Assignment on local government

Assignment on local government

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Introduction
Local government is the government of the village and district level. It is the government
closest to the common people that involves in day-to-day life and attempt to resolve problems
of ordinary citizens. Democracy is in fact about meaningful participation and also about
accountability. Hence, strong and vibrant local governments ensure both active participation
and purposeful accountability. The hierarchy of different levels of Governments (of India) is
shown in the following image −

Evolution of Local Government
• In 1882, Lord Rippon, the-then Viceroy of India, took the initiative to form elected
local government body.
• Following the Government of India Act 1919, village Panchayats were established in
many provinces and the trend continued after the Government of India Act of 1935.
• When the Constitution was prepared, the subject of local government was assigned to
the States and it was one of the provisions of the Directive Principles of State Policy.

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• After the independence, a three-tier Panchayati Raj system of local government was
recommended for the rural areas; resultantly, some of the states including Gujarat and
Maharashtra adopted the system of elected local bodies (1960).
• After 1987, a thorough review of the functioning of local government institutions was
initiated and in 1989, the P. K. Thungon Committee recommended constitutional
recognition to the local government bodies.
• Finally, in 1992, the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments were passed by the
Parliament.
• The 73rd Amendment is about the rural local governments, which are also known as
Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs).
• The 74th Amendment made the provisions relating to the urban local government (also
known as Nagarpalikas).
Panchayati Raj
• Following the 73rd Amendment, all states now have a uniform three tier Panchayati
Raj structure as −
o Gram Panchayat − At the bottom level;
o Mandal (also known as Block or Taluka) − Intermediary level; and
o Zilla Panchayat − At the top level.
• A Gram Panchayat covers a village or group of villages.
• The intermediary level is the Mandal covers Block (i.e. a group of gram panchayat).
• The Zilla Panchayat covers the entire rural area of the District.
• All the three levels of Panchayati Raj Institutions are elected directly by the people for
five years term.
• One-third of the positions in all panchayat institutions are reserved for the women.
• Twenty-nine subjects (of 11th Schedule of the Constitution), which were earlier in the
State list, are transferred to the Panchayati Raj Institutions.

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• The 73rd Amendment was not made applicable to the areas inhabited by the Adivasi
populations in many states of India; however, a separate provision was passed in 1996
for these areas.
• The State government is required to appoint a State Election Commissioner
(independent of Election Commission of India) who would be responsible for
conducting elections in the Panchayati Raj Institutions.
• The state government is required to appoint a State Finance Commission once in five
years.
Nagarpalika
• The 74th Amendment dealt with urban local bodies (Nagarpalikas or Municipality).
• The Census of India defines an urban area as −
o A minimum population of 5,000;
o At least 75% of male working population engaged in non-agricultural
occupations, and
o A density of population is at least 400 persons per sq. km.
• As per the 2011 census (provisional data), about 31 percent of India’s population lives
in urban areas.
• Many provisions of 74th Amendment are similar to 73rd Amendment.

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• The functions of Nagarpalika have been listed in the Twelfth Schedule of the
Constitution.
• The Indian population has 16.2 percent Scheduled Castes (SC) and 8.2 per cent
Scheduled Tribes (ST) and accordingly, the seats for both SC and ST are reserved in
local government.
Nagar panchayat
A nagar panchayat (नगर पंचायत) or Notified Area Council (NAC) or City Council in India is
a settlement in transition from rural to urban.
[1]

The 74th Amendment made provisions relating to urban local government. The three-tier
structure is municipal corporation, municipal council and nagar panchayat.
Constitution
Each nagar panchayat has a committee consisting of a chairman/mayor along with ward
members. There are at least ten elected ward members and three nominated members. NAC
members of the nagar panchayat are elected from the wards of the nagar panchayat on the basis
of adult franchise for a term of five years. There are seats reserved for scheduled
castes, scheduled tribes, backward classes and women. The councillors or ward members
chosen by direct election from electoral wards in the nagar panchayat.

