000			03938cam a2200409 i 4500
999			_c113923 _d113923
001			19346118
003			OSt
005			20200910123924.0
008			160908s2016 ii a b 001 0 eng d
010			_a 2016332104
020			_a9788125063087 (hardback)
020			_a8125063080
025			_aI-E-2016332104 ; 35-91 ; 63-32
035			_a(OCoLC)958087082
035			_a(OCoLC)ocn958087082
037			_bLibrary of Congress -- New Delhi Overseas Office
040			_aDKAGE _beng _erda _cDKAGE _dOCLCO _dDLC
042			_alccopycat _alcode
043			_aa-ii---
050	0	0	_aTD303.W48 _bC53 2016
082	0	4	_a363.6109 CHA _223
100	1		_aChakrabarti, Bhaskar, _eauthor.
245	1	0	_aParticipation at the crossroads : _bDecentralisation and water politics in West Bengal / _cBhaskar Chakrabarti.
264		1	_aNew Delhi : _bOrient BlackSwan, _c2016.
300			_axviii, 130 pages : _billustrations (black and white) ; _c23 cm
336			_atext _btxt _2rdacontent
337			_aunmediated _bn _2rdamedia
338			_avolume _bnc _2rdacarrier
504			_aIncludes bibliographical references (pages 113-125) and index.
505			_aContents: 1.Introduction. 2.The Study Area and Fieldwork Experience. 3.Panchayati Raj: Political Context and Local Control of Water. 4.Conflict within the Ruling Party for Control of Water. 5.Local Control of Water by the Opposition. 6.Water Conflict between the Ruling Party and the Opposition. 7.Conclusion. Index. There is a trend the world over to make governments more accountable and responsive to local people through decentralisation of authority. Such an effort is aimed at overcoming inefficient allocation of natural resources by centrally administered agencies. The objective is to encourage participation of people in the decision-making process at the grassroots level. In India, the 73rd constitutional amendment of 1992 decentralised agriculture, irrigation and management of drinking water to the Panchayats. In West Bengal, the Panchayats were revitalised much before the constitutional amendment, soon after the Left Front government came to power. While the initial phase of Left Front rule saw enthusiastic participation by the village poor, when the water crisis reached a peak during the last years of Left Front rule, relatively few people in villages took part in government-sponsored initiatives. This leads to the core question: Why do more people not participate? Why are small cultivators and agricultural labourers, who are most profoundly affected by decisions regarding water management, even less inclined to be involved in decision-making? Participation at the Crossroads discusses decentralised governance and the politics of water management in India, with specific focus on West Bengal. Through fieldwork in villages during the last years of Left Front rule in the state, the author highlights the little studied aspect of local participation in decision-making processes relating to allocation of water. Through his case studies, the author shows how the unavailability of water is causing small cultivators to turn away from agriculture; the reasons behind the low turnout of small cultivators and agricultural labourers at village meetings; and how political interference at various levels in decentralisation creates problems, often leading to a skewed access to water. This timely and important book will be very useful to students and scholars of development studies, political science, public administration, anthropology, and sociology. It will also be invaluable to practitioners working in the fields of water policy and rural management.
650		0	_aWater-supply _xGovernment policy _zIndia _zWest Bengal.
650		0	_aPanchayat _zIndia _zWest Bengal.
650		0	_aDecentralization in government _zIndia _zWest Bengal.
906			_a7 _bcbc _ccopycat _d3 _encip _f20 _gy-gencatlg
942			_2ddc _cBK