BW Special: National Panchayati Raj Day 2023: Amendments That Made Rural India Powerful

The saying ‘real India lies in rural India’ implies the prosperity, culture and resources that rural India has. Economically, rural India has been the treasure for infrastructural and overall development. On the other hand, decentralisation is the most prominent element of India's democratic structure, and when India became its own rule, it has become necessary to lose out power to the grass root level. 

The concept of division of power in a democracy is its core characteristic, the rural canvas of India has so much to arrange which is why it needs autonomy to self-govern itself.

On Indian historical pages, power has always been given to the Indian rural units. In Kautilya’s Arthshashtra mentioned village panchayat and during the Gupta period ‘Grampati’ was referred to as the headman of the village. 

While the medieval period is known for its giving away an ample amount of autonomy to the local and village administration through the designations of Mukkaddam  (Village head), Patwari (Revenue collector) and Choudhrie (One who settles the disputes). 

The administration and governance of rural and local India termed Panchayati Raj Institution in India, and attempts to make this more separate and powerful body accelerated after independence. 

Evolution 

In the year 1870, a resolution of Lord Mayo came that touched upon the expansion of the power and responsibility of local administration and also talked about the elected representatives in the urban municipalities. However, in 1857 when colonialists witnessed huge resistance in India that influenced the British resources and finance, then the need for a generation of local finance through a local collection of taxation came up and Mayo’s resolution was adopted. 

Known as the Magna Carta for empowering decentralisation in Indian democracy, Lord Rippon in 1882 brought another set of frameworks to strengthen local bodies in the country. 

Further in the direction, the Royal Commission on Centralisation in 1907 under the Chairmanship of C.E.H. Hobhouse underlined the need and significance of Panchayats in rural India. 

In 1919, the journey to a more autonomous village administration stepped forward as the Montagu Chelmsford reforms identified the subject of local government to the provinces. And by 1926 many states passed Panchayat laws and provided more power to the local bodies along with the reduction in the taxes imposed on them. 

Milestones

Though the constitution of India has already mentioned the system of Panchayat and local self-government in Article 40 as the Directive Principles of State Policy, however, there was a need to strengthen the establishment of Panchayati Raj as an institution in the country. And under the chairmanship of Balwant Rai Mehta, the National Development Council formed a committee that recommended a three-level of Panchayati Raj Institutions;  Grama Panchayats (GPs) at the village level, Panchayat Samiti (PSs) at the block level, and Zilla Parishad (ZPs) at the district level.

Further, in 1959, states like Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan have introduced the scheme. While 1977 a new committee under Ashok Mehta suggested a two-tier Panchayat Raj institutional structure namely; Zilla Parishad and Mandal Panchayat.

In the direction to reform the local unit, various other committees were constituted such as Hanumantha Rao Committee in 1983, G.V.K. Rao Committee in 1985 and L.M.Singhvi Committee in 1986.

In 1989, during the tenure of Rajiv Gandhi, The Constitution (64th Amendment) Bill was introduced to empower the institution of Panchayati Raj that could not be passed in Rajya Sabha. In 1990 again The Constitution (74th Amendment) Bill was introduced that could not proceed for deliberation. 

Eventually in 1991, under the Prime Ministership of P V Narasimha Rao 72nd Constitutional Amendment Bill was introduced. In December 1992, the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments were passed by Parliament.

The Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 came into force on 24 April 1993 while the Constitution (74th Amendment) Act, 1992 on 1 June 1993.

73rd & 74th Constitution Amendment Acts 

The two amendment acts underlined Gram Sabhas (villages) and Ward Committees (Municipalities) as the basic democratic units. The 73rd amendment act added Part IX ‘The Panchayats’ while the 74th amendment act added Part IX “The Municipalities’ in the constitution of India. 

These two amendments also provisioned the reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) and the chairpersons of the Panchayats at all levels as per the proportion of the population of the region. 

According to the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendment acts, One-third of the total number of seats are to be reserved for women and one-third of the seats reserved for SCs &STs would be reserved for women. 

These amendment acts also highlighted the conduct of regular elections after the interval of five years and the establishment of a separate election commission in each state to look after the election at all levels. 

According to Article 243G and subjects mentioned in the Eleventh schedule, Panchayats are responsible and authoritative to prepare plans for economic development. Article 243H highlights the budgetary allocation from the state government, share of revenue and grants under policies and programmes made by centres and states.

The institution that came up into existence three decades back has brought revolutionary infrastructural and economic changes to rural India. Presently, when India is on the path to getting digitalised, rural India is not backward in any way. On National Panchayati Raj Day 2023, Prime Minister will address all the Gram Sabhas and Panchayati Raj Institutions across the country. PM Modi will also inaugurate an integrated eGramSwaraj and GeM portal for public procurement at the Panchayat level in Rewa Madhya Pradesh today.