Panchayat samiti
Also called: Block panchayat, Mandal parishad, Intermediate panchayat, Taluka panchayat · Topic: Panchayati Raj: Rural Local Government · NCERT: Class 6, Ch 11 "Grassroots Democracy – Part 2: Local Government in Rural Areas"; Class 10, Ch 2 "Federalism"; Class 11, Ch 8 "Local Governments"
Meaning
The panchayat samiti is the middle (intermediate) tier of panchayati raj, at the block level. It links gram panchayats below with the zila parishad above. It puts gram panchayat plans together and channels scheme funds such as PMGSY. The Block Development Officer (BDO) is its executive officer. Under Article 243B, states with a population of 20 lakh or less may do without this tier.
Example
Goa and Sikkim are examples of small states that may skip the intermediate tier. In other states, sarpanchs and MLAs may also be members of the samiti.
Don't confuse with
- Zila parishad: this is the district tier above the samiti. Unlike the samiti, no state may skip it.
Related concepts
- Gram panchayat
- Sarpanch
- Panchayat secretary
- Patwari
- Zila parishad
- Child-friendly panchayat
- Bal sabha
- Women-friendly panchayat