Bill to amend Panchayat Raj Act this week

Hyderabad: A bill to bring forth a new Panchayat Raj legislation would be introduced in the Assembly this week. The bill empowers the government to bring in reforms in the rural local bodies.  The bill brings in reforms in functions of Zilla Parishads, Mandal Parishads and Gram Panchayats. It also contains the powers of sarpanches, their responsibilities and accountability of Gram Panchayats to the residents of respective villages. 

The new Act would define the method of election to the sarpanches of the Panchayats. The government desires to introduce indirect method to elect sarpanches against the present system of direct election. It would also introduce elections in Panchayats on the party basis. 

The government wants to ensure the passage of the bill in this session so that new Gram Panchayats which come into existence from August would follow the new Act. The Telangana State Election Commission has begun the process of conducting elections to the ZPs, MPPs and GPs in May this year. 

Officials of the Panchayat Raj department said the bill has to be introduced and passed in this week as the session would end on March 27. Finance Minister Eatala Rajender in the budget speech said: “The new Panchayat Raj Act would ensure comprehensive development of villages.”

The Assembly will discuss the appropriation bill on March 27 and no other business would be possible on that day and the PR Bill has to be passed by March 25 (Though it is Sunday, it will be working day for the Assembly and March 26 will be a holiday for the Assembly on account of Srirama Navami). After the passage of the bill the new Act would come into force as soon as the Governor gives his assent. 

Officials informed that the enforcement of the new PR Act would be ensured in the first week of April so that the Panchayats could be organized according to the new regulations and the Election Commission could complete the election process. 

The new PR Act would give powers to the government to reduce the population criteria for creation of new Panchayats, to turn the Thandas (tribal hamlets) into Panchayats, merger of Panchayats with the nearby municipalities and corporations, removal of the Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency system and regulation of the functioning of rural local bodies.

The government has already taken up identification of the villages and Thandas which could be upgraded into Panchayats. The District Collectors have prepared the list of the villages which meet the criterion being prescribed in the new Panchayat Raj act. They have taken the recommendation of the MLAs into consideration in this regard. 

The ministers have also held meetings with the MLAs in the last week about the creation of new Panchayats and submitted proposals to the officials of the Panchayat Raj department.