Panchayati raj of Chhattisgarh

Panchayati Raj of Chhattisgarh

Chhattisgarh has approximately 9,820 Gram Panchayats at the village level, 146 Janpad Panchayat at the intermediate (block) level and 16 Zila Panchayat at the district level, Additionally, there is the Gram Sabha, which is the basic unit in the Panchayati Raj mechanism.

Panchayats have been the backbone of the Indian villages since the beginning of recorded history. Gandhiji, the father of the nation, in 1946 had aptly remarked that the Indian Independence must begin at the bottom and every village ought to be a Republic or Panchayat having powers.
Gandhiji’s dream has been translated into reality with the introduction of the three-tier Panchayati Raj system to ensure peoples participation in rural

73rd Amendment Act, 1992 which later adopted by Chhattisgarh State

The passage of the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 marks a new era in the federal democratic set up of the country and provides constitutional status to the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs).
Consequent upon the enactment of the Act, Chhattisgarh has enacted their legislation.
The main features of the Act are

A 3-tier system of Panchayati Raj for all States having Population of over 20 lakh;
Panchayat Elections regularly every 5 years;
Reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Women (not less than one-third of seats);
Appointment of State Finance Commission to make recommendations as regards the financial powers of the Panchayats and
Constitution of District Planning Committees to prepare development plans for the district as a whole.

As per the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, the Panchayati Raj Institutions have been endowed with such powers and authority as may be necessary to function as institutions of selfgovernment and contains provisions of devolution of powers and responsibilities upon Panchayats at the appropriate level with reference to

The preparation of plans for Economic Development and social Justice; and
The implementation of such schemes for economic development and social justice as may be entrusted to them.

Financial Powers of Panchayati Raj Institutions

ARTICLE 243-G of the Constitution of India provides that the States/UTs may, by law, endow the Panchayats with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as institutions of self-government and to prepare plans for economic development and social justice and their implementation including those in relation to the matters listed in the Eleventh Schedule.
As per Article 243-H of the Constitution, State Legislatures have been empowered to enact laws;

to authorise a Panchayat to levy, collect and appropriate some taxes, duties, tolls and fees;
to assign to the Panchayat, some taxes, duties, tolls levied and collected by the State Government;
to provide for making grants-in-aid to the Panchayats from the Consolidated Fund of the State; and
to provide for constitution of such funds for Panchayats for crediting all Money received by or on behalf of Panchayats and also the withdrawal of such money therefrom.

Constitution of State Finance Commissions

Article 243-I of the Constitution provides for constitution of a State Finance Commission to review the financial position of Panchayats and to make recommendations to the Governor regarding the principles governing the major issues mentioned in Article 243-H.

Eleventh Schedule –

It contains the following 29 functional items placed within the purview of panchayats:

agriculture, including agricultural extension
Land improvement, implementation of Land reforms, land consolidation and Soil conservation
Minor Irrigation, water management and watershed development
Animal Husbandry, dairying and Poultry
Fisheries-2/”>Fisheries
Forestry-2/”>Social Forestry and Farm forestry
Minor forest produce
Small-scale industries, including Food Processing industries
Khadi, village and Cottage industries
Rural housing
Drinking water
Fuel and fodder
Roads, culverts, bridges, ferries, waterways and other means of Communication
Rural electrification, including distribution of electricity
Non-conventional energy sources
POVERTY alleviation programme
Education, including primary and secondary schools
Technical training and Vocational Education
Adult and non-formal education
Libraries
Cultural activities
Markets and fairs
Health and sanitation including hospitals, primary health centres and dispensaries
Family welfare
Women and child development
Social welfare, including welfare of the handicapped and mentally retarded
Welfare of the weaker sections, and in particular, of the scheduled castes and the scheduled tribes
Public Distribution System
Maintenance of community assets.

PESA/Schedule Area in Chhattisgarh

Scheduled areas in India are inhabited by the tribal population who have been managing their natural Resources and governing their social, economic and political life through a well- knit system of ancient customs and practices. However, in the wake of modernization these age old institutions of self governance are fast becoming extinct.
It is a challenge to usher the tribals in the mainstream of development efforts without disturbing or destroying their cultural identity and socio- economic milieu.
To achieve this objective Bhuria Committee was constituted 1994 to examine various dimensions of self rule for tribals, the constitutional requirements and to make recommendations for extending the provisions of the Constitution 73rd (Amendment) Act, 1992 to the Scheduled Areas.
Following the recommendations of the committee, the Parliament extended the provisions of 73rd Amendment Act to the Scheduled Areas in the then eight states (now nine states) by passing Provisions of Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (hereinafter PESA).

