Zila parishad
Also called: Zilla parishad, District panchayat, Zilla 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 zila parishad is the top tier of panchayati raj. It covers the rural part of a district. Under Art. 243B, every state must have this district tier. Only the middle tier can be skipped, and only in states of 20 lakh people or fewer. Under Art. 243C, its members are directly elected by voters. Its head, the adhyaksha, is chosen indirectly by those members, not by voters. A CEO (chief executive officer), who is a government official, runs its office. It makes development plans for the whole district.
Example
In 1957 the Balwantrai Mehta Committee saw the zila parishad as only an advisory body chaired by the Collector. Maharashtra (1962) and Gujarat (1963) instead made it the main working tier. The Ashok Mehta Committee (1978) also wanted the zila parishad to be the executive body.
Don't confuse with
- Panchayat samiti: the middle tier at the block level. It links gram panchayats with the zila parishad, and its executive officer is the BDO.
- District Planning Committee (Art. 243ZD): it combines the rural and urban plans of a district. The zila parishad plans only for rural areas.
Related concepts
- Gram panchayat
- Sarpanch
- Panchayat secretary
- Patwari
- Panchayat samiti
- Child-friendly panchayat
- Bal sabha
- Women-friendly panchayat