UPSC Mains 2018 GS2 Q15 — Local Self Government
Assess the importance of the Panchayat system in India as a part of local government. Apart from government grants, what sources the Panchayats can look out for financing developmental projects? (Answer in 250 words)
Question Decoded — examiner's intent
- Directive verbs
- Assess
- Scope keywords
- Panchayat system in Indialocal governmentgovernment grantssources the Panchayats can look out forfinancing developmental projects
- Implicit sub-parts
- The qualitative impact of Panchayats on deepening democracy and social justice beyond just service delivery.
- Critical evaluation of the '3Fs' (Functions, Funds, Functionaries) status quo.
- Innovative and non-traditional fiscal avenues such as community participation and market-based instruments.
- State of fiscal decentralization vs. financial autonomy (Article 243-H).
- Common pitfalls
- Spending too much time on the history of the 73rd Amendment rather than the 'importance' in current governance.
- Listing only general government schemes (like MGNREGA) as finance sources instead of identifying internal/autonomous revenue streams.
- Failing to mention the role of State Finance Commissions (SFCs) in the context of institutional financing.
- Generic 'Gram Sabha' descriptions without linking them to actual developmental outcomes or financial oversight.
- Dimensions required
- ConstitutionalFiscal/EconomicSocial-DemocraticAdministrativeTechnological/Modern
- Marks allocation hint
Devote approximately 100 words to assessing the importance, focusing on decentralized planning and social inclusion. Use the remaining 150 words to detail diversified financial sources like internal taxes, user charges, CSR funds, and municipal bonds, ensuring the second part of the prompt receives the detailed 'financing' treatment it requires for a 15-mark answer.
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