Polity Bits

Panchayats

The Panchayats was inserted under Part IX in 1992.

Article no
243	Definitions
243-A	Gram Sabha
243-B	Constitutions of Panchayats
243-C	Composition of Panchayats
243-D	Reservation of seats
243-E	Duration of Panchayats etc
243-F	Disqualification for membership
243-G	Powers, authority and responsibilities of Panchayat
243-H	Power to impose taxes by, and funds of the Panchayats
243-I	Constitution of Finance Commission
243-J	Audit of accounts of Panchayats
243-K	Elections to the Panchayats
243-L	Application to Union Territories
243-M	Part not to apply to certain areas
243-N	Continuance of existing laws and Panchayats
243-O	Bar to interference by courts in electoral matters.

Community Development Programme

1.     This programme was launched on October2, 1952.

2.     The objective is to bring both economic and social development of rural people on an area basis.

3.     Agriculture was given top priority.

4.     Other developmental activities are animal husbandry, education, welfare of rural women and children, promotion of cultural activities etc.,

5.     For the implementation of the programme, the country was divided into blocks.

6.     Each block consists of about 1 lakh people inhabiting around 100 villages.

7.     Nearly 5011 blocks were constituted in the country.

8.     Each block is headed by a Block Development Officer (BDO) who is assisted by Extension Officers in Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Health, Co-operation and Education.

National Extension Service

To achieve the objectives of Community Development Programme, the National Extension Service was launched on 2^nd October, 1953.

Balwant Rai Mehta Committee:

To suggest measures for the efficient implementation of Community Development Programme and National Extension Service, Balwant Rai Mehta Committee was appointed by the planning Commission on January16, 1957.

Recommendations:

1.     3 Tier System.

2.     1^st Tier-Gram Panchayat, 2^nd Tier-Panchayat Samithi & 3^rd Tier- Zila Parishad.

3.     Direct elections to Gram panchayat.

4.     In-direct elections to Panchyat Samithi and Zila Parishad.

5.     The Panchayat Samithi should be the executive body while Zila Parishad should be the advisory, co-coordinating and supervisory body.

6.     The District Collector should be the Chairman of the Zila Parishad.

Ø  The committee submitted its report on 24^th November 1957 to NDC.

Ø  The recommendations were accepted by the NDC in January 1958.

Ø  Rajasthan was the 1^st State to establish the institution of Panchayat Raj.

Ø  The scheme was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru on October 2, 1959 in Nagaur District.

Ø  Rajasthan was the 1^st state in India, where Panchayat Raj was implemented in the whole Sate.

Ø  Rajasthan was followed by Andhra Pradesh which also adopted the system on 1^st November 1959.

Ø  Kerala, Manipur, Tripura and Sikkim adopted 1 Tier System.

Ø  Tamilnadu adopted a 2 Tier System.

Ø  Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam and Rajasthan adopted a 3 Tier System.

Ashok Mehta Committee:

Ø              The Ashok Mehta Committee was appointed by the Janata party Government in December, 1977 to suggest steps for improving the functioning of the Panchayathi Raj system.

Ø              It submitted its report in August 1978 and made 132 recommendations to revive and strengthen the declining Panchayati Raj System in the country.

Recommendations:

1.     The 3 tier system should be replaced by 2 tier system. The Zila Parishad at the district level and below it the Mandal Panchayat consisting of a group of Villages comprising a population of 15,000 to 20,000.

2.     Decentralization of power at the District level.

3.     The Zila Parishad should be the executive body.

4.     There should be an official participation of the political parties at all the levels of Panchayat elections.

5.     The Panchayat Raj institutions should have compulsory powers for taxation to mobilize their own financial resources.

6.     There should be a regular social audit by a district level agency and by a committee of legislators to check whether the funds allotted for the vulnerable social and economic groups are actually spent on them.

7.     A minister for the Panchayathi Raj should be appointed in the state council of Ministers to look after the affairs of the Panchayati Raj Institutions.

8.     Seats for the SCs and the Sts should be reserved on the basis of their population.

Ø  Due to collapse of the Janata Government before the completion of its term, no action could be taken on the recommendations of the Ashok Mehta committee at the central level.

Ø  Some of the recommendations of the Ashok Mehta Committee were implemented in 3 States (Karnataka, West Bengal & Andhra Pradesh).