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Republic of India




States
Union
Territories





Divisions


Districts





Blocks
(Tehsils/Talukas)

Municipal
Corporations
(Maha-Nagar-Palika)

Municipalities
(Nagar-Palika)

City
Councils
(Nagar-
Panchayat)







Villages
(Gram/Gaon)
Wards


Administration
The Chairman is the head of the Notified Area Committee. The Executive Officer is the
official in charge of the Notified Area Council. Executive Officers monitor the
implementation of all the programs related to planning and development of the Notified Area
Council with the coordination of the NAC Chairman and all ward members.
Functions
• Essential services and facilities to the urban area.
• Sanitation programme.
• Street lighting and providing roads in wards and main roads of town.

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• Schools in urban areas.
• Programme for adult literacy and run city libraries.
• Water supply to every ward of urban area.
• Drainage system to clear the solid and liquid wastes from town.
• Culverts for underground drainage system.
• Records of births and deaths.
Income
Nagar panchayats derive income from taxes including those on water, pilgrimage, markets
and transport services. They also receive a mixed grant from the state government, in
proportion to the land revenue and money for works and schemes assigned to them.

Nagar Palika
In India, Municipal Councils or Town Municipalities or Nagar Palika or Nagar Palika
Parishad or Municipality is an urban local body that administers a city of population 100,000
or more than. However, there are exceptions to that, as previously Nagar Palikas were
constituted in urban centers with population over 20,000, so all the urban bodies which were
previously classified as Nagar Palikas were reclassified as Nagar Palikas even if their
population was under 100,000. Under the Panchayati Raj system, it interacts directly with the
state government, though it is administratively part of the district it is located in. Generally,
smaller district cities and bigger towns have a Nagar Palika. Nagar Palikas are also a form of
local self-government entrusted with some duties and responsibilities, as enshrined in the
Constitutional (74th Amendment) Act,1992.
The 74th amendment made the provisions relating to Urban Local
Governments (Nagarpalikas).
Three Tier Structure:
• Municipal Corporations
• Municipal Councils
• Nagar Panchayats
Constitution
The members of the Nagar Palika are elected representatives for a term of five years. The town
is divided into wards according to its population, and representatives are elected from each
ward. The members elect a president among themselves to preside over and conduct meetings.
A chief officer, along with officers like an engineer,(accountant & auditor) sanitary
inspector, health officer and education officer who come from the state public service are
appointed by the state government to control the administrative affairs of the Nagar Palika.

Functions
The Nagar Palika is responsible for
• Water supply
• Hospitals

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• Roads
• Street lighting
• Drainage
• Fire brigade
• Market places
• Records of births and deaths
• Solid waste management
Sources of Income
Its sources of income are taxes on water, houses, markets, entertainment and vehicles paid by
residents of the town and grants from the state government.
Municipal Corporations in India

A Municipal Corporation, City Corporation, Mahanagar Palika or Mahanagar Nigam is a local
government in India that administers urban areas with a population of more than one million.
The growing population and urbanization in various cities of India were in need of a local
governing body that can work for providing necessary community services like health care,
educational institution, housing, transport etc. by collecting property tax and fixed grant from
the State Government.
The 74th Amendment made the provisions relating to urban local governments.
Other names for Municipal Corporations
Municipal Corporations are referred to by different names in different states (due to regional
language variations), all of which are translated to "Municipal Corporation" in English. These
names include Nagar Nigam (in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Rajasthan,
and Haryana), Mahanagar Palika (in Goa, Karnataka, and Maharashtra), Pouro
Nigom (in West Bengal),Pur Porishod (in Tripura), and Nagar Palika Nigam (in Madhya
Pradesh).
The Vadodara Municipal Corporation is typically called by the name "Vadodara Mahanagar
Seva Sadan". The detailed structure of these urban bodies varies from state to state, as per the
laws passed by the state legislatures, but the basic structure and function is almost the same.

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Composition

Administrative structure of India
The area administered by a Municipal Corporation is known as a municipal area. Each
municipal area is divided into territorial constituencies known as wards. A Municipal
Corporation is made up of a Wards Committee. Each ward has one seat on the Wards
Committee. Members are elected to the Wards Committee on the basis of adult franchise for a
term of five years. These members are known as Councillors or Coporators. The number of
wards in a municipal area is determined by the population of the city. Some seats are reserved
for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, backward classes and women.
A State can choose to constitute additional Committees to carry functions of urban local
governance, in addition to the Wards Committees. In addition to the Councillors elected from
the wards, the legislature of a state may also choose to make provisions for the representation
of persons having special knowledge or experience in municipal administration, the MPs or
MLAs representing the constituencies which comprise wholly or partly the municipal area,
and/or the Commissioners of additional committees that the State may have constituted. If a
State legislature appoints a person from the first category to a Wards Committee, that individual
will not have the right to vote in the meetings of the Municipal Corporation, while MPs, MLAs
and Commissioners do have the right to vote in meetings.
The largest corporations are in the six metropolitan cities of India,
viz. Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Th e Brihanmumbai
Municipal Corporation (BMC) is the richest municipal corporation in India.

