Services at Local Level

Structure of Unit 13

  • Objectives
  • Introduction
  • Services in Rural Areas
  • Accessing Services
    • Job Card and Employment Under MGNREGA
    • Svamitva
    • Common Service Centres
  • Services in Urban Areas
  • Some Important Services in Rural and Urban Areas
  • Emerging Trends
  • Let Us Sum Up
  • Key Words
  • Some Useful Books/Articles/Links
  • Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises

13.0 Objectives

  • Understand the significance of the 73rd amendment to the Indian Constitution.
  • Discuss the importance of Gram Panchayats.
  • Describe different kinds of services being provided by the Gram Panchayats.
  • Explain different kinds of services being provided by the Municipalities.
  • Highlight the nature and importance of online provision of services.

13.1 Introduction

  • India has a three-tier system of governance:
    • Centre
    • State
    • Local government levels.
  • The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts gave Constitutional status to the third tier for rural and urban areas, respectively.
  • Rural local government institutions are known as Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs).
    • Integrated framework of:
      • Gram Panchayats (GPs) at the village level,
      • Block Panchayats at the block level,
      • District Panchayats at the district level.
  • Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) are not integrated in that manner.
    • Three types: Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils, and Town Panchayats.
    • Largely based on sizes and ability to mobilize resources.
  • Local government is nearest to the people and is responsible for providing services of immediate needs to the citizens.

13.2 Services in Rural Areas

  • The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act gives constitutional status to PRIs.
    • Responsible for overall development of the village and providing basic services to their residents.
  • Local government institutions have jurisdiction over 29 subjects mentioned in the XIth Schedule of the Constitution.
  • PRIs are an important stakeholder in the implementation of various Centrally Sponsored Schemes as well as Central Sector Schemes.
  • Eleventh Schedule (Article 243G) includes:
    • Agriculture, including agricultural extension
    • Land improvement, implementation of land reforms, land consolidation, and soil conservation
    • Minor irrigation, water management, and watershed development
    • Animal husbandry, dairying, and poultry
    • Fisheries
    • Social forestry and farm forestry
    • Minor Forest produce
    • Small-scale industries, including food processing industries
    • Khadi, village, and cottage industries
    • Rural housing
    • Drinking water
    • Fuel and fodder
    • Roads, culverts, bridges, ferries, waterways, and other means of communication
    • Rural electrification, including distribution of electricity
    • Non-conventional energy sources
    • Poverty alleviation programme
    • Education, including primary and secondary schools
    • Technical training and vocational education
    • Adult and non-formal education
    • Libraries
    • Cultural activities
    • Markets and fair
    • Health and sanitation, including hospitals, primary health centers, and dispensaries
    • Family welfare
    • Women and child development
    • Social welfare, including welfare of the handicapped and mentally retarded
    • Welfare of the weaker sections, and of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes
    • Public distribution system
    • Maintenance of community assets
  • PRIs have faced problems of funds, functions, and functionaries in varying degrees across states.
    • Measures have been taken by various governments to strengthen the PRIs.
  • GPs are the most important institution for accessing various services from the citizen’s/resident’s perspective.
    • Residents need to be aware about the functions or responsibilities of the GPs, which are broadly:
      • Developing inclusive plans relating to:
        • Basic public sanitation
        • Drinking water
        • Internal connectivity
        • Street lighting
        • Maintenance of playgrounds, parks, and other commons
      • Implementing programs of the Union and State governments:
        • Central government programs of rural development and employment.
        • Swachh Bharat Mission.
      • Identifying individuals/households for various benefits under various programs:
        • Poor homeless people are eligible for PM Awas Yojana (Grameen).
      • Mobilizing community for community-led-action-planning process and ensuring their participation in development and welfare programs:
        • Preparation of Gram Panchayat Development Plan under People’s Plan Campaign.
  • Citizens/residents, as members of the Gram Sabha (GS), must participate in:
    • The meetings of GS, where infrastructure works for the village are planned and prioritized.
    • Monitoring the implementation of the programs and projects.
    • Identification of beneficiaries under various government schemes.
    • Post-implementation auditing of the works and programs, especially social audits.
      • Social audit has emerged as a powerful tool to ensure and promote transparency and accountability.

13.3 Accessing Services

  • This section is dedicated to accessing services through GPs.
  • These services are exclusive to the rural areas.

