Panchayati Raj in Maharashtra

On 1 May 1962, exactly two years after Maharashtra was formed, the state launched its three-tier Panchayati Raj system. Where many states treated Panchayati Raj as a formality, Maharashtra gave its Zilla Parishads real funds, staff and responsibilities. Three decades later, the 73rd Constitutional Amendment (1992) made Panchayati Raj a constitutional requirement across India. For MPSC, you need both the Maharashtra story and the constitutional framework.

A brief history

The three tiers

The Gram Panchayat

• Members are elected directly by voters of the village.
• The Sarpanch heads the Gram Panchayat. Maharashtra has alternated between electing the Sarpanch directly by voters and indirectly by members; the method has been changed by the state more than once. Check the current rule.
• Functions: village roads, water supply, sanitation, street lights, local development works, and implementation of schemes.
• Revenue: house tax, water tax, other local taxes; grants from the state and Union (including Finance Commission grants).

The Gram Sabha

• Consists of all registered voters of the village.
• Must meet regularly; Maharashtra's law requires a minimum number of meetings each year, including meetings around specific dates such as 26 January, 1 May, 15 August and 2 October.
• Approves plans, selects beneficiaries for schemes, conducts social audits, and reviews the Gram Panchayat's work.
• Mahila Sabhas (women's meetings) are held before the Gram Sabha in Maharashtra to encourage women's participation.

The Panchayat Samiti

• Members are elected directly from electoral divisions within the block.
• Coordinates development in the block, supervises Gram Panchayats and implements schemes.
• Its administrative head, the BDO, is an officer of the state government.

The Zilla Parishad

• Members (councillors) are elected directly from electoral divisions of the district; the chairpersons of Panchayat Samitis are also members.
• Subject committees (such as education, health, agriculture, women and child welfare, social welfare, works, finance) run different departments.
• Standing committee coordinates.
• Functions: primary education, primary health centres, rural water supply, rural roads, agriculture extension, animal husbandry, social welfare.
• Its CEO is the administrative head, with deputy CEOs heading departments.

The 73rd Amendment in Maharashtra

The 73rd Amendment (Part IX, Articles 243–243O, and the Eleventh Schedule with 29 subjects) requires:

• a three-tier system in states with a population over 20 lakh;
• direct elections to all seats;
• reservation for SCs and STs in proportion to their population, and not less than one-third of seats for women (Maharashtra provides 50 per cent reservation for women in local bodies);
• a five-year term, with elections before expiry;
• a State Election Commission (Article 243K) to conduct elections;
• a State Finance Commission every five years (Article 243I);
• the Gram Sabha (Article 243A).

Reservation for OBCs

Maharashtra has provided reservation for Other Backward Classes in local bodies. In 2021, the Supreme Court held that OBC reservation in local bodies must satisfy the "triple test":

1. a dedicated commission to study the nature and implications of backwardness in local bodies;
2. specifying the proportion of reservation based on that commission's findings;
3. total reservation for SC, ST and OBC not exceeding 50 per cent.

This led to delays in local body elections in Maharashtra while a dedicated commission collected empirical data.

PESA in Maharashtra

In Scheduled Areas (tribal areas under the Fifth Schedule), the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA) gives Gram Sabhas special powers over:

• minor forest produce;
• land acquisition (consultation);
• minor water bodies and minor minerals;
• village markets, moneylending and intoxicants.

Maharashtra framed PESA rules in 2014, and has provided that a share of tribal development funds (the 5 per cent direct fund to PESA Gram Panchayats) goes directly to them. See our guide on tribal areas and PESA in Maharashtra.

Issues

Models from Maharashtra

• Ralegan Siddhi and Hiware Bazar — village-level transformation through Gram Sabha action.
• Mendha–Lekha (Gadchiroli) — community forest rights and Gram Sabha self-rule.
• Adarsh Gaon Yojana — the state's model village scheme.

Practice

Prelims-style:

1. When was Panchayati Raj introduced in Maharashtra?
2. Which committee recommended the Zilla Parishad as the key unit in Maharashtra?
3. Who is the administrative head of the Panchayat Samiti?
4. What percentage of local body seats are reserved for women in Maharashtra?
5. What is the "triple test"?

Mains-style:

• "Maharashtra's Panchayati Raj was a pioneer, but devolution remains incomplete." Discuss.
• Examine the role of the Gram Sabha in strengthening grassroots democracy, with examples from Maharashtra.