Democratic Governance

UNDP supports the Government of India to strengthen systems, institutions and mechanisms enabling local elected representatives, officials and communities to perform their functions effectively, including planning, implementation and monitoring of decentralised development programmes. While doing so, it makes human development an integral part of planning and policy-making, and promotes formulation of State and District Human Development Reports as well as gender-responsive budgeting. UNDP pays special attention to the needs of disadvantaged groups, especially women and girls, and encourages them to participate in public decision making. It enhances citizens' monitoring capacities, through the use of public disclosure tools such as social audit, governance 'report cards', the Right to Information Act, and ICT-based systems.

Further, UNDP supports national programmes, like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (Mahatma Gandhi NREGA), which foster governance reform and accountability while providing work opportunities to people in rural areas. In partnership with Government, UNDP strengthens delivery mechanisms of justice and empowers communities and disadvantaged groups to demand justice. UNDP also supports initiatives to improve delivery of public services in urban local bodies in select cities through improved planning, accounting and property-tax reforms.

Key Facts on Democratic Governance in India

• There are 240,000 elected Panchayat Institutions in the country, comprising 2.8 million representatives
• 1.03 million of these 2.8 million representatives are women
• The Right to Information Act of 2005 gives citizens of India the right to demand disclosure of public records
• The Mahatma Gandhi NREGA guaranteeing 100 days of mandated employment per year to any rural household that demands it, has been is implemented in all 614 districts of India
• Legal Services Authority Act provides legal services to vulnerable groups in all states

Sources:
State of Panchayat Report, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, November 2006; National Resource Centre for Women; Right to Information; National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 

Project Documentation

• Programme Brief

S.No	Project Title	Cycle	Status	Contact	Documents
1	Access to Justice	2008 – 2012	Ongoing	Ms. Sumeeta Banerji	Annual Work Plan 2009
					Annual Work Plan 2010
					Project Factsheet
2	Capacity Development for Local Governance	2008 – 2012	Ongoing	Ms. Ritu Mathur	Annual Work Plan 2008
					Annual Work Plan 2009
					Annual Work Plan 2010
					Project Factsheet
3	Support to Operationalization of NREGA	2008 – 2012	Ongoing	Ms. Sumeeta Banerji	Annual Work Plan 2008
					Annual Work Plan 2009
					Annual Work Plan 2010
					Project Factsheet
4	Capacity Development for District Planning and Livelihood Promotion	2008 – 2012	Ongoing	Ms. Ruchi Pant	Annual Work Plan 2010 Annual Work Plan 2009