Difference Between Gram Sabha and Gram Panchayat – Gram Sabha vs Gram Panchayat

Difference Between Gram Sabha and Gram Panchayat

India is divided into Rural and Urban areas. The Gram Sabha and Gram Panchayat play a vital role in managing the internal matters of the village and reducing the significant burden on the higher officials.

• Although both committees work on the development of the village, there is a difference between Gram Sabha and Gram Panchayat in terms of powers and functions.
• The permanent body here is the Gram Sabha which keeps checks on the panchayat and handles the legislative issues of the village.
• The basic difference between Gram Sabha and Gram Panchayat is that the gram panchayat is a temporary elected body that takes charge of numerous tasks to efficiently manage village welfare.

Gram Sabha vs Gram Panchayat

Difference Between Gram Sabha and Gram Panchayat
Type of Committee	Gram Panchayat	Gram Sabha
Definition	Gram Panchayat is the committee that works at the village level. It is the lower-level element of the Panchayati Raj.	Gram Sabha is the legislative body that manages and governs at the level of the village.
Tenure of the Committee	It is a temporary body and is elected and designated for five years.	It is a permanent body.
Functions	The main functions of Gram Panchayat include maintaining records, implementing government schemes, ensuring the welfare of the villagers, and collecting taxes.	Organizes discussions on different plans of the Panchayat on several personal issues and development schemes and keeps checks on the Panchayat.
Members elections	The election for the members of the Gram Panchayat is organized. The Gram Sabha elects the members.	There is no election held for electing the members of the Gram Sabha.
Members	The members of Gram Panchayat include the ward members and the Sarpanch.	All the adult members of the village (above the age of 18) and with voter IDs.
Meetings	Meeting every month	Mandatory two meetings in a year

Gram Sabha and Gram Panchayat

Gram Sabha organizes conferences on various agendas of the Panchayat on several private matters and keeps a check on the Panchayat, whereas Gram Panchayat is responsible for maintaining documents, executing governance schemes, assuring the welfare of the residents, and gathering taxations.

What is Gram Sabha?

The permanent body is the Gram Sabha taking charge of the legislative actions at the village level. All the adult members of the village constitute the Gram Sabha; they keep checking on the Panchayat.

• The Gram Sabha takes care of several matters like finance, development, and expenditure.
• Gram Sabha is part of Gram Panchayat, and a few points highlight the difference between the Gram Sabha and Gram Panchayat concerning exercising authority and power.
• Powers of Gram Sabha include the responsibility to prevent the Panchayat from acting improperly, such as by misusing budgets or preferring specific individuals.

What is Gram Panchayat?

The Panchayat Raj is divided into three tiers: Zilla Parishad, Panchayat Samiti, and Gram Panchayat. The Gram Panchayat is stratified and classified into Nyaya Panchayat and Gram Sabha.

• The Gram Panchayat organizes meetings where matters related to the village and disputes among the villagers are discussed for resolution.
• The minimum age for election as a member of a panchayat is 21 years.

Facts About Panchayati Raj

In urban regions, governance is guided through municipalities, while in rural regions, it is accomplished through the Panchayati Raj system. The Panchayati Raj system works in almost every state except some states like Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Delhi.

• Panchayat assemblies were conducted in ancient India to organize the governance of the village.
• In 1992, the Panchayati Raj was formalized.
• The system of Panchayat Raj was included in the constitution through the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1992 and was effective from April 24, 1993.
• Article 40 in the Constitution of India states that the village panchayats will be granted powers that allow them to function as independent units of self-governance.
• The first committee formed under the Panchayati Raj system was the Balwant Rai Mehta Committee.

Conclusion:

Key difference between Gram Sabha and Gram Panchayat

The key difference between Gram Sabha and Gram Panchayat is that Gram Sabha is a permanent body, whereas Gram Panchayat is a temporary body appointed for five years. No Elections are held for choosing the Gram Sabha members, while elections are organized to choose the Gram Panchayat members.

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