Rural Development and Panchayat Raj
Constitutional base
The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 inserted Part IX (Articles 243 to 243O) and the Eleventh Schedule, listing 29 subjects. It made panchayats constitutional bodies, mandated a three-tier structure in states with population above 20 lakh, five-year terms, a State Election Commission, a State Finance Commission every five years, and reservation for SC/ST in proportion to population and not less than one-third for women.
Andhra Pradesh structure
AP follows the AP Panchayat Raj Act, 1994:
- Gram Panchayat (village level) - Sarpanch elected directly; Gram Sabha consists of registered village voters.
- Mandal Praja Parishad (intermediate) - MPTCs elected directly; MPP president elected indirectly.
- Zilla Praja Parishad (district) - ZPTCs elected directly; ZPP chairperson elected indirectly. AP raised women's reservation to 50% across tiers. The District Planning Committee under Article 243ZD prepares the draft district development plan.
Functions and schemes
Eleventh Schedule functions include agriculture, land improvement, minor irrigation, rural housing, drinking water, roads, education, health and poverty alleviation. Flagship programmes: MGNREGA (demand-driven wage employment), PMAY-G, NRLM/SERP, Jal Jeevan Mission, and AP's Rythu Bharosa Kendras for farmer services.
Worked example
Question: Which body prepares the draft district development plan? Reasoning: The 73rd Amendment created District Planning Committees under Article 243ZD to prepare a draft development plan for the district, with the Collector as member-secretary in AP. Answer: DPC, not DRDA.
Traps
- Gram Sabha is a body of voters; Gram Panchayat is the elected body.
- AP's intermediate tier is 'Mandal', not 'Panchayat Samiti'.
- 73rd (rural) versus 74th (urban) Amendment.
- One-third is the constitutional minimum; AP's 50% is state law.