Rural Leadership: Backbone of Democracy in India

Abstract

Panchayati Raj is accepted as a way of life to-day. An attractive name like "Decentralization" seems to attract popular imagination. The birth of Panchayati Raj has necessitated self-management of the problems of the community, a sense of popular participation and the political education of the villager in the citizenship of his country. The success of Panchayati Raj and the fulfillment of the hopes of people's participation and involvement in the development work in the villages depend largely upon effective local leadership. "No country can hope to achieve good working democracy let alone a Welfare State without a strong and healthy system of local Government." Again, no local Government can remain healthy unless it is liable to change needed to adapt it to changes in the human and physical environment.