Gram sabhas gaining momentum in Goa: Instances of political empowerment

Democracy, undoubtedly, is considered as the most desirable form of government in modern times. Moreover, there is a growing emphasis on grassroots democracy. Informed and well participated Gram Sabhas do have the tremendous potential to bring in the required change. It has been observed that there are inter-regional as well as intra-regional variances in the role played by Gram Sabhas. It is the outcome of interplay of large number of factors in any given society. Therefore, micro studies on functioning of Gram Sabhas could unearth certain important aspects of functioning of Gram Sabhas, which could have general implications and significance. The present study is such an attempt. The focus is on understanding the trend of people's participation at Gram Sabhas, to understand the major causes/issues, which motivates people to attend the Gram Sabhas and whether people trust their elected representatives and the Panchayati Raj Institutions in getting solutions to their problems. Data was collected from primary sources, by attending Gram Sabhas in different villages of Goa. A questionnaire was given during a personal interview to 294 respondents.

The paper observes that in general circumstances, people lie low as far as political participation is concerned for varied reasons, and however, when their living, subsistence or identity is at stake, people do come out in large numbers to assert themselves.

Similarly, though in the initial stages people participated in Gram Sabhas out of compulsion, at a later stage people realised their importance and also the significance of the role they have to play in it. This awareness led to an impetus to overall change at the grassroot level and thus contributed towards greater grassroots democracy.