Panchayat Raj system
The realization that people’s participation is crucial for successful implementation of programmes like CD and NES, was brought to sharp focus through the Report of the Team for the study of Community Projects and National Extension Service by Balwant rai G. Mehta (1957). The committee observed that one of the least successful aspects of CD and NES work is its attempt to evoke popular initiative. Hence it recommended for DEMOCRATIC DECENTRALIZATION.
What is 'Democratic Decentralization'? The word 'democracy' is derived from the Greek roots-‘cracy’ meaning ‘rule of’ and ‘demos’ meaning ‘the people’. It is governance of the people, by the people, for the people. Rule by majority is, no doubt, an important feature of this system of governance; but the more important ingredient is rule by consultation – consultation between the people’s representatives on one hand and consultation with the officers on the other.
‘Decentralization’ means devolution of central authority among local units close to the areas served. Where authority devolves by this process on people’s institution, it is ‘democratic decentralization’.
Need for Democratic Decentralization :
India is a sovereign democratic republic. Till recently, our administration was described as ‘democracy at the top and dictatorship at the bottom’. It was ‘an inverted pyramid’. It was realized that, so long as the people who constitute the roots of the democratic system were kept apart from the administration at levels close to them, it would be impossible, to secure their support or enthusiasm for the Programme. The study team on C.D. Programmes headed by Balwantrai Mehta recommended 'Democratic Decentralization'.
The state of Madras had started democratic decentralization as an experimental measure in her own way as early as 1957. When Andhra State started in July 1958, twenty pilot blocks adopted democratic decentralization @ one per district. Inspired by these experiences the State of Rajasthan adopted democratic decentralization on October 2. 1959, the birth anniversary of Gandhiji.
On November 1, 1959, Andhra Pradesh State introduced this scheme of democratic decentralization in the entire State by the enactment of the Andhra Pradesh Panchayat Samithis and Zilla Parishads Act, 1959.
'Panchayat Raj' – its meaning: There is something anomalous and contradictory in the term 'Democratic Decentralization'. It was also not easily understood by our people in India. At the instance of the Prime Minister it was decided to give this process of the three-tier administration a strictly Indian name, “Panchayat Raj” which means a system of government.
THE THREE TIERS OF PANCHAYAT RAJ
1. The Gram Panchayat:
The following is a brief account of the structure, powers & functions of the three tiers of Panchayat Raj, as per the Andhra Pradesh Panchayat Samithis and Zilla parishads Act, 1959 and the Andhra Pradesh Gram panchayats Act, 1964. The first formal democratic institution as enjoined on us under the directive principles in the Indian Constitution is the Gram Panchayat. It is the primary unit of local self-government. Gram Panchayat is a cabinet of the village elders, directly elected by the adult citizens of the Village.
The Gram Panchayats are constituted taking into consideration their income, population and area. There is provision for reservation of seats for women and for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The members of the Gram Panchayats have a tenure of five years and are directly elected from wards while the Sarpanch is elected by the members. There is a Gram Sabha for each Panchayat and the Sarpanch is required to convene Gram Sabha meetings at least once in six months. The Sarpanch is required to convene a meeting of the members of the Panchayat once in a month. Each Gram Panchayat is required to levy house tax and profession tax, while the imposition of some others like vehicles tax is optional. They also collect license fees for professionals and traders, run markets and other remunerative enterprises, raise fisheries, grow plantations, etc.
The Gram Sabha is an assembly which should consist of all the adult citizens of the village - - men and women, young and old. In other words, it is the counterpart of the national Parliament.
The powers and functions of the Gram Panchayat could be broadly classified into three categories.
1) Representative functions: where the main role is to voice and represent the community’s opinion on matters affecting it.
2) Regulatory and administrative functions: consists of regulating the conduct of individuals and institutions and also collecting taxes; e.g., watching work done in the village school, registering births and deaths, enforcing measures of safety and sanitation etc.
3) Service or developmental functions: Promotion of education, health, agriculture, communication, irrigation etc.