Devolution of Powers under PESA

PESA legally recognizes the right of tribal communities to govern themselves through their own systems of self-government and also acknowledges their traditional rights over Natural Resources. In pursuance of this objective, PESA empowers Gram Sabhas (village assemblies) to play a key role in approving development plans, controlling all social sectors – including the processes and personnel who implement policies, exercising control over minor (non-timber) forest resources, minor water bodies and minor Minerals, managing local markets, preventing land alienation and regulating Intoxicants among other things.

Objectives of the Act

The objectives of the PESA Act are as follows6:

To extend the provisions of Part IX of the Constitution relating to the panchayats to the scheduled areas with certain modifications
To provide self-rule for the bulk of the tribal population
To have village governance with participatory Democracy and to make the gram sabha a nucleus of all activities
To evolve a suitable administrative framework consistent with traditional practices
To safeguard and to preserve the traditions and customs of tribal communities
To empower panchayats at the appropriate levels with specific powers conducive to tribal requirements
To prevent panchayats at the higher level from

Adoption of PESA by the State of Chattisgarh

State governments were required to amend their respective Panchayat Raj Acts within a year and not to make any law that would be inconsistent with the mandate of PESA. Chattisgarh became an independent state in 2000.
The Panchayat Raj legislation applicable in Madhya Pradesh became applicable to the state of Chhattisgarh and make special provisions for extension of Panchayats in Scheduled Areas, a new chapter was added to Chhattisgarh Panchayati Raj Adhiniyam, 1993 (CPRA).
However, the manner in which PESA provisions have been incorporated in CPRA, have been at Variance with the letter and spirit of PESA.
Besides, parallel provisions exist in other state laws governing a subject matter of PESA, which do not distinguish between a Scheduled Area and a Non Scheduled Area.
Finally, since the focus nationally is on reviewing the existing approaches to natural resource management in Scheduled Areas and to create an ideal framework for forest and Scheduled Area governance and also various key legislations on forest tribal interface such as new The Scheduled Tribes And Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition Of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, have been enacted, therefore, the PESA framework in Orissa also needs to be updated in the Light of national and global developments.
With this backdrop, this report presents an analysis of the current status of PESA implementation in the State of Chattisgarh and our suggestions and recommendation on effective devolution of powers on each of the subject matters of PESA.

Panchayati raj is a system of local self-government in India. It was introduced in the country in 1992 with the passage of the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts. The Panchayati raj system is based on the principle of devolution of power to the local level.

The Panchayati raj system is a three-tier system. The first tier is the village panchayat, which is the lowest level of government in the system. The second tier is the block panchayat, which is located at the intermediate level. The third tier is the district panchayat, which is located at the highest level.

The village panchayat is the smallest unit of the Panchayati raj system. It is composed of elected representatives from the village. The block panchayat is composed of elected representatives from the village panchayats in the block. The district panchayat is composed of elected representatives from the block panchayats in the district.

The Panchayati raj system is responsible for a wide range of functions. These include:

Agriculture and rural development
Education
Health
Family welfare
Women’s Empowerment
Social justice
Poverty Alleviation
Rural sanitation
Drinking water supply
Roads and bridges
Rural electrification
Animal husbandry
Fisheries
Cooperatives
Marketing of agricultural produce
Land reforms
Forest management
Environment protection
Disaster Management

The Panchayati raj system is financed through a variety of sources. These include:

Grants from the central government
Grants from the state government
Local taxes
User charges
Borrowings

Women play a significant role in the Panchayati raj system. They are elected to the village panchayats, block panchayats, and district panchayats. They also serve as members of the executive committees of these institutions. Women are also involved in the implementation of various development programmes at the local level.

The Panchayati raj system faces a number of challenges. These include:

Lack of financial resources
Lack of technical expertise
Lack of political will
Corruption
Social and gender inequality

The Panchayati raj system has the potential to play a significant role in the development of India. However, it needs to be strengthened in order to overcome the challenges that it faces. The central and state governments need to provide more financial resources to the Panchayati raj institutions. They also need to provide technical expertise and training to the elected representatives and officials of these institutions. The Political Parties need to show more commitment to the Panchayati raj system. They need to field more women candidates for the elections to the Panchayati raj institutions. The people need to be made aware of the importance of the Panchayati raj system. They need to participate in the elections to the Panchayati raj institutions and hold the elected representatives accountable.

The future of the Panchayati raj system is bright. With the right support and encouragement, it can become a powerful tool for rural development and social transformation in India.

In Chhattisgarh, the Panchayati raj system has been in place since 1994. The state has a three-tier system of Panchayati raj institutions, with village panchayats at the lowest level, block panchayats at the intermediate level, and district panchayats at the highest level.