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Administration
The Mayor is the head of the Municipal Corporation, but the role is largely ceremonial as
executive powers are vested in the Municipal Commissioner. The office of the Mayor
combines a functional role of chairing the Corporation meeting as well as ceremonial role
associated with being the First Citizen of the city. Per the amended Municipal Corporation Act
of 1888, a Deputy Mayor is appointed by the Mayor. The tenure of the Mayor and Deputy
Mayor is two and a half years.
Executive Officers monitor the implementation of all the programs related to planning and
development of the corporation with the coordination of Mayor and Councilors.
Functions

Municipal Corporation building in Bangalore
The Twelfth Schedule to the Constitution lists the subjects that Municipal Corporations are
responsible for. Corporations may be entrusted to perform functions and implement schemes
including those in relation to the matters listed in the Twelfth Schedule.
• Urban planning including town planning.
• Regulation of land-use and construction of buildings.
• Planning for economic and social development.
• Roads and bridges.
• Water supply for domestic, industrial and commercial purposes.
• Public health, sanitation conservancy and solid waste management.
• Fire services.
• Urban forestry, protection of the environment and promotion of ecological aspects.
• Safeguarding the interests of weaker sections of society, including the handicapped and
mentally retarded.
• Slum improvement and upgradation.
• Urban poverty alleviation.

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• Provision of urban amenities and facilities such as parks, gardens, playgrounds.
• Promotion of cultural, educational and aesthetic aspects.
• Burials and burial grounds; cremations, cremation grounds and electric crematoriums.
• Cattle pounds; prevention of cruelty to animals.
• Vital statistics including registration of births and deaths.
• Public amenities including street lighting, parking lots, bus stops and public
conveniences.
• Regulation of slaughter houses and tanneries
Sources of Income
Its sources of income are taxes on water, houses, markets, entertainment and vehicles paid by
residents of the town and grants from the state government.
Gram panchayat
A gram panchayat is the cornerstone of a local self-government organisation in India of
the panchayati raj system at the village or small town level and has a sarpanch as its elected
head.
The failed attempts to deal with local matters at the national level caused, in 1992, the
reintroduction of panchayats for their previously used purpose as an organisation for local self-
governance.
[1]
There are about 250,000 gram panchayats in India.
Structure
Gram panchayats are panchayats at base level in panchayat raj institutions (or PRIs), governed
by the 73rd Amendment, which is concerned with Rural Local Governments.
• Panchayat at District (or apex) Level
• Panchayat at Intermediate Level
• Panchayat at Base Level
The gram panchayat is divided into wards and each ward is represented by a Ward Member,
also referred to as a Panch, who is directly elected by the villagers. The panchayat is chaired
by the president of the village, known as a Sarpanch. The term of the elected representatives is
five years. The Secretary of the panchayat is a non-elected representative, appointed by the
state government, to oversee panchayat activities.

Panchayat Samiti (Block)
Mandals, taluka panchayats, block panchayats, or panchayat samiti are rural local governments
(panchayats) at the intermediate level in panchayat raj institutions (PRI).
The 73rd Amendment defines Panchayati Raj Institution levels:
• District (or apex) level
• Intermediate level
• Base level
They operate at the tahsil (taluka) level and govern the villages of the tahsil that together are
called a development block. The Panchayat Samiti is the link between the gram
panchayat (village council) and the zila parishad (district board). They name varies across

