Standing Committee on Rural Development & Panchayati Raj released Report on Implementation of Constitution 73rd Amendment Act which gave constitutional status to Panchayati Raj system in India.
Status of implementation of 73rd Amendment
- In terms of Article 243B of the Constitution, all the States & UTs, covered under Part-IX of the Constitution, have set up the three-tier Panchayati Raj system in their respective State/UT.
- Women empowerment: Although Article 243D provides one-third reservation in PRIs for women, 21 States and 2 UTs have made provisions of 50% reservation.
- Devolution of powers: It has increased from 39.9% to 43.9% between 2013-14 - 2021-22.
- State Finance Commission (SFCs): Out of 28 States, 25 States (Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland are not covered under Part-IX) to comply with the Constitution.
Issues and Recommendations by Committee
| Features | Issues | Recommendation |
| Gram Sabhas | Gram Sabha meetings are becoming ceremonial and public participation has declined | Awareness campaigns, use of digital platforms |
| Women representatives | Reports of proxy representation by male family members | Specialised capacity-building programmes and mentoring mechanisms involving experienced women representatives and Self Help Groups |
| Financial empowerment | Panchayats continue to depend predominantly upon external transfers | Formulate Strategy for strengthening own revenues; promote fiscal decentralisation, timely constitution of State FCs and performance-based incentives. |
| Human resources | Absence of dedicated Panchayat cadres and frequent conflicts among representatives and officials. | Encourage creation of dedicated Panchayat cadres and provision of one Secretary for a Gram Panchayat. |
