A day after his statement that denial of benefits of development programmes is a key reason fuelling Maoism, the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh on Saturday suggested a prescription: empower the rural poor and marginalized sections through Panchayati Raj institutions.

Let us hope what Dr Singh suggests is truly implemented by his government. The PRIs are supposed to be vehicles of socio-economic transformation in rural India but the fact is these have come to serve the political and personal interests of the state level politicians rather than benefiting the rural people. There is no denying the fact that over the years the gram panchayats and zilla panchayats have become pocket boroughs of powerful state politicians. Obviously they are averse to the concept of giving autonomy to these bodies and allow them to function independently. Though on paper the PRI is supposed to be an autonomous body, the fact is it still continues to function under the strict control and supervision of the bureaucracy and politician. It is intriguing even e-governance of Dr Singh at the panchayat level did not end the leakages and lack of transparency. No doubt women’s’ participation in the panchayats have increased. But let them tell us: What real impact has it made on the lives of the poor people? It is irony that the vested interest and politicians have been using the panchayats for their selfish gains; like opposing development projects. Dr Singh should shift his focus to rural areas. He must ask the bureaucrats and the politicians not to plunder the resources meant for the poor. Rhetoric is not enough. He should see that Mr P Chidambaram instead of using his power and skill to chase the Maoists focuses on streamlining the functioning of panchayats and make them effective and transparent.