Local Government: 73rd and 74th Amendments
CGPSC Polity notes: evolution of Panchayati Raj, the 73rd and 74th Amendments (Parts IX, IXA), urban local bodies and PESA 1996 for Prelims and Mains.
Chapter Overview
India governs itself at three levels: the Union, the states and, since 1993, the local bodies. The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts, 1992 gave panchayats and municipalities constitutional status, with regular elections, reservation for SCs, STs and women, and their own election and finance commissions. Today India has about 2.6 lakh panchayats with over 30 lakh elected representatives, nearly half of them women (Ministry of Panchayati Raj figures, 2025).
This chapter covers the national framework: how local government evolved, Parts IX and IXA article by article, the kinds of urban bodies, and PESA, 1996 for Scheduled Areas. How Chhattisgarh applies all this (its Panchayat Raj Adhiniyam, 50% women’s reservation, 14 municipal corporations, PESA Rules 2022, SEC and SFC) is in the sister chapter Panchayati Raj and Local Government in Chhattisgarh. Read this chapter first.
What You’ll Learn
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Trace local government from Ripon’s Resolution (1882) and Article 40 to the 73rd Amendment, with every major committee in order
- Explain Part IX (Arts 243–243O) article by article and separate its compulsory and voluntary provisions
- Explain Part IXA (Arts 243P–243ZG): three types of municipality, Wards Committees, the DPC and MPC, and the eight kinds of urban bodies
- Recall the Eleventh (29) and Twelfth (18) Schedules and tell their subjects apart
- Explain the Fifth vs Sixth Schedule and PESA’s Section 4 Gram Sabha powers
- Write balanced Mains answers on devolution (the “3Fs”), municipal finance and tribal self-rule
Prerequisites
- Directive Principles and Fundamental Duties: Article 40, the origin of the idea
- Preamble and Salient Features of the Constitution: federalism, into which local government adds a third tier
Learning Path
Follow the topics in this order:
graph TD
A["1. Evolution
Ripon 1882, Art 40,
Balwant Rai Mehta to 1992"] --> B["2. 73rd Amendment
Part IX, Arts 243–243O,
Eleventh Schedule"]
B --> C["3. 74th Amendment
Part IXA, Arts 243P–243ZG,
Twelfth Schedule, DPC, MPC"]
C --> D["4. PESA 1996
Fifth vs Sixth Schedule,
Gram Sabha powers"]
D --> E["5. Quick Revision"]
E --> F["Sister chapter:
Local Government in Chhattisgarh"]Topics in This Chapter
| # | Topic | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evolution of Local Government in India | Madras 1688, Mayo 1870, Ripon 1882, Acts of 1919 and 1935, Article 40, Balwant Rai Mehta, Ashok Mehta, G.V.K. Rao, L.M. Singhvi, Thungon, Gadgil, the failed 64th Bill |
| 2 | The 73rd Amendment: Panchayati Raj Institutions | Part IX article by article, compulsory vs voluntary provisions, Eleventh Schedule, SEC and SFC, Finance Commission grants, court cases, the 3Fs |
| 3 | The 74th Amendment: Urban Local Bodies | Part IXA, three types of municipality, Wards Committees, DPC and MPC, Twelfth Schedule, eight kinds of urban bodies, census towns, municipal finance |
| 4 | PESA, 1996 and Tribal Self-Rule | Fifth vs Sixth Schedule, Art 243M, Bhuria Committee, Section 4 powers, states’ PESA rules, FRA link, Samatha and Niyamgiri |
| — | Quick Revision | Every article, date, number and committee on one page |
Where It Is Asked
| Paper | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Prelims P-I (Part 1, India GS) | Article-number matching (243A, 243D, 243I, 243K, 243S, 243ZD), thresholds (21 years, 20 lakh, 3 lakh, 10 lakh), Eleventh vs Twelfth Schedule subjects, committee-recommendation pairs, PESA states and Gram Sabha powers. Statement-based questions on “compulsory vs voluntary” are common |
| Prelims P-I (Part 2, Chhattisgarh) | The same framework applied to the state; see the Chhattisgarh chapter |
| Mains P-III (GS-I), Constitution and Public Administration | Short answers (DPC vs MPC, Fifth vs Sixth Schedule, “grass without roots”) and long answers on devolution, women’s leadership, municipal finance and PESA’s record |
- High-yield: Part IX letters A to O (especially I = Finance, K = Election); compulsory vs voluntary list; the three thresholds; Ashok Mehta vs Balwant Rai Mehta; PESA Section 4 and the ten states.
- Common mistakes: thinking 50% women’s reservation or OBC reservation is constitutionally mandatory; placing the DPC in the 73rd Amendment; treating PESA as a constitutional amendment.
- Chhattisgarh angle for Mains: 50% women in panchayats, PESA Rules of 8 August 2022, the direct–indirect–direct mayor switches, and Ambikapur’s waste-management model.
Quick Reference: The Chapter at a Glance
| Item | Panchayats (rural) | Municipalities (urban) |
|---|---|---|
| Amendment | 73rd, 1992 | 74th, 1992 |
| In force | 24 April 1993 | 1 June 1993 |
| Part / Articles | Part IX, 243–243O | Part IXA, 243P–243ZG |
| Schedule | Eleventh, 29 subjects | Twelfth, 18 subjects |
| Basic units | Gram Sabha; village, intermediate, district tiers | Nagar Panchayat, Municipal Council, Municipal Corporation |
| Participation body | Gram Sabha (243A) | Wards Committees (243S), population 3 lakh+ |
| Reservation | 243D | 243T |
| Term / min. age | 5 years / 21 | 5 years / 21 |
| Finance Commission | 243I | 243Y |
| Election Commission | 243K | 243ZA |
| Exempt areas | 243M | 243ZC |
| Planning | — | DPC 243ZD, MPC 243ZE |
| Union FC clause | 280(3)(bb) | 280(3)(c) |
| Scheduled Areas | Extended by PESA, 24 December 1996 | Not extended (as of 2026) |
Related chapters: Local Government in Chhattisgarh · State Executive and Legislature · Centre–State Relations · Public Administration · Public Finance
Start Learning
Begin with the first topic: