Rural Local Self-Government

The system by which the people themselves govern their community through their representatives is known as Local Self-Government.

All local self-government bodies in the villages work under the Panchayati Raj system. Panchayats are responsible for providing local self-government at the village level.

All local self-government bodies in the rural areas work under the Panchayati Raj system. The Panchayati Raj system works at three levels. These are:

1. Panchayats at the village level.
2. Block Samitis at the block level.
3. District Council or Zila Parishad at the district level.

A village panchayat has three wings which are as follows:

1. Gram Sabha
2. Gram Panchayat
3. Nyaya Panchayat

The members of the Gram Panchayat are elected by the Gram Sabha. One-third of the seats in the Gram Panchayat are reserved for women. People belonging to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes have seats reserved for them.

The three main functions of the village panchayat are as follows:

1. To make arrangements for supplying clean drinking water.
2. To construct and repair roads, drains, wells and tanks.
3. To provide health and sanitation facilities.

The sources of income of the village panchayats are as follows:

1. Taxes on fairs, shops and houses.
2. Fees from registration of purchase and sale of property and cattle.
3. Grants from the government.
4. Money given as fine by the people found guilty by Nyaya Panchayats.
5. Taxes on goods that are brought into or taken out of the village.

(a) The functions of Block Samiti are as follows:

1. It makes arrangements for providing primary and adult education to the people in a block.
2. It looks after health care and organises vaccination programmes.
3. It helps the farmers by providing irrigation facilities and distributing seeds and fertilisers.
4. It promotes cottage industries and arranges for training for self-employment.
5. It undertakes welfare functions such as the supply of clean drinking water, sanitation and cleanliness.

(b) The functions of Zila Parishad are as follows:

1. To supervise the work of the village panchayats and Block Samitis.
2. To advice the state government on the work of Panchayats and Samitis
3. To implement the projects under the Five Year Plans.
4. To keep a watch on agricultural production and the development programmes of the district; and
5. To prepare a plan for the district.