Panchayat samiti
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Panchayat samiti or block panchayat is a rural local government (panchayat) body at the intermediate block level or tehsil (taluka/mandal) level in India. It works for the villages of the block that together are called a development block. It has been said to be the "panchayat of panchayats".
Block Panchayat पंचायत समिति | |
|---|---|
| Polity type | Local self-government,Intermediate-level administrative body |
| Part of | Panchayati Raj System (along with Gram Panchayat and Zilla Parishad) |
| Formation | 1959 (formal system strengthened after 73rd Amendment, 1992) |
| Legislative branch | |
| Name | Block-level council (elected members) |
| Executive branch | |
| Supreme leader | |
| Title | President (Chairperson) |
| Cabinet | |
| Appointer | District Panchayat Officer (varies state to state) |
| Judicial branch | |
| Courts | Nyaya Panchayat (under certain states) |
The 73rd Amendment defines the levels of panchayati raj institution as :
- District level
- Intermediate level
- Base level
The panchayat samiti is the link between the gram panchayat (village council) and the zila parishad (district council). The name varies across states: mandal parishad in Andhra Pradesh, taluka panchayat in Gujarat, and mandal panchayat or taluk panchayat in Karnataka, block panchayat in Kerala, panchayat union in Tamilnadu, janpad panchayat in Madhya Pradesh, Panchayat Samiti in Rajasthan, anchalik panchayat in Assam.
In India, local self-government bodies exist at intermediary level and are known by different names in different states. For example, in Kerala, they are called "block panchayats," while in other states, they may be referred to as "panchayat samiti," "mandal parishad," "taluka panchayat," "janpad panchayat," "panchayat union", or "anchalik panchayat." These bodies are responsible for providing various services to the people in their respective areas, such as sanitation, healthcare, education, and infrastructure.