Our country, India is famous for its extremely rich cultural heritage and astounding historical facts. From the earliest civilizations to what we as a modern generation have achieved today is bewildering in nature. However the pinnacle of success that we have reached today wasn't easy to scale. It has much more to it, a long journey that has its roots in the past. Had it not been for the immensely well-thought of ideas and collective decisions, the efficient management that has seeped into the lowest tiers of the society today would not have been possible. "Jan Bhagidari" as the title of the essay reads is in simple terms the participation of people. When associated with local governance it refers to the participation of people in governance at the local level. The government of any country can stand on its feet only when the people of the nation consider themselves to be indispensable organs of it. Hence the involvement of people in governance at all levels is of utmost importance.

At the local level the term commonly used for describing the model of governance is - "Panchayati Raj ". The evolution of Panchayati Raj dates back to 1700 BC when the era of Rig Veda was flourishing. At that point of time almost every village had a self-governing body known as 'sabha'. With time passing by these sabhas came to be popularly known as 'Panchayat'. Panchayat means a group of five people. With the passage of time this institution has seen many ups and downs and endured them to become an important pillar of governance today.

The earliest evidence of self-governance can be traced back to ancient Greek civilization and colonial New England. Talking in particular about Athens where democracy had made its presence felt by 508 BC the citizens were chosen randomly to become government office bearers. This ensured that there was no concentration of power in the hands of the wealthy or the elite only. Also this encouraged the poor and downtrodden section of the society to engage in governance and not feel left out. To put it in a nutshell it was an ideal form of self-governance.

‘Jan Bhagidari’ is a way to provide every citizen with opportunities for the common man to have a say in the public decisions which can be politically, culturally, socially and economically driven. It is the decentralization of democracy wherein the lowest rungs of the political order participate in decision-making process.

During the colonial rule, the village panchayats started getting formed in India. Mahatma Gandhi has called this system as "Village Swaraj". According to him each village should in itself be a republic, self-sustainable in nature and still connected to the larger society outside the village. He wanted to ensure maximum freedom of the people in the village so that they could take their own firm decisions. To enable the system to work more efficiently an act popularly known as The GOI Act, 1935 was implemented which gave power to the provinces to enact various legislations. A much bigger step taken to give more power to the Act was the introduction of Directive Principles of State Policy - also known as Article 40 in the Constitution.

The involvement of people in the local self-governance can be in numerous ways like:

• Casting votes in elections
• Discussing in any forum or platform about the development of the nation
• Being able to persuade someone to think about any major issue in a positive manner
• Communicating with elected representatives regarding various issues bothering the citizens
• Participate in meetings and discussions
• Support a cause that affects people positively
• Protest when one feels that something is not working properly or can potentially be harmful
• Contest elections
• Give service to the country in various forms

There is actually no end to forms of people's participation in local self-governance. The beauty of Panchayati Raj System lies in the fact it is made by the people for the welfare of people themselves. So the people are the best judges for their own good.

The act which paved the way for establishment of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in India is the 73rd Constitution Amendment Act which was passed in 1992 and came into effect on 24th April, 1993. This act authorised the state governments to act accordingly to formalize the Gram Panchayats. An addition of part IX was done to the Indian Constitution. The PRIs have a three-tier hierarchy and this concept was recommended by Balwant Rai Mehta committee in 1957 which eventually came into force. The three tiers of local government starting with the lowest level are:

1. Village Panchayat
   
2. Panchayat Samiti
3. Zila Parishad

To mark the importance of Local self-governance, April 24 marks the National Panchayati Raj Day every year. Jan Bhagidari has been able to increase cohesion and cooperation among the citizens. One specific attribute of PRIs is that whenever a decision is taken it is based on consensus, so everyone's participation is welcome in it. Jan Bhagidari in itself means everyone's participation so PRIs are literal embodiments of it.

A scheme called SVAMITVA which deals specifically with the ownership of land in the rural areas has been improving the efficacy of the local governance by leaps and bounds. It basically demonstrates how resources that are available around us can be put to use properly. The automatization of the local self-government bodies through the means of e-Panchayats is yet another milestone in the history of PRIs which has made work easier for those in the villages.

Jan Bhagidari has come a long way and it has been a game changer totally. When at one time people would have to do things entirely on their own or run from pillar to post to get help, PRIs through Jan Bhagidari have worked to take measures to reach out to people on a broader scale. The ongoing pandemic which has taken a toll of so many lives and made situations harsher has been tackled efficiently through Jan Bhagidari. With 65% population of India residing in the villages, it is of utmost importance that necessary action be taken to deal with this catastrophe. Local self-governance has proved that any tough situation can be handled if everyone participates to solve the problems. Till the time one person's problem can't be understood fully or considered as another person's own problem, no set of rules will be able to serve as a panacea. What is encouraging is that more people are participating in local governance which is a sign of positivity so it can be rightly said that Jan Bhagidari is indeed an important pillar of Local Self-Governance.