DR.

RAM MANOHAR LOHIYA NATIONAL LAW

UNIVERSITY, LUCKNOW
2021-22
POLITICAL SCIENCE PROJECT
SEMESTER-1

TITLE-THE PANCHAYATI RAJ SYSTEM IN INDIA

 TABLE OF CONTENTS
. ABSTRACT
. INTRODUCTION
. STRUCTURE OF THE PANCHAYATI RAJ SYSTEM
. FUNCTIONS OF THE PANCHAYATI RAJ SYSTEM
. OBJECTIVE
. SOURCES OF FUNDS
. IMPORTANCE OF THE PANCHAYATI RAJ SYSTEM
. ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE PANCHAYATI RAJ SYSTEM
. CHALLENGES IN THE FUNCTIONING OF THE PANCHAYATI RAJ
SYSTEM
. SUGGESTIONS FOR THE BETTER FUNCTIONING OF PANCHAYATI
RAJ SYSTEM
. CONCLUSION
. BIBLIOGRAPHY
 ABSTRACT

In India, most of its population reside in rural areas and therefore the
democracy should begin thereon in order to ensure good governance and a
better functioning of democracy that we desire. To extend democracy to the
rural India, the system of Panchayati Raj established in India. The Panchayati
Raj system is not a new concept and therefore is considered as one of the best
ways of governance of the Rural India. However, the system of Panchayati Raj,
despite having derived their powers and existence from the constitution of
India, faces a lot of challenges in their day to day working because of various
reasons and therefore this third tier of government has not been able to serve
the purpose with which it was introduced in India.

INTRODUCTION
India, primarily is a land of villages and around 72% of the total population of
India resides in the rural areas. The rural areas thus form the roots for the
governance in India and the democracy should start thereon. Mahatma Gandhi
also said that the main element for the development and for the governance
should not be the big cities rather the village because it is where India resides.
In India, we have a unique system for governance at the village level. The
governance of such small unit of India is by the institutes, called the Panchayati
Raj institutions. The Panchayati Raj institutes derives their existence from the
constitution under part IX under the head the Panchayats. The story of
panchayat is not just a few decades old, rather it has been prevalent in India
from ages.
In the Rig vedic period, i.e. around 1200 B.C. there of c were Sabha that has
the primary function of the administration the area. This concept of Sabha
gradually converted to the panchayat and it was so called because it was
headed by 5 people. In the Medieval period, the Panchayati system
deteriorated because of the increase in the Zamindari system in the rural areas.
The task of administration slowly got converted to tax collection as a result
thereof. At this time also the village had a separate mechanism for its
administration though the concept of Panchayati raj got deteriorated.
Meanwhile, during the formation of the Constitution of India, in the
Constituent Assembly, Panchayati Raj was kept under the heads of Directive
Principles of state policy under Part IV of the Constitution mainly because of
the political instability of the new government and the paucity of funds and
therefore it was not practically possible for the newly formed India to have a
third tier of the Governance which was right at the lowest tier in the country. 5
After the Indian independence, there were various committees that tried to
give a proper structure to the Panchayati Raj in India.
1. Balwant rai Mehta committee, 1957- this committee was originally
appointed by the government of India on 16 January 1957 to examine
the working of the community development program and the National
extension service and to suggest measures for their better working. The
committee submitted its report on 24 November 1957 and
recommended the establishment of the scheme of democratic
decentralization which finally came to be known as Panchayati Raj.
2. K. Santhanam committee,1963- In 1962, Lal Bahadur Shastri appointed
Santhanam committee to suggest measures for the prevention of
corruption among the civil servants. The committee advised the union
government on all matters pertaining to the maintenance of integrity in
administration. It exercised superintendence over working of the central
bureau of investigation and also over the vigilance administration of
various ministries and other organizations of the union government.
3. Ashok Mehta committee-in December 1977, the Janata government
appointed a committee on Panchayati Raj institution under the
chairmanship of Ashok Mehta. The committee submitted its report in
August 1978 and made recommendations to revive and strengthen the
declining Panchayati Raj system in the country. The main
recommendations of the committee were the 3tier system of
Panchayati Raj should be replaced by 2 tier system: zilla parishad at the
district level and below it the Mandal Panchayat of a group of villages
covering a population of 15000 to 20000
4. G. V. K. Rao committee, 1985 -this committee was setup to review the
existing administrative arrangements for rural and poverty alleviation
 Programs under the chairmanship of G.V.K Rao. This committee again
recommended a 3tier system. The committee recommended that the
district level body: zilla parishad should be of pivotal importance. A post
of district development commissioner should be created.
5. L.M. Singhvi committee, 1986- the committee recommended that the
local self-government should be constitutionally recognized, protected,
preserved. As a result, 73rd amendment was made to the constitution
and IX-A was inserted as the Panchayats. The suggestion of giving
Panchayats constitutional status was opposed by the Sarkaria
commission, but the idea, However, gained momentum in the late 80s
especially because of the endorsement by the late prime minister Rajeev
Gandhi.

