Notes: 73rd CAA & PRIs | Political Science & International Relations: Mains Optional - UPSC PDF Download

 Page 1


Local Self Government 
Self-government implies ‘rule unto themselves by people themselves or through their own representa8ves.’ 
As explained in the European Charter of Local self-government,“this entails the existence of local authori8es 
endowed with democra8cally cons8tuted decision-making bodies and possessing a wide degree of 
autonomy with regard to their responsibili8es, the ways and means by which those responsibili8es are 
exercised and the resources required for their ful?lment”  
History of Local Self Government in India: 
Panchayats as an ins8tu8on of local self-government at the village level had its origin in Ancient India. A 
sort of village council or an associa8on of the residents of the village consis8ng of the village elders, 
Panchayats or Gram Sangha performed administra8ve and judicial func8ons.  
Some8mes, the Gram Sanghas or Panchayats were from among the villagers who regulated their own lives 
through these bodies. We ?nd reference to Gram Sanghas in the Manusmiri8, Kau8laya’s Arthashastra (400 
B.C.) and the Mahabharata. The Shan8 Parva of Mahabharata refers to a Sabha named ‘Sansad’ also.  
Bri8sh paramountcy consolidated the ‘na8on state’, however obviously for personal gain, as above stated, 
and introduced modern systems of governance. The Bri8sh rulers for the ?rst thought of reversing the trend 
of centralisa8on only in 1882 when the Government of Rippon issued a resolu8on proposing steps in the 
direc8on of local self-government. The resolu8on called upon the provincial governments to establish a 
network of Local Boards charged with de?nite funds throughout the country.  
Accordingly, the present idea of democra8c decentraliza8on (rural local government) is the result of Lord 
Mayo’s Resolu;on (1870) and Lord Ripon’s Resolu;on (1882). The Report of the Royal Commission on 
Decentralisa;on (1909), and the Government of India Acts of 1919 and 1935 have further contributed in 
this direc8on.  
The Bri8sh Government, with a view to preserve and stabilise its poli8cal control, took various measures 
and recognised village panchayats. A special Commission was appointed in 1909 on local self-government, 
which suggested the need for revitalising the village Panchayats for handling local a?airs. The 
Decentraliza8on Commission, which reported in 1909 made some far-reaching sugges8ons to remove some 
of the defects in the working of the Local Boards.  
Following the Montague Declara8on of 1917 regarding the introduc8on of responsible government in 
gradual beginning with the local bodies a Resolu8on was issued by the Government of India in 1918 and, 
under the scheme of provincial dyarchy, by 1919; rural selfgovernment was put under the charge of the 
Indian ministries. Some progress was made. Besides Municipal and Local Boards Acts, laws were passed in 
almost all the provinces to introduce Panchayats in villages. 
Under the Government of India Act, 1935 provincial autonomy started func8oning in the provinces from 
April 1937. Congress Governments took o?ce in eight of the eleven provinces. Considerable progress in 
the direc8on of Panchaya8 Raj was made during the period of the Congress rule. According to the January 
1948 Plan of Gandhiji, each village Panchayat would cons8tute a working party with an elected leader. 
Above the village Panchayat came the hierarchy of indirectly elected bodies— taluka and district panchayats
—each of which comprised the sarpanchas of the next lower panchayats. Members from the district and 
municipal panchayats would make up the provincial Panchayat. The na8onal Panchayat would be 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
Page 2


Local Self Government 
Self-government implies ‘rule unto themselves by people themselves or through their own representa8ves.’ 
As explained in the European Charter of Local self-government,“this entails the existence of local authori8es 
endowed with democra8cally cons8tuted decision-making bodies and possessing a wide degree of 
autonomy with regard to their responsibili8es, the ways and means by which those responsibili8es are 
exercised and the resources required for their ful?lment”  
History of Local Self Government in India: 
Panchayats as an ins8tu8on of local self-government at the village level had its origin in Ancient India. A 
sort of village council or an associa8on of the residents of the village consis8ng of the village elders, 
Panchayats or Gram Sangha performed administra8ve and judicial func8ons.  
Some8mes, the Gram Sanghas or Panchayats were from among the villagers who regulated their own lives 
through these bodies. We ?nd reference to Gram Sanghas in the Manusmiri8, Kau8laya’s Arthashastra (400 
B.C.) and the Mahabharata. The Shan8 Parva of Mahabharata refers to a Sabha named ‘Sansad’ also.  
Bri8sh paramountcy consolidated the ‘na8on state’, however obviously for personal gain, as above stated, 
and introduced modern systems of governance. The Bri8sh rulers for the ?rst thought of reversing the trend 
of centralisa8on only in 1882 when the Government of Rippon issued a resolu8on proposing steps in the 
direc8on of local self-government. The resolu8on called upon the provincial governments to establish a 
network of Local Boards charged with de?nite funds throughout the country.  
Accordingly, the present idea of democra8c decentraliza8on (rural local government) is the result of Lord 
Mayo’s Resolu;on (1870) and Lord Ripon’s Resolu;on (1882). The Report of the Royal Commission on 
Decentralisa;on (1909), and the Government of India Acts of 1919 and 1935 have further contributed in 
this direc8on.  
