Rural development through people's participation in Gram Sabha: A study from Central India

Abstract

Rural development can never be possible without a robust implementation of governmental policies in rural regions. The Panchayati Raj institutions were introduced in India in 1993 with the goal of rural development through the people's participation. In this context, this study explores the level of involvement of villagers in Gram Sabha and their awareness of state development policies and investigates gender participation in rural development. The study adopts both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies. The data have been collected from the village Chitoura, Sagar, district of Madhya Pradesh (MP) via semi-structured interview methods, case studies, and observations. A total of 50 villagers were selected as respondents through random sampling. Notably, the findings point out that the Panchayati Raj institutions are failing to deliver the development policies on the ground due to a lack of awareness among the villagers and poor participation of women in village activities. This study recorded that caste and gender hinder rural development as some specific castes gained more benefits from the Panchayati Raj institution. Keywords: Gram sabha; Panchayati Raj institution; rural development; women representatives.