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Local Government – UPSC GS2

This module of the GS Paper 2: Polity, Governance, Social Justice & IR course covers panchayats, municipalities, pesa and the working of local democracy. It has 3 study lessons and a 24-question practice quiz. Free lessons can be read in full; premium lessons show a preview.

Lessons in this module

1. Panchayati Raj and the 73rd Amendment

Free 7 min

Local self-government in villages has old roots, but modern Panchayati Raj grew out of committees after independence: Balwant Rai Mehta Committee (1957) – set up to examine the Community Development Programme (1952) and the National…

2. Urban Local Bodies and the 74th Amendment

Premium 7 min

Urban local government in India began in Madras in 1687, when a municipal corporation was set up. Lord Mayo's resolution (1870) on financial decentralisation encouraged local bodies, and Lord Ripon's resolution of 1882 – the…

3. PESA, Local Finances and the Working of Grassroots Democracy

Premium 7 min

The 73rd Amendment did not automatically apply to Fifth Schedule areas. On the recommendations of the Dileep Singh Bhuria Committee (1995), Parliament enacted the Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996…

 Module quiz: Local Government (24 questions)

Maps & infographics in this module

Organisation chart of the three tiers of Panchayati Raj and the gram sabha under the 73rd Amendment
The gram sabha is the foundation of grassroots democracy.
Timeline of Panchayati Raj from the Community Development Programme in 1952 to the PESA Act in 1996
It took more than three decades to move from committee recommendations to constitutional status.
Three cards describing nagar panchayats, municipal councils and municipal corporations
The Governor classifies areas using population, density, revenue, non-farm employment and economic importance.
Bar chart comparing municipal revenue as a share of GDP: about 0.7% in India against about 6% in South Africa and about 7.4% in Brazil
Weak own revenue is the core reason why urban local bodies depend on state and central transfers.
Six cards listing the powers of the gram sabha in Scheduled Areas under the PESA Act
PESA makes the gram sabha the centre of self-rule in Scheduled Areas.
Flowchart of the sources of funds for local bodies and how they come together in a local plan
Most local spending depends on transfers; own revenue remains small.

Frequently asked questions

Lessons: Panchayati Raj and the 73rd Amendment; Urban Local Bodies and the 74th Amendment; PESA, Local Finances and the Working of Grassroots Democracy.

Answer: Rajasthan. Inaugurated at Nagaur on 2 October 1959.

Answer: Ashok Mehta Committee. Ashok Mehta Committee (1978).

Answer: 29 subjects. 29 functional items.

Answer: 21. 21 years.

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