2. The Panchayat Samithi:
This is the next tier of administration at the Block level. It consists of :
i. Sarpanch’s of all Panchayats
ii. Local M.L.As and M.L.C.s with right to vote but not to hold office.
iii. One person nominated by District Collector for every Panchayat for which no Sarpanch has been elected.
Reservation and Community-option
iv. Two women
v. One from Scheduled Castes
vi. One from Schedule Tribes
vii. Two persons with experience in administration and public
The President and Vice-President of the Samithi are elected from among the Village Panchayat sarpanchs'. Block Development Officer appointed by the Government is the chief executive of the Samithi and functions as the leader of the team of block level officials.
Every Panchayat Samithi normally has seven Standing Committees. Each Standing Committee consists of 7 members.
SUMMARY OF POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF PANCHAYAT SAMITHIS
1. They have to ensure the whole-hearted support of the people for the implementation of the Development Programmes.
2. They have to exercise all the powers conferred on and perform all the functions entrusted to the Panchayat Samithi by the government.
3. In particular, all the activities of Community Development Programme are taken over by Panchayat samithis. The activities concerning the rural welfare and development in the fields of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, health and Sanitation, Elementary Education, Cottage Industries, Social Welfare etc., which were being carried on by the normal development departments are now entrusted to the Panchayat Samithis.
4. The powers and functions of the District Boards, with institutions, staff and assets and liabilities have been transferred to the Panchayat Samithis with effect from 1st December 1959. The Presidents and members will have to see to the proper implementation of all the programmes and working of the institutions entrusted to them.
5. The Panchayat Samithis can borrow funds subject to the conditions laid down in the Andhra Pradesh Panchayat Samithis and Zilla Parishads loans Rules 1959.
6. Government of Andhra Pradesh has provided funds for Panchayat Samithis. These funds will be recovered from the Panchayat Samithis in installments. The Panchayat Samithis will have to sanction and disburse loans to individuals and will have to recover them from the loanees.
7. The loan funds available with some of the normal development departments such as Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Industries, etc., are also made over to Panchayat Samithis to be similarly spent and recovered.
8. The funds available under the Village Housing Project are also entrusted to Panchayat Samithis. All these loans will have to be recovered from the loanees by the Panchayat Samithis themselves.
3.The Zilla parishad
The Zilla parishad: is the third tier of Panchayat Raj operating at the district level. It consists of :
1) All Presidents of Panchayat Samithis in the district.
2) The District Collector
3) M.L.As of the District
4) M.L.Cs.
5) M.Ps. of the District
6) Two women representatives.
With right to vote but not to hold office.
7) One representative of Scheduled Castes.
8) One representative of Scheduled Tribes.
9) Two persons interested in rural development.
The members of the Parishad elect a Chairman and a Vice-Chairman.
Every Zilla parishad has normally seven Standing Committees.
Each Standing Committee of 9 members of whom the Chairman of Zilla Parishad and the District Collector are ex-officio members. The District Collector is the Chairman of all the Standing Committees.
SUMMARY OF POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF THE ZILLA PARISHAD
1. Zilla Parishad should function as advisory body over the Panchayat Samithis with powers to: (a) approve their budgets, (b) community-ordinate their plans and (c) distribute funds given by the Government among the blocks.
2. It has to prepare plans for all items of developmental activities in the district including Municipal areas.
3. Secondary education is the responsibility of Zilla Parishad.
4. The Parishad should perform such of the powers and functions of
the District Board as are transferred to it by the Government.
5. It should also perform the functions of Panchayat Samithis in respect of non-Samithi blocks.
6. It should discuss and review at its ordinary meetings the progress made or the results achieved under various items.
Development Department furnishes to Parishad a brief note on the achievements in the schemes of its department.
Activities of three tiers in Panchayat Raj
1. The President of Panchayat Samithi shall be elected by all the members of
the Gram Panchayats in the Block from among the registered voters in the Block
(i.e. by direct election) on the same day as the ordinary elections of the members of the Gram Panchayats.
2. There shall be a Vice-President for each Panchayat Samithi who shall be elected by the members of
the Samithi from among themselves.
3. The Chairman of Zilla Parishad shall be elected by the Sarpanches of all
the Gram panchayats in the district (i.e. by direct election) from among the registered voters in
the district on the same day on which the elections of the Sarpanches in the district are held.
