The Maharashtra Cabinet today gave its nod to re-promulgate an Ordinance, that seeks to amend the Maharashtra Gram Panchayat Act of 1958 to pave the way for direct election of the village head from among the people.
An official from the Chief Minister's Office said the Ordinance issued by Maharashtra governor C Vidyasagar Rao on July 19 to make the necessary amendments was to be tabled before Maharashtra Legislature during the Monsoon session for its approval, however, it could not be approved.
The official added that the Ordinance will lapse on September 3, 2017.
"The cabinet thus gave a go ahead to request the Governor to re-promulgate the Ordinance," the official said.
The state government had in July approved a proposal for direct election of village sarpanch (head of the Gram Panchayat or a village body comprising elected representatives).
At present, a village sarpanch is elected from among elected representatives who only can vote in the election.
The amendment will facilitate direct election of heads in 28,332 villages of the state governed by Gram Panchayats.
Apart from facilitating direct election of sarpanches, the government has also decided to vest them with added powers to make the village budget.
Under this, the directly elected sarpanch will prepare the budget, and the village committee will endorse it. For which purpose, the village committee too would have to be bestowed with additional powers.
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