Constitution (Sixty-Fifth Amendment) Bill, 1989 — Panchayati Raj

Constitution (Sixty-Fifth Amendment) Bill, 1989 — Panchayati Raj

The Constitution (Sixty-Fifth Amendment) Bill, 1989 was introduced by the Rajiv Gandhi Government with the objective of giving constitutional status to Panchayati Raj institutions and strengthening democratic decentralisation in rural India. It was closely associated with the Government's effort to establish a uniform constitutional framework for local self-government. The Bill was discussed in Parliament in August 1989. 

The Bill sought to insert provisions relating to Panchayats in Part IX of the Constitution. It proposed a constitutional framework for rural local bodies and specified their structure, functions and elections. 

Major features proposed

The 1989 Bill proposed:

Constitutional recognition of Panchayati Raj institutions.

A three-tier Panchayati Raj system at the village, intermediate and district levels.

Gram Sabha as an important institution at the village level.

Regular elections to Panchayati Raj institutions.

Reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Reservation for women in Panchayati Raj institutions.

A fixed five-year tenure for Panchayats.

Provision for State Election Commissions for conducting Panchayat elections.

Measures for providing Panchayats with appropriate powers, responsibilities and financial resources.

The objective was to make Panchayati Raj institutions genuine institutions of grass-roots democracy and development rather than bodies functioning entirely at the discretion of State Governments.

What happened to the Bill?

The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha, but it failed to secure the required special majority in the Rajya Sabha in October 1989. According to the parliamentary record, it received 157 votes in favour and 83 against, while 160 votes were required. Therefore, the Bill failed by three votes and did not become a Constitutional Amendment Act. 

This is why it is important not to confuse the 65th Amendment Bill, 1989 with the 65th Amendment Act, 1990.

Later development

The idea contained in the 1989 Bill was subsequently revived by the P. V. Narasimha Rao Government. A new Constitutional Amendment Bill was introduced in 1991, which eventually became the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992. It gave constitutional status to Panchayati Raj Institutions by inserting Part IX and the Eleventh Schedule into the Constitution.

Exam distinction

Bill/Act Year Subject Result

65th Constitutional Amendment Bill 1989 Panchayati Raj Failed in Rajya Sabha

65th Constitutional Amendment Act 1990 National Commission for SCs & STs Became an Act

73rd Constitutional Amendment Act 1992 Panchayati Raj Became an Act

Source: Parliament Digital Library, Lok Sabha parliamentary records and Constitution Amendment in India; the distinction is also consistent with the standard treatment in M. Laxmikanth, Indian Polity.