The Role of Standing Committees in Local Governance: A Review of Janpad Panchayats in Madhya Pradesh

Panchayati Raj is visualized as a participatory rural local governance system in India. The uniform three-tier or two-tier structure established across the country post 73rd Constitutional Amendment 1992 has witnessed over three decades of decentralized functioning. In Madhya Pradesh The Panchayat Act of 1993 aimed at effective transfer of powers to each level Zila, Block and Gram of the three-tiered Panchayats.The Standing Committees are permanent agencies of these local bodies and allotted subject areas enumerated in the Eleventh Schedule to cover the essential functions of the respective tier. Though vital to the function of Panchayat system these agencies have skipped attention in research.The objective of this study is to highlight the role and functioning of Standing Committees of Janpad Panchayats in Madhya Pradesh. The paper based on secondary source of data explains the structure, composition and significance of Standing Committees in the middle tier.The findings reveal that in the integrated local governance structure the Committees functional outcome is not limited to mere block level planning but extends to monitoring processes and decision-making at grassroots level. Despite their role the Committees lack powers, funds, autonomy and face systemic drawbacks. The study concludes that on the efficient functioning these Committees at each tier rests the overall effectiveness of the Panchayats and weak Standing Committees diminish prioritizing of local development activities.The study emphasizes that policy changes are required to empower and strengthen institutional capacity of the middle tier.The study contributes to the current debate on retaining the middle tier and provides direction for future research.