LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT

ZILLA PARISHAD

Introduction.— The villages in ancient India were autonomous units and their main feature in the administration was the prevalence of freedom and autonomy in governing the village institutions. Some efforts were made during the British administration to revive these institutions with the object of giving training to the local people in the administration by providing them representation in these bodies.

With the attainment of freedom, India started earnest efforts towards economic and social advancement and planned economy was accepted as the guiding principle. Community Development Programmes and National Extension Service were envisaged to improve the lot of the rural population. But afterwards it was realised that rural development was not commensurate with the expectations of the Government and this was mainly attributed to the non-participation of rural people in the implementation of such developmental schemes. The Government subsequently appointed a committee called 'Balwantrai Metha Committee' to go into the causes behind this state of affairs.

The Balwantrai Mehta Committee visited various developmental activities, interviewed Government officials and other social workers. The committee in its report submitted to the Government stressed the need for the local self-governing institutions in taking active interest in the developmental activities. The ' interference' in the working of the local bodies by outsiders leading to confusion in their working principle was one of the findings of the Committee. To remedy the existing state of things it pointed out that responsibility for such regional and local development work should be assigned to such local bodies at the district level with Government accepting the role of guiding, supervising and planning from a higher level and making available the required finances. The Committee also recommended the formation of local committees on par with the block development committees to be named as Panchayat Samitis and at the district level a district committee to be called as Zilla Parishad. Thus the three-tier system, that is to say Gram Panchayats, Panchayat Samitis and Zilla Parishads become the responsible functionaries in the new set-up involving decentralisation of administration.

In keeping with these recommendations the Maharashtra Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis Act was passed in the year 1961. The Act provides for the establishment of Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samitis in rural areas and entrusts the execution of certain works and schemes in the State Five Year Plan to such local bodies.

By and large, all functions of Government administration including development activities at the district level, excluding matters relating to the law and order, judicial and quasi-judicial functions, and development functions involving high technical skill like research station etc., have been devolved on the Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samitis. The Zilla Parishad has replaced the erstwhile statutory bodies known as the Janpad Sabhas and the district panchayat mandal. The functions of the non-statutory body known as the district development board have of course been absorbed. Municipalities, however, remain unaffected as the municipal areas are excluded from the jurisdiction of the Zilla Parishad.

Powers and Functions.— Following is the brief description of the powers and functions of the office-bearers of the Zilla Parishad: —

President.—(a) has to preside over the meetings of the Zilla Parishad;

(b) has access to the records of the Zilla Parishad;

(c) discharges all the duties imposed and exercises all the powers conferred on him;

(d) supervises the administration and submits to the Parishad all problems connected therewith which required its order; and

(e) exercises administrative supervision and control over the Chief Executive Officer for securing implementation of resolutions or decisions of the Zilla Parishad or of any committee or of any Panchayat Samiti.

The president in cases of emergency directs the execution or suspension of any work or the doing of any act which requires the sanction of the Zilla Parishad or any authority thereof, and immediate execution or doing of which, in his opinion, is necessary for the service or safety of the public, and may direct that the expense of executing such work or doing such act shall be paid from the District Fund.

Provided that, he shall report forthwith the action taken under this section, and the full reasons thereof to the Zilla Parishad, the subjects committee in the next meeting and the Zilla Parishad or the committee may amend or annul the direction made by the president.

Vice-president.—(a) in the absence of the president, presides over the meetings of the Zilla Parishad;

(b) exercises such of the powers and performs such of the duties of the President as the President from time to time subject to the rules made by the State Government in this behalf, delegates to him by an order in writing; and

(c) pending the election of a President or during the absence of the President exercises the powers and performs the duties of the President.

Chairman of standing committee or subjects committee.— Subject to the provisions of the Act, and the rules made thereunder by the State Government, the chairman—

(a) convenes, presides over and conducts the meetings of the committee; and

(b) has access to the records of the committee.

The chairman of any such committee in relation to the subjects allotted to them —

(a) can call for any information, return, statement, accounts or report from any officer employed by or holding office under the Zilla Parishad; and

(b) enter on and inspect any immovable property of the Zilla Parishad or any institution under it or any work or scheme in progress undertaken by the Zilla Parishad.

(c) In regard to the chairman of the standing committee, he can in addition to the powers stated above grant leave of absence for a period of more than two months but not more than four months to any officer of class I (other than the Chief Executive Officer) or class II of the Zilla Parishad.

Save as otherwise provided by or under this Act, the powers and duties of the subject committee are such as may be prescribed by regulations.

Chief Executive Officer.—The Chief Executive Officer, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer, the Block Development Officers and the heads of various departments of the Zilla Parishad are its executive officers. They are all gazetted officers and are transferable by the State Government to other districts. The Chief Executive Officer—

(i) lays down the duties of all officers and servants of the Zilla Parishad in accordance with the rules;

(ii) is entitled to call for any information, return, statement, report from any officer or servant of the Zilla Parishad;

(iii) supervises and controls the activities of the Zilla Parishad;

(iv) has power to possess the papers and documents connected with the proceedings of the meetings of the Zilla Parishad and its committees;

(v) draws and disburses money out of the District Fund;

(vi) is entitled to attend the meetings of the Zilla Parishad or any of its committees; and

(vii) assesses and gives his opinion confidentially every year on the work of the class I and II officers of the Zilla Parishad and forwards them to such authorities as are prescribed by the State Government and lays down the procedure for the writing of such reports.

Heads of the Departments.—(1) Every head of the department in respect of the works and development schemes pertaining to his department accords technical sanction thereto.

(2) He assesses and gives his opinion confidentially every year on the work of class II officers working in his department and forwards them to the Chief Executive Officer.