STRUCTURE OF THE PANCHAYATI RAJ

In India Panchayati Raj now functions as a system of governance in which gram
panchayats are the basic units of local administration. The system has three
levels-Gram Sabha, Panchayat Samiti (village level), and Zila parishad (district
level).

1. Gram Sabha – the 73rd constitutional amendment Act gives

constitutional status to the Gram Sabha. Gram Sabha means a body
consisting of persons registered in the electoral polls relating to a village
comprised within the area of Gram Panchayat. In a large portion of the
states, every voting public of the individuals from the Gram Panchayat is
known as the Gram Sabha and every one of the voters of the same body
electorate are individuals from this body. In any case, in a few expresses
this is called Ward Sabha and so on. In West Bengal it is called Gram
Sansad (town parliament). Gram Sabha in West Bengal has an alternate
importance. Here every one of the voters of the Gram Panchayat overall
constitute the Gram Sabha. Under the Constitution, there can be just
three levels of the Panchayat. The Gram Sabha is not a level of the
Panchayati Raj framework. It doesn't have any official capacity and
works as a suggesting body as it were.
Gram Sabha hold gatherings ordinarily 2 to 4 times each year, however
they can meet as and when important. In a few states dates of these
gatherings are altered while in others dates are settled by the Gram
 Panchayats. Issues to be talked about in the gatherings can be far
reaching yet the crucial motivation ought to include: Annual Action Plan
and Budget, Annual Accounts and Annual report of the GP, choice of
recipients for various social administration programs (Pradhan Mantri
Awaas Yojana , various Pension Schemes to name a few), recognizable
proof of plans for planning of Annual Plan for advancement programs
(e.g. MGNREGA) of Gram Panchayat, thought of the Audit reports,
investigations of Gram Panchayat's execution and so forth.
So the Gram Sabha is the primary body to which the Gram Panchayat
owes responsibility. The Gram Panchayat must present 1 budget,
accounts of the previous year and annual administrative report before
the Gram Sabha.
2. Panchayat Samiti- the Gram Panchayat has a secretary who is appointed
by the government. The secretary is responsible for calling the meeting
of the gram Sabha and gram panchayat and keeping a record of the
proceedings. The main task of gram panchayat is to implement the
development programmes for the villages that come under it. Gram
Sabha is the place where all plans for work of Gram Panchayat are
placed before the people.
[Link] Panchayat- the Zila Panchayat or Zilla Parishad or District Panchayat is
the third tier of the Panchayati Raj system. Zila Parishad is an elected body.
block Pramukh (president) of Panchayati Samiti are also represented in Zila
Parishad. It provides essential services and facilities to the rural population,
supply improved seeds to farmers and inform them of new farming
techniques, set up and run school and libraries in rural areas, start primary
health centres and hospitals in villages, start vaccination drive against
pandemic, execute plans for the development of schedule castes and tribes ,
encourage entrepreneurs to start small scale industries and implement rural
employment schemes, construct bridges, roads and other public facilities and
their maintenance and it do all the best efforts to provide the employment
opportunities to the youths.

FUNCTIONS OF PANCHAYATI RAJ SYSTEM

As per the Indian constitution, the Gram Sabha exercises its functions and has
powers as decided and provided by the legislature of that state. The various
powers and functions of the gram Sabha are as follows: implementation of the
development schemes and programs of the village panchayat. It also identifies
the beneficiaries of various programs and schemes. If they fail to do so then
this task is done by the Gram Panchayat. and the main function of Gram
panchayat is to implement and execute the various government schemes and
programmes.

OBJECTIVES OF PANCHAYATI RAJ SYSTEM

. The Panchayati Raj System in India aims to build democracy at the grass root
level.
. the term Panchayati Raj signifies the system of local self- government. The
main objective of the Panchayati Raj system is to decentralise democracy.
. The twin objective of Panchayati Raj as envisaged by the constitution of India
are to ensure local economic development and social justice.
. one of the key objectives is to ensure that the process of planning for
development in the country follows a bottom -up approach and commences at
grass root levels.

SOURCES OF FUNDS
[Link] on commercial activities- Just like municipal council that taxes
commercial establishments, panchayats could well levy taxes on Commercial
activities in their territory. Even though the tax percentage and collection may
be less, it may still contribute substantially.
[Link] funding- Panchayats can jointly execute projects by collaborating with
private donors or NGOs. This will provide them with much needed guidance for
carrying out and implementing the project in a most suitable way.
[Link]- Commercial loans are being extended to panchayats for carrying out
project which can be returned over a period of time with lower interest rates.
This will boost the speed of the projects which otherwise will be slow due to
red tapism in government structure.
Thus, the role of Panchayats is important not only for carrying out governance
locally but it ensures that welfare measures reach the beneficiaries effectively.
This improves standard of living of citizens up to great extent.
 

