SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND GREEN GOVERNANCE THROUGH PARTCIPATORY DEMOCRACY

Mahatma Gandhis vision of Gram Swaraj underscores the significance of self-sufficient and autonomous village communities, with anemphasis on the provision of clean drinking water, sanitation, and healthcare as essential elements of sustainable development and progress. The Panchayat Raj Act of 1994 was enacted by states to strengthen participatory democracy in India by conferring constitutional legitimacy to gram panchayats and establishing a three-tier structure of local self-governance at the village, block, and district levels. The implementation of the Panchayat Raj Act has, however, faced numerous challenges. There exists a disconnect between the planners and the implementers, the visionaries and the executors, and the administrators and the community at large, which has undermined the efficacy of this system designed to ensure grassroots democracy. This article is an attempt to redress the issues of sustainable development from grassroot level, the hope is that this will be an eye opener for the government to effectively fund and realise that green governance is the key factor for sustainable development and it can be best achieved through the local self-government institutions.