Local Self-Government and Panchayati Raj in Odisha | Odisha State PSC (OPSC): Preparation - OPSC OCS (Odisha) PDF Download

 Page 1


CHAPTER 20
Local self government is an important component of urban and rural
administration of a state. The state of Odisha is divided into 3 regions
which are further divided into districts and blocks. The Odisha Gram
Panchayat Act, 1948 is the first legislation prescribing the Constitution,
power and functioning of Gram Panchayat in the state.
The first step of local administration in Odisha is the division of the state into 3
regions. The regions are based purely on their geographic location.
Regional Administration
For the purpose of efficient administration, the state of Odisha is divided into three
regions or revenue divisions.These divisions are as follows
1. Central Division The headquarters of Central division is in Cuttack. This
division comprises of Cuttack, Puri, Balasore, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Khurda,
Nayagarh, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts.
2. Northern Division The headquarters of this division is Sambalpur and it
comprises the districts of Sambalpur, Sundergarh, Balangir, Dhenkanal, Angul,
Bargarh, Nuapada, Subarnapur, Jharsuguda and Deogarh.
3. SouthernDivision The headquarters of the southern division lies in Berhampur
and comprises the districts of Ganjam, Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Koraput,
Gajapati, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur and Boudh.
Panchayati Raj System in Odisha
The Constitutional Amendment, made as per the recommendations of Balwant Rai
Mehta Committee, 1958, mandates to have Panchayati Raj Institutions. In the year
1961, three-tier system of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) was established in the
state covering all the villages.
Page 2


CHAPTER 20
Local self government is an important component of urban and rural
administration of a state. The state of Odisha is divided into 3 regions
which are further divided into districts and blocks. The Odisha Gram
Panchayat Act, 1948 is the first legislation prescribing the Constitution,
power and functioning of Gram Panchayat in the state.
The first step of local administration in Odisha is the division of the state into 3
regions. The regions are based purely on their geographic location.
Regional Administration
For the purpose of efficient administration, the state of Odisha is divided into three
regions or revenue divisions.These divisions are as follows
1. Central Division The headquarters of Central division is in Cuttack. This
division comprises of Cuttack, Puri, Balasore, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Khurda,
Nayagarh, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts.
2. Northern Division The headquarters of this division is Sambalpur and it
comprises the districts of Sambalpur, Sundergarh, Balangir, Dhenkanal, Angul,
Bargarh, Nuapada, Subarnapur, Jharsuguda and Deogarh.
3. SouthernDivision The headquarters of the southern division lies in Berhampur
and comprises the districts of Ganjam, Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Koraput,
Gajapati, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur and Boudh.
Panchayati Raj System in Odisha
The Constitutional Amendment, made as per the recommendations of Balwant Rai
Mehta Committee, 1958, mandates to have Panchayati Raj Institutions. In the year
1961, three-tier system of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) was established in the
state covering all the villages.
In Odisha, the State Assembly passed the required conformity Acts in 1994, 1995
and 1997 to set up the present form of the three tier system of Panchayati Raj. The
system constituted Zila Parishad at the top or district level, Panchayat Samiti at the
middle or block level and Gram Panchayat at the village or base level.
Odisha Panchayat laws were amended in consistence with provisions of the 73rd
amendment and Provisions of Panchayats (Extensions to Scheduled Areas) Act
1996. Odisha is the first state to conduct election according to PESA thereby
ensuring social justice to Scheduled Tribe communities. A distinguished feature of
the Panchayati Raj System in Odisha is that either the Chairperson or the
Vice-Chairperson must be a woman.
In March, 1991, the Odisha Assembly passed three Panchayat Raj Bills i.e. Odisha
Zila Parishad Bill, 1991, Odisha Panchayat Samiti Bill, 1991 and Odisha Gram
Panchayat Bill, 1991. The Assembly provide 33% reservation for women including
SC and ST women in Panchayats. The State Legislative of Odisha passed Odisha
Panchayat Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2011 and increased the quota for women from
33% to 50%. This provision came into force on 31st May, 2011.
Zila Parishad
The top level of Panchayati Raj system or rural local self government is Zila
Parishad. Zila Parishad is an elected body. Odisha Zila Parishad Act was enacted in
the year 1959 but Zila Parishads were not constituted immediately.
