LOCAL SELF GOVERNANCE – AN INDIAN CASE STUDY OF HR STRATEGIES.

1. LOCAL SELF GOVERNANCE – AN INDIAN CASE STUDY OF HR STRATEGIES. BY: F. STEPHEN 2006

2. Introduction • India - a country of unity in diversity • 27 different States • 21 different languages • hundreds of dialects, • different cultures, religions, • diverse caste groupings, diverse regional identities.

3. Present context: Southern State in India, Karnataka • progressive state in the context of ‘local self governance’. • 73rd and 74th Amendments to the Constitution • Promoting women’s participation in politics

4. 33 percent seats for women. • 18 per cent seats exclusively for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes • State consist of 1000 to 5000 GPs • hundred thousand elected representatives in each State at the GP level • rural governance structures

5. reference to roughly 3 to 5 million peoples’ representatives in GPs in India • states where the literacy levels are very high, with high female education • states where elections to the local governance institutions are held only after the intervention of the judiciary

6. Three tier concept: • ZP, TP and GP • GP: 500 to 1000 households in 5-6 villages • TP: one hundred thousand population and 100 to 200 villages • ZP: one million population of one hundred square kilo meters and 1000 villages • Legislature: two houses, Legislative Assembly:224, Council: 75 members.

7. inequities in the distribution of land and resources • 80 per cent population:‘middle farmers’ or ‘owner cultivators’ • low caste face indignities because of patriarchal attitudes • caste system, religious elitism, and traditional power structure

8. rural politics dominated by two land-owning castes • in April 1993 Karnataka government enacted the Karnataka Panchayat Raj Act • a uniform three-tier system • fixed five-year term for panchayats • reservation of seats for SC, ST, BC, Minorities, and women

9. constitution of an independent Finance and State Election Commission • authority to impose taxes

10. 3. Common Issues: • participation by the poor and powerless, women and men suppressed by the oppressive caste system • actual ground realities • no ‘level playing field’ for all actors, • protect the interests of the poor and the weak in creating opportunities

11. 33 percent of the seats are open only to the under privileged • executive arm of government implement this constitutional provision • role of judiciary: protecting the constitutional rights of the poor and weaker sections • curb the ‘political rights’ and ‘human rights’ • ridiculous piece of legislation called ‘Toilet Rule’ 2000

12. perennial conflict of distribution of power between the elected representatives and the bureaucracy • bureaucracy power to supercede the authority of the elected representatives • political power base or ‘vote bank’ of the representatives • distribution of power between the three tier institutions

13. Functions: provision and maintenance of civic amenities • welfare administrators rather than exercising political leadership • financial devolution of power

14. 4. TheKarnatakaexperienceinLocalselfgovernance • Basic questions: • Did the rural elite give up their powers, privileges and control to the subaltern women without any resistance? • How did the women overcome the constraints of caste, gender discrimination, exploitation and political pressure? • Did they receive the necessary cooperation from the people?

15. Basic questions: • How did they deal with indifferent officials and disobedient Panchayat staff? • Did they fulfill their aspirations and people's expectation of them ? Or did they succumb to the pressures of corruption ? • Were the representatives from among women and other disadvantaged sections mere proxies?

16. GP representatives • Most of them illiterates or educated below primary level • determination coupled with bitter experiences due to caste • low level of political awareness • primary loyalty to the husband and family

17. pressured into adopting corrupt practices. • Needed measures: increase in honorarium so as to cover their basic needs, strengthening process • minimize the pressure and fear of the rich and upper-castes

18. Women devote most of their time in taking care of their subsistence needs • class discrimination and patriarchy’s intolerance to the empowerment • higher mobility has helped them to break the traditional social value system

19. resist the threats posed by patriarchy and caste discrimination • Space of women eroded by the institutionalised structures in the GPs. • panchayat secretary's position • power conflicts at presidential level • institutionalised corruption

20. 5.ThecontextforHRDevelopmentinLocalSelfGovernance. • most of the members from the disadvantaged sections are illiterate or functional literates • structural changes are required to educate and improve the standard of living • (a) basic education, (b) employment opportunities, and (c) awareness,

21. training and orientation through conventions • Help in asserting themselves in the panchayat • attitude of the secretaries, who take advantage • Information about state acts in the form of training

22. Making Panchayats mobilize their own resources • tax collection should be given the highest priority • Optimum utilization of the resources • skills in planning, monitoring, budgeting and resource utilization

23. Gram Sabha have a role of bridging the GP and the people • collaborative efforts should be made to strengthen the women

24. Liaison with • women GP members, • district administrative functionaries, • NGOs, • individuals from academic institutions of training and research • NGO support institutions activists from the women’s movement.