4. There shall be a Vice-Chairman for each Zilla Parishad who shall be elected by the members of
the Zilla Parishad from among themselves.
5. The number of Standing Committees of the Panchayat Samithi or the Zilla Parishad shall be reduced from seven to five
: Standing committee for development, Education, social welfare and women welfare, works and finance.
Please include the diagram of organizational set up of panchayat raj
MANDAL SYSTEM
The central government under the chairmanship of Ashok Mehta in 1978 has appointed a committee to review and
rectify the weakness of the Panchayat Raj system. The committee presented a report and recommended to
implement the Mandal System and suggested to make small administrative unit instead of larger unit at
Taluka (consists of about 100 villages level. Karnataka was the first state to adopt mandal system.
The government of Andhra Pradesh on 25th May 1985
dismissed the old revenue limits of Taluka and Firka. The Mandal Adhikari will work with same power as
Tahasildar and Taluka Magistrate and the Mandal Development Officer was placed in charge of all t
he developmental functions and all the regulatory function are handed over to the Mandal Adhikari.
There are 1104 mandals in Andhra Pradesh. Every mandal consists of 12-14 villages with a
population of 35,000-50,000. The Taluka or Samithi head quarter of Municipalities is the headquarters of
Revenue Mandals. Villages within a limit of 10-12 Kms from the headquarter of the Mandal are provided
with the facilities of bank, bus stand, railway station, Primary Health Centre, Veterinary dispensary, police station,
post office, telephone exchange, high school, marketing facilities and agricultural go down facilities.
Revenue record of all the Tahsil Offices are now shifted to the concerned mandal headquarters.
Andhra Pradesh has passed the act with slight modifications and implemented in three stages this system viz;
Gram Panchayat, Mandal Praja Parishad and Zilla Praja Parishad and in this act every
mandal Praja Parishad is having a Revenue Mandal.
Previously the Sarpanches of the Gram Panchayat were elected directly and these
Sarpanches used to elect the Panchayat Samithi Chairman and Panchayat Samithi Chairmen, MLA’s and MP’s used
to elect the Chairman of Zilla Parishad. It was almost always possible to pass a vote on non confidence against t
he Zilla Parishad Chairman. But due to the direct election of mandal and Zilla Praja Parishad Chairmen
it is now not possible to remove these people till the end of voters of mandals.
Mandal Praja Parishad consists of votes of Sarpanches, MLA’s, MP’s and one member from
the Linguistic Minorities. Reservation members for Chairman, Mandal Praja Parishads are 15% from
the SCs, 6% from the STs, 20% from the BCs, 9% from the women members.
Zilla Praja Parishad is constituted at district level consists of Mandal Praja Parishad Chairmen, MLA’s, MP’s
and members of Rajya Sabha and a member from the linguistic or religious minorities.
The Zilla Praja Parishad members are empowered to elect this member.
Due to the mandal system many mistakes of Panchayat Raj system are supposed to be rectified and
revolutionary actions are being taken to bring the public nearer to developmental administration.
A meaningful attempt is made to give shape to mandal system but the time will show whether this
new experiment will again be proved as an experience of mistakes or it will really be proved to be
Gram Swaraj for the country.
Panchayat Raj system
The realization that peoples' participation is crucial for successful implementation of programmes like CD and NES, was brought to sharp focus through the report of the team for the study of Community Projects and National Extension Service by Balvantray G.Mehta (1957). The Committee observed that one of the least successful aspects of CD and NES work is its attempt to evoke popular initiative and recommended democratic decentralization.
Democratic Decentralisation
The word 'democracy' is derived from the Greek 'demos' means 'the people'; 'cracy' means 'rule of'. It is the 'rule of people'. It is governance of the people, by the people, for the people. The rule by majority is an important feature of this programme. Decentralisation means devolution of central authority among local units close to the areas served. Where authority devolves by this process on people's institution, it is 'democratic decentralisation'. The State of Madras tried this as a pilot project as early as 1957. Based on the success in this State it was Rajasthan which became the pioneer to bring the whole state under democratic decentralisation on Oct. 2, 1959.