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Introduction

  • The foundation of Local Self Government Institutions in India was laid in 1687 with the establishment of a Municipal Corporation in Madras by the British, followed by similar entities in Bombay and Calcutta in 1726.
  • The Minto-Morley Reforms of 1909 and the Montague-Chelmsford Reforms of 1919 transferred the responsibility of local self-government, promoting greater public participation in governance.
  • Decentralization efforts began with Mayo’s Resolution (1870) for financial decentralization and Lord Ripon’s Resolution (1882), which provided the groundwork for Local Self Government.

Body
Panchayati Raj in India

73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992

  • Incorporated provisions related to Panchayati Raj into the Constitution.
  • Implemented Article 40, giving constitutional status to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI).
  • Established a three-tier system across states: village, intermediate, and district levels (Article 243B(1)).
  • Gram Sabha (Article 243A) includes all registered voters from a village.
  • All members of Panchayats at all three levels are directly elected by the people.
  • The 73rd Amendment excluded Scheduled Areas and Tribal Areas (Article 244), leading to the PESA Act to extend its provisions to Schedule
  • V areas, preserving their cultural and social characteristics.

Special powers granted to Gram Sabha under the PESA Act include:

  • Approval of development plans
  • Management of minor water bodies
  • Ownership of Minor Forest Produce (MFP)
  • Control of mineral leases
  • Regulation of intoxicant sales
  • Prevention of land alienation
  • Beneficiary selection for various schemes
  • Consultation on land acquisition

74th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992

  • Mandated the direct election of all municipal members, with states determining the election method for municipal chairpersons by legislation.
  • Required the establishment of ward committees in municipalities with a population of 300,000 or more.
  • Called for each state to form a District Planning Committee to consolidate plans from the district’s Panchayats and Municipalities into a draft district plan.

Conclusion

The government introduced The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023, to reserve 33% of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state Legislative Assemblies, including reserved seats for SCs and STs.

Both the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments were passed by Parliament in December 1992 and came into effect on April 24, 1993, and June 1, 1993, respectively.

Legacy Editor Changed status to publish July 24, 2024