While the finance minister took care to express the commitment of his government to poor and vulnerable people while presenting the Union Budget for 2016–17, this stated commitment has not been backed by adequate increases in allocations to areas of critical interest to the poor. It is likely that resource constraints will continue to be a serious hindrance in important areas like nutrition, health and livelihood support. (Letter)

Recently several villages near Delhi which fall in the Yamuna Expressway area have been rocked by violence. In the clashes between policeman and farmers, several farmers as well as policemen have been killed while many more have been injured. The question that arises in the middle of all this destruction and violence: could this have been avoided?

While it is widely agreed that an important goal of Panchayati Raj is to ensure better implementation of government's rural development programmes by ensuring participation of people, it is also important to assert that the role of Panchayati Raj Institutions at various levels is certainly not restricted to blind acceptance of the policies and programmes of the central and state governments.

The wider democratic role of panchayats was very much in evidence on April 8, 2011 at a conference on 'Agriculture and Panchayats in Rajasthan in the Specific Context of Agreements with Multinational and other Big Agribusiness Companies'. In this conference panchayat leaders from 14 districts of Rajasthan unanimously called upon the Rajasthan government to cancel agreements on farm research with seven multinational and other big agribusiness companies during 2010.

While it is widely agreed that an important goal of Panchayati Raj is to ensure better implementation of government's rural development programmes by ensuring participation of people, it is also important to assert that the Panchayati Raj insitutions at various levels (or three tiers) is certainly not restricted to blind acceptance of the policies and programmes of the central and state governm

Overall strengthening of village community ties so that people work together for tasks of common welfare can be of immense significance for the success of development programmes. This is all the more important in the area of water and sanitation where initiatives which benefit the entire community are more likely. The effectiveness of this approach can be seen in Deedakheda and Rajukkheda village of Sehore block (also Sehore district), Madhya Pradesh.

The role of local governments is of direct tangible importance to climate adaptation debates because, although many processes are global, most impacts will be local. At a practical level one important way in which panchayats can make an important contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions is by helping in the harnessing of renewable energy sources.

In March 2010, large scale corruption in the implementation of NREGA waa exposed in Fatehpura block of Dahod district (Gujarat). The massive scale of the corruption is evident from the fact that NREGA authorities got a complaint of cheating registered with the police against 16 persons.

Millions of trees in ecologically crucial areas like the Himalayas and Western Ghats have been saved by Chipko and Appiko Movement. These movements also worked for the regeneration of greenery over thousands of acres. The results can be seen in the forests of Jardhar and Piplet in Uttarakhand or the forests near Mendemane and Gubbigadde villages in Karnataka.