13.3.1 Job Card and Employment under MGNREGA

  • Under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
    • GPs have the responsibility of getting job cards made for the applicant.
    • Any adult member willing to work and residing in the GP area may visit the panchayat office.
  • The Act states that the Gram Panchayat must register the household and issue a job card with details of adult members.
  • Individuals can demand work when they need it once the job card is made.
    • They are entitled to 100 days of work every year.
    • If the work is not provided within the stipulated time-frame, they are entitled to compensation.

13.3.2 Svamitva

  • The Government of India is implementing a scheme for surveying the land parcels in rural areas using Drone technology.
    • Update the ‘record-of-rights’ in the revenue/property registers and issuance of property cards to the property owners.
    • Aims at facilitating monetization of rural residential assets for credit and other financial services to the property owners.
  • The property owners are expected to:
    • Cooperate with concerned authorities during the process of measurement and survey.
    • Produce necessary documents (if available) for the survey by the concerned authority.
  • Members of Gram Sabha may take benefit of various schemes:
    • Self-help groups and village organizations have been formed in every village.
      • They have been given the responsibility of setting up poverty alleviation schemes in villages.
      • Panchayats should ensure that special priority is given to the demand for schemes emanating from them.
    • Individual benefit schemes such as fruitful plantation, dobha, vermicompost, animal houses, etc., help in getting sustainable employment.
      • Special priority should be given to them.
    • In villages, where there are a good number of cows, bulls, buffaloes, etc., their GPs can take deenbandhu model-based biogas for the entire village from this scheme.
      • It gets fuel for cooking food at home and also provides useful liquid manure.
    • Monitoring of ground water should be done in two-three selected wells of each village through Jaldoot mobile app.

13.3.3 Common Service Centres (CSCs)

  • Most of the gram panchayats host Common Service Centres.
    • Put up and operated by Village Level Entrepreneurs.
  • These centres have integrated e-District services and portals of utility services and other government department portals not included in e-District.
    • Enabling them to offer various services.
    • They are provided support by both central and state governments.
  • Any person may visit them with requisite documents and avail their services.
  • Range of services offered by CSCs are provided in the Table 1 which includes:
    • Aadhaar Services:
      • Generation of Aadhaar
      • e-KYC & Authentication
      • Aadhaar Printing
      • Aadhaar Enrolment Update Client Lite (UCL)
    • Central G2C Services - PM Welfare Schemes:
      • Ayushman Bharat Yojana
      • PM Fasal Bima Yojana
      • PM – Ujjwala Scheme (LPG Booking)
      • PM- Sharam Yogi Maan-dhan Yojana
      • PM – Kisan Maan-dhan Yojana
      • PM – Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana
      • PM – Merchant pension Yojana
      • PM – Kisan Credit Cards Yojana
      • PM – SVA Nidhi Yojana
      • E-Sharam Registrations
    • Other Central G2C Services:
      • Election Commission Services
      • Passport Application
      • PAN Application
      • Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
      • (FSSAI) Food Safety and Standards Authority of India Registration / License
      • Jeevan Pramaan
      • Udhyam Jyoti Parichay
      • Recruitment Application through (CSCs) Common Services Centres
    • State G2C Services:
      • E-District Services
      • PDS Services
      • Labour Registration Services
      • E-Stamp
      • E-Vahan – Sarathi Transport Services
      • Himachal Swasthya Bima Yojana (HIMCARE)
      • Other State G2C Services – Recruitment Services
      • Other State G2C Services – Municipal Services
      • Other State G2C Services – Swastha Bima
      • Other State G2C Services – Fasal Bima Yojana
    • Educational Services:
      • Digital Literacy
      • Various On-line courses of NIELIT & NIOS, various courses of IGNOU, IITs, Private Universities
      • Various courses of CSC Academy
    • Legal Services:
      • Tele-Legal Consultation Services
      • E-Court Services
    • Financial Inclusion Services:
      • Banking Services
      • DigiPay (AEPS)
      • Insurance Services
      • NPS & APY
      • Fastag Services
      • CIBIL Registration
    • Tour & Travels:
      • IRCTC Services
      • Other Services
    • Utility Bill Payment Services:
      • Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS)
      • Electricity Bill Payment
      • Water Bill Payment
      • LPG Booking
    • Healthcare Services:
      • Tele-Medicine
      • Medicines Sales
      • Stree Swabhimaan
    • Other B2C / B2B Services:
      • Grameen E-Store
      • Products Distribution
      • Agriculture Services
      • Mobile or DTH Recharge (Direct-to-Home)
      • IT Return Filing
      • Diginame
    • Skill Development:
      • Schemes and Courses
      • Jon Portals

