RAS question
How many times must the Gram Sabha meet in a year as per the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act?
Correct answer: (A) Twice.
Under the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act, the Gram Sabha must meet at least twice every year, once in the first quarter and once in the last quarter of the financial year.
Explanation
The Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act sets a minimum, not a maximum: Section 8A requires at least two Gram Sabha meetings every year, with one meeting in the first quarter and the other in the last quarter of the financial year. This makes "twice" the precise answer. The same provision links those meetings to accountable village-level governance: the first-quarter meeting places the previous year's accounts, administration report, proposed development programmes and audit material before the Gram Sabha, while the last-quarter meeting places expenditure, programme progress, changes to proposals, the Panchayat budget and tax proposals. The quorum rule is also specific: Section 8B requires one-tenth of the total members, with representation from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Backward Classes and women in proportion to their population.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Six times is wrong because the Act prescribes at least two Gram Sabha meetings in a year, not six as the statutory minimum.
- (C) Four times is wrong because the Act fixes the minimum at two meetings, one in the first quarter and one in the last quarter of the financial year.
- (D) Once is wrong because a single annual meeting would miss the Act's requirement of two separate Gram Sabha meetings in the financial year.
Concept
This tests statutory provisions on Gram Sabha functioning under Rajasthan Panchayati Raj. RAS repeatedly asks such provisions because local self-government questions often turn on exact meeting, quorum and accountability rules.