UPSC Mains 2022 GS Paper 2 Q3: model answer
To what extent, in your opinion, has the decentralisation of power in India changed the governance landscape at the grassroots?
What the question wants
Give your view on how far decentralisation has changed governance at the village and ward level.
How to structure it
To what extent ... in your opinion: changes, limits, a clear verdict.
- Changes
- Limits
- Verdict
How to think it through
'In your opinion' is an invitation to take a stand. Mine: it has changed who sits at the table more than what the table decides.
Model answer
Thirty years ago a Dalit woman heading a village council would have been news. Today India has about 14.5 lakh women and lakhs of SC and ST representatives in local bodies. That is the first change decentralisation brought.
What has changed
- Representation: reservations under Articles 243D and 243T reshaped local leadership.
- Planning: Gram Panchayat Development Plans since 2015; the People's Plan Campaign.
- Accountability: MGNREGA social audits, gram sabha meetings, e-GramSwaraj accounts.
- Delivery: water, sanitation and housing schemes now run through panchayats.
What has not
- Few subjects devolved in practice; line departments still decide.
- Low own revenue; tied grants.
- Proxy leaders and elite capture.
- Urban bodies, especially, remain weak; mayors in most cities are ceremonial.
Verdict
Decentralisation has changed who governs more than how much they govern. With the 16th FC's conditional grants and digital accounts, the next step is power, not just presence. Kerala and Karnataka show that when a State hands over staff along with subjects, local leaders do govern rather than merely represent the village.
Draw: Two bars: 'presence' (high) and 'power' (low), with an arrow showing the gap.
Keywords, cases and data to drop in
73rd and 74th Amendments, Articles 243D/243T, GPDP 2015, People's Plan Campaign, social audit, e-GramSwaraj, elite capture, ceremonial mayors.
Where most answers lose marks
- Writing a neutral survey. 'In your opinion' asks for a verdict; give one.
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Question text as printed in the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) question paper. The model answer is original Battle IAS work; use it to learn structure, not to memorise.
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