With reference to Panchayati Raj Institutions in India, which of the following statements is/are correct?

Question

With reference to Panchayati Raj Institutions in India, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. Tenure of Panchayati Raj Institutions shall be of 5 years.

2. In Panchayati Raj Institutions, out of the seats reserved, 1/4 of the seats shall be reserved for women belonging to Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe.

Select the correct answer from the code given below:

1. A. Only 2
2. B. Neither 1 nor 2
3. C. Both 1 and 2
4. D. Only 1 (Correct answer)

Correct Answer

Option D — Only 1

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Only 1.

Key Points

• Statement 1 is correct. Under Article 243E, every Panchayat has a term of five years unless dissolved earlier, and fresh elections must be completed before the expiry of that term or within six months of dissolution.
• Statement 2 is incorrect. Under Article 243D, not less than one-third (1/3) — not one-fourth — of the seats reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes must be reserved for women of those categories.
• Only statement 1 holds, giving option (d).

Additional Information

• The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 gave Panchayati Raj constitutional status through Part IX (Articles 243 to 243O) and the Eleventh Schedule with 29 subjects.
• Reservation under Article 243D: seats for SC and ST in proportion to their population, and not less than one-third of the total seats for women (including the SC/ST quota). Many states, Uttar Pradesh among them, have raised women's reservation to 50%.
• Note also that a Panchayat reconstituted after premature dissolution serves only the remainder of the original five-year term — it does not get a fresh five years.
• The three-tier structure under Article 243B — village, intermediate and district — is compulsory for states with a population above 20 lakh; smaller states may omit the intermediate tier.
• Rajasthan was the first state to introduce Panchayati Raj, at Nagaur on 2 October 1959, following the Balwant Rai Mehta Committee (1957). The Ashok Mehta Committee (1977) later recommended a two-tier system.