Panchayati Raj and Urban Bodies

Jharkhand follows the three-tier Panchayati Raj system under its Panchayat Raj Act of 2001, but its first panchayat elections were held only in 2010. Urban areas are run by municipal corporations, councils and nagar panchayats.

Law — Jharkhand Panchayat Raj Act, 2001 | First panchayat elections — 2010 | Three tiers

The three tiers

Key features

• Constitutional basis — the 73rd Amendment and the state's Panchayat Raj Act, 2001
• The state's first panchayat elections were held in 2010, after a very long gapबार-बार पूछा जाता है
• Gram Sabha is the assembly of all voters of the village
• Seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled Castes, backward classes and women
• In Scheduled Areas, chairperson posts are reserved for Scheduled Tribes
• Elections are conducted by the State Election Commission

Urban local bodies

• Municipal Corporation for the largest cities such as Ranchi, Dhanbad and Jamshedpur area
• Municipal Council for medium towns
• Nagar Panchayat for small towns in transition from rural to urban
• Constitutional basis — the 74th Amendment
• Functions include water supply, sanitation, roads, street lighting and building rules
• Urban bodies also have reserved seats for women and weaker sections

Why panchayats matter more here

• Most of the state is rural, so the panchayat is the nearest state institution
• In Scheduled Areas, the gram sabha has additional powers under PESA
• Panchayats implement rural employment, housing, water and pension schemes
• Women's reservation has brought a large number of women into local office
• Traditional village institutions and elected panchayats sometimes overlap in authority

Points that get asked

• State panchayat law — Jharkhand Panchayat Raj Act, 2001
• First panchayat elections — 2010
• Head of the gram panchayat — mukhiya
• Head of the panchayat samiti — pramukh
• Constitutional amendments — 73rd for rural, 74th for urban

What panchayats actually do

• Prepare and approve the village development plan and its budget
• Implement rural employment work and select beneficiaries for housing and pension
• Manage drinking water sources, village roads, drains and street lighting
• Run or support anganwadi, school and sanitation activities at village level
• Maintain records of births, deaths and village assets
• Issue residence and other local certificates through the panchayat office

Problems in practice

• Devolution of funds, functions and functionaries remains incomplete
• Panchayat staff are few, so much work falls back on block officials
• Overlap between elected panchayats and traditional headmen creates friction
• Delayed elections in earlier decades left the institution weak in habit