Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act 1994 and Institutional Structure

The 1994 Act

The Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act 1994 operationalized the 73rd Amendment in the state. It established the 3-tier structure, defined the powers and functions of each tier, prescribed election procedures, and incorporated reservation mandates.

Key provisions of the 1994 Act:

• Section 3: Constitution of Gram Panchayat
• Section 11: Constitution of Panchayat Samiti
• Section 18: Constitution of Zila Parishad
• Section 19: Disqualification — having more than two children (Inserted 1995 under CM Bhairon Singh Shekhawat; scrapped by the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill 2026, passed March 8-9, 2026)
• Section 97: Powers of audit and inspection

3-Tier Structure in Rajasthan

Tier	Institution	Number (2024-25)	Level	Area Coverage
Village	Gram Panchayat	11,194	Village cluster	~3-5 revenue villages
Intermediate	Panchayat Samiti	365	Block	~15-20 Gram Panchayats
District	Zila Parishad	33	District	All Panchayat Samitis in district

Source: Rajasthan Economic Review 2025-26, Chapter 3, Panchayati Raj Department

The Gram Sabha is the primary democratic body at village level — all voters registered in a Gram Panchayat area are members. Under Article 243-A, it is the constitutional foundation of grassroots democracy. Rajasthan's Gram Sabhas are mandated to meet at least twice a year; special Gram Sabha meetings are called for social audit of MGNREGA works.

Governance Structure of Each Tier

Gram Panchayat: Headed by Sarpanch elected directly. The body of ward members (panch) handles village-level functions including drinking water, sanitation, minor roads, street lighting, birth/death registration, and managing common property resources.

Panchayat Samiti: Headed by Pradhan elected from among the members. Exercises supervisory powers over Gram Panchayats, oversees block-level development programs, and coordinates with the Block Development Officer (BDO), a state government appointee.

Zila Parishad: Headed by Zila Pramukh elected from among members; Mukhya Karyakari Adhikari (Chief Executive Officer, IAS-rank) is the principal administrative officer. Coordinates district planning, supervises Panchayat Samitis.

Reservation System

Rajasthan's reservation in PRIs exceeds the constitutional minimum:

Category	Constitutional Minimum (Art. 243-D)	Rajasthan Provision
Scheduled Castes	Proportional to SC population	Proportional (SC ~18% of state population)
Scheduled Tribes	Proportional to ST population	Proportional (ST ~14% of state population)
Women	Not less than 1/3 of total seats	50% of total seats (enhanced)
Other Backward Classes	No constitutional mandate	Provided under state law

Source: Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act 1994, as amended; 73rd Constitutional Amendment

Women's reservation is rotated across different Panchayats in successive elections to ensure wider participation. The position of Sarpanch is also reserved for women in 50% of Gram Panchayats on a rotational basis.

2026 Amendment: Scrapping the Two-Child Norm

A landmark reform: the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill 2026 was approved by the Cabinet on February 25, 2026 and passed by the Rajasthan Assembly on March 8-9, 2026. It deleted Section 19 of the 1994 Act, which had disqualified persons with more than two children from contesting Panchayat and municipal elections. The norm had been in force since 1995 (31 years). The Panchayati Raj Minister cited India's declining Total Fertility Rate (TFR of 2.0, at replacement level) and the barrier this norm posed to women and marginalized communities in democratic participation. Leprosy-based disqualification was also simultaneously removed.

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