pol sc prj.doc
TRANSCRIPT
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CHANAKYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY, PATNA
POLITICAL SCIENCE
PROJECT ON:
CONCEPT OF PANCHAYATI RAJ IN INDIA
Submitted To: Mr. S.P Singh
Submitted By: SHUBHAM RAJ
Roll No. 9811
Semester I, 1stYear
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This project is most humbly submitted, without the fault to acknowledge the help of the people
around who have extended their support during the research work.
The first thank comes automatically from heart for the faculty of political science, Mr. S.P
Singh who was available with ease whenever we sought any kind of help. The concepts which
he gave us have been the base for this small piece of work.
Moreover I would like to thank my friends who were helpful throughout the work.
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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Method of Research
The researcher has adopted a purely doctrinal method of research. The researcher has madeextensive use of the library at the Chanakya National Law University and also the internet
sources.
Aims and Objectives:
The aim of the project is to present a detailed study of the “The Panchayati Raj in India”.
Scope and Limitations:
The project deals with the concept of Panchayati Raj in India. Through this project we come to
know about the history of panchayati raj in India, intermediate level panchayat and the district
level panchayat.This project also provides us knowledge of the functions of the panchayat and
its sources of income.
Sources of Data:
The following secondary sources of data have been used in the project-
1. Books
2. Websites
Method of Writing:
The method of writing followed in the course of this research paper is primarily analytical.
Mode of Citation:
The researcher has followed a uniform mode of citation throughout the course of this research
paper.
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CONTENTS page no.
Introduction……………………………………………………………………………
History of Panchayati Raj in India…………………………………………………...
Intermediate level panchayat……………………………………………………….…
District level panchayat……………………………………………………………….
73rd Amendment Act and the Financial powers of the panchayati raj institutions..
Initiatives taken by Ministry…………………………………………………………..
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………
Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………….
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INTRODUCTION
Panchayats have always from times immemorial, been the backbone of the Indian villages.
Gandhiji, the Father of the Nation, in 1946 had aptly remarked that Indian Independence must
begin at the bottom and every village ought to be a Republic or Panchayat having powers.
Gandhiji’s dream has been translated into reality with the introduction of the three-tier
Panchayati Raj system to ensure people’s participation in rural reconstruction.
The panchayat raj is a South Asian political system mainly in India, Pakistan, and Nepal.
"Panchayat" literally means assembly (ayat ) of five ( panch) wise and respected elders chosen
and accepted by the village community. Traditionally, these assemblies settled disputes between
individuals and villages. Modern Indian government has decentralized several administrative
functions to the village level, empowering elected gram panchayats. Gram panchayats are not to
be confused with the unelected khap panchayats (or caste panchayats) found in some parts of
India1 . Panchayati Raj is a system of governance in which gram panchayats are the basic units
of administration. It has 3 levels: village, block and district.
The term ‘panchayat raj’ is relatively new, having originated during the British administration.
'Raj' literally means governance or government. Mahatma Gandhi advocated Panchayati Raj, a
decentralized form of Government where each village is responsible for its own affairs, as the
foundation of India's political system. This term for such a vision was "Gram Swaraj" (Village
Self-governance).
It was adopted by state governments during the 1950s and 60s as laws were passed to establish
Panchayats in various states. It also found backing in the Indian Constitution, with the 73rd
amendment in 1992 to accommodate the idea. The Amendment Act of 1992 contains provision
for devolution of powers and responsibilities to the panchayats to both for preparation of plans
for economic development and social justice and for implementation in relation to twenty-ninesubjects listed in the eleventh schedule of the constitution2 .
1http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Opinion/Sunday_Specials/Panchayats2 India 2007, p. 696, Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India
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The panchayats receive funds from three sources – (i) local body grants, as recommended by the
Central Finance Commission, (ii) funds for implementation of centrally-sponsored schemes, and
(iii) funds released by the state governments on the recommendations of the State Finance
Commissions .
