Railway
In 1989, constitutional recognition for local government bodies was recommended by the:
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option C — P.K. Thungon Committee
Detailed Solution
Thungon Committee. The P.K. Thungon Committee, a sub-committee of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee, was set up in 1988 to examine the political and administrative structure of districts for district planning. In 1989 it recommended that local government bodies should be given constitutional recognition.
About the committee:
It was headed by P.K. Thungon, a Member of Parliament from Arunachal Pradesh who had served as its Chief Minister.
It was set up during the government of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Main recommendations:
- Panchayati Raj bodies should be constitutionally recognised.
- Elections to these bodies should be held regularly at fixed intervals.
- There should be reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women.
- A State Finance Commission should be set up to recommend how funds are shared with local bodies.
- The list of subjects for local bodies should be specified in the Constitution.
- The district should be the key unit for planning and development, and the District Collector should act as chief executive officer of the district body.
What followed:
- Based on such recommendations, the Rajiv Gandhi government introduced the 64th Constitutional Amendment Bill in 1989.
- The bill was passed by the Lok Sabha but defeated in the Rajya Sabha.
- Constitutional status for Panchayati Raj was finally given by the 73rd Amendment Act, 1992, which came into force in April 1993.
Other committees on Panchayati Raj:
The G.V.K. Rao Committee (1985) examined administrative arrangements for rural development.
The Gadgil Committee (1988) also recommended constitutional status.
Why not the other options?
- ✗The Kothari Commission dealt with education.
- ✗The Dinesh Goswami Committee dealt with electoral reforms.
- ✗The Wanchoo Committee examined direct taxes.
Quick tip
Remember: P.K. Thungon Committee (1989) = constitutional recognition for local bodies; it led to the 64th Amendment Bill.
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Panchayati Raj & Municipalities — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Panchayati Raj & Municipalities, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers local self-government in India: the Balwant Rai Mehta and Ashok Mehta committees, the 73rd Amendment on panchayats (Part IX and the Eleventh Schedule), the 74th Amendment on municipalities (Part IX-A and the Twelfth Schedule), and state election commissions and finance commissions. Questions commonly ask which state first adopted Panchayati Raj (Rajasthan, at Nagaur in 1959), which committee recommended the three-tier system, and what the 73rd and 74th Amendments provide, such as reservation for women of not less than one-third of seats. The Eleventh Schedule lists 29 subjects and the Twelfth lists 18. Practise the Panchayati Raj and municipalities questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.