i. Introduction
The 73rd Amendment Act was passed in 1992 and came into effect on 24th April 1993, inserting Part IX (Articles 243 to 243-O) and the Eleventh Schedule, which enumerated 29 functional items. This amendment granted state governments the authority to establish gram panchayats at the local level and provide them with the necessary resources to operate as units of self-governance. Before the amendment, the panchayat system was already in place in India but faced significant challenges, such as poor organization, inadequate financial resources, irregular elections, and insufficient representation of weaker sections, like Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs). Furthermore, the local authorities lacked proper government support. To address these issues and strengthen local self-government bodies, this amendment was introduced to provide legal backing for panchayats.
The provisions under Part IX can be categorized into two groups: compulsory and voluntary.