India is one of the oldest civilizations in the world with a kaleidoscopic variety and rich cultural heritage. It has achieved all-round socio-economic progress during the last 67 years of its Independence. In the context of the Indian Constitution, local government bodies are the subject of the State List and are thereby governed by State Statutes, or in the case of Union Territories, by the Union Parliament. This book deals with issues of modernization, increased devolution of functions and powers, effective grievance handling system, people's participation, enhancing responsiveness, process simplification and delegation of power. The book has also taken note of certain innovative measures initiated by government on issues of human resource development and social service which have resulted in better implementation practices and consequently in a marked improvement in the tenor of administration. The commoditization experiment in Nagaland and the digitised registration of documents in Bihar are two such examples. It believes that with appropriate modification it is possible to replicate such practices in other parts of the country as well. The book will be useful for students, researchers, policy-makers and administrators.