NOTES

·         Panchayati Raj is an important feature of the Indian political system which ensures the direct participation of people at the grass roots level. After independence the framers of the Constitution decided to give them importance and under Article 40 of the Directive Principles directed the states to “organize village panchayats as units of self government”. A number of committees were appointed like the Balwantrai Mehta committee and Ashok Mehta committee to suggest measures for the improvement of the working of Panchayati Raj institutions. Panchayat Raj is a system of governance in which gram panchayats are the basic units of administration.

·         The term "panchayat raj" is relatively new, having originated during the British administration[citation needed]. Raj literally means "rule". Mahatma Gandhi advocated Panchayati Raj, a decentralized form of Government where each village is responsible for its own affairs, as the foundation of India's political system. The term for such a vision was Gram Swaraj ("village self-governance").

·         The leader of the panchayat was generally called the mukhiya, a position which was both hereditary and elected.

·         The Constitution passed the 73rd and 74th Amendment Acts, 1992 which was related to working of Panchayats and Municipalities.

·         The Constitution envisages a three-tier system of Panchayats namely:

·         The village level;

·         The District Panchayat at the district level;

·         The Intermediate Panchayat which stands between the village and district Panchayats in the States where the population is above 20 lakhs.

·         All the seats in a Panchayat shall be filled by persons chosen by direct election from territorial constituencies in the Panchayat area. The electorate has been named Gram Sabha consisting of persons registered in the electoral rolls relating to a village comprised within the area of a Panchayat. Seats shall be reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and woman. A State may by law make provision for similar reservation of the offices of Chairpersons in the Panchayats at the village and other levels. The Chairperson is elected according to the law passed by the State.

·         Duration of a Panchayat: Each Panchayat shall continue for five years from the date of its first meeting. But it can be dissolved earlier in accordance with the procedure prescribed by State Law.