Local Democracy and Welfare Entitlements: Theory, Policy, and Practice January 2025 Batch
Designed to extend knowledge and understanding of the key issues related to local democracy to Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) of India.
Despite efforts by some state governments and civil society organisations (CSO), the practice of local democracy and welfare entitlements in India has not been impressive. The Union and the State governments, despite the promise of the Constitution, have more often than not treated the Local Democratic Institutions as non-desirable or as their agencies rather than as local governments. Also, much remains to be done to bridge the systemic gaps to reach welfare entitlements to the population.
The Civil Society Organizations of India, as some outstanding examples have shown in the past, can play a crucial role to develop a vibrant local democracy and ensure delivery of welfare entitlements in the country. Fortunately, there are many CSOs which are willing to devote themselves to the cause, but do not have the domain knowledge to work on local democracy issues. The course has been designed to equip them with knowledge and understanding of the issues related to local democracy and welfare entitlements.
The course explores the theory, policy, and practice of local democracy in and welfare entitlements India, with a focus on rural local government, i.e., Panchayati Raj Institutions, and Gram Sabhas. Participants will be provided an overview of various ideas and policies that has informed India’s local democracy and welfare initiatives. Then the field experience of various issues related to local democracy such as participatory planning, poverty alleviation, empowerment of women and Dalits will be discussed. Case studies of successful collaboration between local governments and Civil Society Organizations will be highlighted. Finally, the participants will be guided to develop their own vision and projects related to strengthening of local democracy and welfare entitlements in their respective field areas.
The course explores the theory, policy and practice of local democracy in India, with a focus on Gram Panchayats and Gram Sabha. Participants will be provided a holistic overview of various ideas and policies that has informed India’s local democracy initiatives. Then the field experience of various issues related to local democracy such as participatory planning, poverty alleviation, empowerment of women and Dalits will be discussed. Case studies of successful collaboration between local governments and Civil Society Organizations will be highlighted. Finally, the participants will be guided to develop their own vision and projects related to strengthening of local democracy in their respective field areas.
The course will be offered from 13th January to 23rd January 2025 face to face in Bangalore. It’s divided into seven themes as shown along with a field visit and a way forward for the participants to plan their work in future. The themes cover the theoretical foundation, policy perspectives and dominant field realities, and major exceptions and good practices.
| Content | Number of sessions |
|---|---|
| Concepts and Theories | Three |
| Panchayati Raj: Evolution, Structure & Mandate | Two |
| Panchayat Planning – Evolution and Good Practices | Three |
| Democratic Governance in Forests and 5th Schedule areas | Three |
| Rights and Welfare- concepts and policies | Two |
| Facilitated Sessions on Civil Society Engagements | Four |
| Exemplars and Innovations | Twenty |
| Field Visits and Reflections | Three |
| Way Forward for CSOs | Two |
The course is designed and intended for Civil Society Organizations who are working or are interested in working on local democracy issues in rural forest and PESA areas. The course is best experienced by a minimum of two development practitioners from one organisation. The design of the course is aimed at mid to senior-level staff of the organisations having a minimum of seven years of experience.
Eligibility and selection
All applicants are expected to represent their organisation. A minimum of two participants from each organisation should participate. All applicants must possess a working knowledge of English. Applicants will be shortlisted based on their applications and telephonic interviews.
Note: The decision of the evaluation committee will be final.
Timeline
Last date for applying
Selected candidates will be informed about the payment process
Last day for fee payment
The course will be transacted in a mix of English and Hindi. It shall utilize published texts, videos and class presentations followed by interactive classroom sessions to explore the issues that will be discussed. The course will be conducted face-to-face only. Course materials will be available in Hindi and English.
The participants will be awarded a Certificate of Participation after successfully attending all the days and submitting assignments.
For registration, please click here
For further queries, please write to: localdemocracy.development@apu.edu.in
Azim Premji University was established as a not-for-profit, private university under the Azim Premji University Act 2010. The University has a clear social purpose of working towards a just, equitable, humane and sustainable society. Azim Premji University plays a critical role in developing new talent, building capacity in existing functionaries and creating domain knowledge in the fields of education and development. The Azim Premji Foundation is the sponsor of the University. The roots of Azim Premji University lie in the learning and experience of a decade of work in elementary education by Azim Premji Foundation. The University is one of the Foundation’s key responses to the challenges confronting the education and development sectors in India. To know the programmes offered at our University, click here.
The course will be anchored by Ashok Kumar Sircar and Debraj Bhattacharya. Faculty members will be drawn from the Azim Premji University, Philanthropy and from a pool of noted resource persons from around the country.
Course Faculty
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Ashok Kumar Sircar
Ashok Sircar has worked for 31 years spanning the corporate sector, development sector, and teaching/training. He has been extensively involved in development action and studies in India in the domains of programme design, planning and execution, monitoring-evaluation, research and policy advocacy on issues of local governance, land rights and livelihoods.
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Debraj Bhattacharya
Debraj is an alumnus of Presidency College, Calcutta and Calcutta University where he studied History for his BA and MA degrees.He has worked in various NGOs in the development sector of India for the last two decades and learnt about “development”, or the lack of it, while working.Debraj’s research, broadly speaking, falls in two disciplines…
Fee Structure
| INR 9300 | (including GST) For Individuals |
|---|---|
| INR 1180 | (including GST) For partner organizations of the Azim Premji Foundation |
| INR 4960 | (Including GST) Accommodation Fee |
Food: Breakfast and meals are available at the cafeteria on direct payment basis.
Approximately INR 300/- can suffice for a breakfast and two meals per person per day.