The Bri8sh Government, with a view to preserve and stabilise its poli8cal control, took various measures 
and recognised village panchayats. A special Commission was appointed in 1909 on local self-government, 
which suggested the need for revitalising the village Panchayats for handling local a?airs. The 
Decentraliza8on Commission, which reported in 1909 made some far-reaching sugges8ons to remove some 
of the defects in the working of the Local Boards.  
Following the Montague Declara8on of 1917 regarding the introduc8on of responsible government in 
gradual beginning with the local bodies a Resolu8on was issued by the Government of India in 1918 and, 
under the scheme of provincial dyarchy, by 1919; rural selfgovernment was put under the charge of the 
Indian ministries. Some progress was made. Besides Municipal and Local Boards Acts, laws were passed in 
almost all the provinces to introduce Panchayats in villages. 
Under the Government of India Act, 1935 provincial autonomy started func8oning in the provinces from 
April 1937. Congress Governments took o?ce in eight of the eleven provinces. Considerable progress in 
the direc8on of Panchaya8 Raj was made during the period of the Congress rule. According to the January 
1948 Plan of Gandhiji, each village Panchayat would cons8tute a working party with an elected leader. 
Above the village Panchayat came the hierarchy of indirectly elected bodies— taluka and district panchayats
—each of which comprised the sarpanchas of the next lower panchayats. Members from the district and 
municipal panchayats would make up the provincial Panchayat. The na8onal Panchayat would be 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
responsible for defence, currency, customs, running of key industries of na8onal importance and the 
coordina8on of provincial economic development plans.  
The Panchayat Raj Ins8tu8ons (PRIs) in India have traveled a long way to acquire a cons8tu8onal status 
from a mere men8oning of it in the cons8tu8on in the form of Direc;ve Principles (Ar;cle 40). Ar8cle 40 of 
the Indian Cons8tu8on states: “The state shall take steps to organise Village Panchayats and endow them 
with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to func8on as units of self-
government.” The Ar8cle remained a dead leher for many years before ?nding a place of some importance 
in the form of the Balwantrai Mehta Study Team Report in 1959.  
Post independence, ‘the Gandhian Cons8tu8on for free India’ draied by S.N. Agarwal envisaged self-
su?cient, self-governing village communi8es. Gandhiji was an ardent exponent and devotee of village 
swaraj (self-rule). For him, the term comprises village autonomy and self-su?ciency.  
Various CommiPees on Local Self Government:  
The Community Development Programme: 
The Panchaya8 Raj System in India has evolved out of the Community Development Programme (CDP) 
introduced on Oct 2, 1952 intended to bring about the socioeconomic development of rural masses in a 
democra8c way. The Na8onal Extension Service (NES) further supplemented it in 1953. But, within a few 
years, it was realised that the programme has not delivered the desired results . 
Balwant Rai Mehta CommiPee: 
In January 1957, the Government of India appointed a commihee to examine the working of the 
Community Development Programme (1952) and the Na8onal Extension Service (1953) headed by Balwant 
Rai Mehta. It recommended the establishment of the scheme of ‘democra8c decentralisa8on’. Main 
recommenda8ons: 
1. Establishment of a three-8er panchaya8 raj system—gram panchayat at the village level, 
panchayat sami8 at the block level and zila parishad at the district level. 
2. Village Panchayat- Directly elected; Panchayat Sami8 and Zilla Parishad (DC its Chairman)- 
Indirectly elected  
3. To undertake all planning and developmental ac8vi8es 
4. Genuine transfer of power and adequate resources 
These recommenda8ons of the commihee were accepted by the Na8onal Development Council in January 
1958.  Rajasthan was the ?rst state to establish Panchaya8 Raj. The scheme was inaugurated by the prime 
minister on October 2, 1959, in Nagaur district. Rajasthan was followed by Andhra Pradesh, which also 
adopted the system in 1959. Throughout states there were di?erences from one state to another with 
regard to the number of 8ers, rela8ve posi8on of sami8 and parishad, their tenure, composi8on, func8ons, 
?nances and so on. 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
Page 3


Local Self Government 
Self-government implies ‘rule unto themselves by people themselves or through their own representa8ves.’ 
As explained in the European Charter of Local self-government,“this entails the existence of local authori8es 
endowed with democra8cally cons8tuted decision-making bodies and possessing a wide degree of 
autonomy with regard to their responsibili8es, the ways and means by which those responsibili8es are 
exercised and the resources required for their ful?lment”  
History of Local Self Government in India: 
Panchayats as an ins8tu8on of local self-government at the village level had its origin in Ancient India. A 
sort of village council or an associa8on of the residents of the village consis8ng of the village elders, 
Panchayats or Gram Sangha performed administra8ve and judicial func8ons.  
Some8mes, the Gram Sanghas or Panchayats were from among the villagers who regulated their own lives 
through these bodies. We ?nd reference to Gram Sanghas in the Manusmiri8, Kau8laya’s Arthashastra (400 
B.C.) and the Mahabharata. The Shan8 Parva of Mahabharata refers to a Sabha named ‘Sansad’ also.  
