Question

state any two differences between the local government before and after the constitutional amendment in 1992

Answer 1

The local government before and after the constitutional amendment in 1992:

Before:

• Panchayats in villages and municipalities in urban areas were set up in all the States.
• These were directly under the control of state governments.
• Elections to these local governments were not held regularly.
• Local governments did not have any powers or resources of their own. Thus, there was very little scope of decentralisation in effective terms.

After:

• The Constitution was amended to make the third-tier of democracy more powerful and effective.
• It was constitutionally mandatory to hold regular elections to local government bodies.
• Seats were reserved in the elected bodies and the executive heads of these institutions for the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.
• At least one-third of all positions are reserved for women.
• An independent institution called the State Election Commission has been created in each State to conduct panchayat and municipal elections.
• The State governments are required to share some powers and revenue with local government bodies. The nature of
  sharing varies from State to State.