Ministry of Panchayati Raj has formulated a Model Panchayats and Gram Swaraj Act (MPGSA) for states. The Ministry invited members to give their comments and suggestions.

"The Goa Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2009 is being reintroduced with modifications in the earlier Bill. A Draft Model Panchayat Act (DMPA) was circulated to all the States by the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj in the month of April 2009 requesting for suggestions/comments within three weeks.

On August 4, 2009, National Council Meet of the Association of Local Governance of India (ALGI) was held in New Delhi. Panchayat members and presidents, political representatives and representatives from civil society organisations from 19 states participated in the programme.

Scholarly work portrays Residents Welfare Associations as constituting an exclusively middle class

The Decentralization Community of Solution Exchange, an initiative of the United Nations Country Team in India, provides a platform to strengthen the institutions of local self government - Panchayati Raj Institutions and Municipal Bodies - to bring about more transparent and participatory governance, more effective local development and better delivery of services.

The need of the hour is to amend the 73rd Amendment to promote women's equal participation in three tiers of panchayats. All women's organisations and civil society organisations should form a common platform with a single agenda.

Local self-government in the form of panchayats and municipalities in our country are two grassroots democratic institutions msndated by the Constitution of India. They are neither any agencies of the government nor any sort of departments in the conventional sense within the framework of the government.

Is the Indian village becoming more inclusive after the introduction of panchayati raj?