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states, e.g., Mandal Praja Parishad in Andhra Pradesh, Taluka Panchayat in Gujarat, and
Mandal Panchayat in Karnataka.
Typically, a panchayat samiti is composed of elected members of the area, the Block
Development Officer, otherwise unrepresented groups (Scheduled Castes, Scheduled
Tribes and women), associate members (such as a farmer, a representative of the cooperative
societies and one from the agricultural marketing services sector) and the elected members of
that panchayat block (tehsil) on the zila parishad (district board).
The samiti is elected for five years and is headed by a chairman and deputy chairman elected
by the members of the panchayat samiti.
[3]
One Sarpanch Samiti supervises the other
grampanchayats.
Composition of mandal parishads
A coterminous Mandal Parishad is constituted for each revenue Mandal. A Mandal Parishad
is composed of:
• Mandal Parishad Territorial constituency members.
• Members of the Legislative Assembly having jurisdiction over the Mandal.
• Members of the House of people having jurisdiction over the Mandal.
• Members of the council of States who are voters in the Mandal.
• One co-opted member, belonging to minorities.
Mandal Parishad Territorial constituency (MPTC) members are directly elected by the voters,
whereas, the Mandal President is elected by the MPTC members. The members are elected for
a term of five years. The election to MPTC s is done on a party basis. The elections are
conducted by the State election commission.
The Sarpanches are permanent invitees to the Mandal Parishad meetings.
Departments
The most common departments found in a panchayat samiti are:
• Administration
• Finance
• Public works (especially water and roads)
• Agriculture
• Health
• Education
• Social welfare
• Information Technology
• Women & Child Development
• Panchayat raj ( Mandal Praja Parishad )
Each department in a panchayat samiti has its own officer. Most often these are state
government employees acting as extension officers, but occasionally in more revenue-rich
panchayat samiti, they may be local employees. A government-appointed block development
officer (BDO) is the supervisor of the extension officers and executive officer to the panchayat
samiti and becomes, in effect, its administrative chief.

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Functions
The Panchayat Samiti collects all the prospective plans prepared at Gram Panchayat level and
processes them for funding and implementation by evaluating them from the angles of financial
constraints, social welfare and area development. It also identifies and prioritises the issues that
need to be addressed at block level.
Sources of income
The income of the panchayat samiti comes from:
• land and water use taxes, professional taxes, liquor taxes and others
• income generating programmes
• grants-in-aid and loans from the State Government and the local zila parishad
• voluntary contributions
For many panchayat samiti the main source of income is state aid. For others, the traditional
taxing function provides the bulk of revenues. Tax revenues are often shared between the gram
panchayats and the panchayat samiti.


District Councils of India
Zila Panchayats are Panchayats at Apex or District Level in Panchayat Raj
Institutions (or PRIs).
The 73rd Amendment is about Rural Local Governments (which are also known as Panchayati
Raj Institutions or PRIs)
• Panchayat at District(or apex) Level
• Panchayat at Intermediate Level
• Panchayat at Base Level
The Zila Panchayat or District Council or Zilla Parishad or District Panchayat, is the third tier
of the Panchayati Raj system. Zila Parishad is an elected body. Block
Pramukh(president) of Panchayat Samiti (Block) are also represented in Zila Parishad. The
members of the State Legislature and the members of the Parliament of India are members of
the Zila Parishad.
Members of the Zila Parishad are elected from the district on the basis of adult franchise for a
term of five years. Zila Parishad has minimum of 50 and maximum of 75 members. There are
seats reserved for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, backward classes and women. These
Councillors chosen by direct election from electoral divisions in the District.
The Chairmen of all the Panchayat Samitis under the district are the Ex-Officio members of
Zilla Parishad. The Parishad is headed by a President and a Vice-President.
The Deputy Chief Executive Officer from General Administration department at district level
is ex-Officio Secretary of Zilla Parishad.
The Chief Executive Officer, who is an IAS Officer or Senior State Service Officer heads the
administrative set up of the Zilla Parishad. He supervises the divisions of the Parishad and is
assisted by Deputy CEOs and other Officials at district and block level officers.

