Conditions for the Success and Detect of Local Self - Government

CONDITIONS FOR THE SUCCESS OF LOCAL SELF - GOVERNMENT :

The success of local self - government depends upon the encouragement and guidance that it receives from the central government and the supervision that it exercises over local bodies. Such supervision should not mean undue interference in the administration of local self governing institutions.

Such supervision should be wise and helpful. It should leave enough scope for the local population to show its intelligence and initiative. No local institution will function successfully unless the people are willing to participate in the work and are anxious to put through new ideas and try new experiments.

This is only possible when the local population is educated and has a high civic sense. They must be willing to perform their civic duties regularly.

Further, with the increasing number of functions, which the local authorities have now to undertake, they must have adequate sources of revenue to manage them property. In the absence of adequate income, local problems will remain neglected and people will lose interest in local administration.

DEFECT OF LOCAL SELF - GOVERNMENT :

It must be noted that local self - government may tend to encourage a narrow outlook amongst the people. Persons may view every problem from a local angle and place their local interests above national necessity. The evils of the party system may also creep into local administration for the promotion of their selfish interest. Efficient government can only then become almost impossible.

There evils can only be overcome by an awareness on the part of every citizen of his own responsibilities. No group of inefficient persons can remain in power for long if every citizen in the locality realizes that their immediate welfare is in danger because of the administration of the local body by such persons.

Citizens must have civic sense or civic consciousness and must put in joint effort to remove such incompetent persons from office at the next election. It is only civic apathy on the part of citizens that can explain the bad administration by local authorities. Civic consciousness also implies that the citizen must pay their taxes to the authorities regularly and help to maintain healthy and clear conditions of living.

Every citizen must understand that he is a part of society and that is only active co - operation on his part that can improve the life in his city or town or village. In short, he must be activated with the spirit of social service. It is this spirit of give and take, of doing the best that one is capable of in his relation to society, that will improve civic life and strengthen the citizen's faith in local self - government.