In the history of Panchayati Raj in India, on 24 April 1993, the Constitutional (73rd
Amendment) Act, 1992 came into force to provide constitutional status to the Panchayati Raj
institutions. This Act was extended to Panchayats in the tribal areas of eight States, namely
Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and
Rajasthan from 24 December 1996. Now panchayati raj system exists in all the states except
Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram. Also all the UTs except Delhi.
The Act aims to provide 3-tier system of Panchayati Raj for all States having population of over
2 million, to hold Panchayat elections regularly every 5 years, to provide reservation of seats for
Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Women, to appoint State Finance Commission to make
recommendations as regards the financial powers of the Panchayats and to constitute District
Planning Committee to prepare draft development plan for the district.The 3-tier system of
Panchayati Raj consists of a) village level panchayat b) block level panchayat c) district level
panchayat.
Powers and responsibilities are delegated to Panchayats at the appropriate level :-
• Preparation of plan for economic development and social justice.
• Implementation of schemes for economic development and social justice in relation to
29 subjects given in Eleventh Schedule of the Constitution.
• To levy, collect and appropriate taxes, duties, tolls and fees.
HISTORY OF PANCHAYATI RAJ IN INDIA
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Panchayat Raj (Rule of Village Committee) system is a three-tier system in the state with
elected bodies at the Village, Taluk and District levels. It ensures greater participation of people
and more effective implementation of rural development programmes. There will be a Grama
Panchayat for a village or group of villages, a Taluk level and the Zilla Panchayat at the district
level.
India has a chequered history of panchayati raj starting from a self-sufficient and self-governing
village communities that survived the rise and fall of empires in the past to the modern legalized
institutions of governance at the third tier provided with Constitutional support. During the time
of the Rig-Veda (1200 BC), evidences suggest that self-governing village bodies called 'sabhas'
existed. With the passage of time, these bodies became panchayats (council of five persons).
Panchayats were functional institutions of grassroots governance in almost every village. TheVillage Panchayat or elected council had large powers, both executive and judicial. Land was
distributed by this panchayat which also collected taxes out of the produce and paid the
government's share on behalf of the village. Above a number of these village councils there was
a larger panchayat or council to supervise and interfere if necessary3 . Casteism and feudalistic
system of governance under Mughal rule in the medieval period slowly eroded the self-
government in villages. A new class of feudal chiefs and revenue collectors (zamindars)
emerged between the ruler and the people. And, so began the stagnation and decline of self-
government in villages.
During the British rule, the autonomy of panchayats gradually declined with the establishment
of local civil and criminal courts, revenue and police organisations, the increase in
communications, the growth of individualism and the operation of the individual Ryotwari
'(landholder-wise) system as against the Mahalwari or village tenure system.
The panchayat had never been the priority of the British rulers4 .The rulers were interested in the
creation of 'controlled' local bodies, which could help them in their trading interests by
collecting taxes for them. When the colonial administration came under severe financial
3 Jawaharlal Nehru, (1964), The Discovery of India, Signet Press, Calcutta, p.288
4 George Mathew, Ed :Status of Panchayati Raj in the States and Union Territories of India 2000/edited by George
Mathew. Delhi, Concept for Institute of Social Sciences, 2000.
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pressure after the 1857 uprising, the remedy sought was decentralisation in terms of transferring
responsibility for road and public works to local bodies. However, the thrust of this 'compelled'
decentralisation was with respect to municipal administration..
"The panchayat was destroyed by the East India Company when it was granted the office of
Diwan in 1765 by the Mughal Emperor as part of reparation after his defeat at Buxar. As Diwan
the Company took two decisions. The first was that it abolished the village land record office
and created a company official called Patwari. The Patwari became the official record keeper for
a number of villages. The second was the creation of the office of magistrate and the abolition of
village police. The magistrate carried out policing functions through the Darogha who had
always been a state functionary under the Faujdar. The primary purpose of these measures was
the collection of land revenue by fiat. The depredations of the Patwari and the Darogha are partof our folklore and it led to the worst famine in Bengal. The effects of the famine lingered right
to the end of the 18th century. These two measures completely disempowered the village
community and destroyed the panchayat. After 1857 the British tried to restore the panchayat by
giving it powers to try minor offences and to resolve village disputes. But these measures never
restored the lost powers of the village community."