25. evolve a collaborative strategy for specially designed training • orient the people and the members, to improve accountability to gram sabha • completely diffuse the clout of political parties or make political affiliation legal • constituencies reserved for women should be announced in the Gazette well in advance

26. Networking of GP members for mobility • GPs should pay the secretary’s salary • avoiding the erosion of the president’s role. • GP presidents should be elected by the people directly

27. A Constituents Report Card System should be introduced

28. 6. Constraints and limiting factors. • poverty, political discrimination, or lack of educational opportunities • ignorance, distorted knowledge about the realities • training and other awareness campaigns have helped them to affirm the differences in society • Caste system, patriarchy and the parochial attitude of the traditional power

29. wrest power legally through proxy women candidates • personal experience of members or local issues get priority in the process of development • educational inequalities also reflect and help to sustain social disparities

30. secretary in the gram panchayat has been hostile to the bold and straightforward Dalit women • training provided the much needed kick-start to women members’ social activities • social and political mobility of gram panchayat members facilitated them to break from the traditional social value system

31. SEARCH, BANGALORE, INDIA LOCAL SELF GOVERNANCE – AN INDIAN CASE STUDY OF HR STRATEGIES.

32. 7. HR Strategy and methodology • Contextualizing HRD system to the gross roots realities • a series of issues emerging from the decentralized governance structures • HRD process need to evolve effective strategies to address a plethora of issues

33. The various steps in HRD process for the strengthening of Local governance • 7.1. Pre election Strategy: Awareness and motivation camps. • How to ensure participation in the ‘electoral process’ by all sections of society? • Filling the nomination papers within a given time frame

34. 7.2.Orientation to the elected representatives. • ensure they understand responsibilities • laws governing the conduct of members, President, Vice president and Secretary

35. 7.3.Establishing identity and self image. • Empowerment enables a process that allows women to re-build their self image. • a psychological support process • process of rebirth and establishment of identity

36. 7.4. Literacy training. • transact the governance business without depending on others • 7.5. Management skills. • managing limited number of staff, • planning activities, • monitoring functioning of educational institutions

37. 7.6. Budgeting. • provides members complete awareness of financial position of GP • enhancing finance mobilization • 7.7. Leadership. • politically essential for using membership power

38. 7.8. Problem solving skills. • deal with public issues and conflicts • 7.9. Legal training. • Awareness of laws governing membership • authority of the President and Vice president • contributing to decision making

39. 7.10. Domain knowledge. • natural resource management, • watershed, • livestock, • primary health, • primary education, • rural housing, etc.

40. 7.11. Phased training strategy. • structured trainings are held regularly in a phased manner • 7.12. Peer group learning and networking. • effective tool in the adult learning pedagogy. • Organizing conventions • encourage network among themselves.

41. 7.13. Advocacy roles: • negotiate for their needs, programs, resources and requirements • 7.14. Exchange visits and study tours • visit to GP that have complex issues • find ways of dealing with complex issues

42. 7.15. Seeking clarification with bureaucracy. • meeting local officials • seeking information, • redressal of grievances • lodging complaints against erring officials • 7.16. Establishing linkages with legislative groups and committees on decentralization.

43. 7.17. Feedback to legislators, regional parliamentary committees and to various ministers and secretaries on polices, issues and problems. • 7.18. Forming vertical and horizontal linkages of networking cutting across party, caste, religious, class and gender groupings.

44. 7.19. HRD Strategy: Mission statement. • “To fully realize the latent power and potential of the women’s reservation policy by way of strengthening and empowering women to enable their effective functioning so that Panchayat Raj Institutions could be engendered and thereby social justice and sustainable development could be achieved in rural communities.”

45. 8. Government, Civil Society collaboration in HR strategy formulation and implementation. • Training assumptions: • 8.1.Training is a continuous and ongoing process. • 8.2.Training takes place in structured context ‘off site’ and ‘on site’. • 8.3.Adult training effective through peer group learning methods.

46. 8.4 Training various facets: • personality development, • subject matter knowledge • management skills, • budget making skills • 8.5 Training based on Action – Reflection – Action • 8.6 Training effective: multi stakeholders participation in formulation, implementation, evaluation and follow up

47. 8.7 Effective monitoring systems, concurrent evaluations, documentation, and systematic research studies and peer group evaluation – feedback systems • 8.8 Training facilitated by both content specialists and practitioners of the subject matter.

48. 8.9 Ex local governance representatives form a part of all training teams. • 8.10 comprehensive HR strategy implemented through collaborative approach - government representatives, departments, civil society actors and NGO training institutions contributing

49. 8.11 The civil society actors well versed in participatory methodologies and empowerment process • HR expertise could play a crucial role in evolving a HR strategy • participating in the actual implementation. • Onus of responsibility anchored and borne by the government.