RAS question
Under Article 243B, at which levels are Panchayats generally to be constituted, given that an intermediate-level Panchayat need not be constituted in a State with a population not exceeding 20 lakh?
Correct answer: (D) Village, intermediate (block/taluk), and district levels.
Article 243B mandates Panchayats at the village, intermediate and district levels, with the intermediate level optional for States whose population does not exceed twenty lakh.
Explanation
Article 243B is the key constitutional hook behind the 73rd Amendment's three-tier Panchayati Raj structure. It says Panchayats shall be constituted in every State at the village, intermediate and district levels. The intermediate tier is the level between the village and district levels, commonly understood in the question as the block or taluk tier. This is why the complete answer is village, intermediate (block/taluk) and district levels, not any combination involving the State level. The same article also gives a limited exception: a State with a population not exceeding twenty lakh may choose not to constitute Panchayats at the intermediate level.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Block and district are relevant tiers, but the option omits the village level and wrongly adds the State level, which Article 243B does not list as a Panchayat tier.
- (B) Village and district are two required levels, but Article 243B also includes an intermediate level except for States whose population does not exceed twenty lakh.
- (C) Village and district are correct, but the third tier under Article 243B is the intermediate level, not the State level.
Concept
This question tests the exact tier structure of Panchayati Raj institutions under Part IX of the Constitution and the 73rd Amendment. RAS asks such provisions repeatedly because decentralisation from the village to the district level is central to Rajasthan's administrative design and rural governance.