IvyB800566150 at 09:29, 17 June 2024

2024-06-17T09:29:05Z

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{{Short description|Indian government committee on local governance}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}

In December 1977, the [[Janata Party|Janata]] Government appointed a committee on [[Panchayati Raj]] institutions under the chairmanship of [[Asoka Mehta]]. The committee submitted its report in August 1978 and made 132 recommendations to revive and strengthen the declining [[Panchayati Raj]] system in the country. As a result of this report, the Indian states of [[Karnataka]], [[Andhra Pradesh]], and [[West Bengal]] passed new legislation. However, the flow of politics at the state level did not allow the institutions to develop their own political dynamics.

==Recommendations==
The main recommendations of the committee were:

# The 3-tier system of Panchayati Raj should be replaced by the 2-tier system: [[District Councils of India|Zilla Parishad]] at the district level, and below it, the [[Panchayat Samiti|Mandal Panchayat]] consisting of a group of villages covering a population of 15000 to 20000.
# A district should be the first point for decentralisation under popular supervision below the state level.
# Zila Parishad should be the executive body and made responsible for planning at the district level.
# There should be an official participation of political parties at all levels of Panchayat elections.
# The Panchayat Raj institutions should have compulsory powers of taxation to mobilise their own financial resources.
# There should be a regular social audit by a district level agency and by a committee of legislators to check whether the funds allotted for the vulnerable social and economic groups are actually spent on them.
# The state government should not supersede the Panchayat Raj institutions. In case of an imperative supersession, election should be held within 6 months from the date of supersession.
# The Nyaya Panchayats should be kept as separate bodies from that of development panchayats. They should be presided over by a qualified judge.
# The chief electoral officer of a state in consultation with the Chief Election Commissioner should organise and conduct the Panchayati Raj elections.
# Development functions should be transferred to the Zila Parishad and all development staff should work under its control and supervision.
# The voluntary agencies should play an important role in mobilising the support of the people for Panchayati Raj.
# A minister for Panchayati Raj should be appointed in the state council of ministers to look after the affairs of the Panchayati Raj institutions.
# Seats for SCs and Sts should be reserved on the basis of their population.1/3rd seats should be reserved for women.
<ref name=Debroy>{{cite book|last=Debroy|first=Bibek|title=Energising Rural Development Through 'Panchayats'|year=2005|page=81|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rCxDSCVpOLsC&q=Ashok+Mehta+Committee&pg=PA81|author2=Pitambar Datta Kaushik|isbn=9788171884179|accessdate=26 February 2013}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=February 2013}}
# A Constitutional recognition should be accorded to the Panchayati Raj institutions. This would give them the requisite status and an assurance of continuous functioning.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Indian committees}}

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[[Category:Government agencies of India]]
[[Category:Panchayati raj (India)]]

{{India-gov-stub}}

Asoka Mehta Committee - Revision history

IvyB800566150 at 09:29, 17 June 2024