From 1870 that Viceroy Lord Mayo's Resolution (for decentralisation of power to bring about
administrative efficiency in meeting people's demand and to add to the finances of colonial
regime) gave the needed impetus to the development of local institutions. It was a landmark in
the evolution of colonial policy towards local government. The real benchmarking of the
government policy on decentralisation can, however, be attributed to Lord Ripon who, in his
famous resolution on local self-government on May 18, 1882, recognised the twin
considerations of local government: (i) administrative efficiency and (ii) political education. The
‘’’Ripon Resolution’’’, which focused on towns, provided for local bodies consisting of a large
majority of elected non-official members and presided over by a non-official chairperson. Thisresolution met with resistance from colonial administrators. The progress of local self-
government was tardy with only half-hearted steps taken in setting up municipal bodies. Rural
decentralisation remained a neglected area of administrative reform.
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The Royal Commission on Decentralisation (1907) under the chairmanship of C.E.H.
Hobhouse recognised the importance of panchayats at the village level. The commission
recommended that "it is most desirable, alike in the interests of decentralisation and in order to
associate the people with the local tasks of administration, that an attempt should be made to
constitute and develop village panchayats for the administration of local village affairs".5
But, the Montague-Chemsford reforms (1919) brought local self-government as a provincial
transferred subject, under the domain of Indian ministers in the provinces. Due to organisational
and fiscal constraints, the reform was unable to make panchayat institutions truly democratic
and vibrant. However, the most significant development of this period was the 'establishment of
village panchayats in a number of provinces, that were no longer mere ad hoc judicial tribunal,
but representative institutions symbolising the corporate character of the village and having awide jurisdiction in respect of civic matters'. By 1925, eight provinces had passed panchayat
acts and by 1926, six native states had also passed panchayat laws.
The provincial autonomy under the Government of India Act, 1935, marked the evolution of
panchayats in India. Popularly elected governments in provinces enacted legislations to further
democratise institutions of local self-government. But the system of responsible government at
the grassroots level was least responsible. D.P. Mishra, the then minister for local self-
government under the Government of India Act of 1935 in Central Provinces was of the view
that 'the working of our local bodies... in our province and perhaps in the whole country presents
a tragic picture... 'Inefficiency' and 'local body' have become synonymous terms....'.6
In spite of various committees such as the Royal Commission on Decentralization (1907), the
report of Montague and Chemsford on constitutional reform (1919), the Government of India
Resolution (1918), etc., a hierarchical administrative structure based on supervision and control
evolved. The administrator became the focal point of rural governance. The British were not
concerned with decentralised democracy but were aiming for colonial objectives.7
5 Report of the Royal-€OInmission on Decentralisation, 1907.6 Venkatarangaiah, M. and M. Pattabhiram (1969), 'Local Government in India:Select Readings', Allied Publishers,
New Delhi.7 Venkatarangaiah, M. and M. Pattabhiram (1969), 'Local Government in India:Select Readings', Allied Publishers,
New Delhi.
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The Indian National Congress from the 1920s to 1947, emphasized the issue of all-India Swaraj,
and organized movements for Independence under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. The task
of preparing any sort of blueprint for the local level was neglected as a result. There was no
consensus among the top leaders regarding the status and role to be assigned to the institution of
rural local self-government; rather there were divergent views on the subject. On the one end
Gandhi favoured Village Swaraj and strengthening the village panchayat to the fullest extent
and on the other end, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar opposed this idea. He believed that the village
represented regressive India, a source of oppression. The model state hence had to build
safeguards against such social oppression and the only way it could be done was through the
adoption of the parliamentary model of politics.8 During the drafting of the Constitution of
India, Panchayati Raj Institutions were placed in the non-justiciable part of the Constitution, the
Directive Principles of State Policy, as Article 40. The Article read 'the State shall take steps to
organise village panchayats and endow them with such powers and authority as may be
necessary to enable them to function as units of self-government'. However, no worthwhile
legislation was enacted either at the national or state level to implement it.
