Last reviewed 30 Sept 2026 · 9 min read
Local self-government
Local self-government means the administration of local affairs by elected local bodies. It is the third tier of government in India. The Directive Principle in Article 40 directs the State to organise village panchayats. Local government is a State subject (Entry 5 of the State List), but the 73rd and 74th Amendments gave it constitutional status.
Evolution
| Milestone | Notes |
|---|---|
| Lord Ripon's Resolution (1882) | called the "Magna Carta of local self-government"; Lord Ripon is the "Father of Local Self-Government" in India |
| Royal Commission on Decentralisation (1907) | |
| Government of India Act 1919, 1935 | local self-government made a provincial subject |
| Gandhi's ideal of Gram Swaraj | the village as an independent republic |
| Community Development Programme (1952) and National Extension Service (1953) | |
| Balwant Rai Mehta Committee (1957) | recommended a three-tier structure — Gram Panchayat (village), Panchayat Samiti (block), Zila Parishad (district); democratic decentralisation ("Panchayati Raj"); Rajasthan (Nagaur district, 2 October 1959, inaugurated by Jawaharlal Nehru) was the first state to adopt it; Andhra Pradesh followed |
| Ashok Mehta Committee (1977) | recommended a two-tier system (Zila Parishad and Mandal Panchayat), political parties in elections, a compulsory tax power; Karnataka, West Bengal experimented |
| G. V. K. Rao Committee (1985) | "bureaucratization" of the system; the district as the basic unit |
| L. M. Singhvi Committee (1986) | constitutional status |
| Sarkaria Commission | |
| 73rd Amendment Act, 1992 (in force 24 April 1993, celebrated as National Panchayati Raj Day) | added Part IX (Articles 243–243O) and the Eleventh Schedule |
| 74th Amendment Act, 1992 (in force 1 June 1993) | added Part IX-A (Articles 243P–243ZG) and the Twelfth Schedule |
Panchayati Raj — the 73rd Amendment (Part IX)
Key provisions
- Gram Sabha (Article 243A): all adult members of the village on the electoral roll; the foundation of the Panchayati Raj system; meets at least twice a year (many states hold it more).
- Three-tier system in states with a population over 20 lakh: Gram Panchayat (village), Panchayat Samiti / intermediate (block), Zila Parishad (district). States with a population below 20 lakh may have only two tiers.
- Direct elections to all seats at all levels; the chairperson at the intermediate and district levels is elected indirectly (by the elected members); at the village level, as the state law provides.
- Reservation of seats (Article 243D): for SCs and STs in proportion to their population; at least one-third of the seats (including those reserved for SC/ST) for women; one-third of the offices of chairpersons for women. (Many states, such as Bihar (1st in 2006), Madhya Pradesh, Himachal, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Kerala, etc., have increased it to 50 %.) OBC reservation as per the state law.
- Fixed term of five years; if dissolved, fresh elections must be held within six months.
- State Election Commission (Article 243K): conducts the elections to the Panchayats (and the municipalities); appointed by the Governor.
- State Finance Commission (Article 243I): constituted every five years by the Governor to review the financial position of the Panchayats and recommend the sharing of taxes and grants.
- Eleventh Schedule: lists 29 subjects for the Panchayats (agriculture, land improvement, minor irrigation, animal husbandry, fisheries, social forestry, minor forest produce, small-scale and cottage industries, drinking water, roads, rural housing, rural electrification, non-conventional energy, poverty alleviation, education, technical and vocational education, adult education, libraries, cultural activities, markets and fairs, health and sanitation, family welfare, women and child development, social welfare, public distribution system, maintenance of community assets and so on).
- District Planning Committee (Article 243ZD): consolidates plans of the Panchayats and municipalities for the whole district.
- Exemptions (Article 243M): the Scheduled Areas and tribal areas (Fifth and Sixth Schedule), and some states (Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram), the hill areas of Manipur, and Darjeeling (West Bengal).
- Sources of revenue: taxes, duties, tolls and fees, grants-in-aid from the state, and assigned revenues.
The three tiers
| Tier | Head and functions |
|---|---|
| Gram Panchayat (village) | Sarpanch (Pradhan) elected by the villagers; the Panchayat Secretary (executive officer); maintains village roads, wells, schools, sanitation, records of births and deaths |
| Panchayat Samiti (block) | chaired by the Pramukh (Block Pramukh); the Block Development Officer (BDO) is the executive head; coordinates the Gram Panchayats and implements the development programmes |
| Zila Parishad (district) | chaired by the Adhyaksh; the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) / District Collector coordinates; plans, supervises and approves the budgets of the Samitis |
(Names differ between states — for example, "Anchalik Panchayat" in Assam, "Mandal Praja Parishad" in Andhra/Telangana.)
Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA)
- Extends the Panchayat provisions to the Fifth Schedule Areas in 10 states (Andhra, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan).
- Empowers the Gram Sabha — to safeguard the community resources, approve plans, control over minor forest produce, minor water bodies, prevent land alienation, and the consultation before land acquisition.
- Dileep Singh Bhuria Committee (1994) recommended it. Called the "tribal self-rule" law.
Other developments
- Article 243G: powers, authority and responsibilities of Panchayats — economic development and social justice.
- Rajiv Gandhi pushed for the 64th Amendment Bill (1989; defeated in the Rajya Sabha); P. V. Narasimha Rao's government passed the 73rd and 74th.
- Ministry of Panchayati Raj (established 2004). Panchayat Awards (Rajiv Gandhi Panchayat Sashaktikaran Puraskar). e-Gram Swaraj portal and the Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) — People's Plan Campaign. Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) and SVAMITVA (drone mapping of village property).
- MGNREGA (2005) — guarantees 100 days of wage employment to rural households; the Gram Panchayat implements at least half the works. Swachh Bharat (Gramin), PM Awas Yojana (Gramin), Jal Jeevan Mission, PMGSY, DAY-NRLM are implemented through the Panchayats.
- Vidya Panchayat, Nyaya Panchayats (village courts; 2 in some states).