ABSTRACT
This essay analyses and appraises the working of the autonomous district councils in Manipur with special reference to the Churachandpur autonomous district council. The study focuses on the period from 2010 to 2019. The powers and responsibilities as envisaged in the Acts and rules are tested against actual practices. The institutional relationship that the autonomous councils were to have with the Hill Areas Committee (HAC), the local Members of Legislative Assembly, the village authorities of each locality, the district administration under the deputy commissioner of the district, etc., as envisaged in the Act and their actual working, are examined. The sources of funding, budget-making and sanctioning, revenue and expenditure reports, etc., are studied. The procedures of work, meetings, agendas, resolutions and their implementations are commented on. The study attempts to shed light on the success or lack thereof of the present structure, the reasons for the disaffection and suggest possible remedies. The study draws on primary sources like government files, orders, reports and memorandums, complemented by relevant secondary literature on the subject and interviews with current and previous members of autonomous district councils, officials, etc.
