After holding the panchayat elections, involving 1.43 crore electorates in 24 districts, 14 of which are Maoist-infested, to elect 3,207 rural representatives for the first time in 32 years, the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department of Jharkhand has geared up its machinery to implement power transfer in a phased manner to the elected bodies as laid down in the Constitution.
As per the Eleventh Schedule of the Constitution, a panchayat will have jurisdiction over as many as 29 areas like agriculture, land reforms, minor irrigation, animal husbandry, fisheries, social forestry, rural housing, poverty alleviation programmes, public distribution system and primary and secondary schools.
The chief minister, Arjun Munda, has already asked the concerned departments to work out the modalities for decentralisation of power to the panchayats.
According to a senior official of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj department, work on decentralisation of power has started.
However, power sharing with panchayats would begin in a phased manner by undertaking a capacity building exercise for elected representatives before entrusting them with powers.
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He said projects under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) and poverty alleviation programmes under the rural development department could be transferred immediately after training panchayat officials.
He said Zilla parishad chairpersons and members would soon get charge of the district rural development agency (DRDA).
The state finance commission will be constituted to make recommendations to the governor in regard to principles that will govern distribution of net proceeds of taxes, duties, tolls and fees between the state and panchayats, he added.
According to the Constitution, the legislature in the state has to provide powers and authority as may be necessary to enable the panchayats to function as institutions of self-governance.
Powers include preparation of plans for economic development and social justice and implementation of such schemes for economic development and social justice.