S INCE 2015, PRADAN AND ANODE Governance Lab are implementing the Gram Panchayat Organization Development (GPOD) framework across 15 panchayats in Jharkhand and 10 in Madhya Pradesh.1 Gram panchayats (GPs) are constitutionally recognized units of democratic governance vested with the responsibility of economic development and social justice. It needs no reiteration that, despite this recognition, even after 25 years, in most states—Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand being no exception—GPs are far from being autonomous, democratic units of governance steering economic development and ensuring social justice. This context provides the rationale for the Gram Panchayat Organizational Development (GPOD) framework. It aims to strengthen the organizational capacity of GPs. Conceptualized as a process and a journey, the GPOD framework aims to address systemic issues within the panchayats, using the philosophy and principles of organization development (OD) and behaviour. Foregrounding the GPs as a unit of analysis and intervention, the framework recognizes the members of a GP—the functionaries as well as the elected representatives—as primary agents of change. Two years since, there is a conviction in working collaboratively with multiple stakeholders, to contextualize and implement GPOD to strengthen GPs as organizations and institutions of selfgovernance, having the potential to emerge as centres of excellence.
Two years since, there is a conviction in working collaboratively with multiple stakeholders, to contextualize and implement GPOD to strengthen GPs as organizations and institutions of selfgovernance, having the potential to emerge as centres of excellence
T he framework is being implemented as SPACE (Strengthening Panchayat Actions for Community Empowerment) in the two states. It involves an active engagement with multiple stakeholders. These include management and development professionals, state and district governments, grass-roots practitioners working with NGOs and CBOs and, last but not the least, elected and executive members of GPs. The latter are the most critical and should necessarily display an interest and the will to improve the functioning of GPs.
The framework entails an iterative step-wise process (translating into a journey) that GP members embark upon to strengthen themselves. In doing so, it simultaneously draws upon and embeds the legal and statutory provisions to engage with GPs. For instance, a starting point of the engagement is a bi-partite MoU between the GP and PRADAN, expressing the willingness to engage. This is premised on the state Panchayati Raj Acts, recognizing the GP as a body corporate having the powers “to sue and be sued as well as the power to acquire movable or immovable property and to enter into contracts.” (Section 11 of the Madhya Pradesh Panchayat Raj Avam Gram Swaraj Adhiniyam, 2001)
Following the signing of the MoU, GPs are facilitated into a process that underlines the need to simultaneously differentiate and integrate its components as an organization: vision, organization structure, incentives, resources and action plans. Ultimately, GPs are encouraged to plan for and implement solutions to identified pain points. This essentially translates into GPs initiating action-planning with individual GP members, taking on the onus of delivering on select functions. The objective of the process and the journey is to encourage GPs to move from sporadic fire-fighting to process-oriented functioning. Gradually, GPs are facilitated to establish and strengthen structures and systems that bring in accountability and transparency in their functioning, through a pro-active division of work and responsibility.
Two years since, there is a conviction in working collaboratively with multiple stakeholders, to contextualize and implement GPOD to strengthen GPs as organizations and institutions of self-governance, having the potential to emerge as centres of excellence. Over these two years, the intervention has resulted in several tangible and intangible movements that enhance a belief in the appropriateness and applicability of the framework.
Tangible results include the opening of Panchayat Bhavans, regularizing GP meetings inclusive of recording attendance, minutes and decisions, setting an agenda, and maintaining the requisite registers that mark an active GP
There are GPs in both the states that have moved to a stage where they are taking decisions and planning actions around larger deliverables that aim at systemic solutions. For instance, GPs have identified deeper intervention and focussed engagement with challenges related to education, agriculture and MGNREGA. To resolve these challenges, GPs have been facilitated to establish and activate corresponding GP structures as prescribed by the law, namely, setting up Standing and ad-hoc Committees.
The intangibles include collaborative decisions around recurring issues, enhanced negotiation skills while engaging with block and district Two years since, there is a conviction in working collaboratively with multiple stakeholders, to contextualize and implement GPOD to strengthen GPs as organizations and institutions of selfgovernance, having the potential to emerge as centres of excellence 53 panchayats, better conduct of the gram sabha (GS), etc. This visible movement of GPs towards debating and thinking collectively and working collaboratively, evidences the relevance of this framework in strengthening governance at the grass-roots. This visible movement of GPs towards debating and thinking collectively and working collaboratively, evidences the relevance of this framework in strengthening governance at the grass roots.