Bri8sh paramountcy consolidated the ‘na8on state’, however obviously for personal gain, as above stated, 
and introduced modern systems of governance. The Bri8sh rulers for the ?rst thought of reversing the trend 
of centralisa8on only in 1882 when the Government of Rippon issued a resolu8on proposing steps in the 
direc8on of local self-government. The resolu8on called upon the provincial governments to establish a 
network of Local Boards charged with de?nite funds throughout the country.  
Accordingly, the present idea of democra8c decentraliza8on (rural local government) is the result of Lord 
Mayo’s Resolu;on (1870) and Lord Ripon’s Resolu;on (1882). The Report of the Royal Commission on 
Decentralisa;on (1909), and the Government of India Acts of 1919 and 1935 have further contributed in 
this direc8on.  
The Bri8sh Government, with a view to preserve and stabilise its poli8cal control, took various measures 
and recognised village panchayats. A special Commission was appointed in 1909 on local self-government, 
which suggested the need for revitalising the village Panchayats for handling local a?airs. The 
Decentraliza8on Commission, which reported in 1909 made some far-reaching sugges8ons to remove some 
of the defects in the working of the Local Boards.  
Following the Montague Declara8on of 1917 regarding the introduc8on of responsible government in 
gradual beginning with the local bodies a Resolu8on was issued by the Government of India in 1918 and, 
under the scheme of provincial dyarchy, by 1919; rural selfgovernment was put under the charge of the 
Indian ministries. Some progress was made. Besides Municipal and Local Boards Acts, laws were passed in 
almost all the provinces to introduce Panchayats in villages. 
Under the Government of India Act, 1935 provincial autonomy started func8oning in the provinces from 
April 1937. Congress Governments took o?ce in eight of the eleven provinces. Considerable progress in 
the direc8on of Panchaya8 Raj was made during the period of the Congress rule. According to the January 
1948 Plan of Gandhiji, each village Panchayat would cons8tute a working party with an elected leader. 
Above the village Panchayat came the hierarchy of indirectly elected bodies— taluka and district panchayats
—each of which comprised the sarpanchas of the next lower panchayats. Members from the district and 
municipal panchayats would make up the provincial Panchayat. The na8onal Panchayat would be 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
responsible for defence, currency, customs, running of key industries of na8onal importance and the 
coordina8on of provincial economic development plans.  
The Panchayat Raj Ins8tu8ons (PRIs) in India have traveled a long way to acquire a cons8tu8onal status 
from a mere men8oning of it in the cons8tu8on in the form of Direc;ve Principles (Ar;cle 40). Ar8cle 40 of 
the Indian Cons8tu8on states: “The state shall take steps to organise Village Panchayats and endow them 
with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to func8on as units of self-
government.” The Ar8cle remained a dead leher for many years before ?nding a place of some importance 
in the form of the Balwantrai Mehta Study Team Report in 1959.  
Post independence, ‘the Gandhian Cons8tu8on for free India’ draied by S.N. Agarwal envisaged self-
su?cient, self-governing village communi8es. Gandhiji was an ardent exponent and devotee of village 
swaraj (self-rule). For him, the term comprises village autonomy and self-su?ciency.  
Various CommiPees on Local Self Government:  
The Community Development Programme: 
The Panchaya8 Raj System in India has evolved out of the Community Development Programme (CDP) 
introduced on Oct 2, 1952 intended to bring about the socioeconomic development of rural masses in a 
democra8c way. The Na8onal Extension Service (NES) further supplemented it in 1953. But, within a few 
years, it was realised that the programme has not delivered the desired results . 
Balwant Rai Mehta CommiPee: 
In January 1957, the Government of India appointed a commihee to examine the working of the 
Community Development Programme (1952) and the Na8onal Extension Service (1953) headed by Balwant 
Rai Mehta. It recommended the establishment of the scheme of ‘democra8c decentralisa8on’. Main 
recommenda8ons: 
1. Establishment of a three-8er panchaya8 raj system—gram panchayat at the village level, 
panchayat sami8 at the block level and zila parishad at the district level. 
2. Village Panchayat- Directly elected; Panchayat Sami8 and Zilla Parishad (DC its Chairman)- 
Indirectly elected  
3. To undertake all planning and developmental ac8vi8es 
4. Genuine transfer of power and adequate resources 
These recommenda8ons of the commihee were accepted by the Na8onal Development Council in January 
1958.  Rajasthan was the ?rst state to establish Panchaya8 Raj. The scheme was inaugurated by the prime 
minister on October 2, 1959, in Nagaur district. Rajasthan was followed by Andhra Pradesh, which also 
adopted the system in 1959. Throughout states there were di?erences from one state to another with 
regard to the number of 8ers, rela8ve posi8on of sami8 and parishad, their tenure, composi8on, func8ons, 
?nances and so on. 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
Ashok Mehta CommiPee: 
In December 1977, the Janata Government appointed a commihee on panchaya8 raj ins8tu8ons under the 
chairmanship of Ashok Mehta. Main recommenda8ons: 
1. The three-8er system of panchaya8 raj should be replaced by the two-8er system, that is, zila parishad at 
the district level, and below it, the mandal panchayat consis8ng of a group of villages with a total popula8on 
of 15,000 to 20,000. 
2. There should be an o?cial par8cipa8on of poli8cal par8es at all levels of panchayat elec8ons.  
3. The panchaya8 raj ins8tu8ons should have compulsory powers of taxa8on to mobilise their own ?nancial 
resourses. 
