Online published on 29 November, 2012.
Based on grassroots planning, recent developments in the state of Madhya Pradesh (MP), India may be characterised as systematic efforts to promote the decentralisation of governance. There has been a continuous struggle towards evolving democratic governance that provides for the participation of citizens in the developmental process. However, owing to vast inter- and intra-country differences, no single method has been set so far as a model for others to follow, although each effort contributes towards further deliberation and evolution. For the first time in the development history of MP, the government has shown the courage to interact with the community for making local development plans. This paper evaluates the adequacy of the decentralisation framework and mechanism of governance adopted by the state to achieve the desirable goal of participatory democracy.
