Professor

Political Science

Govt. College

 Gangapur City, Rajasthan, India 

The roots of the Panchayati raj in India lie in the Vedic period (1700 BCE). Since the Vedic times, the village (gram) in the country has been considered a basic unit for regional self-administration. Hence, the present Panchayati Raj System prevailing in India is not new, rather old enough to be traced through the Vedic Period. The Panchayati Raj system in India has undergone several changes since its inception in the 1950s.

Constitutional Provisions for Panchayati Raj System in India

After the Indian independence in 1947, the democratic process was introduced along with the approval of adult suffrage to elect representatives to the Parliament and Assembly. It got an immense favour, involvement and response of the people all over India. It is true that during the freedom struggle, the Indian National Congress considered local self-governance ‘the true voice of democracy’, Gandhi’s vision of ‘Gram Swaraj’ which was the first Draft of the Constitution of India, did not mention it.

However, Article 40 of the Constitution validated it. Article 40 reads as follows-“the State should take steps to organize village Panchayat and endow them with such power and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as units of self governments.”

Community Development Programme

 ‘Community Development Program (CDP) was introduced in 1952 by setting up Community Development Block (CD Block). The objective of CDP was to make development in the village of India. National Extension Service strengthened it, but people’s participation was not given much weightage. It was only of nominated representative.

Balwant Rai Mehta Committee

In January, 1957, for the examination of the working of the CDP and the National Extension Service, the Balwant Rai Mehta Committee under the chairmanship of Balwantrai G. Mehta, was appointed by the Government of India. The Balwant Rai Mehta Committee suggested measures that could be helpful in their better working. As per the committee’s report in November 1957, the establishment of the scheme of 'democratic decentralisation' was to be made. The democratic decentralization, finally came to be known as Panchayati Raj.

Major Recommendations of the Committee

1.     Establishment of a three-tier Panchayati Raj system-Gram Panchayat at the village level, Panchayat Samiti at the block level, and Zila Parishad at the district level.

2.     Linkage of the three tiers through a device of indirect elections.

3.     Simplification of the work load of the state and central government.

4.     Constitution of the Village Panchayats with directly elected representatives

5.     Constitution of the Panchayat Samiti and Zila Parishad with indirectly elected members.

6.     Panchyat is similar to state assembly where there is place for politics.

7.     All planning and developmental activities should be entrusted to these bodies, namely, village panchayats, panchayat samitis and zila parishads.

8.     The Panchayat Samiti shall be the executive body while the Zila Parishad shall be the advisory, coordinating and supervisory body.

9.     The District Collector shall be the Chairman of the Zila Parishad. Hence, the Zila Parishads shall work under the chairmanship of the district collector.

10.   A genuine transfer of power and responsibility to these democratic bodies shall be there.

11.   Sufficient resources shall be transferred to the specified democratic bodies in order that they may discharge their functions and fulfill their responsibilities.

12.   A system shall be evolved to affect further devolution of authority in future.

These recommendations made by Balwant Rai Mehta Committee were approved and accepted by the National Development Council in January 1958. It made the policy makers realise the need of the development and its being fruitful in rural areas only through a proper development strategy. The team report is that development cannot progress without responsibility and power. Community development can be real only when the community understands its problems, realises its responsibilities, exercises the necessary powers through its chosen representatives and maintains a constant and intelligent vigilance on local administration. In this way, the Post-Independence Panchayati Raj System formally came into existence in 1959 with the following objectives-

1.     Democratic decentralization

2.     Local participation in planned programs

According to the Balwant Rai Mehta Committee Recommendations, the Panchayati Raj System was to work at three tier levels, namely – District Level (Zella Parishad), Intermediate Level (Block/Panchayat Samity), Lower Level (Village Panchayat). All this was unanimously considered a way to establish a link between the people and the Government.

Departing Attitude of the Government Towards The Approach of The Local Self-Government

The late 50s and early 60s witnessed a critical food crisis in the Country. To tackle the situation and under the  impact of circumstance, the Government imported huge quantity of food-grains for several years and the economic situation of the Country aggravated to such extent that ultimately the Government had to announce plan holiday for the period 1966-69. The severe food crisis emphasized the need for greatest concentration on food production.

