Mrudul Nile

The Legitimisation of Consent in Panchayats—A Case Study of Maharashtra

March 2, 12:00 PM

Local Self Government Institutions were reinvigorated according to the 73rd and 74th Constitutional amendments. These amendments are considered to be an important intervention not only in the structure of local self-government but was perceived from the point of view of social transformation as well. The deprived communities especially the Scheduled Castes and Tribes including the Women are considered as equal participants.

However, with the passing of time, it is realized that the Panchayati Raj Institutions in India and in Maharashtra are increasingly flouting the constitutional mandate to these institutions which is becoming detrimental not only to the institution but is stagnating social progress and cohesion.

Currently, we are working on devising an Electoral Index for all the 27 Municipal Corporations in Maharashtra. The index shall look at the electoral process to the LSGs-how free, fair and transparent elections are conducted to the local bodies. We are in talks with University of Gothenburg as collaborator for the same.

The last part of the presentation shall look at certain innovations that are attempted by some Panchayats in Maharashtra. A case study of Pimpri Sayyed village in Nashik District will be discussed. The study attempts to exhibit the juxtaposition of both constitutional as well as normative traditional practices of legitimization of decisions at the grassroots level.

Overall presentation attempts to discuss the emerging contours in LSGs which enhances further scope for research and interventions.

About the Speaker

Mrudul Nile is a Professor in the Department of Civics and Politics at the University of Mumbai. He is on deputation to the State Election Commission, Maharashtra and heads the Institute of Democracy and Elections for Good Governance, a think tank for the State Election Commission. Two of his recommendations for strengthening NOTA are accepted by the State Election Commission of Maharashtra and Haryana.

He is a member of sub-committee on curriculum design, for the New Education Policy of Maharashtra chaired by Professor Raghunath Mashelkar, January 2021.

He is a member of the recently announced “Women’s Policy 2022” of the Government of Maharashtra.

He is elected Member of the Senate of the University of Mumbai from amongst the post graduate teachers. He has served as the Director, Students Welfare University of Mumbai from March 2008- September 2015. By the virtue of being the DSW, he was also a ex-officio member of various statutory committees like the Senate, Students Grievance Redressal Committee to name a few.

Dr. Nile was selected on a Hays-Fulbright Scholarship to sponsored by the US State Department to study National Security Policy Making at the United States Institute on U.S National Security Policy Making in the year 2011. He as also received a Scholarship from Indian Council for Social Science Research, Government of India, to go for a month long “International Seminar on Economic Development for Young Scholars” organised by the Chinese Academy of Social Science, Beijing, People’s Republic of China. He was also a part of the Think Tank delegation to China in April 2016 and later a part of Think Tank Forum between China and India which was agreed upon by the heads of both the States in December 2016 held in Delhi and Mumbai.

He is a Ph.D in Political Science “Right to Information-Its Implementation, Causes and Concerns” and specialises in Political Process, Public Policy, Marginalisaton and Exclusion and Election Studies. He has worked on a Major Research Project Sponsored by; A) Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) entitled “Governance of Health in Maharashtra: Implications for Social Exclusion”. B) Department of Tribal Development, Government of Maharashtra, on “Mapping Food Habits of Tribal Communities” and C) State Election Commission on using VVPAT machines in Maharashtra. He has also worked on NOTA and has carried an extensive survey to assess the voting behaviour of citizens in all the six Lok Sabha constituencies of Mumbai during the Sixteenth General Elections of 2014. This was the first time when the NOTA was introduced for the General Elections. He is currently working on a ,ajor project sponsored by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of Maharashtra entitled mapping the food habits of Tribals in Maharashtra
While in the United States of America, the entire course programme was co-ordinated by the University of Delaware, he also had an opportunity to attend seminars and conferences in the Boston University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT), National Defence University and some leading Think Tanks like Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), American Enterprise Institute, Centre for New American Security. Apart from this the was also briefed at the United Nations, US Mission to the UN and the Pentagon.

He is closely associated with the Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS), New Delhi. ICS is an autonomous body (Think Tank) sponsored by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India.