Subsequently Zila Parishads were amended by the Orissa Panchayat Samiti and Zila
Parishad Act, 1959 in the year 1961 (Orissa Act 24 of 1961). Chairpersons or Block
Pramukhs of Block Samitis are also represented in Zila Parishad. In Odisha there
are 30 Zila Parishads.
Panchayat Samiti
The Panchayat Samiti also known as Block Samiti is the intermediary in the
three-tier system. It is the centre of developmental work.The Panchayat Samiti
consists of
l
about 20 members elected by all the Panchayats in the block.
l
two woman members-one member from Scheduled Caste (SC) and one from
Scheduled Tribe (ST).
Panchayat Samiti is headed by a Chairman elected by the members of the Samiti.
The Block Development Officer (BDO) is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of
the Samiti. As per Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water Department, there are 314
Panchayat Samitis in Odisha.
205 Local Self-Government and Panchayati Raj in Odisha
Page 3


CHAPTER 20
Local self government is an important component of urban and rural
administration of a state. The state of Odisha is divided into 3 regions
which are further divided into districts and blocks. The Odisha Gram
Panchayat Act, 1948 is the first legislation prescribing the Constitution,
power and functioning of Gram Panchayat in the state.
The first step of local administration in Odisha is the division of the state into 3
regions. The regions are based purely on their geographic location.
Regional Administration
For the purpose of efficient administration, the state of Odisha is divided into three
regions or revenue divisions.These divisions are as follows
1. Central Division The headquarters of Central division is in Cuttack. This
division comprises of Cuttack, Puri, Balasore, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Khurda,
Nayagarh, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts.
2. Northern Division The headquarters of this division is Sambalpur and it
comprises the districts of Sambalpur, Sundergarh, Balangir, Dhenkanal, Angul,
Bargarh, Nuapada, Subarnapur, Jharsuguda and Deogarh.
3. SouthernDivision The headquarters of the southern division lies in Berhampur
and comprises the districts of Ganjam, Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Koraput,
Gajapati, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur and Boudh.
Panchayati Raj System in Odisha
The Constitutional Amendment, made as per the recommendations of Balwant Rai
Mehta Committee, 1958, mandates to have Panchayati Raj Institutions. In the year
1961, three-tier system of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) was established in the
state covering all the villages.
In Odisha, the State Assembly passed the required conformity Acts in 1994, 1995
and 1997 to set up the present form of the three tier system of Panchayati Raj. The
system constituted Zila Parishad at the top or district level, Panchayat Samiti at the
middle or block level and Gram Panchayat at the village or base level.
Odisha Panchayat laws were amended in consistence with provisions of the 73rd
amendment and Provisions of Panchayats (Extensions to Scheduled Areas) Act
1996. Odisha is the first state to conduct election according to PESA thereby
ensuring social justice to Scheduled Tribe communities. A distinguished feature of
the Panchayati Raj System in Odisha is that either the Chairperson or the
Vice-Chairperson must be a woman.
In March, 1991, the Odisha Assembly passed three Panchayat Raj Bills i.e. Odisha
Zila Parishad Bill, 1991, Odisha Panchayat Samiti Bill, 1991 and Odisha Gram
Panchayat Bill, 1991. The Assembly provide 33% reservation for women including
SC and ST women in Panchayats. The State Legislative of Odisha passed Odisha
Panchayat Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2011 and increased the quota for women from
33% to 50%. This provision came into force on 31st May, 2011.
Zila Parishad
The top level of Panchayati Raj system or rural local self government is Zila
Parishad. Zila Parishad is an elected body. Odisha Zila Parishad Act was enacted in
the year 1959 but Zila Parishads were not constituted immediately.
Subsequently Zila Parishads were amended by the Orissa Panchayat Samiti and Zila
Parishad Act, 1959 in the year 1961 (Orissa Act 24 of 1961). Chairpersons or Block
Pramukhs of Block Samitis are also represented in Zila Parishad. In Odisha there
are 30 Zila Parishads.
