Almost ten years ago, Jyoti Singh’s brutal gangrape and murder in the heart of New Delhi in December 2012 received an inordinate amount of media attention and coverag

This paper attempts to study the impact of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme in three Grama panchayats of Kasaragod District,namely Madikai, Ajanoor and Trikarpur. It also looks into the organizational arrangements for planning and implementation of the scheme.

Drawing on empirical data from four gram panchayats in Orissa, the paper examines the ‘representation’ of elected representatives—more particularly those of disadvantaged categories—by exploring their participation in the governance process, responsiveness towards the interest o