Detailed Notes on Local Self-Governments (Local Bodies)

Detailed Notes on Local Self-Governments

1. Introduction

The lecture begins with an introduction to the topic of local self-governments, also known as local bodies. The speaker sets the context for understanding their importance and how they will be discussed.

The speaker indicates that, for the Group-2 level, one could expect around 4-5 marks from the topic of local bodies, and in any other exams around 1-2 marks could be expected.

2. What are Local Self-Governments?

Definition: Local self-governments are institutions established to address the needs and requirements of a specific local area. They are also referred as local bodies or local governments.

3. Types of Local Self-Governments

There are broadly two categories of local self-governments in India.

1. Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs): These govern rural areas.
2. Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) or Municipalities: These govern urban areas.

4. Three-Tier Structure of PRIs

Panchayati Raj Institutions are structured in a three-tier system:

• Gram Panchayat: At the village level.
• Mandal Parishad (also called Block or Samiti): At the intermediate (block/mandal) level.
• Zilla Parishad: At the district level.

5. Structure of Urban Local Bodies

Urban Local Bodies also have a three-tier system (though the specifics can vary by state):

• Nagar Panchayat
• Municipality
• Municipal Corporation

6. Benefits of Local Self-Governments

Establishing Local bodies have a lot of benefits. They are as follows:

1. Decentralization of Administration (Democratic Decentralization): Power, funds, and functions are transferred from higher levels of government (central/state) to local levels. This gives local communities more control over their affairs.

   • The 7th Schedule of the Indian constitution deals with the distribution of powers. There are 98 subjects in the union list, 59 in the state list and 52 in the concurrent list.

2. People's Participation in Governance: Local bodies provide a platform for direct participation of citizens in decision-making and administration. This increases engagement and responsiveness.

3. Easy Access to Government Schemes: Local bodies facilitate easier access to government schemes and programs for the people. The example of the village secretariat system in Andhra Pradesh is cited, where services like ration are delivered directly to homes.

4. Leadership training: They also act as the training grounds for leadership at local levels.

5. Representation for Certain Groups: Local bodies provide representation for various sections of society, including Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), Backward Classes (BCs), and women, through reservations.

   • Reservation for SCs and STs are based on their proportion of the total population.
   • The reservation for BCs is set by the state legislatures.
   • A minimum of 1/3rd of the seats are reserved for women.

6. Utilization of local resources: They help to estimate and utilise local resources for better planning and development.

7. Act as a bridge between the government and the public: People communicate their problems to the gram panchayat, which in turn informs the government about them.

8. Reduce workload on higher levels of government: By distributing powers, funds and functionalities, they tend to reduce the burden of the higher governments

7.Constitutional Provisions and Committee recommendations

The audio file mentions that one has to learn about the constitutional provisions and recommendations from various committees, in order to score good marks in this topic. Some of the committees mentioned include:

Balwant Rai Mehta Committee, Ashok Mehta Committee, Dantwala Committee, CH Hanumantha Rao Committee, GVK Rao Committee(1985), and LM Singhvi Committee(1986), PK Thungan Committee(1988).