winners local bodies 2

Local Bodies (స్థానిక సంస్థలు)

Features of Local Bodies (లక్షణాలు)

1. In countries following a unitary form of government (ఏక కేంద్ర ప్రభుత్వ విధానం), the central government establishes local bodies. In countries with a federal system (సమఖ్య తరహా ప్రభుత్వ విధానం), state governments establish them.
2. Even if state governments are dissolved, local bodies continue to function. Therefore, they are sometimes called "government within the government" or "Imperia in Imperium".
3. Local bodies' functions are limited to specific geographical areas.

Historical Background (చరిత్ర)

The history of local bodies can be broadly divided into two periods:

1. Before Independence (స్వతంత్రానికి పూర్వం)
2. After Independence (స్వతంత్రం వచ్చిన తర్వాత)

Before Independence

This period can be further categorized as follows:

1. Ancient Period (ప్రాచీన కాలం)

• Rigvedic Period: The Rigveda mentions assemblies called "Sabha" (సభ) and "Samiti" (సమితి), which functioned as local bodies and managed local administration. Voters (వయోజనులు) elected Samiti members, who in turn elected Sabha members. The head of the Sabha was called "Rajen" (రాజన్) or "Raju" (రాజు).
• Indus Valley Civilization: The main feature of the Indus Valley Civilization was its urban planning (నగర ప్రణాళిక). They had features like well-planned cities, underground drainage, and swimming pools.
• Kautilya's Arthashastra: Kautilya's Arthashastra describes local bodies. He states the people in those areas used to pay the taxes without any delay. He mentioned that were 2 types of courts. They are

  1. Dharmasthiya (ధర్మస్థియ): Dealt with Civil Cases.
  2. Kantaka Shodhana (కంటక శోధన): Dealt with Criminal Cases.
• Chandragupta Maurya's Time: During the reign of Chandragupta Maurya, his ambassador Megasthenes (మెగస్తనీస్) wrote the book "Indica" (ఇండికా). In this book, he described the city planning of Pataliputra (పాటలీపుత్ర).

  Megasthenes wrote that Pataliputra was administered by six committees, each with five members (Panchas - పంచాస్).

• Kamandakudu's Neetisaram (కామాంధకుడు - నీతిసారం): Kamandakudu, in his book "Neetisaram," also mentions local bodies. He describes how fathers would give their daughters in marriage to men who were part of local bodies, signifying their importance.
• Chola Period (చోళుల కాలం): Considered a golden age (స్వర్ణ యుగం) for local bodies. The Uttaramerur (ఉత్తర మేరూర్) inscription of Parantaka I (మొదటి పరాంతక చోళుడు) provides details about the local bodies. It mentions that representatives were elected through a secret system (రహస్య విధానం) using pots (కుండలు) as ballot boxes (బ్యాలెట్ బాక్సులు) and palm leaves (తాటేకుల) as ballot papers.

2. Medieval Period (మధ్య యుగం)

• Ruled by Delhi Sultans and Mughals. They were foreigners.
• Kotwal and Munsab: These two positions were officials. These two are non-Indians. they gave more importance to collecting revenue than administering.

3.British Period

This will be discussed in next video