Aspirant Academy

Economy

Current Affairs Integration

Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, State Finance Commission

Paper I · Unit 2 Section 12 of 14 0 PYQs 35 min
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Current Affairs Integration

Recent Developments

  • Two-Child Norm Abolished (March 2026): The Rajasthan Assembly passed the Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill 2026 on March 8-9, 2026, scrapping Section 19 of the 1994 Act — the 31-year-old two-child norm for local body elections introduced under CM Bhairon Singh Shekhawat in 1995. Leprosy-based disqualification was also removed simultaneously. The move affects eligibility for all tiers: ward panch, sarpanch, panchayat samiti, zila parishad. Panchayati Raj Minister Madan Dilawar cited India's TFR of 2.0 as justification.

  • Viksit Gaon-Ward Abhiyan (March 19, 2026): CM Bhajanlal Sharma launched the 'Developed Village-Ward Campaign' (March 19–May 15, 2026), mandating preparation of bottom-up development master plans for all 11,341 Gram Panchayats and urban wards under Viksit Rajasthan 2047 vision. Citizens' suggestions are incorporated at the grassroots level. This is Rajasthan's most comprehensive decentralized planning exercise.

  • Village and Ward Master Plans for Viksit Rajasthan (March 10-13, 2026): CM announced that master plans for all villages and wards will incorporate citizen suggestions across 11,341 Gram Panchayats, explicitly linking Panchayati Raj with the Viksit Rajasthan 2047 growth agenda and targeting reduction of rural-to-urban migration.

  • Bamanwas Kankar — First Fully Organic-Certified Panchayat (January 2026): Bamanwas Kankar Panchayat in Kotputli-Behror district became Rajasthan's and North-West India's first fully organic-certified panchayat, committing to 100% chemical-free farming under COFED support. The achievement aligns with Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana and PM Pranam scheme.

  • NCDC Grant-in-Aid (July 2025): Union Cabinet approved ₹2,000 crore grant-in-aid to National Cooperative Development Corporation over 4 years (2025-26 to 2028-29) benefiting 2.9 crore members of 13,288 Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS) — directly impacting rural cooperative credit in Rajasthan.

Potential Exam Questions from Current Affairs

  1. Possible question: What was the significance of the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act 2026? Which provision was amended?
    Answer pointers: Section 19 of Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act 1994 deleted; two-child norm (introduced 1995) removed after 31 years; also removed leprosy-based disqualification; widened eligibility for ward panch, sarpanch, panchayat samiti, zila parishad elections; India's TFR now at 2.0 (replacement level).

  2. Possible question: What is the 'Viksit Gaon-Ward Abhiyan' and how does it relate to decentralized development planning in Rajasthan?
    Answer pointers: Launched March 19, 2026; runs until May 15, 2026; covers all 11,341 Gram Panchayats; bottom-up master plans incorporating citizen suggestions; part of Viksit Rajasthan 2047 vision; aims to curb rural migration through decentralised development; first such comprehensive exercise in state.

  3. Possible question: Distinguish between 15th Finance Commission grants and State Finance Commission devolution for Panchayati Raj in Rajasthan with data.
    Answer pointers: 15th FC is Central body (chairman N.K. Singh); SFC is state body (Article 243-I); 15th FC 2024-25: ₹4,100 crore budget, ₹2,203.29 crore transferred, 42,028 works; 6th SFC 2024-25: ₹4,000 crore budget, ₹621.07 crore transferred, 37,394 works; 15th FC has tied (60%) and untied (40%) components; fund ratio GP:PS:ZP = 75:20:5.

Topic 34 of 138 | Paper I, Unit 2 — Economics | Generated: 2026-04-06