Chap 12 - Rural Local Government Part 1

Government in India

• India is a vast country with a large population of over 1.35 billion people, making it difficult for a single government to govern effectively.
• To make administration easier, India operates its government at three different levels: Central, State, and Local Self-Government.

Central Government

• The Central Government is based in New Delhi and deals with matters of national importance such as defense, national finance, foreign exchange, railways, and postal services.

State Government

• India is divided into several states, each with its own government based in the state capital.
• State governments are responsible for maintaining law and order, local transport, health services, and community development programs within their respective states.

Local Self-Government

• Local self-government functions at the grassroots level and deals with local problems and the basic needs of local people.
• Local self-governing bodies are of two kinds: rural (villages) and urban (towns and cities).
• Rural local self-governing bodies include Zila Parishads, Block Samitis, and Panchayats, while urban bodies include Municipal Corporations, Municipalities, and Cantonment Boards.

Panchayati Raj System

• The Panchayati Raj system is a three-tiered system of local self-government at the rural level.
• The three tiers are: Panchayats at the village level, Block Samitis at the block level, and Zila Parishads at the district level.
• The system has been in place since ancient times, but was less effective during British rule.
• After Independence, the Panchayati Raj system was revived to involve villagers in managing their own affairs.

Gram Sabha

• A Gram Sabha is a village assembly that includes all adult members of the village.
• The Gram Sabha holds meetings at least twice a year to discuss important village matters and problems.

Gram Panchayat

• The Gram Panchayat is elected by the Gram Sabha and is responsible for managing village affairs.
• Seats are reserved for people from Scheduled Castes or Tribes, and one-third of the seats are reserved for women.

Nyaya Panchayat

• A Nyaya Panchayat is responsible for settling disputes among villagers and provides a cheap and speedy way to resolve disputes.

Features of the Panchayat

• The village Panchayat is headed by a directly elected Sarpanch (Village Pradhan).
• The Sarpanch announces and organizes meetings, signs important documents, and coordinates panchayat activities.
• Panchayats are elected for a term of 3 to 5 years.

Functions of the Panchayat

• Compulsory functions of the panchayat include constructing and repairing infrastructure, providing health facilities, supplying clean drinking water, and maintaining cleanliness.
• Optional functions include building playgrounds, installing television and radio sets, and providing primary education.
• The panchayat also helps farmers develop their farms and looks after the welfare of weaker sections of society.

Urban Local Self-Governing Bodies

• Municipal corporations, municipalities, and cantonment boards are urban local self-governing bodies.

Panchayati Raj System

• The panchayati raj system is a three-tiered system of local self-government at the rural level.
• The three tiers are:
• Panchayats at the village level
• Block samitis at the block level
• Zila parishads at the district level

History of Panchayats

• The system of panchayats is very old, with the word 'panchayat' meaning a group of five people.
• In ancient times, villagers would elect a group of five elders to deal with local problems and solve disputes.
• The system functioned well until the Mughal period, but was less effective under British rule.
• After Independence, the panchayati system was revived to involve villagers in the management of their own affairs.

Gram Sabha

• A gram sabha or village assembly is formed in villages with a population of 500 or more.
• All adult members of the village are members of the gram sabha.
• The gram sabha holds meetings at least twice a year to discuss important matters and problems of the village.
• The gram sabha usually elects the people who form the gram panchayat.

Gram Panchayat

• The gram panchayat is elected by the gram sabha.
• Seats are reserved for people from Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes and for women.
• The gram panchayat is headed by the village pradhan or sarpanch, who is directly elected by the gram sabha.
• The sarpanch announces and organizes meetings of the panchayat and signs important documents.

Nyaya Panchayat

• Some villages have a nyaya panchayat, which is elected by the gram panchayat.
• The nyaya panchayat settles disputes among people and provides a cheap and speedy way to resolve disputes.

Functions of the Panchayat

• Compulsory functions include:
• Constructing and repairing roads, bridges, drains, tanks, and wells.
• Providing health facilities.
• Supplying clean drinking water.
• Keeping streets and roads clean.
• Checking the spread of diseases.
• Constructing buildings and maintaining cremation and burial grounds.
• Providing primary education.
• Recording births and deaths in the village.
• Helping farmers develop and improve their farms and cattle.
• Looking after the welfare of weaker sections of society.
• Optional functions include:
• Building playgrounds and rest houses.
• Installing television and radio sets.

Levels of Government in India

• India operates at three levels of government:
• Central government (based in New Delhi).
• State government (based in state capitals).
• Local self-government (based at the grass roots level).

