Telangana Districts

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Telangana has 33 districts from 17th February 2019. Telangana had 10 districts and changed to 31 on 11th October, 2016.

Panchayati raj (council of five officials) is the system of local self-government of villages in rural India as opposed to urban and suburban municipalities.

Telangana's Panchayati Raj system is a three-tier structure in rural areas and a two-tier structure for urban local bodies (ULBs). The system includes: 
  1. Gram panchayats: The smallest and only permanent unit in the Panchayati Raj system 
  2. Mandal parishads: 127 in Telangana 
  3. Zilla parishads: 33 in Telangana 
  4. Municipalities: 141 in Telangana 
  5. Municipal corporations: 13 in Telangana
In Telangana, a "Zilla Parishad" represents the district-level governing body, a "Mandal" is the block-level governing body, and a "Gram Panchayat" is the village-level governing body, with the Zilla Parishad overseeing the Mandal which in turn oversees the Gram Panchayat; essentially, the Zilla Parishad is the highest tier of local governance, followed by the Mandal, and then the Gram Panchayat at the grassroots level.

Gram Panchayat consists of a village or a group of villages divided into smaller units called “Wards”. Each ward selects or elects a representative who is known as the Panch or ward member. The members of the Gram Sabha elect the ward members through a direct election.

In Telangana, a "mandal" is a larger administrative unit encompassing multiple "gram panchayats," which are the basic units of local governance at the village level; essentially, a mandal is a group of villages governed by several gram panchayats under a single administrative head, similar to a tehsil in other parts of India.

Gram panchayat: The village council, where people 18 and older vote for their representatives. The elected representatives, along with the sarpanch, make up the gram panchayat. The sarpanch is the elected leader of the gram panchayat and is also known as the gram pradhan, mukhiya, or president.

The president (sarpanch) and vice president (upa-sarpanch) in a gram Panchayat are elected from among the elected ward members. the term of office for elected members in a Gram Panchayat, including the Sarpanch and Upa-Sarpanch, is typically five years.

Zilla Parishad members in Telangana are elected in a few ways:
  1. Direct election: Villagers directly elect members of the Zilla Parishad. 
  2. Indirect election: Ward members indirectly elect members of the Zilla Parishad. 
  3. Government appointment: The government may also appoint members of the Zilla Parishad. 
  4. Co-opted members: Zilla Praja Parishad Territorial Constituencies (ZPTCs) co-opt two members from minorities, such as Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Parsis.
In Telangana Mandal parishad (MPTC) members are elected by people in each mandal who vote for their representative and The Zilla Parishad (ZPTC) is made up of MPTC members, the president, and the vice president. The president and vice president are elected from among the elected MPTC members. 

Elections are held every five years, and all residents of the district's Zilla Parishad territory who are over the age of 18 are eligible to vote.

Mandal Praja Parishads General Body meeting will be conducted with in every 90 days to review and monitor developmental activities.

The Government appoints Mandal Parishad Development Officer for each Mandal Praja Parishad as he has to look after executive orders and instructions of the Government and Mandal Praja Parishad.

A Village Panchayat is responsible for basic village-level functions like sanitation, water management, maintaining public spaces, and minor infrastructure repairs, while a Mandal oversees development activities at the block level, and a Zilla Parishad manages larger scale development projects across an entire district, including coordinating between different blocks and planning major infrastructure initiatives.
 
Responsibilities
Village Panchayat (Gram Panchayat):
  1. Basic infrastructure: Maintaining village roads, street lights, public buildings, and drainage systems. 
  2. Sanitation and hygiene: Implementing cleanliness drives, managing waste disposal, and promoting hygiene practices. 
  3. Water management: Overseeing water distribution systems, maintaining wells and ponds. 
  4. Community welfare: Organizing social events, addressing local grievances, and providing support to vulnerable groups. 
  5. Tax collection: Collecting local taxes for village development projects. 
Mandal (Block Panchayat):
  1. Coordination between villages: Facilitating communication and collaboration between different village panchayats within a block. 
  2. Rural development programs: Implementing government schemes related to agriculture, health, education, and women's empowerment at the block level. 
  3. Monitoring and evaluation: Supervising the progress of development projects in villages under its jurisdiction. 
  4. Resource allocation: Distributing funds received from the Zilla Parishad to different village panchayats based on need. 
  5. Land management: Overseeing land records and resolving land disputes within the block. 
Zilla Parishad (District Council):
  1. District-level planning: Creating comprehensive development plans for the entire district, including infrastructure projects, education initiatives, and healthcare facilities.
  2. Budget allocation: Distributing funds to different Mandal panchayats based on the district development plan.
  3. Major infrastructure projects: Initiating and overseeing large-scale projects like road construction, irrigation systems, and power grids.
  4. Monitoring and evaluation: Assessing the overall effectiveness of development programs across the district
  5. Capacity building: Providing training and support to the staff of Mandal panchayats and Village Panchayats
Revenue
Only 1% of the revenue of panchayats was earned by them, with the rest being raised as grants from the State and the Centre, show data. Specifically, 80% of the revenue was from Central government grants; only 15% was from State government grants. Consequently, the revenue raised by panchayats formed a minuscule share of the States’ own revenue.
  1. Government grants: The state and central governments distribute a portion of their tax revenues to rural local bodies like Gram Panchayats. For example, the Fifteenth Finance Commission allocates grants to Gram Panchayats, Mandal Praja Parishads, and Zilla Praja Parishads in a ratio of 85:10:5%. 
  2. Taxes: Gram Panchayats can collect taxes on houses and marketplaces. However, their own revenue sources are limited, and they can't levy taxes on exported goods. 
  3. Donations: Gram Panchayats can receive donations for community works.
In Telangana, Mandal Praja Parishads receive funds from the Zilla Praja Parishad, which distributes funds from the state and central governments

Central and state governments transfer funds to Zilla Parishads and Village Panchayats through a system of "assigned revenue sharing" where a portion of the state's tax collection is allocated to these local bodies based on recommendations from the State Finance Commission, usually following a formula that considers factors like population, area, and poverty levels;these funds are then transferred directly to the respective Zilla Parishad and Panchayat accounts, enabling them to carry out development projects in their jurisdiction.

A Gram Panchayat in India prepares a budget annually for the following year that includes estimated receipts and disbursements. The budget is then submitted to the Zilla Parishad, which may approve it or return it to the Gram Panchayat for modifications. The Gram Panchayat must resubmit the budget for approval after making modifications.

In India, the state government primarily allocates funds to Zilla Parishads (district councils), which then further distribute a portion of these funds to the Village Panchayats based on factors like population, geographical area, development needs, and performance indicators outlined by the State Finance Commission; essentially, the central government provides funds to the state, which then decides the division between Zilla Parishads and Village Panchayats according to its own guidelines and priorities.

The Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Department is a cabinet-level ministry in the Government of Telangana. The Panchayat Raj Engineering Department (PRED) functions under the Ministry of Panchayati Raj and Rural Development

Constitution (Seventy-third Amendment) Act, 1992: This act requires state governors to establish a Finance Commission to review the financial situation of Panchayats. The commission makes recommendations to the governor on how to distribute taxes, duties, tolls, and fees between the state and Panchayats. The commission also recommends how to allocate grants-in-aid to Panchayats from the state's Consolidated Fund.

"Devolution of Power and Funds to Panchayati Raj Institutions" refers to the process of transferring authority and financial resources from the state government to local self-governing bodies called "Panchayati Raj Institutions" in India, essentially giving them more autonomy to manage local affairs and development projects at the village and district levels.


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