Decline of Panchayat Raj System

By this time, the first generation Panchayat or the first phase of ascendancy of Panchayat Raj (1959-64) in other States of India was at its closing part. This was followed by the period of stagnation and decline of Panchayat Raj system (1965-77) due to the following specific causes-

1.     Political and bureaucratic reluctance and resistance in sharing of powers and resource with Panchayats

2.     Lack of clarity for the enhancement of Local Self- Government;

3.     Inadequate statute to make Panchayats strongly responsive

4.     Lack of financial supports and funds

5.     Difference in the Panchayat Raj system adopted in various States

Ashok Mehta Committee Report

Despite the decline the Panchayati Raj system in India, there was a constant effort to reestablish it for the sake of the development of the villages. This is why, in December 1977, the Janata Government appointed a committee on Panchayati Raj institutions under the chairmanship of Ashoka Mehta. The Committee favoured the Panchayat Raj and promoted its revival in its report submitted in August 1978 with 132 recommendations which were quite helpful in strengthening the declining Panchayati Raj system in the country. As a result of this report, the Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and West Bengal passed new legislations. However, the flow of politics at the state level did not allow the institutions to develop their own political dynamics.

Major Recommendations of the Committee

1.     There shall be 2-tier system-Zilla Parishad at the district level, and the Mandal Panchayat with of a group of villages encompassing a population of 15000 to 20000.

2.     District shall be the first point for decentralisation under the supervision of the state, and under the state level.

3.     Zila Parishad shall work as the executive body with the responsibility of planning at the district level.

4.     Compulsory participation of political parties at all levels of Panchayat elections shall be ensured.

5.     The taxation powers shall be vested in the Panchayat Raj institutions for the mobilization of their own financial resources.

6.     A regular social audit by a district level agency and by a committee of legislators to check shall be ensured.

7.     In case of an imperative supersession of the panchayati raj by the state government, there shall be held elections within 6 months from the date of supersession.

8.     The Nyaya Panchayats being presided over by the judges and Panchayats shall work as separate bodies.

9.     The Chief Electoral officer of the state shall have power to organise and conduct the Panchayati Raj elections in consultaton with the Chief Election Commissioner.

10.   Zila Parishad shall perform all development functions.

11.   The voluntary agencies shall play an important role in mobilising the support of the people for Panchayati Raj.

12.   The affairs of the Panchayati Raj institutions shall be looked after by a minister

13.   Population based reservation of seats for SCs and Sts shall be ensured

Unfortunately, the Janata Party Government collapsed before the completion of its term, therefore, the recommendations of the Ashok Mehta Committee could not be implemented.  However, it was still considered an important step towards achieving democracy at grass root levels. The various recommendations of this committee though not practically implemented immediately, still held a high scheme in making a good, effective and easy Panchayat system in India. Here it is worth mentioning that only three States of India, i.e., Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and West Bengal made essential changes in their political hierarchy to implement the recommendations of the Ashok Mehta Committee.

GVK Rao Committee

The GVK Rao Committee, set up in 1985, made the following recommendations-

1.     There shall be appointed a State Finance Commission once in every five years for the determination of the quantum of money to be provided to each Zilla Parishad by the State Government

2.     There shall be set up a State Development Council with the Chief Minister as the Chairman

3.     The working of the Panchayat Samity at the Block level and Gram Panchayat at the village level shall be made with the elected representatives of the area

4.     There shall be provision of the reservation of seats for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, women etc. in the elections of Panchayat Raj Institutions

5.     Voluntary agencies, non-government organizations servicing in different rural areas for the welfare of the poor shall be involved in the development process

6.     Elections to the PRI bodies shall be held regularly.

The 73^rd Constitutional Amendment & Its Significance in the Grassroots Democracy in India

The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 is one of the most significant pieces of legislation in Indian history. It has brought about a fundamental change in the way rural local governments function in India. The Act provides for the establishment of three-tier Panchayati Raj institutions (PRIs) at the village, block, and district levels. These institutions are responsible for a wide range of functions, including agriculture, education, health, and water supply.

The Act also provides for the reservation of seats for women and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in PRIs. This has helped to ensure that these groups have a say in the decision-making process at the local level. The 73rd Amendment Act has had a significant impact on rural areas in India. It has led to an increase in the participation of women and marginalized groups in local governance. It has also led to an improvement in the delivery of essential services in rural areas.

Specific Provisions of the 73rd Amendment Act

1.     Reservation of seats for SCs, STs and women, and the ensurance of their role in decision-making process at the local level.