Local Self-Government

• Local self-government lies at the bottom of the administrative pyramid.
• The people of a locality elect their own representatives to form the local self-government.
• Local self-governing bodies are of two kinds: rural and urban.
• Rural bodies include zila parishads, block samitis, and panchayats.
• Urban bodies include municipal corporations, municipalities, and cantonment boards.

Urban Local Self-Governing Bodies

• Municipal corporations, municipalities, and cantonment boards are urban local self-governing bodies.

Panchayati Raj System

• The panchayati raj system is a three-tiered system of local self-government at the rural level.
• The three tiers are:
  • Panchayats at the village level
  • Block samitis at the block level
  • Zila parishads at the district level
• The system has a long history in India, dating back to ancient times.
• The British disrupted the system, but it was revived after Independence to involve villagers in their own affairs.

Gram Sabha

• A gram sabha is a village assembly consisting of all adult members of the village.
• Villages with a population of 500 or more have a gram sabha.
• The gram sabha holds meetings at least twice a year to discuss village problems and elects members of the gram panchayat.

Gram Panchayat

• The gram panchayat is a group of senior members elected by the gram sabha.
• Seats are reserved for people from Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes, as well as for women (one-third of the seats).
• The gram panchayat is headed by a village pradhan or sarpanch, who is directly elected by the gram sabha.

Nyaya Panchayat

• Some villages have a nyaya panchayat, which is elected by the gram panchayat.
• The nyaya panchayat settles disputes among people, providing a cheap and speedy way to resolve disputes.

Features of the Panchayat

• The sarpanch announces and organizes meetings of the panchayat.
• The vice-sarpanch takes over the responsibilities of the sarpanch in their absence.
• Panchayats are elected for a term of 3 to 5 years.

Functions of the Panchayat

• Compulsory functions:
  • Constructs and repairs roads, bridges, drains, tanks, and wells.
  • Provides health facilities, clean drinking water, and sanitation.
  • Keeps streets and roads clean, and checks the spread of diseases.
  • Constructs buildings, maintains cremation and burial grounds, and provides primary education.
  • Records births and deaths, and helps farmers develop their farms and cattle.
  • Looks after the welfare of weaker sections of society.
• Optional functions:
  • Builds playgrounds and rest houses, and installs television and radio sets.

Levels of Government

• India has a three-tiered system of government: central, state, and local self-government.
• The central government is based in New Delhi and deals with national importance matters.
• State governments are responsible for maintaining law and order, local transport, health services, and community development programmes.
• Local self-governance lies at the bottom of the administrative pyramid and functions at the grassroots level.

Panchayati Raj System

• The panchayati raj system is a three-tiered system of local self-government in rural India.
• It consists of panchayats at the village level, block samitis at the block level, and zila parishads at the district level.

Gram Sabha

• A gram sabha is a village assembly that consists of all adult members of the village.
• It holds meetings at least twice a year to discuss important matters and problems of the village.
• The gram sabha elects the members of the gram panchayat.

Gram Panchayat

• The gram panchayat is the basic unit of the panchayati raj system.
• It is headed by a village pradhan or sarpanch, who is directly elected by the gram sabha.
• The sarpanch has several responsibilities, including announcing and organizing meetings, signing important documents, and coordinating different activities.
• The gram panchayat has both compulsory and optional functions, including constructing and repairing roads, providing health facilities, and supplying clean drinking water.

Nyaya Panchayat

• Some villages have a nyaya panchayat, which is elected by the gram panchayat.
• The nyaya panchayat settles disputes among people and provides a cheap and speedy way to resolve disputes.

Urban Local Self-Government

• Urban local self-governing bodies are municipal corporations, municipalities, and cantonment boards.
• They function at the town and city level.

Local Self-Government

• Local self-government lies at the bottom of the administrative pyramid and functions at the grass roots level.
• The people of a locality elect their own representatives to form the local self-government of that area.
• This body deals with local problems and looks after the basic needs of the local people.

Government in India

• India is a vast country with a large population, and the central government cannot attend to every need of the people in remote villages.
• To make the task of administration easier, the government in India operates at three different levels: central, state, and local.
• The central government deals with matters of national importance, while state governments are responsible for maintaining law and order, local transport, health services, etc. in their respective states.

Central Government

• Located in New Delhi, the capital of India
• Deals with matters of national importance
• Responsible for defence, national finance, foreign exchange, railways, and postal services

State Government

• India is divided into multiple states
• Each state has its own government based in the state capital
• Responsible for maintaining law and order in the state
• Manages local transport, health services, and community development programmes in the state