NODE 05 · GS Paper II

Local Governance — PRIs & ULBs

Devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein; Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability; e-governance applications, models, successes, limitations.— UPSC Mains Syllabus

73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments: PRIs and ULBs as the third tier. The gap between constitutional mandate and ground reality is the central exam tension — States have resisted genuine devolution of Funds, Functions, and Functionaries (the 3Fs). E-governance and service delivery reform are the contemporary dimension.

3 refs

9 PYQs

1 CA entries

0/2 tasks

NCERT References

Chapters with a link open the NCERT Companion page.

Indian Constitution at Work

Class 11 NCERT

Ch 8

Standard Textbooks

M. Laxmikanth: Indian Polity

Chapters: Ch 22, 23, 24

Second ARC Report 6: Local Governance

Chapters: Key recommendations

Supplementary Sources

Ministry of Panchayati Raj — Annual Report

Also relevant when writing this answer

These nodes commonly intersect with this one in real Mains questions. The connection is explained below each link.

GS2 · NODE 02→

Federalism & Centre-State Relations

Local governance is the third tier of federalism. A complete answer on fiscal devolution must include the PRIs/ULBs dimension — the weakest link in the federal chain.

“'Challenges to federalism in India' is incomplete without the third-tier devolution failure.”

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