Local Self-Government — Rural

P and Q

Q and S

It can impose a fine of up to Rs 100.

Municipality

All of the above

Nagaur, Rajasthan

Nyaya Panchayat

Zila Parishad

Gram Samiti

Following are the advantages of having local self-government:

1. These institution make it possible for local people to take interest in their own affairs and groom them well to take on larger responsibilities later.
2. The local institutions provide a training ground for local leadership.
3. Local people are best judges of their own needs.
4. It encourages self-help and voluntary service and save the state of many unnecessary expenses.
5. They gain the support of local communities.
6. Through these institutions government can reach ordinary citizens in times of need like National emergency.
7. They lessen the burden of workload on State and Central Government machinery.

The three tier institutions of the Panchayati Raj are:

1. Gram Panchayats at village level.
2. Panchayat Samiti at block level or middle level.
3. Zila Parishad at district level.

Gram Sabha is the general body of Gram Panchayat. All adult men and women in the village registered as voters are members of the Gram Sabha.

The Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 provides following things in respect of organisation of Panchayats:

1. To provide three-tier system of Panchayati Raj for all States having population of over 20 lakh.
2. To hold Panchayat elections regularly every five years.
3. To provide reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women.
4. To constitute State Finance Commissions every five years to make recommendations on financial powers of the Panchayats.
5. To constitute District Planning Committee to prepare draft development plan for the district as a whole.

Gandhiji wanted every village to be a republic. His dream translated into reality with the introduction of the three-tier Panchayati Raj System.

Sarpanch is the head of the village Panchayat. He is not paid any salary.

(a) Important local self-government institutions are:

1. Gram Panchayats at village level.
2. Panchayat Samiti at block level.
3. Zila Parishad at District level.
4. Nyaya Panchayat

(b) The local self-government institutions play an important role in the functioning of democracy at grassroot level. These institutions provide the foundations on which the entire democratic structure of our country stands. The local institutions provide a training ground for local leadership. They facilitate active participation of the local people as an individual can evaluate the performance of the elected representatives.

(c) Four salient features of the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act,1992 are:

1. To provide three-tier system of Panchayati Raj for all States having population of over 20 lakh.
2. To hold Panchayat elections regularly every five years.
3. To provide reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women.
4. To constitute State Finance Commissions every five years to make recommendations on financial powers of the Panchayats.

(a) The Panchayats came to be set up on a uniform basis all over the country because of the 73rd Amendment Act which provides three-tier system of Panchayati Raj for all States having population of over 20 lakh. The nomenclature varies from state to state but the basic structure remains a three-tier one starting with the village at the base, the Panchayat Samiti at the Block level and the Zila Parishad at the District level.

(b) Three achievements of the Panchayati Raj System are:

1. The Panchayati Raj system ensures effective coordination between government programmes and those of voluntary agencies.
2. It brings the Government close to people.
3. Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojna and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme are implemented through Panchayats all over the country.

(c) Nyaya Panchayats are institutions set up for every three or four Gram Panchayats, which performs Judicial functions. It exists only in some states.

Following are the two functions of Nyaya Panchayat:

1. They provide quick and inexpensive justice to villagers.
2. They can impose a fine up to Rs. 100 but cannot award a sentence of imprisonment.

(a) Composition of Gram Panchayat — The Gram Panchayat has Sarpanch, Vice-Sarpanch and 5 to 31 members. (In most of the States, a Village Panchayat has 5 to 9 members.) The Sarpanch is the head of the Gram Panchayat.

