Sir, after this clear statement of the objectives, when the justiciable rights came before us, I was expecting to see that in our Constitution equality, social and economic, would play a prominent part. Not having found it in the justiciable rights I expected to see this in the non-justiciable rights. I searched and searched, but searched in vain. Sir, it is all very well to say that we want to give absolute power from the villages right up to the cities so that the economic conditions are so adjusted that the people, the average people may be happy and prosperous. But I may state, Sir that however much we may try and introduce measures like the GramaUdhar and village Panchayats and village uplift, unless economic conditions are considered equitably, these measures are not going to prove of any use or be successful. Sir, what are the conditions today ? I can tell You from experience. I have the honour to be the President of the All India Local Bodies Association. These local bodies have been given the power, but they have not the money to spend. Therefore, they are quite helpless. Without money they cannot function. The powers that have been given to them are in no way useful to them. These are the conditions in which the Local Bodies suffer today.