In the four decades since the adoption of the Constitution, panchayat raj institutions have
travelled from the non-justiciable part of the Constitution to one where, through a separate
amendment, a whole new status has been added to their history .9
INTERMEDIATE LEVEL PANCHAYAT
Panchayat samiti is a local government body at the tehsil or Taluka level in India. It works for
the villages of the Tehsil or Taluka that together are called a Development Block. The
8 World Bank, (2000), Overview of Rural Decentralisation in India, Volume III,p. 18.
9 Bajpai and Verma, (1995), Panchayati Raj in India: A New Thrust,Vol. I, p. 3.
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Panchayat Samiti is the link between the Gram Panchayat and the district administration. There
are a number of variations of this institution in various states. It is known as Mandal Praja
Parishad in Andhra Pradesh, Taluka panchayat in Gujarat, Mandal Panchayat in Karnataka,
etc.In general it's a kind of Panchayati raj at higher level.
Constitution
It is composed of ex-officio members (all sarpanchas of the panchayat samiti area, the MPs and
MLAs of the area and the SDO of the subdivision), coopted members (representatives of
SC/ST and women), associate members (a farmer of the area, a representative of the
cooperative societies and one of the marketing services) and some elected members.
The samiti is elected for 5 years and is headed by the chairman and the deputy chairman.
Departments
The common departments in the Samiti are as follows:
1. General administration
2. Finance
3. Public work
4. Agriculture
5. Health
6. Education
7. Social welfare
8. Information Technology and others.
There is an officer for every department. A government appointed block development officer is
the executive officer to the samiti.
Functions
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Implement schemes for the development of agriculture.
1. Establishment of primary health centres and primary schools.
2. Supply of drinking water, drainage, construction/repair of roads.
3. Development of cottage and small-scale industries and opening of cooperative societies.
4. Establishment of youth organisations
Sources of income
The main source of income of the panchayat samiti are grants-in-aid and loans from the State
Government.
DISTRICT LEVEL PANCHAYAT
In the district level of the panchayati raj system you have the "zilla parishad". It looks after the
administration of the rural area of the district and its office is located at the district headquarters.
The Hindi word Parishad means Council and Zilla Parishad translates to District Council. It is
headed by the "District Collector" or the "District Magistrate" or the "Deputy Comminissioner".
it is the link between the state government and the panchayat samiti (local held government at
the block level)
Constitution
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Members of the Zilla Parishad are elected from the district on the basis of adult franchise for a
term of five years. Zilla Parishad has minimum of 50 and maximum of 75 members. There are
seats reserved for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, backward classes and women.
The Chairmen of all the Panchayat Samitis form the members of Zilla Parishad. The Parishad is
headed by a President and a Vice-President.
Functions
1. Provide essential services and facilities to the rural population and the planning and execution
of the development programmes for the district.
2. Supply improved seeds to farmers. Inform them of new techniques of training. Undertake
construction of small-scale irrigation projects and percolation tanks. Maintain pastures and
grazing lands.
3. Set up and run schools in villages. Execute programmes for adult literacy. Run libraries.
4. Start Primary Health Centers and hospitals in villages. Start mobile hospitals for hamlets,
vaccination drives against epidemics and family welfare campaigns.
5. Construct bridges and roads.
6. Execute plans for the development of the scheduled castes and tribes. Run ashramshalas for
adivasi children. Set up free hostels for scheduled caste students.
