RAS question
Gram Sabha quorum:
Correct answer: (D) 1/10 of total members.
The quorum for a Gram Sabha meeting is one-tenth of the total number of its members.
Explanation
A Gram Sabha meeting is valid only when its quorum is complete, and the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj rule fixes that quorum at one-tenth of the total number of members. This matters because the rule links quorum to the Gram Sabha's decision-making: consensus requires quorum, and if there is no consensus, no decision can be taken in the absence of quorum. Members from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and women should be present in proportion to their population. So the exam point is not a vague attendance requirement; it is the specific statutory threshold of 1/10, tied to the validity of Gram Sabha proceedings.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) One-half is far above the statutory threshold; the rule fixes the quorum at only one-tenth of total members.
- (B) The Gram Sabha is not treated as having no quorum, because the rule expressly requires one-tenth attendance for its meeting.
- (C) One-fourth is not the prescribed figure; the rule uses the lower and specific fraction of one-tenth.
Concept
This tests local self-government under the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj framework, especially Gram Sabha procedure. RAS repeatedly asks such provisions because quorum, meetings and decision-making are core to village-level democratic administration.