1 Introduction / Yatindra Singh Sisodia, Ashish Bhatt and Tapas Kumar Dalapati
Part I: 73rd Constitutional Amendment and Status of PRIs
2. Theoretical Nuances of Democratic Decentralisation in India / G. Palanithurai
3 Two Decades of Democratic Decentralisation in India / S.K. Singh
4 Two Decades of Democratic Governance at Local Level / Yatindra Singh Sisodia
5 Decentralisation and the Empowerment of Women and the Other Marginalized Groups / Nayanatara S. Nayak and Narayan Billava
Part II: Devolution of Funds, Functions and Functionaries in PRIs
6 Fiscal Decentralisation and Panchayati Raj Institutions / Neeta Tapan
7. How Inclusive are the Panchayats? / Nupur Tiwari
8 Mainstreaming Youth in Local Governance / K. Gireesan
Part III: Changing Power Structure and Empowerment of Marginalised Groups
9 Governance and Multidimensional Poverty / D.C. Sah and Ashish Bhatt
10. Decentralized Governance through (PESA) Act and Tribal Development / S.N. Tripathy
11 Impact of Decentralised Governance on the Implementation of MGNREGS in Scheduled Areas of Odisha / Nilakantha Panigrahi
12 Patterns of Local Governance for Tribes in Maharashtra / S.T. Shirsath
13 A Decade of Change through Dalit Leadership / Ramkumar G.
Part IV: Gender Issues and Empowerment of Women through PRIs
14 Decentralisation and Women’s Development in India / V. Rama Krishna
15 Empowerment of Women through Participation in Local Government in Maharashtra / Ruby Ojha
16 Dalit Women in Power Politics / S. Satyam
17 Women’s Empowerment through Panchayati Raj Institutions / Gadadhara Mohapatra
18 Representation, Inclusion and Empowerment of Women through Panchayati Raj Institutions / Anuja
Part V: State-Specific Experiences in Structure and Functions in PRIs
19 Status of Devolution of the Funds, Functions and Functionaries in United Andhra Pradesh / M. Gopinath Reddy
20 Accountability of Mukhiyas / Smita Agarwal
21 Rhetoric of Participatory Development / Alaknanda Shringare
22 Maharashtra Model of Panchayati Raj / Jitendra Wasnik