Panchayati Raj

The Panchayati Raj (Hindi: पंचायती राज Pāncāyatī Raj [ pɑ ː ntʃɑ ː jʌti ː rɑ ː dʒ ] " Panchayat rule " ) is a decentralized form of government of the village self-government through elected councils which are found mainly in India, Pakistan and Nepal. Panchayat ( पंचायत Pāncāyat [ pɑ ː ː ntʃɑ jʌt ] ) literally means assembly ( yat ) of five ( panch ) wise and respected elders who are elected by the community and accepted. These assemblies traditionally settle disputes between villagers and villages. Modern Indian government has decentralized several administrative functions at the local level and authorizes selected Gram Panchayats. The Gram Panchayats should not be confused with the unelected khap panchayats (Box panchayats ) in some parts of India.

• 2.3.1 Organisation and Financing
• 2.3.2 functions

Panchayati Raj

The Panchayati Raj or Panchayati is a municipal form of government, form the basic administrative units in the Gram Panchayats. It consists of three levels: village, block and district. The relatively new concept of Panchayat Raj comes from the period of British colonial rule in India. Raj literally means government.

Panchayati Raj in India

Already Mohandas Gandhi advocated Panchayati Raj as the decentralized form of government in which each village is responsible for its own affairs, as the foundation of the political system of India. His term for this concept was Gram Swaraj ( Village-like self-government ). For a politician like Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, who campaigned for legal and social equality of the Dalits, however, had, as he stated in a speech to the Constituent Assembly on 4 November 1948, the village self-government by provincialism and through the promotion of ethnic and religious conflicts ( communalism ) led to the destruction of India.

Legal principles, objectives, structure and financing

Several Indian states have introduced this system in the 1950s and 1960s and adopted laws for the establishment of Panchayats. In the Indian Constitution the idea of ​​local self-government by panchayats in 1992 was underpinned by the introduction of the Additional Article 73. The constitutional amendment has the transfer of power and responsibility for the preparation of economic development plans for social justice and for the implementation of 29 areas, which are listed in Appendix 12 of the Constitution.

The panchayats receive funds from three sources: 1 loans for local authorities on the recommendation of the central Finance Commission; 2 means the central government for the implementation of government-sponsored programs, 3 means the state governments, on the recommendation of the respective Finance Committees.

The 1992 adopted by the Indian Parliament 73rd Amendment to the Constitution occurred on 24 April 1993 at the latest, and gave the Panchayati Raj institutions in the constitution. This law was extended on 24 December 1996 to Panchayats in the tribal areas of the seven states of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan. Today, the system of Panchayti Raj in all states except Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram and in all the Union Territories except Delhi exists. Objective of the Act is to create three-tier Panchayati Raj in all states with more than two million people. It provides for the regular holding of Panchayat elections every five years and quotas for Untouchables ( scheduled castes ), Native ( scheduled tribes ) and women. The outcastes and aborigines should be represented according to their share of the population of the area. For women, a third of the seats is reserved. Thus, the modern form of village self-government differs significantly from the traditional institution of Panchayats. The members of the traditional panchayats " were not elected, they carried out their duties not limited in time, which were box - and religion important selection factors for membership, and women and untouchables were not represented in panchayats. "

The states finance committees to order, make such recommendations to the financial resources of the Panchayats and to establish planning committees in the districts, which are responsible for the designs of the development plans of the district. The three-tier system of Panchayati Raj consists of panchayats at village, block and district level.

The roles and responsibilities are delegated to the Panchayats the appropriate level and include mainly:

• Preparation of plans for economic development and social justice
• Implementation of the programs for economic development and social justice in relation to the 29 areas of Annex 12 of the Constitution
• Survey, collection and allocation of taxes, duties, levies and charges

The Panchayat at the block level: Panchayat Samiti

The Panchayat Samiti is a local government agency at the administrative level of block ( Tehsils or taluks whose villages form a so-called development block ). The Panchayat Samiti is the link between the Gram Panchayat and the district government. This institution occurs in different states in different variants. In Andhra Pradesh, Mandal Praja Parishad it is called, in Karnataka Mandal Panchayat, etc. In general, it is a Panchayati Raj at higher levels.

Organization and financing

A Panchayt Samiti consists of official members (all Sarapanchas of the block, the Members of the Indian Parliament and the Government of the state of the block and the Subdivisional Officer ), coopted members ( representatives of the untouchables, aboriginal and women), associate members ( a farmer from the area as well as one representative of cooperatives and marketing services ) and some elected members. The Samiti is elected for five years and headed by a Chairman and a Deputy Chairman. A Samiti has the following departments: General Administration, Finance, Public Works, Agriculture, Health, Education, Social Welfare, Information Technology and others. Panchayat Samiti are financed mainly by grants and loans from the state government.

Functions

• Implementation of agricultural development programs
• Operation of institutions of primary care and primary schools
• Drinking water supply, sewerage, road construction and maintenance
• Development of crafts and small industries, creation of cooperatives
• Creation and support of youth organizations

The Panchayat at the district level

The Zilla Parishad is the government authority of Panchayati Raj at the district level. Parishad is called in Hindi Council, Zilla Parishad means for district council. The Zilla Parishad is responsible for the management of rural areas of the district, his office is located in the district administration. He is the link between the state government and the Panchayat Samiti at the block level. At its peak, the district head stands ( called District Collector, District Magistrate or Deputy Comminissioner ).

Organization and financing

The members of the Zilla Parishad are elected for five years in the district. Zilla Parishad has a minimum of 50 and maximum of 75 seats. A part of the seats reserved for untouchables, aboriginal and women. Funding is provided both by taxes and fees, such as for water, pilgrims and markets, on the other hand the government of the state pays fixed contributions in proportion to tax revenues and funds for programs and operations that have been transferred to the Parishad.

Functions

The Zilla Parishad are responsible for the provision of essential services and facilities to the rural population and for the planning and implementation of development programs in the district. Specifically, this includes:

• Supply the farmers with improved seeds, information and training of farmers to new agricultural methods; Construction of small irrigation systems and water filtration systems; Maintenance of pasture
• Establishment and operation of village schools and libraries, implementation of programs for adult literacy
• Opening of institutions for primary care and hospitals in larger villages and mobile hospitals in very small villages; Implementation of vaccination programs and campaigns to family welfare
• Construction and maintenance of roads and bridges, schools and public buildings
• Implementation of development plans for the outcastes and aborigines; Operation of schools for Aboriginal children; Construction of dormitories for students flaskless
• Support for the creation of small businesses, such as in the processing of landscape products, cotton industry, dairy industry and crafts; Implementation of rural employment programs
• Creation of employment opportunities for untouchables, lower castes and aboriginal