Pol Sci SEM 2

DR.
RAM MANOHAR LOHIYA NATIONAL LAW

UNIVERSITY
2019
PROJECT WORK
POLITICAL SCIENCE
Topic: ROLE OF PANCHAYATI RAJ IN INDIA
Submitted To: Submitted by
DR. MONIKA SRIVASTAVA CHARU SHEKHAR
Assistant professor ENROLL NO. - 40
Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Section: A
Law University, Lucknow
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to thank to my professor Ms. Monika Srivastava who gave me the golden
opportunity to do this wonderful project of POLITICAL SCIENCE on “ROLE OF
PANCHAYATI RAJ IN INDIA”, who also helped me in completing my project. Her able
guidance and useful suggestions helped me in completing the project. I came to know about
so many new things I am really thankful to them. It has been an enlightening experience
working on this project. Secondly I would also like to thanks my parents and friends who
helped me a lot in finalizing this project within time frame.
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TABLE OF CONTENT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT………………………………………….2
TABLE OF CONTENT…………………………………………….3
INTRODUCTION………………………………………………….4
VARIOUS COMMITIES ON PANCHAYATI RAJ………………5
RECOMMENDATION OF BALWANT RAI MEHTA…………..6-7
BLOCK LEVEL PANCHAYAT…………………………………..8-9
DISTRICT LEVEL PANCHAYAT………………………………..10
VILLAGE LEVEL PANCHAYAT………………………………...11
BIBLIOGRAPHY…………………………………………………..12
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INTRODUCTION
The Panchayati Raj in India generally refers to the system introduced by

constitutional amendment in 1992, although it is based upon the
traditional panchayat system of South Asia. The modern Panchayati raj and
its gram panchayats are not to be confused with the extra-
constitutional khap panchayats (or caste panchayats) found in some parts of
northern India. While the Panchayati raj system was formalized in 1992, leading
up to that change, a number of Indian committees studied various ways of
implementing more decentralized administration.
Mahatma Gandhi advocated Panchayati raj as the foundation of India's political

system, it would have been a decentralized form of government where each
village would be responsible for its own affairs. The term for such a vision
was Gram Swaraj ("village self-governance"). Instead India developed a highly
centralized form of government. However, this has been moderated by the
delegation of several administrative functions to the local level, empowering
elected gram panchayats. There are significant differences between (1) the
traditional panchayati raj system, (2) that envisioned by Gandhi, and (3) the
system formalized in India in 1992.
In India, the Panchayati Raj now functions as a system of governance in which

gram panchayats are the basic unit of local administration. The system has three
levels: gram panchayat (village level), mandal parishad or block samiti or
panchayat samiti (block level) and zila parishad (district level). It was formalized
in 1992 by the 73rd amendment to the Indian Constitution.
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Various Committees on Panchayati Raj :
1. Balwant Rai Mehta : Estd 1957

2. V.T.Krishnammachari : 1960
3. Takhatmal Jain Study Group: 1966
4. Ashok Mehta Committee: 1977
5. G.V.K Rao committee: 1985
7. Dr.L.M.Singhvi Committee: 1986
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Recommendations of Balwant Rai Mehta
Committee
The Balwant Rai Mehta Committee, headed by MP Balwantrai Mehta, was a
committee appointed by the Government of India in January 1957 to examine the
working of the Community Development Programme (1952) and the National
Extension Service (1953) and to suggest measures for their better working. The
recommendations of the committee were approved by NDC in January 1958 and
this set the stage for the launching of Panchayati Raj Institutions throughout the
country. The committee recommended the establishment of the scheme of
‘democratic decentralisation’ which finally came to be known as Panchayati Raj.
(i) Establishment of a 3-tier Panchayati Raj system - Gram Panchayat at the

village level, Panchayat Samiti at the block level, and Zila Parishad at the district
level.
The panchayat raj system was first adopted by the state of Rajasthan in Nagpur on
2nd Oct 1959. The second state was Andhra Pradesh, while Maharashtra was the
Ninth state. This system 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, 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, both for the preparation of economic
development plans and social justice, as well as for implementation in relation to
29 subjects listed in the eleventh schedule of the constitution.
The panchayats receive funds from three sources;
1. Local body grants, as recommended by the Central Finance Commission

2. Funds for implementation of centrally sponsored schemes
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3. 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, Odisha and Rajasthan starting 24
December 1996. Currently, the Panchayati Raj system exists in all the states
except Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram, and in all Union Territories except
Delhi. The Balwant Rai Mehta Committee was a committee appointed by the
Government of India in January 1957 to examine the working of the Community
Development Programme (1952). The Act aims to provide a 3-tier system of
Panchayati Raj for all States having a population of over 2 million, to hold
Panchayat elections regularly every 5 years, to provide seats reservations
for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and women; to appoint a State Finance
Commission to make recommendations regarding the financial powers of the
Panchayats and to constitute a District Planning Committee, to prepare a
development plan draft for the district. The 3-tier system of Panchayati Raj
consists of:
1. Village-level Panchayats
2. Block-level Panchayats
3. District-level Panchayats.
Powers and responsibilities are delegated to panchayats at the appropriate level:
 Preparation of the economic development plan and social justice plan.

