Decentralization, Governance and Public Service Systems in Tribal Areas of Odisha: A Sociological Perspective

The grassroots government's top priority is to offer basic amenities to its citizens for their life and livelihood, resulting in the empowerment of vulnerable and marginalized populations who are still denied socioeconomic benefits. Involvement of local people in the planning, execution and monitoring of many rural development programmes is also essential. The presence of staffing shortages in some Gram Panchayats (GPs) has created a problematic scenario for the correct implementation and effective monitoring mechanism to be carried out in the GPs since the workload has much exceeded expectations. As a result, welfare activities in rural areas are hampered by a lack of social capital and the capabilities of designated staff. An in-depth examination of this essential topic reveals the rationale for introspection to refocus on Decentralization, Governance and Public Service Systems in tribal areas of Odisha.