Karnataka plans MoS status for zilla panchayat chiefs

BENGALURU: Karnataka proposes to bestow minister of state status to zilla panchayat presidents. The state government which was reluctant to implement a panel’s recommendation to this effect, after Congress MLAs resisted the move, was forced to act following the intervention of party vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

"Not just the zilla panchayat, we want the gram panchayat adhyaksha, who is the real head of local self-governance, to get minister of state status,” activist Nandana Reddy, who was part of the KR Ramesh Kumar committee that made the recommendation, told ET. The government has backed off from this as the state has over 6,000 gram panchayats.

The panchayat raj bill, renamed the Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj bill was introduced with 110 amendments to the original act in the state assembly on Wednesday. Siddaramaiah is aiming to carry forward the legacy of his self-professed mentor Ramakrishna Hegde through it.

Like Hegde, Siddaramaiah is facing the dissent of his MLAs, who are unhappy with decentralisation of powers to gram sabhas. But pushed by Gandhi during his recent visit to go ahead with this bill, the CM had to walk a tightrope: A committee of ministers under rural development and panchayat raj minister HK Patil was set up to study the report and its implementation

The CM diluted elements such as giving the gram panchayat the right to execute all projects within their jurisdiction and to just supervise them. He has, in principle, cleared the right to recall elected representatives by their constituents but limited sweeping reform by ensuring that the process is monitored by the state government rather than the election commission. This could lead to political interference.

In the teeth of bureaucratic objection, however, Siddaramaiah has made provision to set up a Karnataka Panchayat Raj Administrative Service, on the lines of the IAS, to carry out gram panchayat functions. The gram panchayat will act as a front office for the common man and carry out all gram, taluk, district and state level functions.

In another major decision, Siddaramaiah’s bill has allowed 20% funds given to the panchayats to be untied. This means, the panchayat can decide where that money should be utilised and for what purpose, based on recommendations by the gram sabhas. The bill also accepts the recommendation to set up habitation sabhas, ward sabhas and separate gram sabhas for women, children, artisans, physically challenged, the third gender and so on, if they wish to have them.

“The government and the party have supported the vision for self-governance and accepted most of our recommendations. I am happy about it,” former Congress legislator and panchayat raj expert DR Patil, who was also part of the Ramesh Kumar committee, told ET.

The bill permits beneficiaries of projects to come together and execute it themselves, with a cost limit of Rs 20 lakh. The concept is that beneficiaries will do a better and faster implementation. A district-level grievance redressal authority headed by either an additional DC or a retired district judge will be set up for villagers to approach, if there are any problems in implementation of any project.

Siddaramaiah has backtracked on the suggestion that the state government should undertake all election funding. Still, he has accepted the recommendation to stop manufacture and vending of liquor in any panchayat area during elections.