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Administrative structure
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), who is an IAS or a State Civil Service officer, heads the
administrative machinery of the Zila Parishad. He may also be District Magistrate in some
states. The CEO supervises the divisions of the Parishad and executes its development schemes.
Functions
1. Provide essential services and facilities to the rural population and the planning and
execution of the development programmes for the district.
2. Supply improved seeds to farmers. Inform them of new techniques of training.
Undertake construction of small-scale irrigation projects and percolation tanks.
Maintain pastures and grazing lands.
3. Set up and run schools in villages. Execute programmes for adult literacy. Run
libraries.
4. Start Primary Health Centres and hospitals in villages. Start vaccination drives against
epidemics and family welfare campaigns.
5. Construct bridges and roads.
6. Execute plans for the development of the scheduled castes and tribes. Run
ashramshalas for adivasi children. Set up free hostels for scheduled caste students.
7. Encourage entrepreneurs to start small-scale industries like cottage industries,
handicraft, agriculture produce processing mills, dairy farms, etc. Implement rural
employment schemes.
8. They even supply work for the poor people.(tribes,scheduled caste,lower caste)
Sources of income
1. Taxes on water, pilgrimage, markets, etc.
2. Fixed grant from the State Government in proportion with the land revenue and
money for works and schemes assigned to the Parishad.
3. The Zila Parishad can collect some money from the panchayats with the approval of
the government.
4. It gets a share from the income from local taxes.

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Local Government of Bangladesh
Bangladesh is a democratic republic with two spheres of government: national and local.
Localgovernment is enshrined in the constitution and the main legislative texts include the Acts
covering zila parishads (2000), upazila parishads (1998, amended 2009), union parishads
(2009), pourashavas (2009), city corporations (2009) and hill district councils (1989). The local
government division within the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and
Cooperatives is responsible for local government, with the exception of the hill district
councils,
which are under the Ministry of Hill Tract Affairs. There are 64 administrative districts and
below this a tiered system of local government comprising single-tier urban authorities made
up of 11 city corporations and 324 municipalities (pourashavas); and a three-tiered rural local
government system comprising 64 zila (district) parishads, 491 upazila (sub-district) parishads,
4,554 union parishads, and three hill district parishads. taxes and rates and the range of
functions for which each type of authority is responsible varies widely; from public health and
hospitals, education and social welfare for city corporations and municipalities, to the
implementation of development projects, public libraries and roads for upazila and union
parishads.

Constitutional provisions
Local government is enshrined in chapter three of the constitution3 of Bangladesh, which
states: ‘Local government in every administrative unit of the republic shall be entrusted to
bodies, composed of persons elected in accordance with law’ (article 59) and ‘Parliament shall,
by law, confer powers on the local government bodies to impose taxes for local purposes, to
prepare their budgets and to maintain funds’ (article 60).

STRUCTURE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Local government within the state
Bangladesh has 64 administrative districts and below this a tiered system of local government
comprising three levels of rural councils known as parishads, as well as single-tiered unitary
urban municipalities.
Ministerial oversight
The local government division within the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development
and Cooperatives (MLGRD&C) is responsible for development and implementation of
legislation regulating local government, with the exception of the Hill District Local
Government Parishad Act 1989, which is administered by the Ministry of Hill Tract Affairs.
Council types
Local government is divided into rural, urban and hill districts, which all have similar functions.
Urban authorities are single-tier and include ten city corporations and a number of town
pourashavas. Rural local government has three tiers: 64 zila (district) parishads, 489 upazila
(sub-district) parishads, and 4,552 union parishads. There are also three hill district parishads.
The 11 city corporations are: Barisal, Chittagong, Comilla, Dhaka (north), Dhaka (south),
Khulna, Narayangonj, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Gazipur and Sylhet. Other towns are governed by
municipalities, which provide services to towns with populations of at least 15,000. The zila
parishads are the largest rural authorities, with average populations of 1,997,150. The largest
zila parishad is Dhaka District with a population of 8,511,228, and the smallest is Meherpur
with a population of 591,436. Upazila parishads and union parishads are the intermediate and
lowest levels with average populations of 264,841 and 27,463 respectively.

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Urban councils The heads of city corporations and municipalities are called mayors. Members
are called councillors, and mayors and all councillors are directly elected every five years.
There are specific numbers of reserved seats for women, who are elected directly.
Zila parishads: The law stipulates that there shall be a council for each district, except the
three hill districts. A zila parishad will consist of a chairman, 15 open seats and five additional
women’s reserved seats. Bangladesh has never had elections for zila parishads, and these are
currently headed by administrators.
Upazila and union: parishads The chairmen and all the members of these bodies – including
women holding reserved seats – are directly elected. The chairmen and members work full-
time and receive an honorarium, which is fixed by the government. According to existing
legislation upazila parishad councils must consist of a directly elected chairman, representative
members and women members in reserved seats. The representative members are the upazila
parishad chairmen, two vicechairs including one woman, municipality mayors of the area,
union parishad chairmen of each upazila, and one-third of the women elected at municipality,
union or upazila parishad level. All heads of government departments working in the upazila
can attend and participate in any council meeting but are not entitled to vote.

