winners Local Bodies - Committees and Recommendations (Continued)

Committees and Recommendations (Continued)

• L.M. Singhvi Committee (ఎల్.ఎం.సింఘ్వి కమిటీ) - 1986

  • Formed by Rajiv Gandhi government.
  • Focus: Revitalization of Panchayati Raj institutions for democracy and development.

  Key Recommendations:

  1. Constitutional status for local bodies.
  2. Establishment of Nyaya Panchayats for clusters of villages.
  3. Establishment of a State Election Commission for local body elections.
  4. Local bodies should be given constitutional status.

• P.K. Thungon Committee (పి.కె.తుంగన్ కమిటీ) - 1988

  • Formed by the Parliamentary Consultative Committee on Rural Development.
  • Focus: To examine the report of the L.M. Singhvi Committee and to suggest measures for providing constitutional status to local bodies.

  Key Recommendations:

  • Constitutional status for local bodies.

• Rajiv Gandhi Government

  • 64th Constitutional Amendment Bill: Introduced in 1989 to grant constitutional status to Panchayati Raj institutions. Passed in the Lok Sabha but rejected by the Rajya Sabha.
  • 65th Constitutional Amendment Bill: Introduced in 1989 to grant constitutional status to urban local bodies. This bill was also effectively stalled due to the dissolution of the Lok Sabha.

• V.P. Singh Government

  • Introduced the 70th Constitutional Amendment Bill to grant constitutional status to both Panchayati Raj and urban local bodies. The bill was not passed.

• P.V. Narasimha Rao Government

  • 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act: Finally provided constitutional status to Panchayati Raj institutions. It added Part IX and the 11th Schedule to the Constitution, covering Articles 243 to 243O.
  • 74th Constitutional Amendment Act: Provided constitutional status to urban local bodies.
  • These bills were passed by the Lok Sabha on December 22, 1992, and by the Rajya Sabha on December 23, 1992. The President gave assent on April 20, 1993.
  • The 73rd Amendment came into force on April 24, 1993, and the 74th Amendment on June 1, 1993. April 24th is celebrated as National Panchayati Raj Day.
  • The 11th Schedule lists 29 subjects over which Panchayati Raj institutions have legislative power.

• Committees that were discussed

  1. Balwant Rai Mehta Committee
  2. Ashok Mehta Committee
  3. Dantwala Committee
  4. C.H. Hanumantha Rao Committee
  5. G.V.K. Rao Committee
  6. L.M. Singhvi Committee
  7. P.K. Thungon Committee