4. The chief electoral o?cer of a state in consulta8on with the chief elec8on commissioner should organise 
and conduct the panchaya8 raj elec8ons.  
5. Seats for SCs and STs should be reserved on the basis of their popula8on. 
6. A cons8tu8onal recogni8on should be accorded to the Panchaya8 Raj ins8tu8ons.  
G.V.K. Rao CommiPee: 
In 1985 a twelve member Commihee was appointed under the chairmanship of Dr. G.V.K. Rao for reviewing 
the administra8ve arrangements for rural development and poverty allevia8on programmes. While 
recommending that the district should be the basic unit for Policy planning and programme implementa8on, 
this commihee emphasized the need for regular elec8ons to the PRIs.  
1. Some of the planning func8ons at the state level should be transferred to the district level planning units 
for e?ec8ve decentralized district planning. 
2. A post of District Development Commissioner should be created. He should act as the chief execu8ve 
o?cer of the Zila Parishad and should be in charge of all the development departments at the district 
level. 
3. Elec8ons to the Panchaya8 Raj ins8tu8ons should be held regularly.  
Thus the commihee, in its scheme of decentralised system of ?eld administra8on, assigned a leading role to 
the Panchaya8 Raj in local planning and development. It is in this respect that the recommenda8on of the 
G.V.K. Rao Commihee Report (1986) di?ered from those of the Dantwala Commihee Report on Block-Level 
Planning (1978) and the Hanumantha Rao Commihee Report on District Planning (1984).  
L.M. Singhvi CommiPee: 
Aier receiving the report of the Commihee, the then PM, late Shri Rajiv Gandhi, organised All India 
Sarpanchas Conferences in New Delhi to ascertain their viewpoints. Once again in 1986, another 
Commihee headed by Dr. L.M. Singhvi was appointed by late Rajiv Gandhi to suggest approaches as to how 
PRIs could be given cons8tu8onal status.  
1. The Panchaya8 Raj ins8tu8ons should be cons8tu8onally recognised, protected and preserved.  
2. Nyaya Panchayats should be established for a cluster of villages. 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
Page 4


Local Self Government 
Self-government implies ‘rule unto themselves by people themselves or through their own representa8ves.’ 
As explained in the European Charter of Local self-government,“this entails the existence of local authori8es 
endowed with democra8cally cons8tuted decision-making bodies and possessing a wide degree of 
autonomy with regard to their responsibili8es, the ways and means by which those responsibili8es are 
exercised and the resources required for their ful?lment”  
History of Local Self Government in India: 
Panchayats as an ins8tu8on of local self-government at the village level had its origin in Ancient India. A 
sort of village council or an associa8on of the residents of the village consis8ng of the village elders, 
Panchayats or Gram Sangha performed administra8ve and judicial func8ons.  
Some8mes, the Gram Sanghas or Panchayats were from among the villagers who regulated their own lives 
through these bodies. We ?nd reference to Gram Sanghas in the Manusmiri8, Kau8laya’s Arthashastra (400 
B.C.) and the Mahabharata. The Shan8 Parva of Mahabharata refers to a Sabha named ‘Sansad’ also.  
Bri8sh paramountcy consolidated the ‘na8on state’, however obviously for personal gain, as above stated, 
and introduced modern systems of governance. The Bri8sh rulers for the ?rst thought of reversing the trend 
of centralisa8on only in 1882 when the Government of Rippon issued a resolu8on proposing steps in the 
direc8on of local self-government. The resolu8on called upon the provincial governments to establish a 
network of Local Boards charged with de?nite funds throughout the country.  
Accordingly, the present idea of democra8c decentraliza8on (rural local government) is the result of Lord 
Mayo’s Resolu;on (1870) and Lord Ripon’s Resolu;on (1882). The Report of the Royal Commission on 
Decentralisa;on (1909), and the Government of India Acts of 1919 and 1935 have further contributed in 
this direc8on.  
The Bri8sh Government, with a view to preserve and stabilise its poli8cal control, took various measures 
and recognised village panchayats. A special Commission was appointed in 1909 on local self-government, 
which suggested the need for revitalising the village Panchayats for handling local a?airs. The 
Decentraliza8on Commission, which reported in 1909 made some far-reaching sugges8ons to remove some 
of the defects in the working of the Local Boards.  
Following the Montague Declara8on of 1917 regarding the introduc8on of responsible government in 
gradual beginning with the local bodies a Resolu8on was issued by the Government of India in 1918 and, 
under the scheme of provincial dyarchy, by 1919; rural selfgovernment was put under the charge of the 
Indian ministries. Some progress was made. Besides Municipal and Local Boards Acts, laws were passed in 
almost all the provinces to introduce Panchayats in villages. 
Under the Government of India Act, 1935 provincial autonomy started func8oning in the provinces from 
April 1937. Congress Governments took o?ce in eight of the eleven provinces. Considerable progress in 
the direc8on of Panchaya8 Raj was made during the period of the Congress rule. According to the January 
1948 Plan of Gandhiji, each village Panchayat would cons8tute a working party with an elected leader. 
Above the village Panchayat came the hierarchy of indirectly elected bodies— taluka and district panchayats
—each of which comprised the sarpanchas of the next lower panchayats. Members from the district and 
municipal panchayats would make up the provincial Panchayat. The na8onal Panchayat would be 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
responsible for defence, currency, customs, running of key industries of na8onal importance and the 
coordina8on of provincial economic development plans.  
