State Act

THE KARNATAKA GRAM SWARAJ AND PANCHAYAT RAJ ACT, 1993

1[145. Functions of Taluk Panchayat.- (1) The Taluk Panchayat shall perform the functions specified in Schedule II: Provided that where the State Government or Central Government provides funds for the performance of any function specified in Schedule II, the Taluk Panchayat shall perform such functions in accordance with the guidelines or norms laid down for performance of such function. (2) Notwithstanding anything contrary contained in sub-section (1) or Schedule II, it shall be obligatory on the part of the Taluk Panchayat, in so for as the Taluk Panchayat fund at its disposal will allow, to make reasonable provision within the area under its jurisdiction in respect of the following matters, namely:- (i) construction and augmentation of water supply works to the level of not less than forty liters per capita for day; (ii) filing half yearly report regarding the activities of Grama Panchayats within the taluk regarding,- (a) holding of Grama Sabha; (b) maintenance of Water supply works; (c) construction of individual and community latrine; (d) collection and revision of taxes, rates and fees; (e) payment of electricity charges; (f) enrollment in schools; (g) progress of immunisation. (iii) providing adequate number of class rooms and maintaining primary school buildings in proper condition including water supply and sanitation; (iv) acquiring land for locating the manure pits away from the dwelling houses in the villages.]1 1[(3) The Taluk Panchayat shall be a unit of local self Government and the state shall endow, subject to availability of funds, the Taluk Panchayat with the powers, authority, functions, functionaries, as may be necessary to enable them to function as institutions of local self-Government. (4) It shall be the duty of every Taluk Panchayat to meet the needs of people of the panchayat area and so far as the funds of the Taluk Panchayat shall allow have powers to administer the matters enumerated in schedule II and also as specified in the responsibility map in respect of Taluk Panchayats and to prepare and implement schemes for economic, social, cultural development for the realisation of social justice for all, in addition to the following, namely:– (a) to consolidate, manage and maintain a data base of all relevant socio-economic information and a map of all natural and other resources and assets within the area and update them periodically to include the information obtained as a result of the surveys and rural appraisals conducted in every Gram Panchayat and the surveys and data collection conducted by every Taluk Panchayat; (b) to render assistance to the Gram Panchayats for ensuring the safety, security, freedom and rights of all citizens and in particular, the vulnerable sections of the society; (c) to monitor primary health centre’s, taluk hospitals, veterinary hospitals and polyclinics in the taluk with special focus on the health needs of women, children, the aged, sick and the infirm, including implementation of child development programmes at taluk level; (d) to monitor Government schools, ashram schools and hostels, orphanages, Government industrial, vocational training institutions and education centre’s and to perform all the functions required such as promotion of literacy and access to information through libraries with internet access; (e) to assist the Gram Panchayats in the establishment and development of home stays, tourist destinations, khadi and village industries, food storage, processing and marketing outlets to create opportunities for self-employment and the alleviation of poverty through rural enterprises and cooperative societies including the management of the public distribution system; (f) to assist cooperative banks for women at the taluk level for encouraging small business, home and cottage industries by offering loans and promoting savings and to nominate three of its women members ex-officio on its committee of directors of whom one shall be a member belonging to the scheduled castes or the scheduled tribes; (g) to assist the Gram Panchayats by providing material support to preserve, protect and nurture the bio-diversity and ecology of the area and plan for social forestry and maintenance of multi village solid and liquid waste management plants; (h) to promote trade of rural products, produce and livestock thoroughfares, melas, exhibitions and taluk level public markets and to perform all the attendant functions required; (i) to enable Gram Panchayats to provide clean drinking water and regular power supply and establish the infrastructure required to ensure the same including providing of technical assistance; (j) to ensure preparedness in the taluk for any disaster management by assessing the risks and developing disaster documenting and disseminating this knowledge to provide medical and other requirements for all types of possible disasters and enlisting the cooperation and participation of the Gram Panchayats and zilla panchayats, non-Government organisations and men of expertise in the relevant fields; (k) to promote and preserve social and cultural art forums, sports, crafts, skills and practices of all sections of the society at the taluk level; (l) to meet the requirements of the Taluk Panchayat area and respond to the needs and requests of the Gram Panchayats and provide assistance as necessary in respect of the matters enumerated in schedule-II; (m) to conduct along with the urban local bodies concerned, a survey once in five years to collect essential socio-economic data, crop census and cattle census, census of unemployed persons and persons below poverty line within the area of the taluk; (n) to draw up with the assistance of the Gram Panchayats, its own vision plan based on its survey held consolidating the plans of all the Gram Panchayats within its area and adding to it its own development plan covering area other than the areas covered by the Gram Panchayats in the taluk; (o) to implement and administer schemes subject to availability of funds such as the construction of roads and bridges and water channels, lift irrigation and minor irrigation schemes that the Gram Panchayats cannot by themselves undertake; and (p) to promote the health, safety, education or social and economic well- being of the inhabitants for the protection of the environment within the panchayat area and to carry out any other work or programme necessary or incidental thereto]1