winners Local Bodies - British Period

Local Bodies (స్థానిక సంస్థలు)

British Period (బ్రిటిష్ వాళ్ళ కాలం)

This section discusses the history of Panchayati Raj institutions (Local Bodies) during the British rule in India.

1. 1687: The British established the Madras Municipal Corporation (మద్రాస్ మున్సిపాల్ కార్పొరేషన్). This was the *first* municipal corporation in India. It was created primarily to provide services to foreign traders, not for the benefit of the Indian population.
2. 1772: Bengal Governor Warren Hastings (వారెన్ హేస్టింగ్స్) introduced the Collector System (కలెక్టర్ వ్యవస్థ). The main purpose of the Collector system at this time was tax collection (పన్ను వసూలు).
3. Charter Act of 1813 (1813 చార్టర్ చట్టం): This act granted local bodies the power to levy taxes (పన్నులు వేసే అవకాశం). This was the first time local bodies were given this authority.
4. 1870: Lord Mayo (లార్డ్ మేయో), the then Viceroy of India, proposed a resolution for financial decentralization (ఆర్థిక వికేంద్రీకరణ) to provide financial resources to local bodies. However, this resolution was not implemented because Lord Mayo was assassinated.
5. 1882: Lord Ripon (లార్డ్ రిప్పన్), the then Viceroy, proposed and established a three-tier Panchayati Raj system (మూడంచెల పంచాయతీరాజ్ వ్యవస్థ). This system included:

   • Gram Panchayat (గ్రామ పంచాయతీ) at the village level.
   • Mandal Parishad (మండల పరిషత్) at the block/mandal level.
   • Zilla Parishad (జిల్లా పరిషత్) at the district level.

   Because of this, Lord Ripon is considered the "Father of Local Self-Government in India" (భారతదేశంలో స్థానిక సంస్థల పితామహుడు).
6. 1907: Royal Commission (రాయల్ కమిషన్): The British government appointed the Royal Commission, chaired by Charles Hobhouse (చార్లెస్ హబ్ హౌస్), to study and recommend improvements to the Panchayati Raj system.

   The key recommendations were:

   • Direct election of representatives (ప్రతినిధులు) of Panchayati Raj institutions by the people.
   • Transfer of primary education (ప్రాథమిక విద్య) management to local bodies.
7. Montagu-Chelmsford Reforms, 1919 (మాంటేగ్ చెమ్స్‌ఫార్డ్ సంస్కరణలు) also known as Council Act 1909.

   • Local bodies were placed in the transferred list (ట్రాన్స్ఫర్డ్ లిస్ట్) of the state list (రాష్ట్ర జాబితా). This meant that the responsibility for local bodies was given to ministers in the provinces who were accountable to the legislative councils.
8. Government of India Act, 1935 (భారత ప్రభుత్వ చట్టం): This act placed local bodies entirely within the state list (రాష్ట్ర జాబితా). This further strengthened the provincial autonomy over local governance.