Panchayat Samiti
The Panchayat Samiti also known as Block Samiti is the intermediary in the
three-tier system. It is the centre of developmental work.The Panchayat Samiti
consists of
l
about 20 members elected by all the Panchayats in the block.
l
two woman members-one member from Scheduled Caste (SC) and one from
Scheduled Tribe (ST).
Panchayat Samiti is headed by a Chairman elected by the members of the Samiti.
The Block Development Officer (BDO) is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of
the Samiti. As per Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water Department, there are 314
Panchayat Samitis in Odisha.
205 Local Self-Government and Panchayati Raj in Odisha
Gram Panchayat
A Gram Panchayat is a local self government institution at the village or small town
level in India and has a Sarpanch as its elected head. The Gram Panchayat is at the
base level of the Panchayati Raj System.
Gram Panchayats are elected for 5 years. A Gram Panchayat consists between 11
and 25 members, elected from the wards of the village and they are called panch. As
per Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water Department, there are 6798 Gram
Panchayats in Odisha.
Tribal Blocks
In Odisha, there are 12 districts that have a considerable tribal population. Therefore
the state has tribal blocks that look after the tribal communities living there. The
districts of Kandhamal, Mayurbhanj, Sundergarh, Nabarangpur, Koraput,
Malkangiri and Rayagada are fully covered under tribal block. Partly covered
districts under tribal blocks are Balasore, Keonjhar, Sambalpur, Gajapati and
Kalahandi.
Gram Sabha
It includes all the voters of the village. It is empowered to support or drop down the Gram
Panchayat body. This Gram Sabha can contribute to the number of decisions taken by the
Gram Panchayat and can facilitate to modify weak decisions whenever they feel. The Gram
Panchayat can be established for a village having a population more than 750 to 25,000.
The villages having less population are grouped under group Gram Sabha.
Urban Local Bodies in Odisha
Like the rest of the country, urban bodies have to look after the urban areas in
Odisha are Municipal Corporations, Municipalities and Notified Area Council.
Municipal Corporations
Municipal Corporations are found in big cities. It is a much larger body than any
other local government body. As per Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water
Department, there are 5 Municipal Corporations in Odisha. They are Berhampur,
Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Rourkela and Sambalpur Municipal Corporation.
A Municipal Corporation consists of a Mayor who is directly elected. A Deputy
Mayor is also elected from among the Councillors. The Councillors are generally
elected for a period of 5 years and are responsible for their wards. The Chief
Executive Officer of the Corporation is known as Municipal Commissioner.
They are members of the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) who are appointed
by the government. Deputy Commissioner, Chief Engineer and Secretary are other
high officials appointed by the Corporation.
206 Know Your State ODISHA
Page 4


CHAPTER 20
Local self government is an important component of urban and rural
administration of a state. The state of Odisha is divided into 3 regions
which are further divided into districts and blocks. The Odisha Gram
Panchayat Act, 1948 is the first legislation prescribing the Constitution,
power and functioning of Gram Panchayat in the state.
The first step of local administration in Odisha is the division of the state into 3
regions. The regions are based purely on their geographic location.
Regional Administration
For the purpose of efficient administration, the state of Odisha is divided into three
regions or revenue divisions.These divisions are as follows
1. Central Division The headquarters of Central division is in Cuttack. This
division comprises of Cuttack, Puri, Balasore, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Khurda,
Nayagarh, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts.
2. Northern Division The headquarters of this division is Sambalpur and it
comprises the districts of Sambalpur, Sundergarh, Balangir, Dhenkanal, Angul,
Bargarh, Nuapada, Subarnapur, Jharsuguda and Deogarh.
3. SouthernDivision The headquarters of the southern division lies in Berhampur
and comprises the districts of Ganjam, Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Koraput,
Gajapati, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur and Boudh.
Panchayati Raj System in Odisha
The Constitutional Amendment, made as per the recommendations of Balwant Rai
Mehta Committee, 1958, mandates to have Panchayati Raj Institutions. In the year
1961, three-tier system of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) was established in the
state covering all the villages.
In Odisha, the State Assembly passed the required conformity Acts in 1994, 1995
and 1997 to set up the present form of the three tier system of Panchayati Raj. The
system constituted Zila Parishad at the top or district level, Panchayat Samiti at the
middle or block level and Gram Panchayat at the village or base level.
