Measuring and Demystifying Self-Rule of Panchayats in West Bengal

Paper critically examines the extent to which Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in West Bengal (WB), India, exercise power & access resources as units of local-self-government in the true spirit of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment. While existing Devolution-Index (DI) studies assessed decentralisation across states, their methodological limitations prompted the development of a new framework: the Self-Rule Index (SRI). Grounded in constitutional principles and institutional realities, SRI was applied across all three tiers of PRIs in WB using a mixed-methods approach combining policy analysis and field investigation. The findings are striking: WB has devolved only 13% of the constitutionally mandated powers and resources. Devolution is highest at the level of Gram-Panchayat and lowest at Zila-Parishad. Despite being a pioneer in Panchayati Raj since 1978 with a robust PRI structure, its PRIs remain functionally constrained and resource-deficient. The study concludes that SRI’s framework offers a more accurate, practice-oriented assessment of decentralisation than conventional indices-DI.

Panchayati Raj, Devolution of Power & Resources, Devolution Index, Self-Rule, Local Self-Government, West Bengal

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