The Panchayati raj system in Chhattisgarh has been successful in a number of areas. For example, it has helped to improve the delivery of basic Services to rural areas, such as education, health, and sanitation. It has also helped to empower women and marginalized groups.

However, the Panchayati raj system in Chhattisgarh also faces a number of challenges. One challenge is that the system is not adequately funded. This means that Panchayati raj institutions often do not have the resources they need to carry out their functions effectively. Another challenge is that there is a lack of awareness about the Panchayati raj system among the people of Chhattisgarh. This means that many people do not participate in the elections to Panchayati raj institutions, and those who do participate often do not know how to hold their elected representatives accountable.

Despite these challenges, the Panchayati raj system in Chhattisgarh has the potential to play a significant role in the development of the state. With the right support and encouragement, it can become a powerful tool for rural development and social transformation.

What is Panchayati Raj?

Panchayati Raj is a system of local self-government in India. It was introduced in the country in 1992 with the passage of the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts. The Panchayati Raj system is based on the principle of devolution of power to the local level.

What are the objectives of Panchayati Raj?

The objectives of Panchayati Raj are to:

Promote local self-government
Decentralize power
Ensure people’s participation in governance
Promote economic development and social justice
Improve the Quality Of Life of the people

What are the features of Panchayati Raj?

The features of Panchayati Raj are:

It is a three-tier system of local self-government, with panchayats at the village, block, and district levels.
The panchayats are elected bodies.
The panchayats have powers to make laws, levy taxes, and undertake development activities.
The panchayats are accountable to the people.

What are the benefits of Panchayati Raj?

The benefits of Panchayati Raj are:

It promotes local self-government.
It decentralizes power.
It ensures people’s participation in governance.
It promotes economic development and social justice.
It improves the quality of life of the people.

What are the challenges of Panchayati Raj?

The challenges of Panchayati Raj are:

Lack of financial resources
Lack of technical expertise
Lack of political will
Lack of awareness among the people
Corruption

What is the future of Panchayati Raj?

The future of Panchayati Raj is bright. The system has the potential to transform the lives of the people at the grassroots level. However, there are a number of challenges that need to be addressed in order to realize the full potential of Panchayati Raj.

Which of the following is not a feature of the Panchayati Raj system?
(a) Decentralization of power
(b) Direct election of representatives
(c) Reservation of seats for women and SC/STs
(d) Abolition of the zamindari system
The Panchayati Raj system was introduced in India in the year:
(a) 1950
(b) 1956
(c) 1973
(d) 1992
The Panchayati Raj system is based on the principle of:
(a) Democratic decentralization
(b) Local self-government
(c) People’s participation
(d) All of the above
The Panchayati Raj system is a three-tier system consisting of:
(a) Gram Panchayats, Panchayat Samitis and Zila Parishads
(b) Gram Sabhas, Panchayat Samitis and Zila Parishads
(c) Gram Panchayats, Mandal Panchayats and Zila Parishads
(d) Gram Sabhas, Mandal Panchayats and Zila Parishads
The Gram Sabha is the basic unit of the Panchayati Raj system. It consists of all the adult members of the village. The functions of the Gram Sabha include:
(a) To discuss the annual report and budget of the Gram Panchayat
(b) To elect the members of the Gram Panchayat
(c) To exercise control over the functioning of the Gram Panchayat
(d) All of the above
The Panchayat Samiti is the intermediate tier of the Panchayati Raj system. It consists of elected representatives from the Gram Panchayats in the block. The functions of the Panchayat Samiti include:
(a) To prepare the development plan for the block
(b) To implement the development programmes in the block
(c) To coordinate the activities of the Gram Panchayats in the block
(d) All of the above
The Zila Parishad is the apex tier of the Panchayati Raj system. It consists of elected representatives from the Panchayat Samitis in the district. The functions of the Zila Parishad include:
(a) To prepare the development plan for the district
(b) To implement the development programmes in the district
(c) To coordinate the activities of the Panchayat Samitis in the district
(d) All of the above
The Panchayati Raj system has been successful in achieving the following objectives:
(a) Decentralization of power
(b) Increased participation of people in the development process
(c) Improved efficiency in the delivery of services
(d) All of the above
The Panchayati Raj system has been facing the following challenges:
(a) Lack of financial resources
(b) Lack of capacity building
(c) Lack of political will
(d) All of the above
The future of the Panchayati Raj system depends on the following factors:
(a) Strengthening of the financial resources of the Panchayati Raj institutions
(b) Capacity building of the Panchayati Raj institutions
(c) Political will to empower the Panchayati Raj institutions
(d) All of the above