Panel to suggest changes for RDPR Act

The State government has constituted a committee headed by former speaker K R Ramesh Kumar to suggest comprehensive amendments to the Karnataka Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Act, 1993, and make provisions of the legislation more effective.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister H K Patil said the intention of the government is to strengthen the functioning of rural local bodies.

The 14-member panel will introspect on the functioning of panchayat institutions for the last 20 years since the legislation came into effect, Patil said. He said several changes were required to ensure decentralisation of power to rural local bodies, transparency in administration and availability of basic amenities in villages. The committee will recommend whether the present system of a three-tier panchayat system should continue or be replaced by a two-tier system. The panel will also discuss the term of presiding officers and the present rotation of reservations. The committee will submit its report in six months, he said.