Odisha Panchayat laws were amended in consistence with provisions of the 73rd
amendment and Provisions of Panchayats (Extensions to Scheduled Areas) Act
1996. Odisha is the first state to conduct election according to PESA thereby
ensuring social justice to Scheduled Tribe communities. A distinguished feature of
the Panchayati Raj System in Odisha is that either the Chairperson or the
Vice-Chairperson must be a woman.
In March, 1991, the Odisha Assembly passed three Panchayat Raj Bills i.e. Odisha
Zila Parishad Bill, 1991, Odisha Panchayat Samiti Bill, 1991 and Odisha Gram
Panchayat Bill, 1991. The Assembly provide 33% reservation for women including
SC and ST women in Panchayats. The State Legislative of Odisha passed Odisha
Panchayat Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2011 and increased the quota for women from
33% to 50%. This provision came into force on 31st May, 2011.
Zila Parishad
The top level of Panchayati Raj system or rural local self government is Zila
Parishad. Zila Parishad is an elected body. Odisha Zila Parishad Act was enacted in
the year 1959 but Zila Parishads were not constituted immediately.
Subsequently Zila Parishads were amended by the Orissa Panchayat Samiti and Zila
Parishad Act, 1959 in the year 1961 (Orissa Act 24 of 1961). Chairpersons or Block
Pramukhs of Block Samitis are also represented in Zila Parishad. In Odisha there
are 30 Zila Parishads.
Panchayat Samiti
The Panchayat Samiti also known as Block Samiti is the intermediary in the
three-tier system. It is the centre of developmental work.The Panchayat Samiti
consists of
l
about 20 members elected by all the Panchayats in the block.
l
two woman members-one member from Scheduled Caste (SC) and one from
Scheduled Tribe (ST).
Panchayat Samiti is headed by a Chairman elected by the members of the Samiti.
The Block Development Officer (BDO) is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of
the Samiti. As per Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water Department, there are 314
Panchayat Samitis in Odisha.
205 Local Self-Government and Panchayati Raj in Odisha
Gram Panchayat
A Gram Panchayat is a local self government institution at the village or small town
level in India and has a Sarpanch as its elected head. The Gram Panchayat is at the
base level of the Panchayati Raj System.
Gram Panchayats are elected for 5 years. A Gram Panchayat consists between 11
and 25 members, elected from the wards of the village and they are called panch. As
per Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water Department, there are 6798 Gram
Panchayats in Odisha.
Tribal Blocks
In Odisha, there are 12 districts that have a considerable tribal population. Therefore
the state has tribal blocks that look after the tribal communities living there. The
districts of Kandhamal, Mayurbhanj, Sundergarh, Nabarangpur, Koraput,
Malkangiri and Rayagada are fully covered under tribal block. Partly covered
districts under tribal blocks are Balasore, Keonjhar, Sambalpur, Gajapati and
Kalahandi.
Gram Sabha
It includes all the voters of the village. It is empowered to support or drop down the Gram
Panchayat body. This Gram Sabha can contribute to the number of decisions taken by the
Gram Panchayat and can facilitate to modify weak decisions whenever they feel. The Gram
Panchayat can be established for a village having a population more than 750 to 25,000.
The villages having less population are grouped under group Gram Sabha.
Urban Local Bodies in Odisha
Like the rest of the country, urban bodies have to look after the urban areas in
Odisha are Municipal Corporations, Municipalities and Notified Area Council.
Municipal Corporations
Municipal Corporations are found in big cities. It is a much larger body than any
other local government body. As per Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water
Department, there are 5 Municipal Corporations in Odisha. They are Berhampur,
Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Rourkela and Sambalpur Municipal Corporation.
A Municipal Corporation consists of a Mayor who is directly elected. A Deputy
Mayor is also elected from among the Councillors. The Councillors are generally
elected for a period of 5 years and are responsible for their wards. The Chief
Executive Officer of the Corporation is known as Municipal Commissioner.
They are members of the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) who are appointed
by the government. Deputy Commissioner, Chief Engineer and Secretary are other
high officials appointed by the Corporation.
206 Know Your State ODISHA
Functions of Municipal Corporations
The Corporation has both obligatory and optional functions. The obligatory
functions are public health, water supply, hospitals, market, slaughter house, lighting
the streets, roads and buildings, primary education, prevention of dangerous diseases,
control of offensive or dangerous trades, registration of births and deaths and
maintenance of municipal offices and other properties vested in the Corporation.
