Articles by Amal Ray

The paper reports on the newly emergent leadership structure of the zilla parishads by focusing on the social background of the adhyakshas (presidents). The caste composition of the local government leadership does not seem to have significantly changed. The two dominant landowning castes, the Iingayats and the vokkaligas, dominate as in the past, while the non-dominant backward castes have been able to maintain their strength, however insignificant compared to their shares in the state's population. When, however, the totality of the resources which generally make up the political capacity of an adhyaksha is considered, the hold of the major castes in the governance of the zilla parishads is likely to be enormous. In the absence of the Janata government's will and ability to break the stranglehold of 'semi-feudalism' in the countryside of Karnataka, the newly created powerful system of democratic decentralisation is unlikely to create substantial gains for the rural poor.

New Panchayati System in Karnataka Elections and After Amal Ray THE first-ever elections to zilla parishads and mandal panchayats in Karnataka, held in the month of January this year with an interval of 18 days, passed off fairly peacefully. The Congress(I)'s charge that the ruling Janata party indulged in extensive violence, rigging and other election malpractices is not supported by available evidence. The heavy voter turnout and the Con- gress(I)'s impressive show, moreover, seem to disprove such allegations. The amount of enthusiasm displayed by Karnataka's rural voters is remarkable. While the turnout in mandal panchayat elections was more than that in zilla parishad polls, the participation rate in both ranged between 60 per cent and 70 per cent of all eligible voters. However, it is difficult to say to what extent such mass enthusiasm will be translated by the new institutional leadership into positive action for intended rural development.

Development A Field View of Applied Nutrition Programme Amal Ray Vanita Venkatasubhiah The UNICEF, while reviewing the performance of the ANP in 1980, stated that white conceptually the Master Plan of Operations in the Fifth Plan for the applied nutrition programme was related to needs and specific integration of basic services which are relevant and feasible locally, the comm itment and co-ordination required on the part of the implementation agency was not forthcoming.

Reform Some Recent Trends Amal Ray Vanita Venkatasubbiah It is too early to foresee the impact of the return of the Congress(I) to power at the Centre on the issue of constitutionIal reform. Besides, while there has been much talk, no formal moves towards constitutional changes have yet been undertaken. But the various suggestions mooted by party leaders sources in this regard have triggered a debate both in party circles and amongst constitutional pundits on the nature and direction of constitutional reform. This paper discusses some of these issues.

policies of the government on the efficient operation of industry. Our finding on this subject is that high levels of effective protection have adversely affected the rate of capacity utilisation.