2.     Direct elections to PRIs.

3.     Increased powers and responsibilities for PRIs in order to make them more effective in delivering essential services to the people.

4.     Availability of financial resources for PRIs to implement their development plans.

Challenges

1.     Lack of awareness about the provisions of the Act among the people due to illiteracy or political unawareness.

2.     Lack of capacity of PRIs to implement their responsibilities.

3.     Lack of financial resources for PRIs.

4.     Political interference in the functioning of PRIs.

Despite all these challenges, the 73rd Amendment Act is a major step forward in the empowerment of rural areas in India. It has the potential to bring about a real transformation in the lives of millions of people.

Related Studies & Their Review

‘The Panchayati Raj Institutions in India is not of recent origin, the system existed from the Vedic period which was based on the principles of decentralization and mass participation in decision making. The term Panchayati Raj was coined by our first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru who favoured the idea of village republic. Gandhiji realized the importance of village Panchayat as an important instrument of rural development, promoting democracy at grass-root. His term for such a vision was “Gram Swaraj” (village self governance). According to him, “if the village perishes India will perish too. It will no more be India. Her own mission in the world gets lost.” The main objective of this paper is to understand the PRI’s from historical perspective and the changes after the implementation of 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act (CAA) in India.’¹

‘Panchayati Raj in India, in terms of the size of the electorate, the number of grassroots institutions (about 2.4 lakh), the number of persons elected – 36 lakh in the panchayats and Nagarpalikas, higher than the entire population of Norway, is the greatest experiment in democracy ever undertaken anywhere in the world or at any time in history. No less than 10 lakh women have been elected to our Panchayati Raj Institutions, consisting some 37 per cent of all those elected and rising to as high as 54 per cent in Bihar which has 50percent reservations for women.

There are also reservations for the Scheduled Castes (SCs), the Scheduled Tribes (STs), and the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in proportion to their share of the population in each panchayat area. An experiment of this scale is bound to have shortcomings and setbacks, and would need course correction. It is a social revolution that its founder in its present constitutional shape and form, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, once remarked would take at least a generation to fully unfold. But it is equally necessary to take stoke of the evolution this institution from the inception.’²

‘The Panchayat Raj system in India has its roots in ancient times, with the concept of self-governance at the village level. However, only after independence were efforts made institutionalised local self-governance through constitutional amendments. The 73rd Amendment Act, also known as the Constitutional Amendment for Panchayats, was a landmark legislation that brought about a significant shift in the governance structure of rural India. The constitutional framework of the Panchayat Raj system is outlined in the 73rd Amendment Act, which provides for a three-tiered structure of local government at the village, intermediate, and district levels. The Gram Panchayat (village council), Panchayat Samiti (intermediate-level council), and Zilla Parishad (district-level council) form the three tiers of the Panchayat Raj system.

These elected bodies are responsible for a variety of functions, including rural development, social justice, infrastructure development, and local administration. The structure and composition of the Panchayat Raj system involve direct elections at the village, intermediate, and district levels, with reserved seats for marginalised communities such as Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and women. The system aims to ensure inclusive representation and participation of marginalised communities in local governance, thereby promoting social inclusion and empowerment. Despite its potential, the Panchayat Raj system faces several challenges, including inadequate financial resources, lack of capacity-building and training, political interference, and low awareness and participation of local communities. Additionally, there are issues related to overlapping jurisdiction, accountability, and coordination with other levels of government.’³

‘The idea of forming a two-tier federal structure in India gathered considerable momentum after the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League came together through a Pact in 1916. But the concept of the third tier which was mooted in the Constituent Assembly through the incorporation of panchayats in the Directive Principles of State Policy after detailed deliberation began receiving attention after the 73rd Amendment of the Constitution in 1992 which coincided with the paradigmatic shift in the policy of the Indian State. This Act signified in clear terms the intention of the State to strengthen the process of third tier federalism in India.’⁴

‘Panchayats have been the backbone of the Indian Villages since the beginning of the recorded history. Gandhiji’s dream of every village being a republic has been translated into reality with the introduction of three-tier Panchayati Raj system to enlist people’s participation in rural reconstruction.1 Panchayat, which literally means ‘institution five’ can be found in the Santi parva of Mahabharata.2 Panchayat is apparently a Sanskrit word and it is surprising that in the whole complex of self-government, Panchayat either in the sense of village council, or of a group of five wise persons belonging to a self-governing body whose advise is sought on matters concerning that body, does not figure in any source related to this period, (Panchavanthaiah) except in sloka of Mahabharata.3 A dictionary prepared by Raghuvira refers, against the entry ‘Panchayat’ to the expression ‘Panchamandali’ which was found in a sanchi stone inscription of the period of Chandra Gupta-II.

