Empowerment of Local Communities in India for Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Mizoram

Empowerment of local communities is an issue of primary importance for the progress and sustainable development of all nations. It is fundamental to achieving people centred development. Effort has been made towards this end since Gandhian era in India. Effective involvement at the grass roots level can exist only when there is effective delegation of responsibilities to local governments, along with building up local capacities in order to help them discharge these responsibilities to the satisfaction and betterment of the citizens. In the recent past there has been a conscious effort to strengthen and revitalize empowerment of local communities through the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Act. The landmark legislations also aimed at greater clarity between states and local governments in terms of devolution of adequate powers and resources to enable local bodies to function as vibrant institutions of local government. While the experience of Indian state is very encouraging, some areas and states of tribal communities in Northeast are exempted from this constitutional mandate. This paper is an attempt to examine the operation of the local institutions in empowering the grass root for over all sustainable development in the state of Mizoram.