LOCAL

SELF
GOVERN
MENT
 MEANING OF LOCAL SELF
GOVERNMENT:
Local Self-Governments are institutions that look after the administration of
an area or a small community such as a village, a town or a city.
Local Self-Government operates at the lowest level of society.
It works at the grassroot level, close to the people, touching their everyday
life.
Local Self-Government is the managementof local affairs by such local
bodies which have been elected by the local people.
These local bodies provide services to the local community as well as act as
an instrument of democratic self-government.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
The idea of local self government is a very old concept in India. It was at its peak
under the later Cholas or the Imperial Cholas of Tanjore.
There are historical records of references to local self government under
Mauryan administration.
Local self government existed throughout the country with its own diverse
characteristics of ancient India.
During the medieval period, local self governments had somewhat declined due
to the onslaught of feudalism.
It was revived during the British period in the last quarter of the 19th century,
with Western orientation of training in democracy with Lord Ripon's Resolution in
1882.
Lord Ripon was known as the 'Father of Local Government for laying the
foundationsof local self governments in modern times.
Under the Government of India Act, 1935 provincial autonomy was
introduced.
This Act came into force in 1937.
In the provinces where the Congress formed its Government, rural
development received special attention.
It was an essential part of Gandhi's programme that Panchayat Raj
institutions would be built from villages to the highest level.
After Independence, the Gandhian ideal of Grama Swaraj (Village Republic)
greatly influenced the constitution makers.
India being the land of villages, the creation of village panchayats became a
social movement.
Restoration of panchayats has become an article of faith during our freedom
struggle.
HISTORICAL ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF
LOCAL SELF GOVERNMENT IN TAMIL NADU
Tamil Nadu has a long history of local self-governance as
is evident from the Uthiramerur stone inscriptions of
Paranthaka Chola I, in Kanchipuram District. Village
republics, reached its peak during the reign of Cholas.
These Village Councils had effective links with the Chola
rulers. "Kuda Olai Murai" was the name of the secret
ballot method exercised to elect members to the Village
Councils. With the downfall of Cholas, the state
experienced a decline of the village autonomy and rise
of the centralized feudal administrative system. This
continued till British rules introduced local self-
governance primarily as an administrative convenience
for the colonial British Government.In the post
independence era, the first enactment in democratic
decentralization in the state was the Madras Village
Panchayats Act, 1950. Pursuant to the White Paper on
the 'Reform of Local Administration' in 1957, the Madras
Panchayats Act, 1958 and Madras District Development
 LORD RIPON

Lord Ripon was the one who gave Indians the first
taste of freedom by introducing the Local Self
Government in1882.Ripon took some steps
towardsliberalizing the administration in India.
Heformulated the local self government andmade it
clear that he was advocating for thedecentralization of
administration.
He tried to remove obstacles in the sphere of Local
Self government by his resolution of 1882. He led a
series of enactments Lord Ripon in which larger
powers of the local self- government were given to the
rural and urban bodies and the elected people
received wider rights.
LOCAL SELF GOVERNMENT
SINCE INDEPENDENCE :
The conceptualisation of the system oflocal self-government in India took
place through the formation and effort of four important committees from
the year 1957 to 1986.
The Community Development Programme (1952) and National Extension
Service (1953) became a basis for "The Great Charter on Panchayat Raj' in
1957.
The panchayatraj system was inagurated on October 2, in nugaur district of
Rajasthan by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
Salient Features of the 73rd and74th Constitution Amendment Acts
(1992):

•Panchayats and Municipalities will be 'institutions of self-government’.

•Grama Sabhas (Villages) and Ward Committees (Municipalities) comprising.
•Three-tier system of panchayats at village, taluk and district levels.
•Seats at all levels filled by direct elections.
•Seats reserved for chairpersons of the Panchayats at all levels also shall be
reserved in proportion to their population.
•One-third of the total number of seats reserved for women.
•Uniform five year term.
COMMITTEES AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Balwant Raj Mehta Committee(1957)
Three-tier Panchayati Raj system - gram panchayat at village level (direct
election), panchayat Samiti at the block level and Zila Parishad at the district
level (indirect election)
Ashok Mehta Committee(1977-1978)
Two-tier system and political parties should participate at all levels in the
elections.
G V K Rao Commitee (1985)
Appointed by the Planning Commission, the commitee concluded that the
developmental procedures were gradually being taken away from the local
self-government institutions, resulting in a system comparable to 'grass
without roots’.
L M Singhvi Commitee (1986)
73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts, 1992.
Salient Features of the Tamil Nadu Panchayat Raj Act, 1994:

The New Panchayati Raj System came into being in Tamil Nadu after the
enactment of a new law for local body institutions in the year 1994.
The salient features of the new Act are as follows:
(a) A three-tier system.
(b) Gram Sabha .
(c) Establishment of Election Commission .
(d) Constitution of Finance Commission .
(e) Reservation of seats for SC/ST's proportionate to their population.
(f) One third reservation of seats for women .
(g) Constitution of District Planning Committees.
VILLAGE PANCHAYAT:
Local governments which are function in villages are called Village
Panchayats.
The President and ward members are directly elected by the people.
(Those who have attained the age above 18 to contest in the election one
must have attained the age of 21 years) and their term of office is five years.
District Collector act as the Inspector of Village Panchayat.
Village Panchayats are constituted in each and every village wherever the
population is above 500.
Functions of the Village Panchayat

•Supply of drinking water

•Maintenance of street lights
•Maintenance of roads
•Maintenance of village libraries
•Maintenance of small bridges
•Granting permission to the housing plots
•Maintenance of drainage
•Construction of group houses
•Cleaning of streets
•Maintenance of burial grounds
•Maintenance of common lavatory facilities
Voluntary Functions

According to the Tamil Nadu Local Government Act passed in 1994, the
following functions to be performed as voluntary functions by the local
governments.