Radha Kumud Mookerji cites a number of terms indicating popular Local bodies existed during the ancient period such as Kula, gana, jati, puga, vrata, sreni sangha, Naigama, Samuhava, Sambhuya-Samuttahana parishat, Carana.4 He did not include the term Panchayat in this list, which is exhaustive enough to include quite a few less known terms. There is a lot of evidence in the literature of the ancient period on Local Government in India which brings out that the fact that Panchayats had played a key role in the affairs of the villages of ancient India.’⁵

‘Decentralization, through local self-government, transforms representative into participatory democracy. The Indian federal system provides for the constitutional devolution of powers between the center and the states, under whose exclusive legislative domain the local self-governments rest as third tier or level of government.

The post Emergency period (after 1977) in Indian politics has seen two significant developments that have a decisive impact on the decentralization process. One is the assertion of the regions of their autonomy and identity; two, the expansion of the media leading to the wider availability of information and assertiveness by the former, leading to difficulty to cling on to the concentration of power either by the central or state governments. The constitutionalization of rural and urban local governments through 73rd and 74th Constitutional amendment (amendment of Article 243) in 1992 respectively has been the important initiative that makes them as the institutions of self-government.’⁶

‘The Panchayati Raj means a system of local self-government administered by a council or Panchayat duly elected in a democratic manner. It provides the administrative apparatus for implementation of the programs of rural development. The primary objective of Panchayati Raj is to evolve a system of democratic decentralization and devolution of powers, functions and authority to the rural people with a view to ensuring rapid socio-economic progress and speedier and inexpensive justice.’⁷

 ‘Panchayati Raj Institutions are the third tier of the Indian government's decentralized system, after the Central and State governments. In contrast to urban and suburban municipalities, Panchayati Raj (Council of five officials) is a form of village self-government in rural India. It is made up of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), which are responsible for achieving local self-government. They're in charge of "economic growth, social justice, and the execution of Central and State Government Schemes, including those 29 topics mentioned in the Eleventh Schedule," according to its mission statement.

Basic concepts of Panchayati Raj values, Indian Panchayati Raj Institutions, The first development effort was the Community Development Program (CDP). In independent India, the Panchayati Raj system is established, Panchayati Raj's Ascendancy (1959-1964), Various Panchayati Raj committees in India.’⁸

 ‘Central and State Governments encouraged women by implementing the 73rd constitutional amendment in 1993 (adding Article 243D and 243T), which also extended the privilege of seat reservation for SC/ST women in the local bodies. Due to this positive impetus, there has been a perceptible improvement in women’s participation. Due to unrestrained encouragement, the participation of women in Panchayati Raj is highly effective; thus, across India, more than 26 lakhs of women representatives got elected in PRI.’⁹

‘Panchayati Raj is the basic unit of local administration.The system has three levels of administrations.Gram panchayat, Mandal perished, and block samati or panchayat samati. Generally it refers to the system of local self government in india. It was first introduced by a constitutional amendment In 1992 on the basis of recommendation of L M Shingvi Committee in 1986.The system has been since its introduction have done various activities in rural areas development and women empowerment. But the system has various problems in performing its functions, such as, mass illiteracy, poverty, ill health conditions etc. in democratic country constitution has given panchayat system with more more power and its power and performance is also increasing.’¹⁰

Conclusion

In India, the Panchayati Raj generally refers to the system of local self-government, indian Government introduced by a constitutional amendment in 1992, although it is based upon the traditional panchayat system of the Indian subcontinent. The Panchayati Raj system was first adopted by the state of Bihar by the Bihar Panchayat Raj Act of 1947. It was a continued legacy of local self government started by Lord Ripon in the British era. Later it was implemented by the state of Rajasthan in Nagaur district on 2 October 1959.

The 73rd Amendment Act is a landmark piece of legislation that has made a positive impact on rural areas in India. It has helped empower the people at the grassroots level and improve the delivery of essential services.

References

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