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RAS question

Consider the following statements about the Block Development Officer (BDO) in Rajasthan: 1. The BDO is the administrative head of the Panchayat Samiti. 2. The BDO is appointed by the State Government and is drawn from a State Service or a State Government post. 3. The BDO acts as the secretary of the Panchayat Samiti. 4. The BDO is answerable only to the Zila Pramukh of the Zila Parishad. Which of the above are correct?

Correct answer: (A) 1, 2 and 3 only.

In Rajasthan, the Block Development Officer, legally referred to as the Vikas Adhikari, is the administrative and executive officer of the Panchayat Samiti, is appointed by the State Government from a State Service or State Government post, and functions as the Panchayat Samiti's secretary.

  1. (A)

    1, 2 and 3 only

  2. (B)

    1 and 4 only

  3. (C)

    2, 3 and 4 only

  4. (D)

    All four statements are correct

Explanation

The correct set is statements 1, 2 and 3. The Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act, 1994 uses the term Vikas Adhikari for the BDO. Section 79 says the State Government appoints a Vikas Adhikari for each Panchayat Samiti, and that such officers are either encadred in a State Service or hold posts under the State Government, while being on deputation to the Panchayat Samiti. Section 81 gives the Vikas Adhikari core secretarial and executive functions: issuing meeting notices under instructions, attending meetings, recording and maintaining minutes, participating in deliberations, and drawing and disbursing money from the Panchayat Samiti fund. Statement 4 fails because the BDO is not answerable only to the Zila Pramukh; accountability sits within the State Government hierarchy, including the Panchayati Raj Department and the District Collector.

Why the other options are wrong

  • (B) It includes statement 4, but the BDO is not answerable only to the Zila Pramukh; accountability also runs to the State Government's Panchayati Raj Department and the District Collector.
  • (C) Although statements 2 and 3 are correct, this option wrongly includes statement 4 and omits statement 1, which identifies the BDO as the Panchayat Samiti's administrative officer.
  • (D) All four statements cannot be correct because statement 4 incorrectly makes the Zila Pramukh the BDO's sole accountability point, contrary to the stated State Government and Collector accountability.

Concept

This tests the administrative structure of Panchayati Raj Institutions in Rajasthan, especially the statutory role of the Panchayat Samiti's executive officer. It recurs in RAS because local self-government questions often turn on the exact relationship between elected chairpersons and appointed executive officers.

Source

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