Question

A Panchayat Samiti at the block level in India is only a/an
1. Advisory Body
2. Consultative Committee
3. Co-ordinating and Supervisory Authority
4. Administrative Authority
5. None of the above/More than one of the above

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 3 : Co-ordinating and Supervisory Authority

The correct answer is Co-ordinating and Supervisory Authority.

• A Panchayat Samiti at the block level in India is only a Coordinating and Supervisory Authority.
• The Panchayat Samiti is the link between the Gram Panchayat and
  the district administration. 
• Panchayat Samiti:
  • Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) is a system of rural local self-government in India.
  • Local Self Government is the management of local affairs by such local bodies who have been elected by the local people.
  • PRI was constitutionalized through the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 to build democracy at the grassroots level and was entrusted with the task of rural development in the country.
  • In its present form and structure, PRI has completed 26 years of existence.
  • However, a lot remains to be done in order to further decentralization and strengthen democracy at the grass-root level.

• Panchayati Raj System in India:
  • Panchayati Raj the system of local governments in India, is one of the most challenging topics when it comes to institutional change, a quintessential issue that underpins politics in changing societies.
  • In the Indian case the period from independence in 1947 to the 73rd Amendment Act in 1992, which unified the relevant legislation, is a case in point.
  • It is, for serving as the empirical foil to my work on Evolutionary Institutionalism (EI), highly interesting.
  • This thesis builds on these assumptions to trace the evolution of Panchayati Raj between 1947 and 1992.
  • This is done by categorising institutions as morphological (institutions of the form) and physiological (institutions of function).
  •  Taking four Indian States as examples, the comparison of morphological and physiological institutions in Panchayati Raj legislations in these States over time can reveal their relationships over time and facilitates the identification of evolutionary processes.
  • The various legislations will also be put into relation with their contemporary environments, socio-political and natural, and the ideational developments regarding Panchayati Raj in form of government committee reports on the subject.