The Panchayat Raj Ins8tu8ons (PRIs) in India have traveled a long way to acquire a cons8tu8onal status 
from a mere men8oning of it in the cons8tu8on in the form of Direc;ve Principles (Ar;cle 40). Ar8cle 40 of 
the Indian Cons8tu8on states: “The state shall take steps to organise Village Panchayats and endow them 
with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to func8on as units of self-
government.” The Ar8cle remained a dead leher for many years before ?nding a place of some importance 
in the form of the Balwantrai Mehta Study Team Report in 1959.  
Post independence, ‘the Gandhian Cons8tu8on for free India’ draied by S.N. Agarwal envisaged self-
su?cient, self-governing village communi8es. Gandhiji was an ardent exponent and devotee of village 
swaraj (self-rule). For him, the term comprises village autonomy and self-su?ciency.  
Various CommiPees on Local Self Government:  
The Community Development Programme: 
The Panchaya8 Raj System in India has evolved out of the Community Development Programme (CDP) 
introduced on Oct 2, 1952 intended to bring about the socioeconomic development of rural masses in a 
democra8c way. The Na8onal Extension Service (NES) further supplemented it in 1953. But, within a few 
years, it was realised that the programme has not delivered the desired results . 
Balwant Rai Mehta CommiPee: 
In January 1957, the Government of India appointed a commihee to examine the working of the 
Community Development Programme (1952) and the Na8onal Extension Service (1953) headed by Balwant 
Rai Mehta. It recommended the establishment of the scheme of ‘democra8c decentralisa8on’. Main 
recommenda8ons: 
1. Establishment of a three-8er panchaya8 raj system—gram panchayat at the village level, 
panchayat sami8 at the block level and zila parishad at the district level. 
2. Village Panchayat- Directly elected; Panchayat Sami8 and Zilla Parishad (DC its Chairman)- 
Indirectly elected  
3. To undertake all planning and developmental ac8vi8es 
4. Genuine transfer of power and adequate resources 
These recommenda8ons of the commihee were accepted by the Na8onal Development Council in January 
1958.  Rajasthan was the ?rst state to establish Panchaya8 Raj. The scheme was inaugurated by the prime 
minister on October 2, 1959, in Nagaur district. Rajasthan was followed by Andhra Pradesh, which also 
adopted the system in 1959. Throughout states there were di?erences from one state to another with 
regard to the number of 8ers, rela8ve posi8on of sami8 and parishad, their tenure, composi8on, func8ons, 
?nances and so on. 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
Ashok Mehta CommiPee: 
In December 1977, the Janata Government appointed a commihee on panchaya8 raj ins8tu8ons under the 
chairmanship of Ashok Mehta. Main recommenda8ons: 
1. The three-8er system of panchaya8 raj should be replaced by the two-8er system, that is, zila parishad at 
the district level, and below it, the mandal panchayat consis8ng of a group of villages with a total popula8on 
of 15,000 to 20,000. 
2. There should be an o?cial par8cipa8on of poli8cal par8es at all levels of panchayat elec8ons.  
3. The panchaya8 raj ins8tu8ons should have compulsory powers of taxa8on to mobilise their own ?nancial 
resourses. 
4. The chief electoral o?cer of a state in consulta8on with the chief elec8on commissioner should organise 
and conduct the panchaya8 raj elec8ons.  
5. Seats for SCs and STs should be reserved on the basis of their popula8on. 
6. A cons8tu8onal recogni8on should be accorded to the Panchaya8 Raj ins8tu8ons.  
G.V.K. Rao CommiPee: 
In 1985 a twelve member Commihee was appointed under the chairmanship of Dr. G.V.K. Rao for reviewing 
the administra8ve arrangements for rural development and poverty allevia8on programmes. While 
recommending that the district should be the basic unit for Policy planning and programme implementa8on, 
this commihee emphasized the need for regular elec8ons to the PRIs.  
1. Some of the planning func8ons at the state level should be transferred to the district level planning units 
for e?ec8ve decentralized district planning. 
2. A post of District Development Commissioner should be created. He should act as the chief execu8ve 
o?cer of the Zila Parishad and should be in charge of all the development departments at the district 
level. 
3. Elec8ons to the Panchaya8 Raj ins8tu8ons should be held regularly.  
Thus the commihee, in its scheme of decentralised system of ?eld administra8on, assigned a leading role to 
the Panchaya8 Raj in local planning and development. It is in this respect that the recommenda8on of the 
G.V.K. Rao Commihee Report (1986) di?ered from those of the Dantwala Commihee Report on Block-Level 
Planning (1978) and the Hanumantha Rao Commihee Report on District Planning (1984).  
L.M. Singhvi CommiPee: 
Aier receiving the report of the Commihee, the then PM, late Shri Rajiv Gandhi, organised All India 
Sarpanchas Conferences in New Delhi to ascertain their viewpoints. Once again in 1986, another 
Commihee headed by Dr. L.M. Singhvi was appointed by late Rajiv Gandhi to suggest approaches as to how 
PRIs could be given cons8tu8onal status.  