IMPORTANCE OF PANCHAYATI RAJ SYSTEM

Ground level implementation-The program and schemes taken at highest
level of government have to be properly implemented in order to make it
successful. Panchayats will act as the body that will take up this job due to its
proximity to ground reality as well as accessibility to people.
Self- governance principle-India’s constitution writers envisioned for a self-
governance model where people have the power to govern themselves.
Gandhian ideology also stressed the importance of village level administration.
The panchayats are the best source of self -governance model.
Decentralisation of powers-In a diverse democracy such as India,
concentrating the power in a single authority will create imbalances. By
creating various forms of power structure such as panchayats, Zilla parishad
etc, the power will be distributed across various sections of society.
Wider representation-Elections to assembly and Parliament are not as wide as
envisioned. Other sections of society such as women, Backward classes etc do
not get chance for entering government structure. Panchayats allow the left
behind sections to actively participate in administrative functions.

ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE PANCHAYATI RAJ SYSTEM

Constitutionally mandated Panchayati Raj institutions have moved into their
second decade, and we need to set in motion a second generation of reforms.
the focus now is to ensure a sustainable foundation of empowerment such
that Panchayats become the principal authority for planning, decision-making
and implementation at grass root levels through the effective devolution of
functions, finances and functionaries. This can happen only if planning from
below becomes a reality and local communities are enabled and empowered
to work out a profile of development activities based on their own assessment
of locally available resource endowments, relative absorptive capacity, and the
felt needs of the local people.

CHALLENGES IN THE FUNCTIONING OF PANCHAYATI

RAJ SYSTEM
 Lack of Effective Devolution-Local government is a state subject in the
Constitution, and consequently, the devolution of power and authority
to panchayats has been left to the discretion of states.
. Some of the important subjects like fuel and fodder, non-conventional energy
sources, rural electrification including distribution of electricity, non-formal
education, small scale industries including food processing industries, technical
training, and vocational education have not been devolved in certain states.
 Insufficient Grants/Funds-Despite the constitutional empowerment, the
local bodies face problems of inadequate finance to carry out various
activities assigned to them.
. Transfers made through the State Finance Commissions are also meagre in
most States.
. In most of the states, most of the GPs are found reluctant to raise their own
source of revenue (OSR). Only a few GPs are able to generate OSR in the form
of tax or non-tax revenue by renting shops, house tax and clean water fee.
 Issue of Sarpanch Pati-On the Panchayati Raj Day in 2015, the Prime
Minister called for an end to ‘Sarpanch Pati culture’. But it is still very
much prevalent in the society, mainly due to gender biases, women
illiteracy and patriarchal society.
 Infrastructural Challenges- Some of the GPs do not have their own
building and they share space with schools, anganwadi centre and other
places. Some have their own building but without basic facilities like
toilets, drinking water, and electricity connection.
. While GPs have internet connections, they are not functional in many cases.
For any data entry purposes, panchayat officials have to visit Block
Development offices which delay the work.
 Lack of Support Staff-The Standing Committee on Rural Development in
July 2018 observed that there is severe lack of support staff and
personnel in panchayats, such as secretary, junior engineers, computer
operators, and data entry operators. This affects their functioning and
delivery of services by them.

SUGGESTIONS FOR THE BETTER FUNCTIONING OF

PANCHAYATI RAJ SYSTEM
The recommendations of the 6th report of the 2nd Administrative Reform
Commission (ARC) can be implemented for a better and effective functioning
of the Panchayati Raj institutions.
 Genuine fiscal federalism i.e. fiscal autonomy accompanied by fiscal
accountability can provide a long term solution.

o The 2nd Administrative reform committee had recommended that

there should be a clear-cut demarcation of functions of each tier
of the government.
 The 2nd administrative reform committee also recommended that state
Governments should encourage local bodies to outsource specific
functions to public or private agencies, as may be appropriate, through
enabling guidelines and support
 The Comprehensive and holistic training requires expertise and
resources from various subject matter specific training institutes.

o This can be best achieved by ‘networking’ of institutions

concerned with various subjects such as financial management,
rural development, disaster management and general
management.
 Audit committees may be constituted by the State Governments at the
district level to exercise oversight of the integrity of financial
information, adequacy of internal controls, compliance with the
applicable laws and ethical conduct of all persons involved in local
bodies.

CONCLUSION
Panchayati raj system is an important system for the development of the
country. Which is in the present time lacks some sources and poor
implementations of the policies are somehow responsible for the
improper working of the system. So for the betterment of Panchayati raj
system, the governments should make adequate efforts to devolve
funds, functions, and functionaries to panchayats, so that they can
effectively plan economic development and social justice schemes. An
empowered PRI is the foundation to an ideal ‘Gram Swaraj’ as advocated
by Mahatma Gandhi.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
. [Link]
panchayati-raj/[Link]

. [Link]
. [Link]
[Link]

. [Link]
institutions-national-institutions/panchayati-raj-institution-pri