About Panchayat Raj System in India
This is a kind of local administrative system, which originated from the southern part of Asia. This structure of government is headed by a person, who is accepted as well as elected by the local inhabitants of the respective rural area. Though, traditionally, the gram or village panchayats were set up to settle the disputes between the villages and the individual residents. However, in the present times, these local administrative bodies are established so as to carry on different responsibilities for the overall growth and improvement of the allocated areas.
Andhra Pradesh Panchayats
Like the several other modern day panchayat systems in the different rural areas in India, the rural panchayats in Andhra Pradesh are divided into various departments such as Agriculture, Finance, Education, General Administration, Public Works, Health, Social Welfare etc. Headed by the Panchayat Raj Commissioner of the Department of Panchayat Raj Institutions or P. R. I.s of the Government of Andhra Pradesh, each of these public governing bodies is recognized by the Union Government of India and has a legal status. This P. R. I. department of the state of Andhra Pradesh comprises of the following 3 tiers:
- Zilla Parishad: The highest district level tier
- Mandal Parishad: The middle level tier
- Gram Panchayat: The lowest village level tier
- Community development
- Generating rural employment
- Healthcare development
- Encouraging and improving the education system
- Enrollment of births and deaths
- Levying different kinds of taxes like property tax, license fee and many more
- Maintenance as well as construction of new roads in the rural regions
- Rural sanitation
- Water supply
Revenue Resources in Andhra Pradesh Panchayats
The varied local bodies of the Panchayat Raj system in this state of south India earn their revenue from different sources. Following are some of the most important sources of revenue for the Panchayats of Andhra Pradesh:
Direct taxes such as house tax and license fee, which are levied by the village panchayats. Different government grants like legal per capita grants, specific development grants such as S. G. S. Y. or the Swarna Jayanti Gram Swarozgor Yojana, J. G. S. Y or the Jawahar Gram Samrudh Yojana, water supply, minor irrigation, rural sanitation, road maintenance as well as grants of the 10th and the 11th Finance Commission and many others.
Transferred revenues like land cess, entertainment tax, add-ons on stamp duties etc. that are initially collected by the government.
Panchayats in Andhra Pradesh
Listed below are the approximate district wise numbers of panchayats, which operates from the respective districts of this south Indian state:
- Adilabad District: 8, 66
- Anantapur District: 1, 001
- Chittoor District: 1, 381
- East Godavari District: 1, 012
- Guntur District: 1, 016
- Kadapa District: 8, 00
- Karimnagar District: 1, 194
- Khammam District: 7, 71
- Krishna District: 9, 72
- Kurnool District: 8, 99
- Mahbubnagar District: 1, 348
- Medak or Sangareddi District: 1, 109
- Nalgonda District: 1, 178
- Nellore District: 9, 61
- Nizamabad District: 7, 18
- Prakasam District: 1, 036
- Rangareddi District: 7, 05
- Srikakulam District: 1, 101
- Vishakhapatnam District: 9, 24
- Vizianagaram District: 9, 29
- Warangal District: 1, 014
- West Godavari District: 8, 88
