A Comparative Assessment of the Functioning of Autonomous District Councils and Panchayati Raj Institutions in India: A Case Study of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council

In: Contemporary voice of Dalit, Band 14, Heft 2, S. 232-241

Abstract

The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1992 provided the Constitutional machinery for rural governance in India, whereas the tribal-dominated states under 5th and 6th schedules of the Constitution were allowed either to introduce Panchayati Raj Institutions or to continue with their traditional self-government institutions. In conformity with Constitutional Amendment Act of 1992, the state of Tripura passed the Tripura Panchayat Act in 1993 and established a three-tier structure with the Gram Panchayat as the lowest tier, the Panchayat Samitis at the block level and Zilla Parshad at the district level. Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) was set up in 1985 under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution with aims to protect the social, economic and cultural interests of the tribal population and to promote the all-round socio-economic development of the territory covered by the TTAADC. Like the three-tier system in Panchayati Raj Institutions, TTAADC has a similar structure like District Council at district level, Block Advisory Council at block level and Village Council at village level. The present article assesses the similarities and differences in the functioning of these two systems in the state of Tripura. The article is based on both primary and secondary data. The qualitative and quantitative data were collected through structured schedule from different stakeholders and Focus Group Discussions from the village-level respondents.