Karnataka Panchayat Raj System and Local Governance
Karnataka Panchayat Raj is the state’s three-tier rural local-government system, tested through constitutional articles, the Karnataka Panchayat Raj Act, 1993, and the division of functions among Gram, Taluk and Zilla Panchayats. The PDO exam expects precise recall of tiers, elected and appointed office-bearers, reservations, duration, and the Eleventh Schedule subjects.
Constitutional base
The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 inserted Part IX (Articles 243–243O) and the Eleventh Schedule, which lists 29 subjects. It came into force on 24 April 1993. Panchayats are constitutional bodies, not merely statutory bodies, and every five years ordinary elections must be held before dissolution or within six months of dissolution.
Karnataka’s three tiers
- Gram Panchayat: village level, constituted for a village or group of villages; members elected from wards; Adhyaksha and Upadhyaksha elected from among members.
- Taluk Panchayat: intermediate level; Adhyaksha and Upadhyaksha; Executive Officer is appointed.
- Zilla Panchayat: district level; Adhyaksha and Upadhyaksha; Chief Executive Officer is appointed by the government.
Reservation for SC and ST is proportional to population; not less than one-third of total seats is reserved for women, and state law may provide more. The PDO is the Gram Panchayat’s administrative officer, not an elected member.
Worked example
A Gram Panchayat has 20 elected seats and SC population is 15% of its population. SC-reserved seats must be at least 15% × 20 = 3. Women’s reservation is computed on total seats, so at the constitutional minimum one-third, at least 7 seats are women-reserved; Karnataka’s higher state provision must be checked in the current Act.
Traps
Do not confuse the 73rd Amendment (panchayats) with the 74th (municipalities). Do not call the Zilla Panchayat chair “Sarpanch”; in Karnataka the term is Adhyaksha. Remember that elected chairpersons and appointed CEOs/EOs/PDOs belong to different categories.