Role of ICT in Rural Local Self Governance: A Case Study of Sahapur Gram Panchayat in Malda District

Local self government is the basic unit of democratic participation. It provides the basic needs of citizen as well as the society. Panchayats are playing crucial role of democratic, decentralized governance in India. Panchayat provides the opportunities to participate the rural people in governing process. It gives an important stage for ensuring the participation of rural people to analyze their problems and emphasize on the responsible and effective gram Panchayat. In this context, ICT had been playing for the achievement of effective, efficient and transparent governance in rural section. The strategies are taken by the government for strengthening of PRIs and the reformation of administrative structures. In these circumstances I want to find out the realities of the application of ICT in the rural area. My study area is Sahapur GP in Malda district of West Bengal. Sahapur is a Village in Old Malda Block in Maldah District of West Bengal State, India. It belongs to Jalpaiguri Division. Maldah district has been composed with fifteen Community Development Block. These Fifteen Community Development Blocks are under the Maldah Sadar Sub-Division and Chanchal sub-division. Nine community development Blocks are under the Maldah Sadar sub-division. Six community development Blocks are under the Chanchal sub-division. English Bazaar Municipality and Old Malda Municipality are under the CD block. The objectives of this paper are to highlight the historical background of Panchayati Raj System and application through ICT in Sahapur of Malda District. In this paper I want to explore the necessity of ICT in Panchayati Raj System utilisation of ICT. The basic principle of my paper is to analyse the theoretical concept of good governance and necessity of ICT. The field study has been conducted in Sahapur Gram Panchayat of Old Malda Block in Malda district, West Bengal.