This has often been seen in the past when these meetings of the villagers have gone on at times for an entire day – depending on the issue that is being discussed – and also by the manner in which the sabhas have managed to overrule decisions taken by the panchayat bodies. So when it comes to light that there are a number of village panchayats that have not held the sabhas for the entire year, there comes a big question mark on the efficacy of the local governing bodies, and whether the Panchayati Raj system is at work in rural Goa.
All village panchayats are mandated, under the Goa Panchayat Raj Act, to hold four regular gram sabhas in a calendar year and also get the panchayat budget approved at the sabha. The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown of March came in the way of many panchayats holding the gram sabhas to get the budget approved, and only a few were able to do so. But this goes further, as during the rest of the year, when restrictions were lifted, panchayats still did not hold the meetings. Officially there was no exemption granted to the panchayats from holding the gram sabhas. Perhaps, to avoid gatherings of people the panchayats opted not to hold them. Due to the reason of the pandemic, the government is not likely to act against the panchayats. But, when elections to the zilla panchayats could be held and classes for students have been started, would it be an insurmountable problem to have the gram sabha? If the panchayats wanted, they could have found a way around it and held the gram sabhas.
It may be an aberration that in the year 2020 there are many panchayats in the State that have not held a single gram sabha, but in the past too, there have been a few village panchayats that have chosen not to hold the meetings of the villagers, simply because though these sabhas are mandatory under the Act, there is no provision for action to be taken against the panchayats who do not hold the gram sabhas. Given that we have had instances of gram sabhas effectively overturning decisions of the panchayat bodies, it is only to be expected that the elected panchas would be only too glad to avoid holding the gram sabha as much as possible.
However, the importance of the gram sabha cannot be stressed, it being an important body of the Panchayat Raj system that gives direction to the development projects of the village, and keeps a check on the panchayat body, making the elected members responsible to the villagers. It also gives the villager a sense of empowerment, as it leads to direct participation in the democratic functioning of the village. If the gram sabha is not held, then neither are the decisions of the elected panchayat body not placed before the villagers, nor is the budget approved by the sabha. Both these are important for the functioning of the village bodies.
On October 2 the State launched the Swayampoorna Goem initiative that aims at making the villages self-reliant by harnessing the resources available within the area. An excellent initiative, but to make it a success the gram sabha will play an important role, as the people of the village are the best human resources to identify the other resources that are available in the village. The most efficient manner of meeting with the villagers is the gram sabha. As the year 2021 approaches, the Department of Panchayats has to enforce the mandatory provision of holding the gram sabhas so that another year does not go by without these very important grassroots democratic meetings.