7. Encourage entrepreneurs to start small-scale industries like cottage industries, handicraft,
agriculture produce processing mills, dairy farms, etc. implement rural employment schemes.8. They construct roads,schools,& public properties.And they take care of the public properties.
9. They even supply work for the poor people.(tribes,scheduled caste,lower caste)
Sources of Income
1. Taxes on water, pilgrimage, markets, etc.
3. Fixed grant from the State Government in proportion with the land revenue and money
for works and schemes assigned to the Parishad.
73rd AMENDMENT ACT
The passage of the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992, marks a new era in the federal
democratic set up of the country and provides constitutional status to the Panchayati Raj
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population of over 20 lakh; (ii) Panchayat elections to be regularly held every 5 years; (iii)
reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women (not less than one-third
of seats); (iv) appointment of State Finance Commission to make recommendations as regards
the financial powers of the Panchayats; (v) constitution of District Planning Committees to
prepare development plans for the district as a whole and Gram Sabha at the village level. As
per the 73rd Amendment Act, the Panchayati Raj Institutions have been empowered and
authorized to function as institutions of self-government. The Act also contains provision of
devolving powers and responsibilities upon Panchayats at the appropriate level with reference to
(a) the preparation of plans for economic development and social justice; and (b) the
implementation of such schemes as may
be entrusted to them.
FINANCIAL POWERS OF PANCHAYATI RAJ INSTITUTIONS
Article 243-G of the Constitution of India provides that the States/UTs may, by law, endow the
Panchayats with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as
institutions of self-government and to prepare plans for economic development and social
justice
and their implementation including those in relation to the matters listed in the Eleventh
Schedule.
As per Article 243-H of the Constitution, State Legislatures have been empowered to enact
laws:
(i) to authorise a Panchayat to levy, collect and appropriate some taxes, duties, tolls and fees; (ii)
to assign to the Panchayat, some taxes, duties, tolls levied and collected by the State
Government;
(iii) to provide for making grants-in-aid to the Panchayats from the Consolidated Fund of the
State; and
(iv) to provide for constitution of such funds for Panchayats for crediting all money received by
or on behalf of Panchayats and also the withdrawal of such money therefrom. Article 243-I of
the Constitution provides for creation of a State Finance Commission (SFC) to review the
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financial position of Panchayats and to make recommendations to the Governor regarding the
principles governing the major issues
mentioned in Article 243-H. All the States/UTs, barring Arunachal Pradesh, constituted State
Finance Commissions and all the SFCs except Bihar have submitted their Reports to the
respective State Governments. The States of Assam, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh,
Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Tripura and West Bengal have accepted most of the
recommendations of the SFCs. Andaman &
Nicobar Islands, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu and Lakshadweep Islands have received
Reports of the Finance Commission which will be placed in Parliament. The Eleventh Finance
Commission has recommended Rs.1600 crore per annum for rural local bodies. Out of total
grants, an amount of Rs.197.06 crore has been earmarked for development of data base on the
finances of the Panchayats and an amount of Rs.98.61 crore for maintenance of accounts of
Panchayats as the first charge on these grants. The Commission has also recommended that in
cases where elected local bodies are not in place, the Central Government shall hold the grants
for local bodies in trust on a non-lapsable basis during 2000-05 and that the Central Government
may also withhold a part of the recommended grants in case of such bodies to whom functions
and responsibilities have not been devolved. Besides, the Commission has recommended that
Audit of accounts of the local bodies be entrusted to the C & AG who may get it done through
their own staff or by engaging outside agencies on payment of remuneration fixed by them. Anamount of half-a percent of the total expenditure incurred by the local bodies should be placed
with the C & AG for this purpose and the report of the C & AG relating
to audit of accounts of the Panchayat should be placed before a committee of the State
legislature
constituted on the same lines as the Public Accounts Committee.
