Who among the following is associated with the introduction of the principle of local selfgovernment in India ?

Lord Ripon is widely regarded as the 'Father of Local Self-Government' in India due to his landmark Resolution of 1882 [2]. While Lord Mayo's Resolution of 1870 initiated financial decentralization and visualized the development of local institutions, it was Ripon who formally introduced the principle of local self-government as an instrument of political and popular education [3]. His 1882 resolution, often hailed as the 'Magna Carta' of local self-government, advocated for the creation of local boards with elected non-official majorities to manage civic functions like sanitation and education [2][t3]. This shift aimed to provide Indians with practical experience in democratic governance and reduce centralized bureaucratic control [t3][t5]. Consequently, Ripon's reforms laid the foundational framework for modern municipal and rural local bodies in India [c4][t8].

Sources

1. [1] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 26: Constitutional, Administrative and Judicial Developments > Ripon's Resolution of 1882 > p. 528
2. [2] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 40: Municipalities > Historical Perspective > p. 398
3. [3] Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 40: Municipalities > Historical Perspective > p. 398