Question

What is the intermediate tier of the Panchayat Raj system called?
A) Zilla Parishad
B) Taluka Panchayat
C) Panchayat Samiti
D) Gram Sabha

Answer 1

Hint: The Panchayat raj (panchayat "village council," raj "rule") is an Indian subcontinent political system prevalent mostly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. Panchants were traditionally made up of wise and respected seniors who were chosen and accepted by the local community.

Complete answer:
Let us analyze the given options:
Option A) Zilla Parishad: This is not the correct option because a Zila Parishad is a democratically elected body. Members of the Zila Parishad include members of the State Legislature as well as members of the Indian Parliament. The Zila Parishad is the highest layer of the panchayat raj system, serving as a link between the state government and the Gram Panchayats at the village level.

Option B) Taluka Panchayat: This is not the correct option because a taluka panchayat is typically made up of elected members of the area: the block development officer, members of the state's legislative assembly, members of parliament from that area, otherwise unrepresented groups (like Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and women), associate members (including a farmer, a representative of cooperative societies), and the elected members of that panchayat.

Option C) Panchayat Samithi: This is the correct option because of the intermediate level of Panchayati Raj Institutions in the Panchayat Samiti. The Panchayat Samiti connects the Gram Panchayat (Village) with the District Panchayat (Zilla). Elections for Panchayat Samiti council seats are not held in these blocks.

Option D) Grama Sabha: This is not the correct option because the term Gram Sabha is defined in Article 243 of the Indian Constitution section (b). Gram Sabha is the most important and largest body in the Panchayati Raj system. It is an everlasting body. The electorate's Sabha is known as the Gram Sabha.

The correct option is ‘C’ i.e, Panchayat Samiti is the intermediate tier of the panchayat raj system.

Note: Panchayat Samiti is the middle tier of the three-tier Panchayati Raj System. Gram Panchayats were constituted at the village level, Panchayat Samitis at the block level, and Zila Parishad at the district level. In January 1958, the Balwant Rai Committee suggested the development of the "Democratic Decentralization" or "Panchayati Raj" system.