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INITIATIVES TAKEN BY MINISTRY
A Conference of the Chief Ministers on Panchayati Raj was held on 2nd August, 1997 at
Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, under the chairmanship of Hon’ble Prime Minister, to review thefunctioning of the Panchayati Raj Institutions where the outstanding issues like devolution of
powers/functions and responsibilities upon PRIs, setting up District Planning Committees;
implementation of the reports of the State Finance Commissions, linkage of DRDAs with Zilla
Parishads, and training to elected representatives/ functionaries of the Panchayati Raj were
discussed in great detail. The Conference also called upon the concerned eight States to enact
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the required State Legislation on the Provisions of the Panchayat (Extension to the Scheduled
Areas) Act, 1996 before 23rd December, 1997. Based on the detailed discussions, the
Conference recommended setting up of two Committees (a) the Committee of the Panchayat
and the Tribal Development Minister of the eight States covered under Schedule V of the
Constitution, under the then Chairmanship of Minister, Rural Areas and Employment (RA&E),
to examine and give their recommendations for enacting the State legislation in consonance with
the Central Act, 1996 before the cut off date i.e. 23rd December, 1997; and (b) the Committee
of the Chief Ministers under the Chairmanship of Prime Minister to examine the issues
regarding the devolution of powers, functions and responsibilities upon PRIs and to recommend
measures to streamline the Panchayati Raj system.
The reports of the Committee of Panchayat and Tribal Development Ministers of the Schedule
V States and the Committee of Chief Ministers under the Chairmanship of the Prime Minister
have been circulated to the States for appropriate action. The important recommendations of the
Committee
of Chief Ministers include:
1. Selection of beneficiaries under various rural development Programmes should be
left to the Gram Sabha.
2. Requirement of Technical sanction for works upto Rs.10,000 should be waived.
3. Adequate manpower support to the Gram Panchayats would need to be provided.4. Delegate total control over such manpower to Gram Panchayats.
5. Zilla Parishad Chairpersons be made the Chairpersons of DRDAs.
6. Provide reasonable opportunity of being heard to the PRIs before suspension/
dismissal.
7. Gram Panchayat President to be made accountable only to Gram Sabha.
8. Expeditious constitution of District Planning Committees.
In order to ensure that Panchayati Raj Institutions function as instruments of local
government, it is important that their functional and financial autonomy is guaranteed and
transparency in their functioning ensured. This has to be accomplished in most of the States.
The role of the Gram Sabha is, perhaps, the most important in ensuring the success of
Panchayati Raj Institutions at the village level. The role of local people in conducting social
audit and fixing responsibility on Panchayat functionaries will also be effectively ensured with
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the Gram Sabha becoming active. It is, therefore, essential that the village community perceives
meetings of the Gram Sabha as useful and the most important factor for this is the
empowerment of the Gram Sabha. Another important factor for the success of the Panchayati
Raj system is the need for transparency in the functioning of these bodies. Panchayats being
closer to the people, their right to information and accessibility to the Panchayats must be
ensured. This issue was discussed in the Chief Ministers Conference held on 2nd August, 1997
and the Committee of Chief Ministers as well. The Ministry had written to the States. The
Hon’ble Prime Minister too, in his letter to the Chief Ministers, had urged that all relevant
information on development schemes taken up by the Panchayat along with the budget for them
should be displayed prominently in the Panchayat Office. Relevant records should be made
available for inspection by members of the public. Photocopies of documents such as muster
rolls, vouchers, estimates etc. can be made available to the public on payment of a nominal fee.
