Nagar panchayat

Not to be confused with Gram panchayat, Nagar parishad, or Panchayat samiti.

A nagar panchayat (transl. 'town council') or town panchayat or Notified Area Council (NAC) in India is a settlement in transition from rural to urban^[1] and therefore a form of an urban political unit comparable to a municipality. An urban centre with more than 12,000 and less than 40,000 inhabitants is classified as a nagar panchayat. The population requirement for a Town Panchayat can vary from state to state.

Such councils are formed under the panchayati raj administrative system.^[2] In census data, the abbreviation T.P. is used to indicate a "town panchayat".^[3] Tamil Nadu was the first state to introduce the panchayat town as an intermediate step between rural villages and urban local bodies (ULB).^[4] The structure and the functions of the nagar panchayat are decided by the state government.

Governance

Each Nagar Panchayat has a committee consisting of a chairperson or president with ward members. Membership consists of a minimum of ten elected ward members and three nominated members. The Chairperson or President is the head of Nagar Panchayat. The NAC members of the Nagar are elected the several wards of the nagar panchayat on the basis of adult franchise for a term of five years. One third of the seats are reserved for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, backward classes and women. The Councillors or Ward Members are chosen by direct election from electoral wards in the nagar panchayat.

Alongside the elected officials, the state government appoints officers to facilitate the administration and functioning of Nagar Panchayats. Such as chief executive officer or Secretary, Superintendents, Engineers, Health Inspectors, etc. These officers are appointed based on specific rules and regulations set by the state government. The structure and the functions of the nagar panchayat are decided by the state government.^[5]

Each Indian state has its own management directorate for panchayat towns.

• Karnataka:^[2]
• Kerala: Local Self Government Department^[6]
• Maharashtra
• Tamil Nadu: Directorate of Town Panchayats^[7]

See also

• List of municipal corporations in India

References

1. "The Constitution (seventy-fourth Amendment) Act, 1992". India Code Legislative Department. Ministry of Law and Justice. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
2. "About Us: Urbanization in Karnataka, ULB Organization Chart, DMA Organization Chart". Directorate of Municipal Administration, Government of Karnataka. 2 February 2013. Archived from the original on 11 February 2013.
3. "Census Data 2001 / Metadata: 24. Abbreviations Used". Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Archived from the original on 17 June 2007.
4. "About Us: Town Panchayats Administration: Introduction". Directorate of Town Panchayats, Government of Tamil Nadu. Archived from the original on 22 January 2012.
5. Tamil Nadu, Directorate of Town Panchayats. "Town Panchayat Administration". Government of Tamil Nadu. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
6. "Local Self Government Department". Local Self Government Department, Government of Kerala.
7. "Directorate of Town Panchayats". Directorate of Town Panchayats, Nadu.