Multiple Regression Analysis of Characteristics of Panchayat Leaders and its Impact on their Role Performance

Abstract

The future food production has to come from more difficult areas which are economically and ecologically at a disadvantage. Agricultural development programme however well planned and imaginative, cannot make an impact on rural life unless it is backed both by extension and research support. The Transfer of Technology model normally puts the researcher in the role of generating all new technologies and the farmer staying in the re ceiving end. A local leader who has adopted improved practices extends the same to others. The common man has much faith in the local leaders. The term "leader" implied a person who was clearly distinguished from other individuals in power, status, visibility and such traits of character as intelligence, integrity, courage, wisdom and judgement. In some societies the political leadership controls the economy; significant influence is exercised by them in the direction and rate in which changes take place in society. The 73 rd Amendment provides for an elaborate system of establishing panchayats as units of self-government. A study was conducted in the purposively selected Rajnandgaon district of Chhattisgarh to ascertain the variation in performance of panchayat leaders caused by independent variables..In all (9 + 54 + 200) 263 panchayat leaders were considered as respondents for the study. An interview schedule was used as a tool for collecting primary data from the respondent panchayat leaders and all the 263 respondents were personally interviewed for collecting the raw information. The variables, caste, social participation, occupation, achievement motivation, information sources, time allocation for panchayat activities and political efficacy had positively significant contribution towards role performance at 0.05 level of probability. Whereas the remaining five variables viz., education, annual income, cosmopoliteness, extension participation and attitude towards panchayati raj institutions had positive and significant contribution towards role performance of gram panchayat leaders at 0.01 level of probability. The variables social participation, annual income, information sources and extension participation had positive and significant contribution towards the role performance of janpad and jila panchayat leaders at 0.05 level of probability and the variables education, achievement motivation and cosmopoliteness had positive and significant contribution on role performance of janpad and jila panchayat leaders at 0.01 of probability.