National Council of Applied Economic Research
Against the backdrop of this to-be-released (2015) NCAER book authored by Hans P. Binswanger-Mkhize, Hari Nagarajan and S.S. Meenakshisundaram, the roundtable discussions explored the effectiveness of long-standing Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in India as part of strategy of good-governance at the grass-root level. With a strong emphasis on the linkages between local self-government and planning, politics and public policy, the discussion examined the changing role of the Centre and State governments in this system. Also, the roundtable discussions deliberated upon the issues of capacity building, institutional linkages with parallel bodies, and impact of political ideologies on PRIs. This timely discussion also reflected on the role of the three–tier governance system in the recently announced Prime Minister’s Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (Model Village initiative). The roundtable featured Professors Binswanger and Nagarajan and Dr Edgard Rodriguez (IDRC).