1. The Panchaya8 Raj ins8tu8ons should be cons8tu8onally recognised, protected and preserved.  
2. Nyaya Panchayats should be established for a cluster of villages. 
www.YouTube.com/SleepyClasses 
www.SleepyClasses.com 
3. The villages should be reorganised to make Gram Panchayats more viable and provide them with more 
?nancial resources.
4. It also emphasised the importance of the Gram Sabha and called it as the embodiment of direct 
democracy. 
P.K. Thungon CommiPee: 
A sub-commihee to the Parliamentary Consulta8ve Commihee ahached to the Ministry of Personnel, 
Public Grievances and pensions was set up under the chairmanship of Dr. P.K. Thungon to consider the type 
of poli8cal and administra8ve structure needed in the district planning.  
1. The Panchaya8 Raj bodies should be cons8tu8onally recognized. 
2. A three-8er system of Panchaya8 Raj with panchayats at the village, block and district levels. 
3. Zilla Parishad should be the pivot of the Panchaya8 Raj system. It should act as the planning and 
development agency in the district. 
4. The Panchaya8 Raj bodies should have a ?xed tenure of ?ve years. 
5. The maximum period of super session of a body should be six months. 
6. A planning and co-ordina8on commihee should be set-up at the state level under the chairmanship of 
the minister for planning.  
7. Reserva8on of seats in all the three-8ers should be on the basis of popula8on. There should also be 
reserva8on for women. 
8. A state ?nance commission should be set-up in each state.  
Gadgil CommiPee: 
The Indian Na8onal Congress also appointed a Commihee on Policy and Programmes headed by V.N. 
Gadgil, which was entrusted the task of examining how best PRIs could be made e?ec8ve (All-India 
Congress Commihee, 1988). The Commihee recommended a three-8er system of PR reserva8on of 
cons8tuencies for SC/STs and women so that adequate representa8on is given to the weaker sec8ons, ?ve 
years tenure for PRIs, cons8tu8on of state Finance Commission and state Finance Commission.  
The net result of the recommenda8ons of these Commihees was that a proper environment was created in 
favor of giving new thrust to the concept of democra8c decentralisa8on. All poli8cal par8es by and large 
arrived to the conclusion that it was a high 8me to give cons8tu8onal status to PRIs. The result of such 
consensus was the introduc8on of 64th Cons8tu8onal Amendment Bill in the Parliament in July 1989. 
APempts at Cons;tu;onalisa;on: 
Rajiv Gandhi Government The Rajiv Gandhi Government introduced the 64th Cons8tu8onal Amendment Bill 
in the Lok Sabha in July 1989 to cons8tu8onalise panchaya8 raj ins8tu8ons and make them more powerful 
and broad based. Although, the Lok Sabha passed the bill in August 1989, it was not approved by the Rajya 
Sabha.  
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Page 5


Local Self Government 
Self-government implies ‘rule unto themselves by people themselves or through their own representa8ves.’ 
As explained in the European Charter of Local self-government,“this entails the existence of local authori8es 
endowed with democra8cally cons8tuted decision-making bodies and possessing a wide degree of 
autonomy with regard to their responsibili8es, the ways and means by which those responsibili8es are 
exercised and the resources required for their ful?lment”  
History of Local Self Government in India: 
Panchayats as an ins8tu8on of local self-government at the village level had its origin in Ancient India. A 
sort of village council or an associa8on of the residents of the village consis8ng of the village elders, 
Panchayats or Gram Sangha performed administra8ve and judicial func8ons.  
Some8mes, the Gram Sanghas or Panchayats were from among the villagers who regulated their own lives 
through these bodies. We ?nd reference to Gram Sanghas in the Manusmiri8, Kau8laya’s Arthashastra (400 
B.C.) and the Mahabharata. The Shan8 Parva of Mahabharata refers to a Sabha named ‘Sansad’ also.  
Bri8sh paramountcy consolidated the ‘na8on state’, however obviously for personal gain, as above stated, 
and introduced modern systems of governance. The Bri8sh rulers for the ?rst thought of reversing the trend 
of centralisa8on only in 1882 when the Government of Rippon issued a resolu8on proposing steps in the 
direc8on of local self-government. The resolu8on called upon the provincial governments to establish a 
network of Local Boards charged with de?nite funds throughout the country.  
Accordingly, the present idea of democra8c decentraliza8on (rural local government) is the result of Lord 
Mayo’s Resolu;on (1870) and Lord Ripon’s Resolu;on (1882). The Report of the Royal Commission on 
Decentralisa;on (1909), and the Government of India Acts of 1919 and 1935 have further contributed in 
this direc8on.  
The Bri8sh Government, with a view to preserve and stabilise its poli8cal control, took various measures 
and recognised village panchayats. A special Commission was appointed in 1909 on local self-government, 
which suggested the need for revitalising the village Panchayats for handling local a?airs. The 
Decentraliza8on Commission, which reported in 1909 made some far-reaching sugges8ons to remove some 
of the defects in the working of the Local Boards.  
