Participation & Organisation

In the Indo-Pakistan subcontinent the tradition of the panchayat system in villages has proved the test of time as an ideal institution. India in fact made full use of this system in implementing national policy at the local level. The system has been instrumental in carrying out such activities as collection of milk from remote villages for use in the big milk plants located in large cities. In fact, Indian budget 1995-96 incorporates certain anti-poverty programmes including social insurance which are proposed to be implemented with the help of the panchayat system. In Bangladesh, it is the Grameen Bank, started purely on private initiative, which has created a micro-enterprise culture through-out the country with the objective to serve the lowest-income households.

Source: Poverty Alleviation in Pakistan: Present Scenario and Future Strategy, Mohibul Haq Sahibzada. Republished with permission.