 Implementation of schemes for economic development and social justice in
relation to 29 subjects given in the Eleventh Schedule of the Constitution.
 To levy and collect appropriate taxes, duties, tolls and fees
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Block level panchayat
A panchayat samiti (block panchayat) is a local government body at

the tehsil level. This body works for the villages of the tehsil that together are
called a "development block". The panchayat samiti is the link between the gram
panchayat and the district administration. Just as the "tehsil" goes by other names
in various part of India, notably "mandal" and "taluka", there are a number of
variations in nomenclature for the block panchayat. For example, it is known as
"mandal praja parishad" in Andhra Pradesh, "taluka panchayat" in Gujarat,
"mandal panchayat" in Karnataka, and "panchayat samiti" in Maharashtra. In
general, the block panchayat has the same form as the gram panchayat but at a
higher level.
Constituency
Membership in the block panchayat is mostly ex-official, it is composed of all of

the sarpanchas (gram panchayat chairmen) in the panchayat samiti area, the MPs
and MLAs of the area and the sub-district officer (SDO) of the subdivision, co-
opt members (representatives of the SC/ST and women), associate members (a
farmer of the area, a representative of the cooperative societies and one from
marketing services), and some elected members.
The panchayat samiti is elected for a term of five years and is headed by a
chairman and a deputy chairman.
Departments
The common departments in the Samiti are as follows:
1. General administration
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2. Finance
3. Public work
4. Agriculture
5. Health
6. Education
7. Social welfare
8. Information technology,
9. Water Supply Dept.
10.Animal Husbandry and others.
There is an officer for every department. A government appointed Block

Development Officer (BDO) is the executive officer to the Samiti and the chief
of its administration. BDO is responsible for his work to the CEO of ZP.
Functions
1. Implementation schemes for the development of agriculture and

infrastructure.
2. Establishment of primary health centres and primary schools.
3. Supply of drinking water, drainage and construction/repair of roads.
4. Development of cottage and small-scale industries, and the opening of
cooperative societies.
5. Establishment of youth organisations
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DISTRICT LEVEL PANCHAYAT
The governing of the system of advance system at district level in Panchayat

Raj is also popularly known as "Zila Parishad". Chief of administration is an
officer to the academy of science IAS cadre.
Functions
1. Provide essential services and facilities to the rural population

2. Supply improved seeds to farmers. Inform them of new farming techniques
3. Set up and run schools and libraries in the rural areas
4. Start Primary Health Centres and hospitals in villages. Start vaccination
drives against epidemics
5. Execute plans for the development of the scheduled castes and tribes. Run
ashramshalas for adivasi children. Set up free hostels for them
6. Encourage entrepreneurs to start small-scale industries and implement
rural employment schemes
7. Construct bridges, roads & other public facilities and their maintenance
8. Provide employment
Sources of Income
1. Taxes on water, pilgrimage, markets, etc.

2. Fixed grant from the State Government in proportion with the land revenue
and money for works and schemes assigned to the Parishad.
VILLAGE LEVEL PANCHAYAT
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A gram panchayat is a village level administrative body. It has a Sarpanch as its
elected head. The members of the Gram panchayat are elected for a period of five
years. The members of the Gram Panchayat are elected by the members of Gram
Sabha
RESERVATION FOR WOMEN IN PRIs IN INDIA
The Union Cabinet of the Government of India, on 27 August 2009, approved

50% reservation for women in PRIs (Panchayati Raj Institutions). The Indian
states which have already implemented 50% reservation for women in PRIs
are Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhan and Himachal Pradesh. As of 25
November 2011, the states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Kerala,
Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan and Tripura also reserve 50% of their posts for
women
BIBLIOGRAPHY
12 | P a g e
 http://www.legalserviceindia.com/
 http://www.transparency.org
 http://www.businessinsider.com
 http://www.poverties.org
 http://essay-ias.blogspot.in
 http://www.brookings.edu
 http://www.ndtv.com
13 | P a g e

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DR.

RAM MANOHAR LOHIYA NATIONAL LAW

Topic: ROLE OF PANCHAYATI RAJ IN INDIA

Submitted To: Submitted by

DR. MONIKA SRIVASTAVA CHARU SHEKHAR

Assistant professor ENROLL NO. - 40

Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Section: A

Law University, Lucknow

VARIOUS COMMITIES ON PANCHAYATI RAJ………………5

RECOMMENDATION OF BALWANT RAI MEHTA…………..6-7

BLOCK LEVEL PANCHAYAT…………………………………..8-9

DISTRICT LEVEL PANCHAYAT………………………………..10

VILLAGE LEVEL PANCHAYAT………………………………...11

The Panchayati Raj in India generally refers to the system introduced by

Mahatma Gandhi advocated Panchayati raj as the foundation of India's political

In India, the Panchayati Raj now functions as a system of governance in which

1. Balwant Rai Mehta : Estd 1957

(i) Establishment of a 3-tier Panchayati Raj system - Gram Panchayat at the

The panchayats receive funds from three sources;

1. Local body grants, as recommended by the Central Finance Commission

In the history of Panchayati Raj, in India, on 24 April 1993, the Constitutional

Powers and responsibilities are delegated to panchayats at the appropriate level:

 Preparation of the economic development plan and social justice plan.

A panchayat samiti (block panchayat) is a local government body at

Membership in the block panchayat is mostly ex-official, it is composed of all of

The common departments in the Samiti are as follows:

There is an officer for every department. A government appointed Block

1. Implementation schemes for the development of agriculture and

The governing of the system of advance system at district level in Panchayat

1. Provide essential services and facilities to the rural population

1. Taxes on water, pilgrimage, markets, etc.

VILLAGE LEVEL PANCHAYAT

RESERVATION FOR WOMEN IN PRIs IN INDIA

The Union Cabinet of the Government of India, on 27 August 2009, approved

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