Municipalities
Municipalities are established subject to the provisions of the 74th Constitutional
Amendment Act. In Odisha, they are formed on the basis of Odisha Municipal Act,
1950. Urban areas are classified under municipalities. As per Panchayati Raj &
Drinking Water Department, there are 35 Municipalities or Nagar Palika in Odisha.
Some of them are Angul, Balasore, Jajpur, Paradip, Talcher, Bhawanipatna,
Deogarh, Phulbani etc.
In Municipalities, Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Councillors are decided by the
law of State Legislature. Councillors are directly elected by the people for 5 years.
One-third posts are reserved for women. There is an Executive Officer who acts as a
cooperative officer between the Government and the Municipality.
Notified Area Council (NAC)
A Nagar Panchayat or Notified Area Council (NAC) or City Council in Odisha is
an area/region/township that is in transition from rural to urban. As per Panchayati
Raj and Drinking Water Department, Odisha has 66 Notified Area Council. They
are part of urban local self government. They are legitimised and constituted under
74th Constitutional Amendment Act. Some of the NAC are Pipili, Sunabeda,
Nayagarh, Konark, Hirakud, Athagad etc.
Initiatives Taken by Odisha Government to Strengthen
Panchayati Raj Institutions
Odisha Government is committed to strengthen PRIs as institutions of Self
Government.
The following initiatives are taken by the State Government:
l
In the year 2003, twenty one subjects of Eleven Departments were transferred to
Panchayati Raj Institutions. District Level Officers, Block Level Officers and
Village Level functionaries of 11 Departments have been made accountable to Zila
Parishad, Panchayat Samiti and Gram Panchayat respectively for implementation
of subjects/schemes transferred to PRIs.
l
Gram Panchayats of the state have been reorganised and 595 numbers of new
Gram Panchayats have been created thereby reaching total Gram Panchayats
to 6798.
207 Local Self-Government and Panchayati Raj in Odisha
Page 5


CHAPTER 20
Local self government is an important component of urban and rural
administration of a state. The state of Odisha is divided into 3 regions
which are further divided into districts and blocks. The Odisha Gram
Panchayat Act, 1948 is the first legislation prescribing the Constitution,
power and functioning of Gram Panchayat in the state.
The first step of local administration in Odisha is the division of the state into 3
regions. The regions are based purely on their geographic location.
Regional Administration
For the purpose of efficient administration, the state of Odisha is divided into three
regions or revenue divisions.These divisions are as follows
1. Central Division The headquarters of Central division is in Cuttack. This
division comprises of Cuttack, Puri, Balasore, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Khurda,
Nayagarh, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur districts.
2. Northern Division The headquarters of this division is Sambalpur and it
comprises the districts of Sambalpur, Sundergarh, Balangir, Dhenkanal, Angul,
Bargarh, Nuapada, Subarnapur, Jharsuguda and Deogarh.
3. SouthernDivision The headquarters of the southern division lies in Berhampur
and comprises the districts of Ganjam, Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Koraput,
Gajapati, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur and Boudh.
Panchayati Raj System in Odisha
The Constitutional Amendment, made as per the recommendations of Balwant Rai
Mehta Committee, 1958, mandates to have Panchayati Raj Institutions. In the year
1961, three-tier system of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) was established in the
state covering all the villages.
In Odisha, the State Assembly passed the required conformity Acts in 1994, 1995
and 1997 to set up the present form of the three tier system of Panchayati Raj. The
system constituted Zila Parishad at the top or district level, Panchayat Samiti at the
middle or block level and Gram Panchayat at the village or base level.
Odisha Panchayat laws were amended in consistence with provisions of the 73rd
amendment and Provisions of Panchayats (Extensions to Scheduled Areas) Act
1996. Odisha is the first state to conduct election according to PESA thereby
ensuring social justice to Scheduled Tribe communities. A distinguished feature of
the Panchayati Raj System in Odisha is that either the Chairperson or the
Vice-Chairperson must be a woman.
