Devolution of powers to panchayats
Also called: Article 243G · Topic: Panchayati Raj: Rural Local Government · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 8 "Local Governments"
Meaning
Devolution means handing real power to elected local bodies. Under Art. 243G, a state legislature "may" by law give panchayats the powers they need to work as units of self-government. These include making plans and running schemes on the 29 subjects in the Eleventh Schedule. The word is "may", not "shall", so devolution is optional. Each state decides how much to give.
Example
Class 11 NCERT notes that "many States have not transferred most of the subjects." The MoPR-IIPA Devolution Index (13 February 2025) ranked Karnataka first. It found that national averages had risen only a little since 2013-14.
Don't confuse with
- Deconcentration and delegation: these only move work to government officials or agencies working under the state. Devolution moves power to elected bodies, and that is what Part IX aims at.
- A compulsory provision: a common exam trap. Devolving Eleventh Schedule subjects is NOT mandatory.
Related concepts
- Eleventh Schedule
- Activity mapping
- State Finance Commission
- Own source revenue of local bodies
- Tied and untied grants to local bodies