HP Govt tables Bill to strengthen Panchayats, curb conflicts of interest
Shimla, Sept 1,
In a move aimed at tightening accountability and making Panchayati Raj institutions more effective, the Himachal Pradesh Government on Monday introduced a Bill in the Vidhan Sabha to amend the Himachal Pradesh Panchayati Raj Act, 1994.
Education Minister Rohit Thakur, presenting the Bill on behalf of Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh, said the proposed amendments are intended to bring the state’s Panchayat law in sync with the recently enacted Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, while ensuring that local bodies function with greater transparency and efficiency.
A major provision in the legislation seeks to prohibit Panchayat members, office bearers and employees from engaging in any form of contract, commission, or share related to Panchayat works. Violations will attract penal action under Section 202 of the BNS, 2023, besides disqualification from holding office. If a member is already elected, he or she would have to vacate the post upon being found guilty.
The Bill also empowers Panchayat Secretaries to recover arrears such as taxes, water charges, rents and other dues owed to the Panchayat. These recoveries will be supervised by the Collector, while Block Development Officers and Chief Executive Officers will assist in identifying the amounts pending. The dues can be recovered as arrears of land revenue – a move the government says will improve financial discipline at the grassroots.
Significantly, the draft legislation incorporates around 40 provisions of the new criminal code, authorising Gram Panchayats to handle minor offences locally. These include obstruction in serving summons, intentional insult to public servants, acts of public nuisance, negligence threatening human life, petty thefts up to Rs 250, mischief, criminal trespass, and misconduct in public places. By empowering Panchayats to deal with such disputes, the government aims to reduce the load on regular courts while strengthening justice delivery at the community level.
The Bill will come up for discussion later in the ongoing monsoon session of the Assembly. According to the state government, the proposed changes are part of an effort to align Himachal’s Panchayati Raj framework with national legal reforms while addressing the long-pending demand for cleaner and more accountable functioning of local bodies.
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