Technical manuals may be prepared for execution of various works at the Panchayat level so
that transparency is ensured. The Ministry convened a Conference of State Ministers of Rural
Development and Panchayati Raj on May 13, 1998. This meeting was inaugurated by the
Hon’ble Prime Minister. The resolutions adopted in this Conference are – (i) a Task Force for
studying the structure and functioning of the Panchayats should be set up; (ii) provisions of 73rd
Amendment Act and Central Act 40 will be complied with; (iii) Gram Sabhas should be
convened on a single pre-determined day every quarter and (iv) care should be taken to respectthe autonomy and independence of each tier of PRIs and to build up capability of the village
level Panchayats. In pursuance of the resolution, a Task Force was constituted under the
Chairmanship of the then Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Rural Areas &
Employment, to study the structure and functioning of PRIs. The State Governments have been
requested to ensure that the Gram Sabha Meetings are convened once in each quarter preferably
on 26th January- Republic Day; 1st May – Labour Day; 15th August ( Independence Day) and
2nd October (Gandhi Jayanti). The Government of India decided to observe the year 1999-2000
as the “Year of Gram Sabha” since it is potentially the most significant institution for
participatory and decentralised democracy. On 17th March, 1999, all Chief
Ministers/Administrators have been requested to initiate measures to energise the Gram Sabha
in tune with seven point minimal package during the ‘Year of Gram Sabha’. A Conference of
Ministers of States in-charge of Panchayati Raj was held on 11th July, 2001 in New Delhi to
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discuss measures for strengthening Panchayati Raj Institutions. The major recommendations
adopted in the Conference
include:
It was resolved that the following four-point strategy for strengthening of Gram Sabhas will
be implemented by the States:
1. Awareness through print and electronic media, street plays and training to the elected
Panchayat
representatives.
2. Participation of the community in the preparation of need-based action
plans, their execution and monitoring.
3. Transparency by displaying all relevant information on a bill board regarding estimates,
availability of
funds and expenditure on the works taken up by the Panchayats, making available relevant
records for
inspection by the public, and providing photocopies of document, on demand, on payment of
nominal
charges.
4. Social Audit should have binding legal outcome so as to curb corruption and misutilisation of
funds.The Chief Ministers of the States and Administrators of Union Territories were advised to
implement the resolutions of the Conference within the time frames agreed upon during the
discussion. The Task Force constituted, in pursuance of the resolution of the Conference,
submitted its Report within the time limit. The Chief Ministers of States and Administrators of
UTs were requested to initiate appropriate steps, keeping in view recommendations of the Task
Force, towards the completion of devolution of powers upon Panchayats by the end of March,
2002. The Ministry had introduced the Constitution (Eighty-seventh Amendment) Bill, 1999 in
the Parliament on 17.12.1999 to amend Article 243- C(2) and (5) of the Constitution to enable
the State Legislatures to decide the methodology for election of members and Chairpersons of
Panchayats at the intermediate level and the district level. It was decided to have wider
consultations with all the political parties and the State Governments on the Bill. Accordingly,
the comments of all the State Chief Ministers were sought in this behalf. A meeting of Leaders
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of all Political Parties in the Parliament was held under the Chairmanship of the Hon’ble Prime
Minister on 19th May, 2001 to seek the approval of all Political Leaders in respect of the
Constitution (Eighty-seventh Amendment) Bill, 1999.
Issues Arising out of Implementation of Central
Act 40, 1996.
The provision of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 came into force
on 24th December 1996. This Act extends Panchayats to the tribal areas of States such as
Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Rajasthan, with the objective of enabling tribal societies to assume
control over their own destiny and to preserve and conserve their traditional rights over natural
resources. The State Governments were required to enact legislation in accordance with the
provisions of Act before the expiry of one year i.e. 23rd December 1997. All states barring
Bihar have enacted the required legislation to give effect to the provisions contained in Act 40,
1996. However, there are certain problems, both with certain Central laws and State legislation
as have been passed in pursuance of Act 40 of 1996.
CONCLUSION
India has a chequered history of panchayati raj starting from a self-sufficient and self-
governing village communities that survived the rise and fall of empires in the past to the
modern legalized institutions of governance at the third tier provided with Constitutional
support. Panchayati Raj is a system of governance in which gram panchayats are the basic units
of administration.
It has 3 levels: village, block and district.The term ‘panchayat raj’ is relatively new, having
originated during the British administration. 'Raj' literally means governance or government.
