look news india
A very big and diplomatic news of this time is coming out from the three-tier Panchayati Raj system of Uttar Pradesh and the corridors of rural politics. The five-year constitutional tenure of all the District Panchayats and Area Panchayats (BDC) of the state is going to end completely next month. As the end date of the tenure approaches, a lot of excitement and speculation has started in the administrative department and political circles of the state regarding the upcoming arrangement. Meanwhile, a very strong demand has started being raised from rural public representatives and Panchayati Raj experts. It is being demanded that just as administrators are appointed to run the functioning of Gram Panchayats at the end of their tenure, on the same lines, administrators should be handed over the command of District and Area Panchayats with immediate effect.
The posts of District Panchayat Presidents and Block Chiefs are ending next month.
The tenure of the existing District Panchayats and Area Panchayat Boards in Uttar Pradesh will reach its final stage next month. This simply means that after next month, the administrative and financial powers of all the District Panchayat Presidents and Block Chiefs will be completely abolished. Until the new Panchayat elections are held in the state, it is extremely important to have a diplomatic and alternative administrative arrangement in place to prevent the development work of these very important rural institutions from coming to a halt. Keeping this credibility in mind, legal aspects are being scrutinized at the government level as to who should be handed over the command from the very next day after the end of the tenure.
Development work should not come to a standstill, hence advocating for making administrators on the lines of Gram Panchayats.
The diplomatic argument of organizations and experts associated with the Panchayati Raj system is that district and area panchayats have a budget of crores of rupees for the development of rural areas. All major works like construction of roads, drains, drinking water schemes and repair of schools are carried out through these two institutions. If administrators are not appointed on time after the end of the tenure, the development work may completely hang in the balance. Just as in the past, after the completion of the tenure of Gram Panchayats, the Assistant Development Officer (ADO Panchayat) or other officers were given the responsibility of administrator, the demand to implement the same strict formula at the district level has now gained momentum.
Buzz in administrative corridors, DM and CDO can handle big command
If the government accepts this diplomatic demand and moves ahead with the formula of appointing an administrator, then the entire command of the district and area panchayats will come directly into the hands of the bureaucracy. According to diplomatic sources, in district panchayats, District Magistrate (DM) or Chief Development Officer (CDO) can be appointed administrator, while at area panchayats (block level), financial and administrative powers can be entrusted to Sub District Magistrate (SDM) or Block Development Officer (BDO). With the implementation of this system, the pace of ongoing development works in rural areas will be maintained and timely diplomatic use of the government budget will also be ensured.
All eyes are on the preparations of the State Election Commission and the upcoming Panchayat elections.
With the end of the tenure of District and Area Panchayats, now everyone’s eyes are fixed on the diplomatic preparations of Uttar Pradesh State Election Commission. However, due to the extremely lengthy and legal process of delimitation, voter verification and seat reservation, it may take some time to conduct the elections. In such a situation, the decision to appoint administrators for the interim period till the completion of the elections seems to be the most accurate and practical. Now it remains to be seen what big and tough decision the Yogi government takes in the coming days on this important demand and how a new diplomatic roadmap for rural development of Uttar Pradesh is prepared.
