Local Self-Government: Panchayati Raj and Urban Bodies

This topic gives about 2 questions and is the one where Bihar appears most directly. Local government became a constitutional subject in 1992, and the examiner tests the two amendments, the three tiers and the reservation provisions, all of which are exact and easily fixed.

The Two Amendments

The 73rd Amendment gave effect to Article 40, a Directive Principle asking the State to organise village panchayats. 24 April is observed as National Panchayati Raj Day for that reason.

Before that, the Balwant Rai Mehta Committee of 1957 had recommended a three-tier structure, and Rajasthan was the first state to set up panchayati raj, at Nagaur on 2 October 1959. The Ashok Mehta Committee of 1977 later recommended a two-tier structure instead.

✗ The 73rd Amendment created panchayati raj for the first time  |  ✓ Panchayati raj existed from 1959; the 1992 amendment gave it constitutional status

The Three Tiers

1. Gram Panchayat at the village level, with the Gram Sabha of all registered voters as its base.
2. Panchayat Samiti at the block or intermediate level.
3. Zila Parishad at the district level.

The three-tier structure is compulsory for states with a population above twenty lakh. Each body has a five-year term, and elections must be held before it expires; if one is dissolved early, elections must follow within six months. State Election Commissions conduct these polls, and State Finance Commissions review their finances every five years.

The Gram Sabha is not an elected body at all — it is the whole electorate of the village meeting together, and it is the only permanent body in the structure. Candidates often mistake it for an elected council.

Reservation and Bihar

Seats are reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in proportion to their population, and not less than one third of all seats are reserved for women under the Constitution. States may go further, and many have.

Bihar did exactly that. In 2006 the state reserved 50 per cent of panchayat seats for women, the first state in India to do so. This is the clearest state-specific fact in the whole political science block and a very likely question in a Bihar paper.

Urban bodies under the 74th Amendment come in three forms: a Nagar Panchayat for an area in transition from rural to urban, a Municipal Council for a smaller urban area, and a Municipal Corporation for a larger one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which state first reserved half the panchayat seats for women?

Bihar, in 2006. The Constitution requires that not less than one third of seats be reserved for women, and Bihar went beyond that to fifty per cent, becoming the first state in India to do so. Several other states adopted the same figure afterwards.

What is the difference between the Gram Sabha and the Gram Panchayat?

The Gram Sabha is the body of all registered voters of the village and is not elected. The Gram Panchayat is the elected council chosen by those voters for five years. The Sabha is permanent and holds the Panchayat accountable through its meetings.

Why is 24 April observed as National Panchayati Raj Day?

Because the Seventy-third Amendment, which gave panchayati raj constitutional status, came into force on 24 April 1993. The amendment itself was passed in 1992, so the year of passage and the date of commencement are different and are often confused.

What do the Eleventh and Twelfth Schedules contain?

The Eleventh Schedule, added by the Seventy-third Amendment, lists twenty-nine subjects that may be devolved to panchayats. The Twelfth Schedule, added by the Seventy-fourth, lists eighteen subjects for urban local bodies. Both include education-related functions.