13.4 Services in Urban Areas

  • Urban areas have jurisdiction over 18 subjects, mentioned in the 12th Schedule (Article 243-W), in the Constitution.
    • Give an indication as to what kind of services the citizens can expect from their Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) / municipalities.
  • Twelfth Schedule (Article 243 W) includes:
    • Urban planning including town planning
    • Regulation of land use and construction of buildings
    • Planning for economic and social development
    • Roads and bridges
    • Water supply for domestic, industrial, and commercial purposes;
    • Public health, sanitation, conservancy, and solid waste management
    • Fire services
    • Urban forestry, protection of the environment, and promotion of ecological aspects
    • Safeguarding the interests of weaker sections of society, including the handicapped and mentally retarded
    • Slum improvement and upgradation
    • Urban poverty alleviation
    • Provision of urban amenities and facilities such as parks, gardens, and playgrounds
    • Promotion of cultural, educational, and aesthetic aspects
    • Burials and burial grounds, cremations and cremation grounds, and electric crematoriums
    • Cattle ponds, prevention of cruelty to animals
    • Vital statistics including registration of births and deaths
    • Public amenities including street lighting, parking lots, bus stops, and public conveniences
    • Regulation of slaughter houses and tanneries
  • Municipalities provide some obligatory services and some discretionary services depending on the resources available.
    • Obligatory functions deal with the subject matters that concern the residents most.
      • ULBs must provide them, like water supply, sanitation facilities, solid waste management, street lighting, etc.
    • Discretionary functions deal with subject matters, which a municipality may take up or not depending on their resource position.
      • Like managing a public library, museum, rest houses, etc.
  • While Schedule 12 gives a fairly good idea of the range of services that should be provided by the ULBs- Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils, and Town Panchayats, it depends on the size of ULB, the realization of user charges and capacity available with the ULBs.
  • Not all the 18 subjects have been transferred to the municipalities by most of the state governments.
  • The bigger the municipality, the more departments it has.
  • It is the responsibility of the citizens/residents to ensure that their elected councillors/corporators articulate their demands and get their ward works prioritized.
  • Besides the elections, Ward Committees and Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) are important institutions for the purpose.
  • Apparently, the smaller municipalities do not have wherewithal to provide services that can be provided by the ULBs of bigger sizes.

13.5 Some Important Services in Rural and Urban Areas

  • Certain services are necessary for a dignified existence of any human being.

Water Supply and Sanitation

  • In some states, safe and adequate drinking water supply is the responsibility of the ULBs.
  • In other states, there are parastatal organization like Delhi Jal Board in Delhi, or Haryana Urban Development Authority for some cities in Haryana, or Public Health Engineering Department in many states.
  • Generally, for taking a water connection, one needs to visit the office of the ULB or the agency and apply on a prescribed form, along with the requisite documents.
    • Once the application is approved after verification and other necessary documentation, the due charges need to be deposited.
    • In most of these states, such connections are provided in a time-bound manner, in accordance with the respective state’s Right to Public Services Act.
  • In rural areas, Sujal and Swachh Gaon being envisioned by the Ministry of Jal Shaki, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, provides for piped water supply and safe and sustainable sanitation to the rural population.
    • Households may approach GPs for any water related problem, like distribution, quality, water-related emergencies like droughts or floods, etc. or through pani panchayats, where they exist.
  • Under Swachh Bharat Mission, the government provides support like subsidy, appropriate technology, etc., for the construction of Household Latrine to any household which does not have it inside the house.
    • The owner may register for the same (online facility is also available).
    • Similar mechanism exists in the rural areas as well.
    • The households may register online.
    • The verification is done by the GP.

Solid Waste Management

  • It has emerged as a very important area of intervention.
  • The government is pursuing Zero Waste policy.
  • Using waste as a resource is beneficial for rural and urban areas.
  • It is the responsibility of the ULBs and the Panchayats to earmark a landfill site and provide for collection of waste from households and dispose of it in a scientific manner.
    • The households are expected to do the segregation at source.
  • ULBs in smaller towns get waste collected from their own staff, but in bigger towns several models have emerged, including private parties or NGOs and CBOs (Community Based Organizations).
    • In case the ULB does not get it collected, the citizens may complain about it to the concerned authorities.
  • The panchayats are expected to prepare a Gram Panchayat Solid Waste Management Plan.
  • The citizens also have the responsibility in reducing usage of plastic waste and throwing garbage in bins placed by an ULB across the city.

