Papers Name – Democracy and Governance: Courses Name- B.A. (Prog), Semester VI. Teacher’s Name – Dr. Govind Sonker, Department of Political Science, Dyal Singh College, University of Delhi, New Delhi – 110003. Topic: Units of Local Governance. Contents: 1. Introduction. 2. The formation of Local Governments. 3. Structure of Local Governments. 4. Functions of Rural and Urban Governments. 5. Conclusion. INTRODUCTION: This assignment paper concentrates on the structure and process of the various units or components of local governance. Based on our Indian system of governance, which is a federal republic government, it consists of three spheres of government: Central (union), State and Local. The Central Government of India is the ultimate polity authority that governs the nation as a whole. Whereas, State Governments are the governments that rule the Indian states respectively. The Local Governments are ones that are below the level of the state, that governs the various administrative affairs of the rural regions. Local Governments are vested with such powers by the state, so as to function sufficiently on their own. These local governments are independent units that work under the state and are crucial for the workings of the state as it further promotes and enhance the idea of democracy in every spectrum of the nation. In turn, the Parliament enacted the 73rd Constitution Amendment 1992 and the 74th Constitution Amendment Act, to attach constitutional status to the city, as well as, village councils in India. In this paper, the components of these local governments will be analyzed and broken down, in order to better understand the workings and importance of these governments. THE FORMATION OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS Local Governments are self-enabled constitutional bodies of governance that oversees local administrative affairs, they work under the state and are vested constitutional powers by the state. These Local Governments functions solely for the smooth working of rural and urban areas of the state. Local governments are formed to govern the village and district levels. These governments were first formed in 1882 by Lord Rippon, the Viceroy of India. Following the Government of India Act, 1919 village Panchayats were established. After 1987 a review of the functioning of the local governments was initiated, and then on, a constitutional recognition of the local government bodies was recommended. The local governments of the rural regions are called The Panchayats and the local governments for the urban regions are known as Nagar Panchayat and the Municipalities. Now, these governments are vested with constitutional powers, so as to be independently self- enabled, as mentioned above, by their respective states. In the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act 1992, the Indian Constitution provided a constitutional recognition to the Panchayats, and the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act 1992, gave the same constitutional recognition to the Municipalities. These Local Governments, namely, the Panchayats and the Municipalities, now after these constitutional amendments, gained their own self-enabled powers, in order to govern themselves to some extend. The formation of these Local Governments are crucial as it is independent within their own region. Each of these local governments are obligated to work within the sphere of power authorized by the central government. Local representatives are freely elected and constitute the local executive as well as the legislature. These authoritative powers allow the local governments to function smoothly and responsibly for the benefit of their respective regions or areas. Ever since the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment, these local governments, the Panchayats and the Municipalities have been immensely beneficial to the state, with all such local governments holding their responsibilities and safeguarding their people. 4 STRUCTURE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS Now, following the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments, all states have formal structured local governments. The 73rd Amendment gave rural regions a three tier Panchayati Raj structure: Gram Panchayat- The first tier (the bottom level) of the Panchayati Raj system. The Gram Panchayat is the executive body of the Gram Sabha. Mandal Parishad (or Block Samiti or Panchayat Samiti)- The second tier (intermediary level) of the Panchayati Raj. Mandal Parishad is the principal executive body in all States. Zilla Panchayat- The top tier of the Panchayati Raj system. Zilla Panchayat is at the district level, supervising the acticities of the Panchayats and Panchayat Samiti. The 74th Amendment recognized the governing bodies of the urban regions. The Nagar Palika or also known as, Municipality, consists of three major categories: Municipal Corporations (Nagar Nigam)- Municipal corporations are formed by state governments, they are departments that work for the development of metropolitan cities which have populations of more than 1 million (10 lakh). Formed under the Corporation Act of 1835 of Panchayat Raj system. Candidate members are elected by the people from their respective regions. Municipal Councils (Nagar Palika Parishad)- They are an urban local body that administers cities of minimum population of 1 lakh. Under the Panchayati Raj system, Nagar Palika Parishad interacts with the state governments, though it is only a part of the district level. Nagar Panchayats (Notified Area Council)- They are a form of urban political unit, an urban centre with more than 11, 000 and less than 25, 000 inhabitants is classified as a Nagar Panchayat. It is a committee consisting of a chairman with ward members. A minimum of 10 elected ward members and three nominated members are required for the committee. 5 FUNCTIONS OF RURAL AND URBAN GOVERNMENTS The objectives of the Panchayati Raj and the Municipalities give much importance to promoting local economic development and social justice, local government bodies have the power prepare developmental plans for the areas they serve. These plans include health, education, poverty alleviation, housing, and the promotion of smallscale industries, among others. Panchayati Raj Panchayati Raj Institutions play a significant role in rural development and are obligated to work for the betterment of their regions. Some of the responsibilities of the Panchayati Raj in rural regions are: These local governments administers activities such as the maintenance of village records, the construction and repairs of roads, tanks, wells, and so on. They give importance to the improvement of socio-economic welfare through the promotion of rural industries, health and education departments, women and child welfare, among others. They govern judicial functions such as resolving civil and criminal cases. Under the Panchayati Raj, The Gram Panchayat is the executive committee of Gram Sabha. The Gram Sabha (GB) is a corporate body, it functions as a unit of local self-government with the participation of the people. Some of its functions are: Promotion of unity and harmony among all sections of the society in the village. To support the schemes of mass education and family welfare. To help implement of the development programmes and schemes of the Panchayat. The second tier Panchayati Raj, the Panchayat Samiti is the intermediate level in the Panchayati Raj. The functions of the elected Panchayat Samitis are: To supervise the works of the Gram Panchayat within its jurisdiction. 6 To drive the people towards a spirit of self-help and initiative. To raise the standard of living within its region. Planning, execution and supervision of all developmental programmes within its respective region. Zilla Panchayat, the District Development Council or Zilla Parishad, is the third tier of the Panchayati Raj, at district level. Headed by Panchayat Union Chairman, the Zilla Panchayat communicates with the State Administration to develop effective resolution at Panchayat Samiti and Gram Panchayat level. An effective working of the Zilla Panchayat can result to a more economically advanced Panchayati Raj system. Nagar Palika The Nagar Palika or Municipality, is the local government that governs urban regions of the state. Under the Nagar Palika, the Municipal Corporation (Nagar Nigam) has certain functions, such as: To maintain land usage and town planning. Planning of economic and social development. To look over and improve fire safety services and water supply. Safeguarding interests of weaker sections of the region. Slum improvement, maintenance of cremation or burial ground, and so on. Secondly, Municipals Councils have certain functions, some of them are: To provide democratic and accountable government for local communities. To ensure the provision of services to communities in a sustainable manner. To encourage the involvement of communities and community organizations in the matter of local government. The Nagar Parishad (Notified Area Council) governs urban regions with more than 11,000 citizens and less than 25,000. Some of the functions of the Nagar Parishad are: To provide necessary services and facilities to urban areas. Sanitation programme in township. Maintain the records of births and deaths Implementation of government schemes smoothly. 7 CONCLUSION The importance of local government can hardly be overemphasized, especially in a country like India, with the huge population and diversity it holds. The range and the impact upon the daily life of the citizens that these local authorities carry are of
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