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 |
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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. |
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Seat reservations for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes and Women. |
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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. |
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Powers on 29 items that are clarified by Schedule 11. |
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State Election Commission and Finance Commission for election management. |
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Resource allocation. |
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Importance |
Addition of eleventh schedule. (Discussed Below) |
Addition of part IX to the Indian Constitution. |
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Empowerment of State governments to reframe the DPSP. |
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Establishment of the important democratic institutions at the grassroots level. |
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Shift to a participatory democracy. |
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Seat reservations for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes and Women. |
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Challenges |
Powers to lower levels at the state legislatures’ discretion. |
Lack of resources. |
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Inadequate funds from Finance Commissions. |
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Still practicing of “Sarpanch Pati” culture in some locations. |
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Infrastructure issues. |
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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.
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