Mahatma Gandhi advocated Panchayati Raj, a decentralized form of Government where each
village is responsible for its own affairs, as the foundation of India's political system. This term
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for such a vision was "Gram Swaraj" (Village Self-governance). It was adopted by state
governments during the 1950s and 60s as laws were passed to establish Panchayats in various
states. It also found backing in the Indian Constitution, with the 73rd amendment in 1992 to
accommodate the idea. The Amendment Act of 1992 contains provision for devolution of
powers and responsibilities to the panchayats to both for preparation of plans for economic
development and social justice and for implementation in relation to twenty-nine subjects listed
in the eleventh schedule of the constitution.The panchayats receive funds from three sources –
(i) local body grants, as recommended by the Central Finance Commission, (ii) funds for
implementation of centrally-sponsored schemes, and (iii) funds released by the state
governments on the recommendations of the State Finance Commissions. Panchayat samiti is a
local government body at the tehsil or Taluka level in India. It works for the villages of the
Tehsil or Taluka that together are called a Development Block. The Panchayat Samiti is the link
between the Gram Panchayat and the district administration. There are a number of variations of
this institution in various states. It is known as Mandal Praja Parishad in Andhra Pradesh,
Taluka panchayat in Gujarat, Mandal Panchayat in Karnataka, etc. In general it's a kind of
Panchayati raj at higher level. In the district level of the panchayati raj system you have the
"zilla parishad". It looks after the administration of the rural area of the district and its office is
located at the district headquarters. The Hindi word Parishad means Council and Zilla Parishad
translates to District Council. It is headed by the "District Collector" or the "District Magistrate"or the "Deputy Comminissioner". it is the link between the state government and the panchayat
samiti (local held government at the block level). In the district level of the panchayati raj
system you have the "zilla parishad". It looks after the administration of the rural area of the
district and its office is located at the district headquarters. The Hindi word Parishad means
Council and Zilla Parishad translates to District Council. It is headed by the "District Collector"
or the "District Magistrate" or the "Deputy Comminissioner". it is the link between the state
government and the panchayat samiti (local held government at the block level).In order to
ensure that Panchayati Raj Institutions function as instruments of local government, it is
important that their functional and financial autonomy is guaranteed and transparency in their
functioning ensured. This has to be accomplished in most of the States. The role of the Gram
Sabha is, perhaps, the most important in ensuring the success of Panchayati Raj Institutions at
the village level. The role of local people in conducting social audit and fixing responsibility on
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Panchayat functionaries will also be effectively ensured with the Gram Sabha becoming active.
It is, therefore, essential that the village community perceives meetings of the Gram Sabha as
useful and the most important factor for this is the empowerment of the Gram Sabha. Another
important factor for the success of the Panchayati Raj system is the need for transparency in the
functioning of these bodies. Panchayats being closer to the people, their right to information and
accessibility to the Panchayats must be ensured. This issue was discussed in the Chief Ministers
Conference held on 2nd August, 1997 and the Committee of Chief Ministers as well. The
Ministry had written to the States. The Hon’ble Prime Minister too, in his letter to the Chief
Ministers, had urged that all relevant information on development schemes taken up by the
Panchayat along with the budget for them should be displayed prominently in the Panchayat
Office. Relevant records should be made available for inspection by members of the public.
Photocopies of documents such as muster rolls, vouchers, estimates etc. can be made available
to the public on payment of a nominal fee. Technical manuals may be prepared for execution of
various works at the Panchayat level so that transparency is ensured.In the four decades since
the adoption of the Constitution, panchayat raj institutions have travelled from the non-
justiciable part of the Constitution to one where, through a separate amendment, a whole new
status has been added to their history.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books:
o Bajpai and Verma, ‘Panchayati Raj in India’
o Nehru, Jawaharlal, ‘The Discovery of India’
Websites
• http://www.britannica.com
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• http://www.zeenews.com
• http://www.hrw.org
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