CONTENTS Preface 7 1 Philosophy of Panchayati Raj: The Search for Swarajya 11 2 Growth and Development of Panchayati Raj : An Evolutionary Perspective 20 3 Constitutional Status of Panchayati Raj Institutions 42 4 Panchayati Raj Institutions in India: Organizational and Functional Perspective across India's States 60 5 Issues in Personnel Administration 84 6 Panorama of Financial Administration 97 7 People's Participation in Panchayati Raj 118 8 Decentralized Planning through Panchayati Raj Institutions : Governmental Control 131 9 District Governance through Panchayati Raj Institutions 147 10 Role of Officials / Non-officials: Emerging Issues and Trends 155 11 Social Justice through Panchayati Raj 164 12 Panchayati Raj and Rural Development 189 13 Panchayats and NGOs: The Interface and Linkages 204 14 The Dilemma of Self-government vis-a-vis Governmental Control 212 15 Panchayati Raj in Tribal Sub-Plan Areas 224 16 Elections and Role of Political Parties in Panchayati Raj 240 17 Right to Information and Transparency in Panchayati Raj 255 18 Whither Panchayati Raj? The Emerging Scenario 263 Appendices 277 Index 288