Organisation.— The Zilla Parishad, Bhandara, along with 13 Panchayat Samitis was established in the year 1962. The areas under the jurisdiction of the Zilla Parishad' and Panchayat Samitis correspond to the district and block boundaries except the areas of municipal towns. The Zilla Parishad covers 99.20 per cent of the area and 89.26 per cent of the total population of the district. The population covered includes the entire rural population residing in the 1,486 villages of the district.

The Zilla Parishad has 51 direct elected councillors including one councillor belonging to the scheduled castes. In addition, two women councillors have been co-opted by the elected councillors. There are five associate councillors who are chairmen of five federal co-operative societies conducting business in the district.

The Zilla Parishad functions through a standing committee presided over by the President and six subjects committees for finance, works, agriculture, co-operation, education and health. Two subjects committees are presided over by the vice-president and four by two chairmen elected by the Zilla Parishad to preside over the two specified subjects committees each. The Deputy Chief Executive Officer works as the secretary of the standing committee while the respective heads of departments work as secretaries to the subjects committees concerned.

In what follows is given in brief the functioning of the various departments of the Zilla Parishad: —

The General Administration department of the Zilla Parishad deals with the non-technical matters such as establishment, parishad revenue, panchayats, social welfare and planning. The  General Administration department is controlled and directed by the standing committee of the Zilla Parishad. The Deputy Chief Executive Officer is its secretary and he heads the General Administration department. The social welfare section of the department is incharge of the Social Welfare Officer. He is entrusted with the work of implementation of various schemes for the uplift and welfare of backward classes. The amelioration of the backward classes is sought by granting them various educational and financial concessions.

The Finance department of the Zilla Parishad is divided into four branches viz., audit, budget, accounts and stores. It is headed by the Chief Accounts and Finance Officer who is assisted by an Accounts Officer. The Finance department is controlled by the finance committee of the Zilla Parishad with the Chief Accounts and Finance Officer as its secretary. Preparation of the budget is also a function of the Finance department which is dealt with by an independent branch. The department coordinates the budgets of the several departments before they are placed for approval before the Zilla Parishad. This department has also a stores branch which is controlled by a Superintendent. This is in addition to another stores branch functioning in the Works department.

The Works department like other departments is directly under the administrative control of the Chief Executive Officer. The Parishad Executive Engineer is the head of the department and is solely responsible for the execution of the works pertaining to buildings, roads and irrigation under the Parishad. The execution of these works is vested mainly in the Deputy Engineers in-charge of sub-divisions under the Executive Engineer.

The Agriculture department is incharge of the Agricultural Development Officer who is directly responsible to the Chief Executive Officer. He is assisted by the District Agriculture Officer and the Agricultural Officer and members of the subordinate service. The Agriculture Development Officer has to undertake kharif and rabi campaigns, high yielding variety programme, intensive cultivation schemes and has to look after the work of the subordinate staff.

The Animal Husbandry department is headed by the District Animal Husbandry Officer, who deals with the treatment of sick animals and carries out vaccinations against diseases of live-stock and breeding of animals.

The Industries and Co-operation department of the Zilla Parishad is incharge of the Co-operation and Industries Officer. The department is controlled and directed by the co-operation committee of the Zilla Parishad with the Co-operation and Industries Officer as its secretary. The department administers the extension and promotional activities of the co-operative societies. It also deals with the grant of loans to small scale and cottage industries, grant of financial assistance to bona fide craftsmen and backward class artisans, grant of subsidies to industrial co-operatives and loans to industrial societies.

The Public Health Officer is the head of the Health department of the Zilla Parishad. He is also the secretary of the health committee of the Zilla Parishad which guides and directs the functioning of the Health department. He is responsible for effecting measures to control epidemics, maintaining the sanitation of the district and all the medical and public health activities in the district except the civil hospital and State controlled schemes. There are at present, 14 primary health centres, 65 ayurvedic dispensaries, 22 allopathic dispensaries, 21 family planning centres, 18 leprosy survey, education and treatment units and 31 maternity and child welfare centres in the district.

The Education Officer heads the Education department of the Zilla Parishad. He also works as the secretary of the education committee. The education committee of the Zilla Parishad guides and directs the working of the Education department. Technical guidance and suggestions for improvement are made by the Director of Education, Maharashtra State. The Zilla Parishad has under its control 1,151 primary schools, 5 Indian-English middle schools and 48 higher secondary schools.

The various developmental activities undertaken by the Zilla Parishad are financed by the imposition of taxes on profession, trade, calling for employment as also on water-supply, public entertainments and a special tax on lands and buildings. The financial assistance given by the State Government includes 70 per cent of the land revenue collected within the area of the Zilla Parishad. Government also pays to the Parishad purposive grants at the rate of 75 per cent of the expenditure incurred on the specific works and development schemes transferred to the Parishad. The other grants include a deficit adjustment grant.

The total revenue receipts of the Zilla Parishad for the year 1963-64 were Rs. 146.88 lakhs. The major portion of receipts was from Government. It accounted for 93.4 per cent, whereas the Zilla Parishad receipts amounted to 6.6 per cent of the total revenue receipts. The total revenue expenditure was Rs. 15665 lakhs. Following were the major items of expenditure along with the percentage expenditure incurred on each item.

The break-up of the income of the Zilla Parishad during 1965-66 revealed that 3.77 per cent of the income was derived from self-raised resources, 21.98 per cent from Government grants and the remaining 74.25 per cent was derived from other sources such as loans and advances and remittances. The break-up of expenditure during the same period, on the other hand, showed that 56.76 per cent of the expenditure was incurred as revenue expenditure and the remaining 43.24 per cent was incurred on debt section.

The figures of revenue receipts and revenue expenditure for the year 1968-69 stood at Rs. 70,564,008 and Rs. 59,697,955, respectively.

TOP