This visible movement of GPs towards debating and thinking collectively and working collaboratively, evidences the relevance of this framework in strengthening governance at the grass roots
W ith the first phase of the SPACE project nearing completion (the initial agreement with PRADAN is for 2016–18), there are two emerging imperatives that merit mention. First, how do we internalize the learnings from the field to further enhance the applicability of the framework? Second, how do these learnings inform the way forward in GPs wherein the engagement is ongoing? That two years is too short a time to expect dramatic changes on the ground needs no reiteration. As was rightly remarked by one of the PRADAN professionals, “A 25- to 30-year history of de-capacitating GPs cannot be reversed in a two-year period. Strengthening GPs as units of self-governance is much required and calls for long-term sustained efforts.”
Whereas the engagement with GPs and the implementation of various steps conceptualized in the GPOD framework has led to (and continues to do so) in positive movements in GPs, the journey is far from complete. Thus, the first emerging imperative is to sustain these positive movements and, at the same time, incorporating the learnings and recognizing the evolving needs and requirements of GPs.
A second emerging imperative is to scale the intervention in a manner that impacts the magnitude of the challenge substantially. That the current engagement across 25 pilot GPs is perhaps a tiny drop in the ocean needs no reiteration. To put it in perspective, Madhya Pradesh has close to 23,000 GPs whereas Jharkhand has 4,402. Yet, this pilot and the learnings it has afforded cannot be negated. Without this pilot, the application of the philosophy and principles of OD would have remained a mere theoretical exercise. Furthermore, the way forward would perhaps be fuzzy, at best. Thus, questions on how can the pilot, inclusive of its learnings, be scaled and who would be the stakeholders in this scaling process, assume significance. There are GPs in both the states that have moved to a stage where they are taking decisions and planning actions around larger deliverables that aim at systemic solutions.
There are GPs in both the states that have moved to a stage where they are taking decisions and planning actions around larger deliverables that aim at systemic solutions
There may be many ways of meeting these emerging imperatives; here are a few possibilities.
This visible movement of GPs towards debating and thinking collectively and working collaboratively, evidences the relevance of this framework in strengthening governance at the grass-roots.
This visible movement of GPs towards debating and thinking collectively and working collaboratively, evidences the relevance of this framework in strengthening governance at the grass-roots.
Scaling through state structures: Visible impact requires scale and the state departments are critical stakeholders in the scaling. Various state schemes and programmes that have a similar objective, that is, strengthening the GPs as units of autonomous units of local governance, can be leveraged and converged with. For instance, the Rashtriya Gram Swarak Abhiyan (RGSA) of the Government of India is premised on an acknowledgement of weak administrative and technical capacity at the GP level. It mandates capacity enhancement of PRIs to deliver on economic development and social justice within their respective jurisdictions. As per the guidelines, the PRIs must go through a foundational course that aims to cover the themes of “good governance, enhancing efficiency, transparency and participation.” Figure 1 outlines the specific activities that the scheme will cover.2
Figure 1: Training and Capacity Building: RGSA Guidelines
Figure 2: Visible Impact Requires Scale: Scale is Possible with the Involvement of the State
Furthermore, the guidelines recognize the potential of (and mandates) involving the existing scheme-specific committees (Joint Forest Management Committees, Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Committee and Village Education Committee, to name a few) and community-based institutions (SHGs, CBOs) in strengthening GPs. A detailed reading of the guidelines points to an alignment of the aims and objectives of the GPOD framework with that of RGSA. It must be kept in mind that leveraging state structures, schemes and programmes helps mitigate the risk of creating parallel delivery mechanisms and structures while bringing in a degree of legitimacy and ensuring systemic change. Thus, scaling with the state departments and their programmes and projects is a possible way forward.
As in Karnataka, the GPOD framework in Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand can be scaled to cover an entire block. There are two possible options of interventions at the block Level. The GPOD framework can be modularized as a training programme to be conducted through the State Institute of Rural Development through its infrastructure, while leveraging RGSA and its provisions. In doing so, the facilitation of GPs in the field cannot be done away with. It is recommended that this be operationalized through a host of identified organizations (such as PRADAN), which are engaged with GPs and have an established relationship with them.
Initiating change within GPs requires a clear understanding and acknowledgement that this institution is distinctly different from CBOs, the SHG being one of them
Initiating change within GPs requires a clear understanding and acknowledgement that this institution is distinctly different from CBOs, the SHG being one of them
M eeting both these imperatives requires pro-active thinking and strategizing. The following learnings from the field will assist in this strategizing:
In conclusion, meeting the above emerging imperatives requires a two-fold engagement:
Dr. Anjali Karol Mohan works with Anode Governance Lab as Lead, Research and Training. She is based in Bangalore.
3 There are geographies where SHG creation and mobilization (under the Government of India’s National Rural Livelihoods Mission) is complete.