Friday, September 29 2006 17:09 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: In order to develop panchayats as 'self governing institutions', a Task Force on Panchayati Raj Jurisprudence has suggested that the village councils should be given 'greater autonomy' with minimum interference by executive authorities.

In its report submitted to Panchayati Raj Minister Mani Shanker Aiyar recently, the Task Force said parallel bodies like villages and Rural Development Committees should be abolished and all development works should be undertaken by and through panchayats.

Panchayats should be made non-reversible by executive authorities. Besides, it said all welfare projects should be executed through panchayats.

An efficient social auditing mechanism should be in place to make the panchayats more accountable to the people.

"This would also make the state governments a lot more relaxed while devolving funds and functions to the panchayats", it said.

To build a consistent body of jurisprudence, based on more or less uniform pattern of statutes, the IVth Round Table Conference of State Ministers in charge of Panchayati Raj held at Chandigarh in October, 2004 had recommended the constitution of a task force on Panchayati Raj Jurisprudence.

Headed by Dr V S Ramadevi, formerly Governor of Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka, the Task force consisted of representatives from Bar Association of India, Society of Indian Law Firms, the Indian Law Institute, The Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra and the Institute of Social Sciences.