73 Amendment of

rd

Indian Constitution
 The Constitution (Seventy-third Amendment)
Act, 1992
• Though the Panchayati Raj Institutions have been in existence for a
long time, it has been observed that these institutions have not been
able to acquire the status and dignity of viable and responsive people's
bodies due to a number of reasons including
• absence of regular elections,
• prolonged supersession,
• insufficient representation of weaker sections like Scheduled
Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women,
• inadequate devolution of powers and lack of financial resources.
 Organisation of village panchayats -The State shall take
steps to organize village panchayats and endow them with
such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable
them to function as units of self-government.

•  Part IV Article 40 of the Constitution which enshrines one of the

Directive Principles of State Policy lays down that the State shall take
steps to organise village panchayats and endow them with such powers
and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as units
of self-government. In the light of the experience in the last forty years
and in view of the short-comings which have been observed, it is
considered that there is an imperative need to enshrine in the
Constitution certain basic and essential features of Panchayati Raj
Institutions to impart certainty, continuity and strength to them.
3 Tier System

• PART IX of the Constitution envisages a three­ tier system of Panchayats,

namely, (a) The village level; (b) The District Panchayat at the district
level; (c) The Intermediate Panchayat which stands between the village
and district Panchayats in the States where the population is above 20
lakhs.
• Following these circumstances, Rajiv Gandhi the then Prime Minister of
India, introduced the 64th Amendment bill on local government on the
15th May, 1989 in the Parliament, but it failed to get the required support.
A second attempt was made in September1990 to pass the bill in the
Parliament. The bill however was not even taken up for consideration. In
September 1991, a fresh bill on Panchayati Raj was introduced by the
Congress government under P. V Narasimha Rao, the then Prime Minister.
It was passed in1992 as the 73rd Amendment Act 1992 with minor
modifications and came into force on 24thApril 1993.
The Constitution (Seventy-third
Amendment) Act, 1992
• Part IX - Articles 243, 243A, 243B, 243C, 243D, 243E, 243F, 243G,
243H, 243I, 243J, 243K, 243L, 243M, 243N, 243O