In March, 1991, the Odisha Assembly passed three Panchayat Raj Bills i.e. Odisha
Zila Parishad Bill, 1991, Odisha Panchayat Samiti Bill, 1991 and Odisha Gram
Panchayat Bill, 1991. The Assembly provide 33% reservation for women including
SC and ST women in Panchayats. The State Legislative of Odisha passed Odisha
Panchayat Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2011 and increased the quota for women from
33% to 50%. This provision came into force on 31st May, 2011.
Zila Parishad
The top level of Panchayati Raj system or rural local self government is Zila
Parishad. Zila Parishad is an elected body. Odisha Zila Parishad Act was enacted in
the year 1959 but Zila Parishads were not constituted immediately.
Subsequently Zila Parishads were amended by the Orissa Panchayat Samiti and Zila
Parishad Act, 1959 in the year 1961 (Orissa Act 24 of 1961). Chairpersons or Block
Pramukhs of Block Samitis are also represented in Zila Parishad. In Odisha there
are 30 Zila Parishads.
Panchayat Samiti
The Panchayat Samiti also known as Block Samiti is the intermediary in the
three-tier system. It is the centre of developmental work.The Panchayat Samiti
consists of
l
about 20 members elected by all the Panchayats in the block.
l
two woman members-one member from Scheduled Caste (SC) and one from
Scheduled Tribe (ST).
Panchayat Samiti is headed by a Chairman elected by the members of the Samiti.
The Block Development Officer (BDO) is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of
the Samiti. As per Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water Department, there are 314
Panchayat Samitis in Odisha.
205 Local Self-Government and Panchayati Raj in Odisha
Gram Panchayat
A Gram Panchayat is a local self government institution at the village or small town
level in India and has a Sarpanch as its elected head. The Gram Panchayat is at the
base level of the Panchayati Raj System.
Gram Panchayats are elected for 5 years. A Gram Panchayat consists between 11
and 25 members, elected from the wards of the village and they are called panch. As
per Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water Department, there are 6798 Gram
Panchayats in Odisha.
Tribal Blocks
In Odisha, there are 12 districts that have a considerable tribal population. Therefore
the state has tribal blocks that look after the tribal communities living there. The
districts of Kandhamal, Mayurbhanj, Sundergarh, Nabarangpur, Koraput,
Malkangiri and Rayagada are fully covered under tribal block. Partly covered
districts under tribal blocks are Balasore, Keonjhar, Sambalpur, Gajapati and
Kalahandi.
Gram Sabha
It includes all the voters of the village. It is empowered to support or drop down the Gram
Panchayat body. This Gram Sabha can contribute to the number of decisions taken by the
Gram Panchayat and can facilitate to modify weak decisions whenever they feel. The Gram
Panchayat can be established for a village having a population more than 750 to 25,000.
The villages having less population are grouped under group Gram Sabha.
Urban Local Bodies in Odisha
Like the rest of the country, urban bodies have to look after the urban areas in
Odisha are Municipal Corporations, Municipalities and Notified Area Council.
Municipal Corporations
Municipal Corporations are found in big cities. It is a much larger body than any
other local government body. As per Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water
Department, there are 5 Municipal Corporations in Odisha. They are Berhampur,
Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Rourkela and Sambalpur Municipal Corporation.
A Municipal Corporation consists of a Mayor who is directly elected. A Deputy
Mayor is also elected from among the Councillors. The Councillors are generally
elected for a period of 5 years and are responsible for their wards. The Chief
Executive Officer of the Corporation is known as Municipal Commissioner.
They are members of the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) who are appointed
by the government. Deputy Commissioner, Chief Engineer and Secretary are other
high officials appointed by the Corporation.
206 Know Your State ODISHA
Functions of Municipal Corporations
The Corporation has both obligatory and optional functions. The obligatory
functions are public health, water supply, hospitals, market, slaughter house, lighting
the streets, roads and buildings, primary education, prevention of dangerous diseases,
control of offensive or dangerous trades, registration of births and deaths and
maintenance of municipal offices and other properties vested in the Corporation.
Municipalities
Municipalities are established subject to the provisions of the 74th Constitutional
Amendment Act. In Odisha, they are formed on the basis of Odisha Municipal Act,
1950. Urban areas are classified under municipalities. As per Panchayati Raj &
Drinking Water Department, there are 35 Municipalities or Nagar Palika in Odisha.