Birth and Death Certificates

  • Registration of births and deaths is statutorily mandated (Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969).
    • It is also linked to various benefits under different schemes of governments.
  • Registration is especially important for births in rural areas because the instances of non-institutional deliveries are more in villages.
  • The birth must be registered with the concerned local authorities within 21 days of its occurrence, by filling-up the form prescribed by the office of the Registrar General.
  • The Birth Certificate is then issued after verification with the actual records of the concerned hospital.

Housing

  • Housing benefits to the poor are normally given through ULBs and panchayats.
  • Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Urban and Gramin, are being implemented across the country in the same manner.
  • Under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin (PMAY-G), the beneficiaries are identified based on the housing deprivation parameters and exclusion criteria prescribed under Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) 2011 database subject to due verification by Gram Sabha and completion of Appellate Process.
  • Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban (PMAY-U) is being implemented through four verticals:
    • Beneficiary Led Construction/ Enhancement (BLC)
    • Affordable Housing in Partnership (AHP)
    • In-situ Slum Redevelopment (ISSR)
    • Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS).

13.6 Emerging Trends

Online Provision of Services

  • Digital India has become a driving force in public service delivery.

  • Local governments are not left far behind.

    • They are also leveraging technology to deliver various services.

  • Comparatively, ULBs are in a better position to offer such services online as compared to rural local governments, as they have capacity and volume both.

  • GPs are also using technology, as per their capacities.

    • Services are provided online in rural areas mostly through an integrated portal of the particular state to overcome the constraints as mentioned above.

Grievance Redressal

  • For Municipal services or services offered by GPs, it is mandatory for them to establish a proper grievance redressal mechanism.
    • Each one of them has complaint centres covering each ward, where people can register their complaints on a complaint register.
    • Online complaints are also received by them, which are forwarded to the concerned department for resolution in a time-bound manner.
    • Complaints can also be made over the phone or through apps where apps have been developed.

Feedback

  • Feedback mechanism works as an instrument of collecting information about the satisfaction level of the citizens about their various services.

  • ULBs in most cases have it on their websites, though it is still limited to few services.

    • The mechanism is yet to percolate down to the panchayats.

  • Pune Municipal Corporation has a Feedback Management Cell to coordinate between various citizen touchpoints and PMC.

    • Keeping records, raising tickets, helping citizens get faster resolution to problems, and suggesting citizens’ feedback to the concerned authorities are a part of the Cell’s core activities.

13.7 Let Us Sum Up

  • Citizen centricity in governance has led to many reforms in service delivery.
  • Leveraging technology has reduced the transaction cost of availing services.
  • Capacities need to be built at the panchayat level as well as small town level, especially since necessary infrastructure has been put in place for delivering services.
  • Awareness efforts also need to be made so that people can utilize various provisions.

13.8 Key Words

  • Panchayati Raj Institutions: Village-level institution which are part of a three-tier system of governance in India.
  • XI Schedule: Contains the list of services allotted to the local government institutions.
  • Gram Sabha: Village-level government institution where members are elected to manage the local affairs.
  • Municipal Corporation: Urban government institution where members are elected to manage the local affairs.
  • MGNERGA: Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.
  • Svamitva: A scheme for surveying the land parcels in rural areas using Drone technology, to update the ‘record-of-rights’.
  • G2C Services: Government to Citizen Services.
  • Ministry of Panchayati Raj (2022) Action Agenda for Panchayati Raj Institution Members for Rural Development. New Delhi: Government of India.
  • Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (2021). Swachh Bharat Mission - Urban 2.0: Making Cities Garbage Free, Operation Guidelines. New Delhi: Government of India.
  • Satish D.P. (2016). This Village Panchayat in Karnataka Runs on WhatsApp, July 18, News18.com accessed at https://www.news18.com/news/india/this-village-panchayat-in-karnataka-runs-on-whatsapp-1270913.html.
  • International Labour Organization (2015). MGNREGS- Documents, Forms and Registers. Training module. Learning Unit 2.3. New Delhi: ILO.