Question

Write a short note on the 73rd Constitution Amendment Act.

Answer 1

The 73rd Constitutional Amendment, 1992 is an endeavour to ensure grass-roots democracy or decentralized governance. The Act provides constitutional status to the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). It is necessary now for local self-government bodies in rural and municipal areas to be elected every five years. Moreover, the control of local resources is given to the elected local bodies. The 73rd and 74th amendments to the Constitution ensured reservation of one-third of the total seats for women in all elected offices of local bodies in the rural as well as urban areas. Out of these, 17% of seats are reserved for women belonging to the scheduled castes and tribes.

The amendment is important as it forms the first-time decision-making powers that are bestowed to the women. One-third of the seats in local bodies, gram panchayats, village panchayats, municipalities, city corporations, and district boards are reserved for women. The amendment also prescribes a three-tier system of local self-governance for the entire country, effective since 1992-93, viz. Gram Panchayat (at village level), Mandal Parishad or Block Samiti or Panchayat Samiti (at block level), and Zila Parishad (at district level).