Some of them are Angul, Balasore, Jajpur, Paradip, Talcher, Bhawanipatna,
Deogarh, Phulbani etc.
In Municipalities, Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Councillors are decided by the
law of State Legislature. Councillors are directly elected by the people for 5 years.
One-third posts are reserved for women. There is an Executive Officer who acts as a
cooperative officer between the Government and the Municipality.
Notified Area Council (NAC)
A Nagar Panchayat or Notified Area Council (NAC) or City Council in Odisha is
an area/region/township that is in transition from rural to urban. As per Panchayati
Raj and Drinking Water Department, Odisha has 66 Notified Area Council. They
are part of urban local self government. They are legitimised and constituted under
74th Constitutional Amendment Act. Some of the NAC are Pipili, Sunabeda,
Nayagarh, Konark, Hirakud, Athagad etc.
Initiatives Taken by Odisha Government to Strengthen
Panchayati Raj Institutions
Odisha Government is committed to strengthen PRIs as institutions of Self
Government.
The following initiatives are taken by the State Government:
l
In the year 2003, twenty one subjects of Eleven Departments were transferred to
Panchayati Raj Institutions. District Level Officers, Block Level Officers and
Village Level functionaries of 11 Departments have been made accountable to Zila
Parishad, Panchayat Samiti and Gram Panchayat respectively for implementation
of subjects/schemes transferred to PRIs.
l
Gram Panchayats of the state have been reorganised and 595 numbers of new
Gram Panchayats have been created thereby reaching total Gram Panchayats
to 6798.
207 Local Self-Government and Panchayati Raj in Odisha
l
In collaboration with the Law Department, Panchayati Raj Department have
launched a new scheme i.e. Madhubabu Aain Sahayata Kendra which is
operational from 2016 in all the Gram Panchayats of the state in order to provide
free legal aid service to the poorest of the poor people of the rural areas of the state.
It is named after great Odia lawyer Madhu Babu.
l
Minimum auction price of the minor forest produces have been enhanced in order
to augment the own source of revenue of Gram Panchayats.
l
RMC (Recycling Markets Center) market operated in Gram Panchayat area have
been brought under control of the concerned Gram Panchayat and income derived
from the RMCs will be divided in equal share to RMCs and Gram Panchayats.
l
Necessary steps have been taken in collaboration with Housing and Urban
Development Department for formation of new NACs at Dhamnagar and
Chandabali in Bhadrak district and Odagaon and Raj Sunakhala in Nayagarh
district.
l
The honorarium and sitting allowance of PRI members have been enhanced.
l
The Odisha Gram Panchayats (Administration of functions in Scheduled Areas)
Rules, 2016 have been framed.
l
BIJU KBK Plan This plan was implemented in 2007-08 in the tribal districts of
Kalahandi, Balangir and Koraput. It undertakes developmental projects of water,
electricity and road transport facilities. This is now spread to other districts of
Nuapada, Subarnapur, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur and Rayagada.
208 Know Your State ODISHA
1 The first legislation of the Odisha Gram
Panchayat Act prescribing Constitution,
Power and Functioning of Gram
Panchayats in Odisha was passed in
(a) 1947 (b) 1948 (c) 1950 (d) 1952
2 For the purpose of efficient administration,
Odisha is divided into how many revenue
divisions?
(a) Five (b) Three
(c) Thirty (d) Fourteen
3 Sambalpur is the headquarters of which
division in Odisha?
(a) Northern
(b) Central
(c) Southern
(d) Eastern
4 ThedistrictofJagatsinghpurfallsinwhich
division of Odisha?
(a) Southern (b) Northern
(c) Central (d) None of these
5 The headquarter of Southern division of
Odisha is ............. .
(a) Gajapati (b) Berhampur
(c) Ganjam (d) Koraput
6 The Panchayats in Odisha are
(a) Two-tier (b) Three-tier
(c) Four-tier (d) None of these
7 In which year the Panchayat (Extension to
Scheduled Areas) Act or PESA was passed
in the Parliament?
(a) 1993 (b) 1996
(c) 1999 (d) 2000
MULTIPLE CHOICE
QUESTIONS