Rural Development and Panchayati Raj
The constitutional foundation
The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, in force from 24 April 1993, inserted Part IX (Articles 243 to 243-O) and the Eleventh Schedule, which lists 29 subjects for panchayats, including agriculture, minor irrigation, rural housing, drinking water, rural roads, poverty alleviation, primary and secondary education, health and sanitation, the public distribution system, and maintenance of community assets.
Mandatory features
- A three-tier structure of district, intermediate and village levels for states with population above 20 lakh, with the Gram Sabha at village level.
- A five-year term, elections within six months of dissolution, a State Election Commission to conduct them, and a State Finance Commission every five years.
- Reservation for SC and ST in proportion to population, and not less than one-third of seats for women, including chairperson offices.
- Devolution of the 29 subjects and the power to levy and collect taxes.
Jammu and Kashmir's tiers
J&K panchayats are governed by the J&K Panchayati Raj Act, 1989, as amended. The tiers are the Halqa Panchayat at village level, headed by a Sarpanch with Panchs; the Block Development Council; and the District Development Council created after 2019.
Flagship programmes
MGNREGA (2005, 100 days of guaranteed unskilled wage employment per rural household per year), PMAY-Gramin, Jal Jeevan Mission, DAY-NRLM, PMGSY, Poshan Abhiyaan, and Fifteenth Finance Commission grants to panchayats.
Worked example
'Which of these is not among the 29 subjects in the Eleventh Schedule: police, agriculture, drinking water, rural housing?' Reasoning: law and order and police are State List responsibilities never devolved to panchayats, while the other three appear in the Schedule. Answer: police.
Traps
- Saying panchayat elections are conducted by the Election Commission of India.
- Mixing the Eleventh Schedule (panchayats) with the Twelfth Schedule (municipalities).
- Assuming the intermediate tier is compulsory everywhere; states below 20 lakh population may omit it.