About the Chair Professor, Panchayati Raj

VISION :

The Chair Professor, Panchayati Raj has been established with the primary objective of promoting academic inquiry and research in the field of local self-governance. It seeks to encourage intellectual engagement among scholars, academicians, and students to better understand, analyse, and disseminate the ideas, ideologies, and principles underpinning the Panchayati Raj system.

OBJECTIVE:

• The prime object of establishing the Chair is to facilitate studies and research by intellectuals, academicians, scholars and students to understand, assess, analyse and disseminate ideas, ideologies, thoughts, ideals and mission relating to the Panchayati Raj system and to provide opportunities to develop appropriate methodologies and strategies to translate democratic decentralisation process meaningful rewarding and implementable and pragmatic application.
• The teaching, study and research under the chair should focus on legal status of the system of Panchayati Raj to strengthen its Institution in the pursuit of its goals.

• The entire exercise should focus on bringing out meaningful outcome to suggest and advise remedial measures to facilitate the relevant agencies for adopting them for formulation of adequate policies, programmes and their effective implementation through the organisation of training to be imparted to the representatives of Gram Kachahri and Gram Panchayat.

ACADEMIC FOCUS :

The teaching and research activities under the Chair are centred on examining the legal status and institutional framework of the Panchayati Raj system. The objective is to contribute to the strengthening of these institutions, thereby empowering local governance structures to function more efficiently and in alignment with constitutional goals.

POLICY SUPPORT AND CAPACITY BUILDING :

A key focus of the Chair is to generate practical, research-based outcomes that can inform and advise relevant government and non-governmental agencies. These recommendations aim to support:

• Policy formulation,
• Programme development, and
• Effective implementation of decentralised governance models.

In addition, the Chair actively engages in capacity-building initiatives, including the organisation of training programmes for the elected representatives of Gram Kachahari. These programmes are designed to equip local representatives with the necessary knowledge and skills to perform their roles more effectively within the democratic framework.

FUNCTIONS :

• To achieve the objectives, the functions of the Chair will include training, research and evaluative studies in the allocated thrust areas. It will organize Seminars, Workshops, Symposia, Conferences, Lectures and Panel Discussions. It will provide assistance to Academicians, Intellectuals and Students/Research Scholars for undertaking the theoretical and field studies by applying appropriate research methodologies;
• To undertake any other assigned studies and research projects by the PRD from time to time. For such additional studies/research, additional funds will be released by the PRD over and above the seed money. Such research studies can be entrusted by the Chair to other relevant research agencies/individuals or Institutions.
• To enter into National/International collaboration for undertaking such studies research on the subject(s) relevant to the objectives, functions of the Chair and its allocated thrust area.