Panchayati Raj (Art 243) — Set 8

Correct Answer: B. A process by which Gram Sabha reviews and verifies the work done and expenditure by Panchayats

Social Audit in Panchayati Raj is a process by which the Gram Sabha (all voters) reviews and validates the work done, money spent, and employment provided by the Panchayat. MGNREGA specifically requires social audits. Social audits empower citizens to hold their elected representatives accountable and expose corruption and misuse of public funds.

Correct Answer: B. A village-level court to resolve minor disputes

A Nyaya Panchayat (or Gram Nyayalaya) is a village court established to resolve minor civil and criminal disputes at the grassroots level. The Gram Nyayalayas Act 2008 was enacted to establish Gram Nyayalayas at the intermediate level of Panchayats (block level). They have jurisdiction over specified petty offences and civil disputes.

Correct Answer: B. Continue for one year unless sooner superseded

Article 243N provides that notwithstanding anything in this Part, any provision of any law relating to Panchayats in force in a state immediately before the commencement of the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992, which is inconsistent with the provisions of this Part, shall continue to be in force until amended or repealed by a competent Legislature or until the expiration of one year from such commencement, whichever is earlier. This constitutional provision under Article 243N is an essential part of the Indian constitutional framework The power to amend the Constitution is a special power that cannot be used to destroy its basic structure. The Supreme Court in Kesavananda Bharati case (1973) held that the basic structure of the Constitution cannot be amended by Parliament.

Correct Answer: B. Panchayat Samiti / Block Panchayat / Mandal Parishad

The intermediate level Panchayat is known by different names in different states. In Maharashtra, it is called Panchayat Samiti; in Andhra Pradesh, it is Mandal Praja Parishad; in Karnataka, it is Taluk Panchayat; in West Bengal, it is Panchayat Samiti; in Rajasthan, it is Panchayat Samiti. The 73rd Amendment allows states to determine the name.

Correct Answer: B. They are disqualified under any law made by the State Legislature, minimum age usually being 21

Article 243F provides that a person shall be disqualified for being chosen as, and for being, a member of a Panchayat, if he is so disqualified under any law for the time being in force for the purposes of elections to the Legislature of the State concerned. State laws may specify the minimum age (usually 21) and other disqualifications for Panchayat membership. Understanding this constitutional provision is essential for competitive examinations and civic awareness.

Correct Answer: C. 29

The Eleventh Schedule (added by the 73rd Amendment, 1992) contains 29 functions that the state legislature may transfer to Panchayats. These include: agriculture, land improvement, irrigation, animal husbandry, fisheries, social forestry, small-scale industries, khadi, village industries, rural housing, roads, fuel and fodder, education, technical training, adult education, libraries, cultural activities, markets, health, family welfare, and poverty alleviation. Understanding this constitutional provision is essential for competitive examinations and civic awareness.

Correct Answer: B. Decentralisation and strengthening of grassroots democracy

The Panchayati Raj provisions (73rd Amendment, 1992) represent the constitutional embodiment of the philosophy of decentralization and grassroots democracy. They operationalize the Directive Principle in Article 40 (organization of village Panchayats) and Mahatma Gandhi's vision of Gram Swaraj (village self-rule). The aim is to bring government closer to people at the grassroots level.

Correct Answer: C. Balwant Rai Mehta Committee's report (1957)

The concept of 'Democratic Decentralisation' was first formally articulated and popularized in India by the Balwant Rai Mehta Committee (1957), which recommended a three-tier Panchayati Raj system as the best way to implement rural development and community development programs. The committee coined the term 'democratic decentralization' for this approach. Understanding this constitutional provision is essential for competitive examinations and civic awareness.

Correct Answer: B. Organise Village Panchayats and endow them with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as units of self-government

Article 40 (DPSP) directs the State to take steps to organise village Panchayats and endow them with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as units of self-government. This Directive Principle formed the constitutional basis for Panchayati Raj before the 73rd Amendment formally constitutionalized it. Understanding this constitutional provision is essential for competitive examinations and civic awareness.

Correct Answer: B. Article 243O

Article 243O bars courts from interfering in electoral matters related to Panchayats. It provides that notwithstanding anything in the Constitution, the validity of any law relating to the delimitation of constituencies or the allotment of seats shall not be called in question in any court. Election petitions can only be heard after elections are over and only by such authority as may be provided by the state law.