Panchayati Raj Law in Karnataka: Janata Initiative in Decentralisation

The Karnataka Panchayats Bill is clearly not revolutionary; what is important about the Bill is its context. Ever since the Karnataka Village Panchayats and Local Boards Act 1959 came into being, successive governments have been either unable or unwilling to even amend that Act - let alone anything...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Economic and political weekly 1984-04, Vol.19 (16), p.683-692
Main Author: Chandrashekar, B. K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Committees
Criminal procedures
Criminals
Jurisdiction
Nyaya
Political candidates
Self determination
Special Articles
Standing committees
Villages
Voting
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Summary:The Karnataka Panchayats Bill is clearly not revolutionary; what is important about the Bill is its context. Ever since the Karnataka Village Panchayats and Local Boards Act 1959 came into being, successive governments have been either unable or unwilling to even amend that Act - let alone anything more drastic - so as to confer real powers and resources on panchayati raj institutions at different tiers. Following the report of the Kondaji Basappa Committee in 1963, a Bill was introduced in 1964 to establish a three-tier structure. The Bill was referred to a joint select committee of the Legislature. The select committee enthusiastically recommended enhanced powers for the panchayati raj institutions, but nothing came out of it since the then government and the ruling party were not prepared for such an experiment. The Janata government has now displayed some political will in actually coming up with a proposal. This paper attempts a review of the lengthy Bill, consisting of fifteen chapters and over three hundred clauses.
ISSN:0012-9976
2349-8846