Chapter Info (Click Here)
Book No. – 006 (Indian Polity)
Book Name – Introduction to the Indian Constitution (D.D. Basu)
What’s Inside the Chapter? (After Subscription)
1. Early Development of Village Panchayats
2. Provisions under the Government of India Act, 1935
3. Directive Principle in the Constitution of 1949
4. Rajiv Gandhi’s Initiative and the 73rd & 74th Amendments
5. The 97th Constitutional Amendment Act, 2011
6. Restrictions Imposed on State Legislatures
7. Federal Concerns and Judicial Scrutiny
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The New System of Panchayats, Municipalities, and Co-Operative Societies
Chapter – 17
Early Development of Village Panchayats
The village Panchayat functioned as a unit of local administration since the early British period, though always under Government control.
When Indian leaders pressed for local autonomy at the national level, the British Government attempted to concede this demand at the lowest stage by empowering:
Panchayats in rural areas
Municipalities in urban areas
These were constituted under different enactments, such as:
Bengal Local Self-Government Act, 1885
Bengal Village Self-Government Act, 1919
Bengal Municipal Act, 1884
Provisions under the Government of India Act, 1935
The Government of India Act, 1935 specifically gave the power to Provincial Legislatures under Entry 12 of the Provincial Legislative List to enact legislation relating to local self-government.
Using this power, many States enacted new laws vesting powers of administration, including criminal justice, in the hands of Panchayats.
Directive Principle in the Constitution of 1949
Despite such legislation, the Constitution-makers were not satisfied with the working of these local bodies. Therefore, they incorporated a Directive Principle under Article 40 of the Constitution:
“The State shall take steps to organise village Panchayats and endow them with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as units of self-government.”
However, despite this Directive, little attention was paid to conducting regular elections in Panchayats as democratic institutions.