•Maintenance of street lights in the villages

•Maintenance of markets and fairs
•Implantation of trees
•Maintenance of play grounds
•Maintenance of parking vehicles, slaughter houses and cattle sheds
•Control over places of exhibition
Revenue
Village Panchayat was the only local government which was empowered to
levy taxes in the three-tier system of Village Panchayat.

Taxes
• Property Tax
• Professional Tax
• House Tax
•Taxes for connection of drinking water
• Land TaxTaxes levied on shops
Meeting of Gram Sabha
In each and every village, the people living within its jurisdiction will be the
members of Panchayat.
The President of the Panchayat will preside over its meetings.
In the meeting of the Grama Sabha, the income and expenditure and the
beneficiary of the schemes in the village are discussed.

Meetings of the Grama Sabha are conducted six times a year:

1. January 26 – Republic Day
2. May 1 – Labourer Day
3. August 15 – Independence Day
4. October 2 – Gandhi Jayanthi
5. November 1 – Local Governance Day
6. March 22 – World Water Day
Panchayat Union
Panchayat union is formed by grouping of villages.
Members of the Panchayat Union are directly elected by the people.
The chairman of Panchayat union is chosen from among the members.
Functionas of the Panchayat Union
•Supply of drinking water
•Maintenance of Village Health Centres
•Maintenance of roads
•Establishment of Maternity Homes
•Establishment of Public fairs
•Establishment of Veterinary hospitals
•Maintenance of Social forests
•Repairing of Primary School buildings

The district collector, Planning officer, concerned Block Development Officer

are empowered to supervise the developmental functions of the Panchayat
Union.
District Panchayat
A District Panchayat is constituted in each district.
One district Panchayat is constituted for every 50,000 people and the ward
members are directly elected by the people.
The Chairman is elected from one among its members and their term is 5
years.

Functions of District Panchayat

•Advising the government about the developmental schemes of the Village
Panchayat and Panchayat Union.
•Supervising the functions of District Planning Commission.
GANDHI'S CONCEPT OF
GRAM SWARAJ
Gandhi really wanted 'Swaraj, the self rule by
the people of India who represent the rural mass.
He observed 'India's soul lives in the village'. He
dreamt of village republics in terms of Panchayat in
free India.Mahatma Gandhi advocated Panchayat
Raj, a decentralized form of government, where
each village is responsible for its own affairs, as the
foundation of India's political system.In simpler
words, Gandhi's ideal village should be basically
self-reliant, making provision for all necessities of
life-food clothing, clean water, sanitation, housing,
education, and other requirements, including
government and self-defense..
URBAN LOCAL
GOVERNMENT

Town Panchayat Corporation

Municipality
Town Panchayat
The area where more than 10,000 people live is called a Town Panchayat.
Members and President of the town Panchayat are directly elected by the
people.
There is an Executive Officer to look after the administration of the Town
Panchayat and their term of office is 5 years and he is appointed by the
government.

Municipality
The area where more than 1,00,000 people live is called a Municipality.
The Members and the Chairman of the Municipalities are directly elected by
the people and their term of office is five years.
A Municipal Commissioner is appointed by the government to administer
the Municipality.
Corporation
Municipal corporations are established in big cities where the city has many
lakhs of population.
The Municipal Commissioner is the Administrative Officer.
The Mayor is the Chairman of the corporation.
The term of office of the Mayor and other members is five years.
In Tamil Nadu, there are 21 Corporations. They are in Chennai, Kovai,
Madurai, Trichy, Tirunelveli, Salem, Erode, Vellore, Tuticorin, Tirupur, Tanjore,
Dindigul, Nagarkoil, Hosur, Avadi, Tambaram, Kanchipuram, Karur,
Kumbakonam, Cuddalore and Sivakasi.
The Municipal Commissioner will be a person from the Indian Administrative
Service (IAS).
All the decisions of the Corporation Council will be implemented by him.
He will be assisted by the office of the corporation.
Important functions of the Mayor
•He acts as a bridge between the members of the corporation and the government
•He presides over the meetings of the Corporation Council
•He receives the dignitaries from foreigncountries
Types of other Urban Panchayats
•Notified Area Committee •Town Area Committee
•Cantonment Board •Township
• Port Trust •Special Purpose Agency
Elections to the local government in Tamil Nadu
The State Election Commission conducts the elections to the local government like
general elections.
The electoral roll is prepared ward wise.
Seats are reserved for the SC & ST and also for the women in proportion to the
population by rotation basis.
Problems and Challenges facing the Local Self Governments
Local self governments are the crucial basis for our democracy.
The Constitutional status of local self governments adds more significance to
their functioning.
There are, however, a few critical concerns in the working of local self
governments in India.
Major problems and challenges may be mentioned as below:
•Lack of clear demarcation of powers and functions of local bodies.
•Allocation of funds and needs assessment are not matched.
•Role of caste, class and religion in decision-making at the local self
governments.
•Poor accountability of elected membersand officials at the grassroot levels
of democracy.