Panchayat Raj is a system of governance in which gram panchayats are the basic units of administration. It has 3 levels: Gram (village, though it can comprise more than one village), Janpad (block) and Zilla (district).
The term "panchayat raj" is relatively new, having originated during the British administration. Raj literally means "governance or government". Mahatma Gandhiadvocated Panchayati Raj, a decentralized form of Government where each village is responsible for its own affairs, as the foundation of India's political system. The term for such a vision was Gram Swaraj ("village self-governance").
This system was adopted by state governments during the 1950s and 60s, as laws were passed to establish panchayats in various states. It also found backing in the Indian Constitution, with the 73rd amendment in 1992 to accommodate the idea. The Amendment Act of 1992 contains provision for devolution of powers and responsibilities to the panchayats both for the preparation of economic development plans and social justice, as well as for implementation in relation to 29 subjects listed in the eleventh schedule of the constitution.
The panchayats receive funds from three sources:
In the history of Panchayati Raj in India, on 24 April 1993, the Constitutional (73rd Amendment) Act 1992 came into force to provide constitutional status to the Panchayati Raj institutions. This act was extended to Panchayats in the tribal areas of eight states, namely Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Orissaand Rajasthan starting 24 December 1996. Currently, the Panchayati Raj system exists in all the states except Nagaland, Meghalaya and Mizoram, and in all Union Territories except Delhi.
The Act aims to provide a 3-tier system of Panchayati Raj for all States having a population of over 2 million, to hold Panchayat elections regularly every 5 years, to provide seats reservations for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and women; to appoint a State Finance Commission to make recommendations as regards to the financial powers of the Panchayats and to constitute a District Planning Committee to prepare a development plan draft for the district. The 3-tier system of Panchayati Raj consists:
Powers and responsibilities are delegated to panchayats at the appropriate level:
ALL BLOCK DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE (BDC)
SADASYA GRAM PANCHAYAT CHAKRATA
SADASYA GRAM PANCHAYAT VIKASNAGAR
SADASYA GRAM PANCHAYAT SAHASPUR
SADASYA GRAM PANCHAYAT DOIWALA
RESERVATION OF GRAM PRADHAN 2014
RESERVATION OF ZILA PANCHAYAT 2014
GP Gazette Notification 2013-14
GP Gazette Notification 2013-14 (2)
CONTACT :
DISTRICT PANCHAYATI RAJ OFFICER,
VIKAS BHAWAN, DEHRADUN-248001.
E-Mail ID: dprodehradun[at]gmail[dot]com