Comparative study: grama sachivalayam, volunteer system and gram panchayat

Students enrolled in the M.A. Development programme at Azim Premji University (APU), Bangalore,  undertake a field project consisting of research, action-project or intervention in areas such as rural livelihoods, disability rights, agriculture and land rights, citizenship and identity, gender and sexuality. The project entails 30 weeks of research, fieldwork and analysis at the end of which the students present their findings and observations through posters and presentations.

The poster by M Vishnu Vardhan Reddy studies the changes undergone in local governance in Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh, following the introduction of grama sachivalyam and the volunteer system. It concludes that the already weak gram panchayats in Andhra Pradesh have further lost authority due to grama sachivalyam and the volunteer system, which shifted authority to state-appointed administrators.