Following the Montague Declara8on of 1917 regarding the introduc8on of responsible government in 
gradual beginning with the local bodies a Resolu8on was issued by the Government of India in 1918 and, 
under the scheme of provincial dyarchy, by 1919; rural selfgovernment was put under the charge of the 
Indian ministries. Some progress was made. Besides Municipal and Local Boards Acts, laws were passed in 
almost all the provinces to introduce Panchayats in villages. 
Under the Government of India Act, 1935 provincial autonomy started func8oning in the provinces from 
April 1937. Congress Governments took o?ce in eight of the eleven provinces. Considerable progress in 
the direc8on of Panchaya8 Raj was made during the period of the Congress rule. According to the January 
1948 Plan of Gandhiji, each village Panchayat would cons8tute a working party with an elected leader. 
Above the village Panchayat came the hierarchy of indirectly elected bodies— taluka and district panchayats
—each of which comprised the sarpanchas of the next lower panchayats. Members from the district and 
municipal panchayats would make up the provincial Panchayat. The na8onal Panchayat would be 
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responsible for defence, currency, customs, running of key industries of na8onal importance and the 
coordina8on of provincial economic development plans.  
The Panchayat Raj Ins8tu8ons (PRIs) in India have traveled a long way to acquire a cons8tu8onal status 
from a mere men8oning of it in the cons8tu8on in the form of Direc;ve Principles (Ar;cle 40). Ar8cle 40 of 
the Indian Cons8tu8on states: “The state shall take steps to organise Village Panchayats and endow them 
with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to func8on as units of self-
government.” The Ar8cle remained a dead leher for many years before ?nding a place of some importance 
in the form of the Balwantrai Mehta Study Team Report in 1959.  
Post independence, ‘the Gandhian Cons8tu8on for free India’ draied by S.N. Agarwal envisaged self-
su?cient, self-governing village communi8es. Gandhiji was an ardent exponent and devotee of village 
swaraj (self-rule). For him, the term comprises village autonomy and self-su?ciency.  
Various CommiPees on Local Self Government:  
The Community Development Programme: 
The Panchaya8 Raj System in India has evolved out of the Community Development Programme (CDP) 
introduced on Oct 2, 1952 intended to bring about the socioeconomic development of rural masses in a 
democra8c way. The Na8onal Extension Service (NES) further supplemented it in 1953. But, within a few 
years, it was realised that the programme has not delivered the desired results . 
Balwant Rai Mehta CommiPee: 
In January 1957, the Government of India appointed a commihee to examine the working of the 
Community Development Programme (1952) and the Na8onal Extension Service (1953) headed by Balwant 
Rai Mehta. It recommended the establishment of the scheme of ‘democra8c decentralisa8on’. Main 
recommenda8ons: 
1. Establishment of a three-8er panchaya8 raj system—gram panchayat at the village level, 
panchayat sami8 at the block level and zila parishad at the district level. 
2. Village Panchayat- Directly elected; Panchayat Sami8 and Zilla Parishad (DC its Chairman)- 
Indirectly elected  
3. To undertake all planning and developmental ac8vi8es 
4. Genuine transfer of power and adequate resources 
These recommenda8ons of the commihee were accepted by the Na8onal Development Council in January 
1958.  Rajasthan was the ?rst state to establish Panchaya8 Raj. The scheme was inaugurated by the prime 
minister on October 2, 1959, in Nagaur district. Rajasthan was followed by Andhra Pradesh, which also 
adopted the system in 1959. Throughout states there were di?erences from one state to another with 
regard to the number of 8ers, rela8ve posi8on of sami8 and parishad, their tenure, composi8on, func8ons, 
?nances and so on. 
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Ashok Mehta CommiPee: 
In December 1977, the Janata Government appointed a commihee on panchaya8 raj ins8tu8ons under the 
chairmanship of Ashok Mehta. Main recommenda8ons: 
1. The three-8er system of panchaya8 raj should be replaced by the two-8er system, that is, zila parishad at 
the district level, and below it, the mandal panchayat consis8ng of a group of villages with a total popula8on 
of 15,000 to 20,000. 
2. There should be an o?cial par8cipa8on of poli8cal par8es at all levels of panchayat elec8ons.  
3. The panchaya8 raj ins8tu8ons should have compulsory powers of taxa8on to mobilise their own ?nancial 
resourses. 
4. The chief electoral o?cer of a state in consulta8on with the chief elec8on commissioner should organise 
and conduct the panchaya8 raj elec8ons.  
5. Seats for SCs and STs should be reserved on the basis of their popula8on. 
6. A cons8tu8onal recogni8on should be accorded to the Panchaya8 Raj ins8tu8ons.  
G.V.K. Rao CommiPee: 
In 1985 a twelve member Commihee was appointed under the chairmanship of Dr. G.V.K. Rao for reviewing 
the administra8ve arrangements for rural development and poverty allevia8on programmes. While 
recommending that the district should be the basic unit for Policy planning and programme implementa8on, 
this commihee emphasized the need for regular elec8ons to the PRIs.  
1. Some of the planning func8ons at the state level should be transferred to the district level planning units 
for e?ec8ve decentralized district planning. 
2. A post of District Development Commissioner should be created. He should act as the chief execu8ve 
o?cer of the Zila Parishad and should be in charge of all the development departments at the district 
level. 
