Three Tier PR Structure
Revenue & Panchayati Raj · तीन स्तरीय पंचायती राज · 18 facts
Tier 1 — Gram Panchayat: Village level; elected Gram Pradhan (Sarpanch) heads it; handles village sanitation, drinking water, internal roads, street lights.
Tier 2 — Panchayat Samiti/Block Panchayat/Taluka Panchayat: Intermediate level; BDO (Block Development Officer) is the government officer; elected Pradhan/Adhyaksha heads.
Tier 3 — Zila Parishad/District Panchayat: District level; elected Adhyaksha (President/Chairperson) heads; CEO/DPC is government officer; coordinates district rural development.
Gram Pradhan/Sarpanch: Elected head of Gram Panchayat; directly elected by voters of village; 5-year term; can be removed by no-confidence motion.
Panchayat Secretary: Government-appointed staff member (not elected); maintains accounts, conducts Gram Sabha meetings, processes documents for GP.
Ward Member (Panch): Elected representatives from each ward of the village; form the Gram Panchayat along with Gram Pradhan.
Not applicable in Delhi: Panchayati Raj does not apply to Delhi; it has Urban Local Bodies instead; NCT of Delhi has Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
Not applicable in NE tribal areas: States of Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram exempted under 6th Schedule provisions; have their own traditional governance systems.
Intermediate tier (Tier 2) exempted in small states: Goa, Sikkim, Manipur and other states with less than 20 lakh population need not have intermediate tier.
Panchayat Area: Village panchayat covers one or more villages; average GP serves population of 2,000-5,000; India has 2,60,000+ Gram Panchayats.
MGNREGS at Panchayat level: Gram Panchayats implement MGNREGS; Gram Sabha approves work list; GP is the implementing agency for rural employment.
Finance Devolution to PRIs: 15th Finance Commission recommended Rs 4.36 lakh crore to local bodies (2021-26); PRIs get larger untied grants now.
GP Account: Gram Panchayat has its own bank account; 14th and 15th Finance Commission grants credited directly; GPs required to prepare and publish budget.
Social Audit: Gram Sabha reviews accounts of MGNREGS, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY-G), other schemes; citizens can raise objections publicly.
Panchayat Raj Ministry: Ministry of Panchayati Raj in Government of India; manages PR schemes, training, legal reforms; National Panchayat Award given annually.
e-Gram Swaraj: Single digital platform for all panchayat activities — planning, accounting, audit, reporting; ensures real-time fund tracking.
PR Elections and Supreme Court: Supreme Court ruled that reservation for OBC in PR cannot exceed 50% along with SC/ST reservation; triple test needed.
Panchayat Raj in practice: Despite legal provisions, real power (funds, functions, functionaries) still not fully devolved in most states; governance capacity low.