
Through the Mahila Mandals and the Yuva Mandals,
CORD was able to bring awareness to the women
and youth about the importance of the Upgram and
Gram Sabha. Without the support of these village
level institutions, a meeting of the size and
importance of a Gram Sabha would not be
possible. Therefore, the mobilization of these
groups was critical. At first, there was
resistance to the information that CORD workers
were bringing to the villagers. However, in due
time when the villagers saw that CORD was not
there for its own benefit but for the benefit of
them, they started listening to what CORD
workers had to say. CORD workers showed them
that these forums were for their benefit if used
properly. CORD workers also helped to empower
the women to attend the meetings and start a new
tradition of women participation. Training was
provided for the members of the Panchayat on how
to run a proper meeting and the member’s roles
and responsibilities. However, the Jassur
Panchayat did not stop at the participation of
women in the meetings. The villagers elected an
illiterate woman, Amro Devi, as their Up-Pradhan
(Vice-President). This bold woman received votes
from all villagers, male and female, because
they believed in her and trusted her leadership.
Through CORD, Amro Devi has traveled to Dehradun
and received higher, more specialized training
on PRI.
The Panchayat, with the help of the villagers,
has made changes not only in the physical
appearance of the village
 but
also in the hearts and minds of the villagers.
The developmental changes that they have
implemented include building roads to make the
village more accessible, numerous bowries and
wells, and a cremation ground. However, the
villagers themselves have been affected by this
entire process. They have come to know about
their rights and they have improved their
relationships among each other. The relationship
between the Panchayat and the Mahila Mandal has
also improved which has led to higher
participation by women. The interest that the
villagers take in the meetings reflects the
responsibility they feel in their hearts and can
be seen by the high attendance of men, women,
and youth. Also several handicapped people
attend the meetings and are given a voice to
reveal their concerns.
The dedication of the Panchayat members can be
appreciated by seeing their hard work and
commitment to the betterment of the village.
Amro Devi often goes from door to door reminding
the villagers of an upcoming meeting. She
reminds them that this meeting is for them and
is not some kind of formality.
Today, the members of the Panchayat take pride
in the fact that they are maintaining a
democracy and not a dictatorship. During the
meetings, the Pradhan leaves the villagers to
solve each others problems. By keeping the
system transparent, the Panchayat members have
gained the trust of the villagers and given them
autonomy over their own issues and concerns.
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