We see decentralization as the strategic architecture for democracy to become articulate in our country. It is essential architecture to make democracy full-blooded and full-throated.
Decentralization has intrinsic merit as an enabler of democracy by maximizing participation. It is not therefore merely a matter of increasing managerial efficiency for meeting challenges of development as often presented in some discussions on development. Decentralization can be meaningful only when it is sustained by and in turn nourishes a democratic system.
Madhya Pradesh's road to decentralization has been one primarily of strengthening political democracy. Madhya Pradesh adopted decentralization as the overarching policy framework for strengthening democracy at the grassroots and providing accountable and responsive governance.
We have adopted a three-pronged strategy within this framework. The first is to deepen political democracy through the electoral process at the grassroots. The second is to complement this political deepening of democracy through community-led action that broadens the democratic space. The third is to initiate action for administrative decentralization and citizen rights that increases accountability and responsiveness and thereby complements the process of political decentralization and community action.
