Local Bodies

Introduction

There are two local bodies, rural local bodies and urban local bodies. Rural local bodies are local government bodies for rural areas, while urban local bodies are urban local governments for the urban areas to act for the development of their respective regions.

1. Panchayati Raj represents the system of local self-government in rural India. It is made up of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), which are responsible for achieving village self-government. The functions of PRIs are Rural development, Strengthening social justice, and implementation of Central and State government schemes, including 29 subjects that are mentioned in the Eleventh Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
2. Rural Local Bodies, also known as Panchayats, are local government bodies responsible for developing and planning rural areas.
3. The first state to implement Panchayati Raj was Rajasthan in 1959. The scheme (Panchayati Raj) was introduced on 2nd October 1959 by the Prime Minister in the district of Nagaur.
4. By the mid-1960s, most of the states established Panchayati Raj institutions; there were differences from each other concerning the relative position of Samiti, the number of tiers, and Parishad, their composition, tenure, and procedures, finances, etc.
5. Rajasthan obtained a 3-tier system. On the other hand, Tamil Nadu obtained a 2-tier system, while West Bengal acquired a 4-tier system.

Local Bodies: Evolution of Panchayati Raj

There were several committees selected by India’s Government to examine the execution of self-government at the rural level and suggested steps to meet this goal. The key committees appointed and their important suggestions are as the following:

Balwant Rai Mehta Committee: Formed in 1957

• 3-tier Panchayati Raj system with planning and growth as the primary objective
• Gram Panchayat: Direct election
• Panchayat Samiti and Zilla Parishad: Indirect election
• Collector: Zilla Parishad Chairman
• Panchayat Samiti: Executive body
• Zilla Parishad: Advisory and supervisory and District Collector as Chairman
• Election: In every five years

Ashok Mehta Committee: Formed in 1977

• 2-tier Panchayati Raj system – Zila Parishad and Mandal Panchayat
• Zila Parishad – Executive body and accomplishes the planning work at the Zila level
• Allow political parties
• Powers of taxation
• Social audit
• Nyaya Panchayats
• State minister of PRI

GVK Rao Committee:

• Assigned by the Planning Commission in the year 1985
• Purpose: To study the development at the grassroots level
•  The committee found out that due to bureaucratization, development was not perceived at the grassroots level
• Zila Parishad was made to be the main body in the system of democratic decentralisation
• Zila Parishad is the main body to directs the developmental programs at the district level
• The District Development Commissioner post has to be made
• He should be Zila Parishad’s chief executive officer
• Elections to all levels of PRIs should be held on a regular basis

L M Singhvi Committee:

• The committee advocated that Panchayati Raj systems should be Constitutionally recognized
• It also advocated Constitutional provisions to recognize fair and free elections for Panchayati Raj systems
• The committee recommended the reorganisation of villages to make the gram panchayat more viable
• Judicial tribunals are to be organised in every state to adjudicate matters related to the elections to the PRI’s and other issues related to the functioning of the Judicial tribunals
• It recommended that village panchayats should have more finances for their activities
• In 1989, Rajiv Gandhi Government introduced the 64th Amendment Bill,  intended at strengthening local governments and ensuring an element of uniformity in their structure and functioning across the country, but the Amendment Bill was not passed in the Rajya Sabha
• Finally, in 1992, Parliament approved the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments

73rd Amendment Act of 1992

Urban Local Bodies:

• Urban Local government entails the governance of an urban area by the people through their elected representatives
•  The 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, offered Constitutional status to urban local bodies
• At the Union government level, the subject of “urban local government” is dealt by the following three ministries:
  • Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
  • Ministry of Defence (MoD) in the case of cantonment boards
  • Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in the case of Union Territory

Conclusion

Approximately 30 lakh representatives are regularly elected to about 2.5 lakh local institutions all over the country. These representatives help in providing basic services at the grassroots level. These institutions need to be adequately empowered–both functionally and financially—to enable them to fulfil the role envisaged for them in the Constitution. The State Finance Commissions (SFCs), which play a pivotal role in the functioning of local bodies, also need to be strengthened. More needs to be done to promote effective decentralisation. Central government needs to put in place a stronger incentive mechanism aimed at persuading State Governments to decentralise further.