73rd Amendment Act, 1992 – Overview

73rd Constitutional Amendment Act or The Panchayati Raj Act recommends that the states that have a population of more than 20 lakh, must have the three-tier Panchayati Raj system. The system includes the village, intermediate, and district. If there is a population of less than 20 lakh, they should have two layers only, i.e. village and district. Here is the general overview of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act as mentioned below.

73rd Amendment Act, 1992 – Overview

Enactment

73rd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1992

Also Known As

Panchayati Raj Act

Committee

Balwant Rai Mehta Committee

Passed Year

1992

Enactment Date

24th April, 1993

Constitutional Parts

Part IX of the Indian Constitution.

Article 243 to Article 243 (O).

General Provisions

Mandatory provisions defines the state law.

Voluntary provisions defines the state discretion.

Election Cycle

Every 5 years.

If the committee dissolved, it is mandatory to conduct elections within six months.

Election Process

Panchayati Raj members directly elected by the election process.

Chairpersons at intermediate and district level personnels elected by the indirect election process.

Seat reservations for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes and Women.

Exemptions Or Not Acceptable

Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram, specific tribal areas, Manipur hill area, and Darjeeling district of West Bengal.

Features

Establishment of Gram Sabha (Primary Body).

3-tier or 2-tier system based on population.

Powers on 29 items that are clarified by Schedule 11.

State Election Commission and Finance Commission for election management.

Resource allocation.

Importance

Addition of eleventh schedule. (Discussed Below)

Addition of part IX to the Indian Constitution.

Empowerment of State governments to reframe the DPSP.

Establishment of the important democratic institutions at the grassroots level.

Shift to a participatory democracy.

Seat reservations for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes and Women.

Challenges

Powers to lower levels at the state legislatures’ discretion.

Lack of resources.

Inadequate funds from Finance Commissions.

Still practicing of “Sarpanch Pati” culture in some locations.

Infrastructure issues.

Lack of necessary manpower at the Gram Panchayat level.

73rd Amendment of Indian Constitution

The 73rd Amendment Act is an Amendment Act to strengthen the rural democratic structure in India. The act was generally introduced to provide more power and authority to the Panchayats at the village level. This act the introduction of the Panchayati Raj system in India. Madhya Pradesh was the first state to implement the 73rd Constitutional Amendment in 1992. Historically, the Panchayati Raj system was first introduced at Nagaur (Bikaner District) in Rajasthan.

In this article, we will discuss the 73rd Amendment Act in detail with the related information. In this Amendment Act, certain constitutional articles play a major role and we will discuss it also.

73rd Amendment Act of Indian Constitution

Table of Content

  • 73rd Amendment Act, 1992 – Overview
  • Objective Of 73rd Amendment Act
  • 73rd Amendment Act, 1992 – Articles
  • Features of the 73rd Amendment Act
  • Exemptions Of 73rd Amendment Act
  • Importance of the 73rd Amendment
  • Eleventh Schedule (Article 243G) – 73rd Amendment Act
  • PESA Act – 1996
  • Summary – 73rd Amendment Act
  • FAQs on 73rd Amendment Act

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73rd Amendment Act, 1992 – Overview

73rd Constitutional Amendment Act or The Panchayati Raj Act recommends that the states that have a population of more than 20 lakh, must have the three-tier Panchayati Raj system. The system includes the village, intermediate, and district. If there is a population of less than 20 lakh, they should have two layers only, i.e. village and district. Here is the general overview of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act as mentioned below....

Objective Of 73rd Amendment Act

Here are some major objectives of 73rd Amendment Act, as mentioned below:...

73rd Amendment Act, 1992 – Articles

Article 243 – 243 (O) of the Indian Constitution falls under Part IX. The Article 40 of the Indian Constitution falls under the Directive Principles of State Policy. In this, the Constitution directly states, that the State shall take necessary steps to organize village panchayats. Here are the major articles mentioned below that was mentioned by the Balwant Rai Mehta Committee report....

Features of the 73rd Amendment Act

Here are the major features of the 73rd Amendment Act of Indian Constitution, as mentioned below....

Exemptions Of 73rd Amendment Act

Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram, specific tribal areas, Manipur hill area, and Darjeeling district of West Bengal are exempted from the 73rd Amendment Act. Here are the reasons as mentioned below....

Importance of the 73rd Amendment

The 73rd Amendment Act introduced Panchayati Raj Institutions in the Indian Constitution. Due to so many reasons like irregular elections, disruptions, not enough representation of marginalized groups (Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and women), not giving them enough powers, and not having sufficient money. Here is the importance of 73rd Amendment Act as mentioned below....

Eleventh Schedule (Article 243G) – 73rd Amendment Act

According to Article 243G of the Constitution, State Legislatures may by law can give such powers and authority to Panchayats as may be necessary to enable them to function as institutions of self-government. It contains 29 subjects as mentioned below. These subjects are the backbone of the rural development, poverty alleviation, market, roads and drinking water, etc....

PESA Act – 1996

The Panchayats Act or PESA was enacted by the GoI. The main purpose of the Act is to save the tribal population from exploitation. It is also known as the extension act also. The PESA Act gives special powers to the Gram Sabhas those are present in Scheduled Areas. It empowers the Gram Sabhas to manage the natural resources of those Scheduled Areas. The Gram Sabhas have some certain powers like, the right to mandatory consultation in land acquisition, resettlement, and rehabilitation of displaced persons in those areas....

Summary – 73rd Amendment of Indian Constitution

The 73rd Amendment Act aimed to establish grassroots democracy. It granted authority to state governments to formalize gram panchayats, enabling them to function as self-governing units. This amendment introduced Part IX to the Constitution, titled “The Panchayats,” and incorporated the Eleventh Schedule, outlining 29 functional items for the panchayats. Additionally, it mandated a three-tier Panchayat system at the village, intermediate, and district levels in every state. The act also required reserving one-third of seats for women in Panchayati Raj institutions, including chairperson positions at all levels....

FAQs on 73rd Amendment of Indian Constitution

What is the 73rd Amendment of the Constitution?...