Grassroots Democracy Is Key to Development: JP Narayan
Strong democratic institutions at the local level are essential to achieving inclusive and lasting development, the political reformer and Loksatta founder Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan said during a lecture at GITAM Deemed to be University.
Speaking at an event on “Democracy and Development” organized by the university’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences as part of its SAMVAD Lecture Series on Wednesday, Dr. Narayan argued that governance must shift from a centralized structure to one that gives greater authority to local communities. Empowering local bodies, he said, leads to improved accountability, more effective public services and development that reflects regional needs.
Communities tend to perform better when they have the power to manage their own affairs, he said, adding that local democracy is often better equipped than centralized systems to address diverse and region-specific challenges.
Drawing a comparison with China, Dr. Narayan noted that although India is a democracy, China has achieved greater functional and financial decentralization at the local level. India’s economic growth, he said, has not been matched by sufficient progress in human capital development, with school education, health care and skill development continuing to face limited public investment.
Political empowerment alone cannot drive development, he cautioned. Structural inefficiencies, low public spending and weak rural infrastructure remain major constraints. Economic growth produces sustainable benefits only when supported by quality education, rural development and sustained investment in people to reduce poverty and improve productivity, he said.
Despite internal and external challenges, Dr. Narayan said India has made notable progress in managing its diversity and complex federal structure while steadily strengthening its democratic framework.
Earlier, the GITAM Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Y. Gouthama Rao, welcomed Dr. Narayan and said the university is implementing the National Education Policy with a focus on integrating technical education with the humanities and social sciences.