Ward Committee/Gramasabha

🏡 Grama Sabha 

This is the most important mechanism through which ordinary people get direct participation in governance in a democratic system. 

  • Members: All the voters in each ward of a Grama Panchayat are members of that ward's Grama Sabha.
  • Convenor: The concerned Grama Panchayat member (ward member) is the convenor of the Grama Sabha.
  • Meeting: The Grama Sabha must meet at least 4 times a year.
  • Functions:
    • To select beneficiaries for various welfare schemes.
    • To formulate plans for the Panchayat (plan conceptualization).
    • To discuss the budget, audit report, and estimates of public works.
    • To understand the rationale behind decisions taken by the Panchayat.
  • Quorum: The quorum is 10 percent of the total members (the minimum number of members required to hold a meeting). 

 

🏘️ Ward Sabha / Ward Committee 

Ward Sabha : In municipalities (nagar sabha), this is an assembly comprising the voters of each ward in areas with a population of less than one lakh. The functions here are similar to those of the Grama Sabha. The Ward Councillor is the convenor.

  • Ward Committee : In wards of municipalities or corporations with a population of more than one lakh, Ward Committees are formed instead of Ward Sabhas.
  • Members (Committee): The elected representative of the ward (councillor) will be the chairperson. It includes representatives from registered organizations, neighbourhood groups (Ayalkoottam), political parties, educational institutions, and nominated members.
  • Responsibilities: Ensuring participation in schemes and development activities, discussing and evaluating development matters at the ward level.

🏛️ Powers, Rights, and Responsibilities of Grama Sabha/Ward Sabha

I. 🗺️ Relating to Scheme Planning and Implementation

  • Gathering Details: Help collect the detailed information required for formulating development schemes.

  • Proposing Schemes and Prioritization: Prepare proposals for schemes and development programs to be implemented in the Grama Panchayat/Municipality area, and determine their priority.

    • (Note: Draft project proposals should be printed and distributed at the Grama Sabha/Ward Sabha, which should review them and set the order of priority.)

  • Providing Support: Offer assistance, make facilities available, provide voluntary service, and provide or mobilize money or materials to effectively implement development schemes.

  • Ensuring Efficiency: Ensure the efficiency of the development, service, and welfare schemes being implemented.

II. 🛠️ Relating to Public Amenity Schemes

  • Suggest where public amenity projects such as streetlights, public water taps, public wells, public sanitation units, irrigation facilities, and other such projects should be installed.

III. 🏗️ Relating to Construction Works (Maramath Panikal)

  • Accessing Details: Have the right to know the estimate, material cost details, and other specifics of works that have been implemented or are proposed to be implemented in the Grama Sabha/Ward Sabha area.

    • (Note: These details must be distributed in the Grama Sabha/Ward Sabha.)

  • Monitoring Committees: Supervise and assist the Beneficiary Committees undertaking the development programs.

  • Collecting Information: Collect information regarding the detailed estimates of the works proposed to be implemented in the area.

IV. 👥 Scrutiny and Selection of Beneficiaries

  • Checking Eligibility: Scrutinize the eligibility of people who receive various welfare benefits, such as pensions and subsidies.

  • Finalizing the Priority List:

    • After receiving applications and conducting enquiries, submit a draft priority list of applicants to the Grama Sabha/Ward Sabha.

    • Conduct a detailed scrutiny of the applicants' eligibility during the meeting, with the applicants present.

    • Subsequently, the Grama Sabha/Ward Sabha must finalize the priority list of eligible beneficiaries and submit it to the Grama Panchayat/Municipality.

    • (Note: The Local Self-Government Institution cannot alter the priority sequence approved by the Grama Sabha/Ward Sabha.)

  • Selecting Beneficiaries (All Tiers): The Grama Sabha/Ward Sabha is responsible for selecting beneficiaries based on priority not only for schemes implemented by the Grama Panchayat/Municipality, but also for those implemented by other Panchayats (Block/District Panchayats) or other departments.

  • Distributing Information: The list of individuals receiving benefits (such as BPL families, Aasraya beneficiaries, those getting special benefits under the public distribution system, welfare pensions, unemployment wages, and beneficiaries of development schemes) must be distributed in the Grama Sabha/Ward Sabha.

  • Ensuring Proper Disbursement: Ensure that the eligible receive the benefits and the ineligible do not.

V. 🧑‍💼 Relating to the Functioning of Officials

  • Mandatory Participation: Officials under the control of the Grama Panchayat/Municipality must compulsorily attend the Grama Sabha/Ward Sabha meetings as requested by the President/Chairperson.

  • Role of Coordinator: The official appointed by the Local Self-Government Institution must serve as the Coordinator of the Grama Sabha/Ward Sabha.