RAS question
The 73rd Amendment provides for a three-tier Panchayati Raj system. The three tiers are:
Correct answer: (B) Gram Panchayat, Block Panchayat, Zila Panchayat.
The 73rd Amendment's Panchayati Raj structure has Panchayats at the village, intermediate or block, and district levels, commonly framed as Gram Panchayat, Block Panchayat, and Zila Panchayat.
Explanation
The 73rd Amendment brought Panchayats into Part IX of the Constitution, and Article 243B requires every State to constitute Panchayats at the village, intermediate and district levels. In exam language, that structure maps to Gram Panchayat at the village level, Panchayat Samiti or Block Panchayat at the intermediate level, and Zila Parishad or Zila Panchayat at the district level. The intermediate tier is the only conditional part: Article 243B(2) permits its omission in a State whose population does not exceed 20 lakh. The rural three-tier Panchayati Raj chain is distinct from any state-level body or urban municipal structure.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) A State Panchayat is not part of Article 243B, which covers only village, intermediate and district levels.
- (C) Town and city bodies are not part of the constitutional three-tier Panchayati Raj structure, which is framed around village, intermediate and district levels.
- (D) Ward Committees, Municipal Committees and Municipal Corporations belong to urban local government, while rural Panchayats fall under Part IX.
Concept
The constitutional design of local self-government under Part IX includes the tiers, terminology and exceptions of Panchayati Raj that form core RAS governance facts.