3. Elec8ons to the Panchaya8 Raj ins8tu8ons should be held regularly.  
Thus the commihee, in its scheme of decentralised system of ?eld administra8on, assigned a leading role to 
the Panchaya8 Raj in local planning and development. It is in this respect that the recommenda8on of the 
G.V.K. Rao Commihee Report (1986) di?ered from those of the Dantwala Commihee Report on Block-Level 
Planning (1978) and the Hanumantha Rao Commihee Report on District Planning (1984).  
L.M. Singhvi CommiPee: 
Aier receiving the report of the Commihee, the then PM, late Shri Rajiv Gandhi, organised All India 
Sarpanchas Conferences in New Delhi to ascertain their viewpoints. Once again in 1986, another 
Commihee headed by Dr. L.M. Singhvi was appointed by late Rajiv Gandhi to suggest approaches as to how 
PRIs could be given cons8tu8onal status.  
1. The Panchaya8 Raj ins8tu8ons should be cons8tu8onally recognised, protected and preserved.  
2. Nyaya Panchayats should be established for a cluster of villages. 
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3. The villages should be reorganised to make Gram Panchayats more viable and provide them with more 
?nancial resources.
4. It also emphasised the importance of the Gram Sabha and called it as the embodiment of direct 
democracy. 
P.K. Thungon CommiPee: 
A sub-commihee to the Parliamentary Consulta8ve Commihee ahached to the Ministry of Personnel, 
Public Grievances and pensions was set up under the chairmanship of Dr. P.K. Thungon to consider the type 
of poli8cal and administra8ve structure needed in the district planning.  
1. The Panchaya8 Raj bodies should be cons8tu8onally recognized. 
2. A three-8er system of Panchaya8 Raj with panchayats at the village, block and district levels. 
3. Zilla Parishad should be the pivot of the Panchaya8 Raj system. It should act as the planning and 
development agency in the district. 
4. The Panchaya8 Raj bodies should have a ?xed tenure of ?ve years. 
5. The maximum period of super session of a body should be six months. 
6. A planning and co-ordina8on commihee should be set-up at the state level under the chairmanship of 
the minister for planning.  
7. Reserva8on of seats in all the three-8ers should be on the basis of popula8on. There should also be 
reserva8on for women. 
8. A state ?nance commission should be set-up in each state.  
Gadgil CommiPee: 
The Indian Na8onal Congress also appointed a Commihee on Policy and Programmes headed by V.N. 
Gadgil, which was entrusted the task of examining how best PRIs could be made e?ec8ve (All-India 
Congress Commihee, 1988). The Commihee recommended a three-8er system of PR reserva8on of 
cons8tuencies for SC/STs and women so that adequate representa8on is given to the weaker sec8ons, ?ve 
years tenure for PRIs, cons8tu8on of state Finance Commission and state Finance Commission.  
The net result of the recommenda8ons of these Commihees was that a proper environment was created in 
favor of giving new thrust to the concept of democra8c decentralisa8on. All poli8cal par8es by and large 
arrived to the conclusion that it was a high 8me to give cons8tu8onal status to PRIs. The result of such 
consensus was the introduc8on of 64th Cons8tu8onal Amendment Bill in the Parliament in July 1989. 
APempts at Cons;tu;onalisa;on: 
Rajiv Gandhi Government The Rajiv Gandhi Government introduced the 64th Cons8tu8onal Amendment Bill 
in the Lok Sabha in July 1989 to cons8tu8onalise panchaya8 raj ins8tu8ons and make them more powerful 
and broad based. Although, the Lok Sabha passed the bill in August 1989, it was not approved by the Rajya 
Sabha.  
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V P Singh Government The Na8onal Front Government, soon aier assuming o?ce in November 1989 under 
the Prime Ministership of V P Singh, announced that it would take steps to strengthen the panchaya8 raj 
ins8tu8ons. In June 1990, a two-day conference of the state chief ministers under the chairmanship of V P 
Singh was held to discuss the issues rela8ng to the strengthening of the panchaya8 raj bodies. The 
conference approved the proposals for the introduc8on of a fresh cons8tu8onal amendment bill. 
Consequently, a cons8tu8onal amendment bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha in September 1990. 
However, the fall of the government resulted in the lapse of the bill.  
Narasimha Rao Government The Congress Government under the prime ministership of P V Narasimha Rao 
once again considered the maher of the cons8tu8onalisa8on of panchaya8 raj bodies. It dras8cally modi?ed 
the proposals in this regard to delete the controversial aspects and introduced a cons8tu8onal amendment 
bill in the Lok Sabha in September, 1991. This bill ?nally emerged as the 73rd Cons8tu8onal Amendment 
Act, 1992 and came into force on 24th April 1993.  
73rd Amendment Act 
This act has added a new Part-IX to the Cons8tu8on of India. This part is en8tled as ‘The Panchayats’ and 
consists of provisions from Ar8cles 243 to 243 O. In addi8on, the act has also added a new Eleventh 
Schedule to the Cons8tu8on. This schedule contains 29 func8onal items of the panchayats. It deals with 
Ar8cle 243-G. The act has given a prac8cal shape to Ar8cle 40 of the Cons8tu8on which says that, “The 
State shall take steps to organise village panchayats and endow them with such powers and authority as 
may be necessary to enable them to func8on as units of self-government.”  
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