Adr: Village Panchayat in India
INTRODUCTION
The present village Panchayat is a kind of local self-Government. The system has three objects. One is to make the villagers better habituated with the exercise of franchise. The second is to relieve the Government from the details of the local affairs. The third is to let the people manage their own affairs.
The Panchayat system has been integral part of the Indian village system through ages. A village is self contained microcosm, a composite peasant society representing different communities and cultural hues. It does not have irritant elements but represent an integrated culture, free to a greater extent from the penetrations of urban cultural patterns into the village life. The importance of village with its head man, called Gramani, could be traced to Rig Vedic times and this head man figures in later Vedic literature as one of the jewels or Ratnas of the administration.
The Decimal system of classifications of village into units of 10, 20 or 100 or 1000 is well known. According to Vinaya, heads of the villages (Gramikas) are stated to be meeting in an assembly of their own. Narada supervised the appointment of five officials in each village. The state took full responsibility of rural development, particularly by constructing roads, setting up of markets etc. There were also references to village elders -- Gamma- vriddhas and Grama mahattaras – the prominent persons in the village being associated with village administration.
An account of the Panchayat system comparing five persons (official and non official) in districts as well as in sub divisions is afforded by the inscriptions of the Gupta period. At the districtlevels, the Vishayapati or its head had a non official advisory council representing different interest in the locality. These included the Nagara- sresthin- the chief banker representing the commercial interests; the Sarthavaha or carvan – the chief of the leader of the trading community; the Prathama kulika – the chief of the
The present village Panchayat is a kind of local self-Government. The system has three objects. One is to make the villagers better habituated with the exercise of franchise. The second is to relieve the Government from the details of the local affairs. The third is to let the people manage their own affairs.
The Panchayat system has been integral part of the Indian village system through ages. A village is self contained microcosm, a composite peasant society representing different communities and cultural hues. It does not have irritant elements but represent an integrated culture, free to a greater extent from the penetrations of urban cultural patterns into the village life. The importance of village with its head man, called Gramani, could be traced to Rig Vedic times and this head man figures in later Vedic literature as one of the jewels or Ratnas of the administration.
The Decimal system of classifications of village into units of 10, 20 or 100 or 1000 is well known. According to Vinaya, heads of the villages (Gramikas) are stated to be meeting in an assembly of their own. Narada supervised the appointment of five officials in each village. The state took full responsibility of rural development, particularly by constructing roads, setting up of markets etc. There were also references to village elders -- Gamma- vriddhas and Grama mahattaras – the prominent persons in the village being associated with village administration.
An account of the Panchayat system comparing five persons (official and non official) in districts as well as in sub divisions is afforded by the inscriptions of the Gupta period. At the districtlevels, the Vishayapati or its head had a non official advisory council representing different interest in the locality. These included the Nagara- sresthin- the chief banker representing the commercial interests; the Sarthavaha or carvan – the chief of the leader of the trading community; the Prathama kulika – the chief of the
Bibliography: WEBSITES: www.greenwood.com www.wikipedia.com www.legalserviceindia.com www.westlaw.com BOOKS: • Law Relating to ARBITRATION and CONCILLITATION IN INDIA, by Dr. N.V. Paranjape • Law Relating to ARBITRATION and CONCILLITATION IN INDIA, Lexis Nexis • Law Relating to ARBITRATION and CONCILLITATION IN INDIA, by C.K Takwani • Law Relating to ARBITRATION and CONCILLITATION IN INDIA, by Avtar Singh