Constitution (64th Amendment) Bill 1989
Topic: Panchayati Raj: Rural Local Government · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 8 "Local Governments"
Meaning
The Constitution (64th Amendment) Bill 1989 was the Rajiv Gandhi government's attempt to give panchayats constitutional status. It passed the Lok Sabha but was defeated in the Rajya Sabha in October 1989. Critics said it would let the Centre deal directly with panchayats and bypass the states, even though local government is a State subject. Its defeat delayed reform, but its ideas came back in the 73rd Amendment.
Example
After the 1989 defeat, a V.P. Singh bill (1990) lapsed. The Narasimha Rao government's bill (1991) went through a Joint Parliamentary Committee and passed in December 1992 as the 73rd Amendment, which came into force on 24 April 1993.
Don't confuse with
- 73rd Amendment Act 1992: the version that was actually passed and ratified by more than half the states. The 64th was only a bill and never became law.
Related concepts
- Ashok Mehta Committee
- G.V.K. Rao Committee
- L.M. Singhvi Committee
- P.K. Thungon Committee
- Gadgil Committee