Panchayat Raj in Maharashtra has its own progression path. It was among the first few states to implement the Balwantrai Mehta Committee recommendation of establishing a three-tier Panchayat Raj structure. It constituted a committee on the subject in 1961 under the chairmanship of the then revenue minister Vasantrao Naik. Maharashtra already had the Mumbai Gram Panchayat Act, 1958 for governing Gram Panchayats. However, on the basis of recommendations of the Vasantrao Naik Committee report, the State enacted the Maharashtra Panchayat Samiti and Zilla Parishad Act, 1961. Consequently, the three-tier Panchayat Raj system was established and became functional in the State on 1st May, 1962.
The Maharashtra government constituted several committees in the following decades to improve the functioning of the Panchayat Raj and strengthen PRIS. In 1970, the LN Bongirwar Committee was formed to evaluate the functioning of PRIS. The committee stressed the need of strengthening PRIs financially and provide more autonomy to them in planning. One of the main recommendations of the committee was the constitution of District Planning and Development Boards. Such boards were established in 1972 and began formulating district level plans from 1974. Similarly, the P B Patil Committee was constituted for the evaluation of the Panchayat Raj system in 1984. The committee emphasised involving people and gave 184 recommendations for reforming the system and enabling greater participation. Despite all these efforts, PRIS in Maharashtra were weak and the 73rd Amendment was as much necessary as the rest of the country to infuse real life into them.
Key words: PANCHAYATI , SYSTEM , MAHARASHTRA
|
