Reported by Varun ByReddy
“I prefer a corrupt local government to an honest centralized government because the former can rectify itself” – this is one of the powerful quotes of Dr. Jayaprakash Narayan, the founder of the Loksatta Party and Foundation for Democratic Reforms. Mr. JP a former IAS officer and MLA and also an instrumental figure in the implementation of the 97th Constitutional amendment was at NALSAR- University of Law, Hyderabad to deliver the second lecture as part of the NALSAR Public Policy Lecture Series. The lecture which received a tremendous response from the students and faculty focused on the idea of ‘Decentralization’.
Explaining the importance of the Decentralization and concise laws, Mr. JP stated that the text of the 73rd and 74th Constitutional amendments put together, were much larger than the American Constitution. He emphasized the need for the distribution of power at the most micro level as this would ensure good governance. He referred to the Ambathur Municipality from Tamil Nadu as being an example of the same. He also mentioned that ‘Self government is always better than Good Governance’. Further, he also provided the audience with various historical examples where decentralization was used as a mechanism by the locals to govern themselves. After the lecture, Mr JP had an informal discussion where he interacted with students and faculty.