(b) The Gram Panchayat has following functions:

1. Administrative Functions — Some of the administrative functions include:
   1. All public welfare works like construction, repair and maintenance of village roads, cart tracks, bridges, drains, tanks and wells etc.
   2. Upkeep of cremation and burial ground
   3. Sanitation, setting up health centres and dispensaries
   4. Providing primary education
2. Social and Economic Functions — These functions are not obligatory and can be performed according to the availability of funds. Some of the social and economic functions include:
   1. Construction of guest houses, libraries, marriage halls, etc.
   2. Organising regular village melas, fairs and exhibitions
   3. Planting of trees, parks, gardens and playgrounds for recreation.
   4. Establishing fair price Shops, Cooperative Credit society.
3. Judicial Functions — Judicial functions are performed through Nyaya Panchayats. These include:
   1. Quick and inexpensive justice to villagers
   2. They can impose a fine of up to Rs. 100.
   3. They cannot award a sentence of imprisonment.
   4. Lawyers are not allowed to appear before these Panchayats.

(c) Important office bearers — The Sarpanch and Vice-Sarpanch are honorary members. They are not paid a salary. A paid secretary to the Panchayat and a treasurer, if the Panchayat is large, are appointed by the State government through the district authorities.

(a) The intermediate body of the three tier system at the block level is known as Panchayat Samiti.

The Chairperson is the head of the Panchayat Samiti. He is appointed by election from amongst its own members.

(b) The Panchayat Samiti is composed of:

1. Sarpanchs of all Panchayats concerned.
2. Members of Legislative Assembly of the State from the area.
3. Members of Parliament belonging to the area.
4. Block development officers of the block or the area served by them.
5. Co-opted members (provisional) representing women, Scheduled Castes/Tribes.
6. Representatives of the Cooperative Societies (only in certain States).

(c) Four functions of the Panchayat Samiti are:

1. To supervise and coordinate the working of Gram Panchayats.
2. To conduct higher education (higher secondary level and above) for a group of villages or at block level.
3. To provide hospital and health services with various facilities at community block level.
4. To provide drinking water and execute other community development programmes.

(a) Zila Parishad is the Apex body.
Composition of Zila Parishad — The membership varies from 40 to 60 and usually comprises — Deputy Commissioner of District, Presidents of all Panchayat Samitis in the district and Heads of all Government Departments in the district; Members of Parliament and Legislative Assembly in the district (as Associate Members in some States), a representative of each cooperative society (only in some states), some women and Scheduled Caste members if not adequately represented; and Co-opted members having extraordinary experience and achievements in public service.

(b) The Chairman is the head of the Zila Parishad. He is elected by the members amongst themselves.

(c) Four functions of the apex body are:

1. Coordination of the working of Panchayat Samitis under it.
2. Recommendation for grants-in-aid for local bodies.
3. Acts as a link between the government and the local bodies.
4. Help in the formulation of various plans.

It is true that people in the villages are illiterate and are often carried away by the caste and creed politics. Caste based politics, corruption, mis-utilization of governments are few obstacles in the way of achieving true benefits of the Panchayati Raj System. But still Panchayati Raj System is effective in providing good governance in the villages because:

1. Panchayati Raj system involves the direct participation of local people in decision-making processes, which can help to ensure that their needs and concerns are addressed enabling them to engage in the democratic process without requiring a high level of formal education.
2. Panchayati Raj system provides a framework for the effective delivery of basic services like healthcare, education, and sanitation in rural areas.
3. With time due to focus on education through the Panchayati Raj system, literacy rate in villages is improving.
4. There is supervision of Government officials like Deputy commissioner, BDOs and MLAs/MPs as well.
5. There is coordination between government programmes and those of voluntary agencies.

Yes, I think digitalisation in the villages will help in providing the benefits of various welfare schemes introduced by the Central government to the villagers.

For example:

1. Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) — The DBT scheme aims to transfer government subsidies and welfare benefits directly into the bank accounts of beneficiaries. This has made the distribution of benefits more efficient and transparent, reducing the opportunities for corruption and leakages. Digitalisation has played a critical role in enabling the implementation of the DBT scheme, as it requires the creation of a digital infrastructure for identifying and verifying beneficiaries.
2. Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) — PMFBY is an insurance scheme for farmers that provides financial support in case of crop loss due to natural calamities. Digitalisation has made it possible to enroll farmers in the scheme online, reducing the need for physical paperwork and making the process more efficient.