Union Parishad Structure
Union parishad is the oldest and lowest local govt system. It has been functioning for more
than
hundred years for the rural development of the country . At preset we have 4480 Union
parishad,Union parishads ((------) are run by thedirectly elected representatives. Its roles and
representaives are guided by different levels , rules and circulars is --- time to time .
Structure:
1. Chairman : There shall be a chairman of Union Parishad directly elected by the voters of
the Union.
2. Members : Nine members shall be directly elected from the nine wards constituting the
Union.
3. Women members : Three seats shall be reserved for women. Each of the women
members shall be directly elected by the male and female voters of three wards within a
Union.
4. Official members : The Block Supervisor ( Directorate of Agriculture ), Health Assistant
, Family Planning Assistant, Family Welfare Worker, Ansar/VDP and all other field staff
of government departments working at Union level will be the official members of Union
Parishad. They will have no voting right .
5. Others members : Representatives of Muktijoddah, Cooperative Societies Disadvantages
groups/Professions _e. g> weavers, fishermen. landless workers, destitute women, etc)
will be members of Union Parishad without voting right.

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Figure: Structure of Local Government in Bangladesh

Difference between the local government System both the countries:
Government
Bangladesh India
Country
name
"conventional long
form: People's Republic of
Bangladesh
conventional short
form: Bangladesh
local long form: Gana
Prajatantri Bangladesh
local short
form: Bangladesh
former: East Bengal, East
Pakistan
etymology: the name - a
"conventional long
form: Republic of India
conventional short
form: India
local long form: Republic of
India/Bharatiya Ganarajya
local short
form: India/Bharat
etymology: the English
name derives from the Indus
River; the Indian name
""Bharat"" may derive from

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Bangladesh India
compound of the Bengali
words ""Bangla"" (Bengal)
and ""desh"" (country) -
means ""Country of Bengal""
"
the ""Bharatas"" tribe
mentioned in the Vedas of
the second millennium B.C.;
the name is also associated
with Emperor Bharata, the
legendary conqueror of all of
India
"
Governmen
t type
parliamentary republic federal parliamentary
republic
Capital name: Dhaka
geographic coordinates: 23
43 N, 90 24 E
time difference: UTC+6 (11
hours ahead of Washington,
DC, during Standard Time)
name: New Delhi
geographic coordinates: 28
36 N, 77 12 E
time difference: UTC+5.5
(10.5 hours ahead of
Washington, DC, during
Standard Time)
Administrat
ive divisions
8 divisions; Barisal,
Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna,
Mymensingh, Rajshahi,
Rangpur, Sylhet
29 states and 7 union
territories*; Andaman and
Nicobar Islands*, Andhra
Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh,
Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh*,
Chhattisgarh, Dadra and
Nagar Haveli*, Daman and
Diu*, Delhi*, Goa, Gujarat,
Haryana, Himachal Pradesh,
Jammu and Kashmir,
Jharkhand, Karnataka,
Kerala, Lakshadweep*,
Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Manipur,
Meghalaya, Mizoram,
Nagaland, Odisha,
Puducherry*, Punjab,
Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil
Nadu, Telangana, Tripura,

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Bangladesh India
Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand,
West Bengal
note: although its status is
that of a union territory, the
official name of Delhi is
National Capital Territory of
Delhi
Independen
ce
16 December 1971 (from
West Pakistan)
15 August 1947 (from the
UK)
National
holiday
Independence Day, 26 March
(1971); Victory Day, 16
December (1971); note - 26
March 1971 is the date of
the Awami League's
declaration of an
independent Bangladesh,
and 16 December (Victory
Day) memorializes the
military victory over
Pakistan and the official
creation of the state of
Bangladesh
Republic Day, 26 January
(1950)
Constitutio
n
history: previous 1935,
1956, 1962 (pre-
independence); latest
enacted 4 November 1972,
effective 16 December 1972,
suspended March 1982,
restored November 1986
amendments: proposed by
the House of the Nation;
approval requires at least a
two-thirds majority vote by
the House membership,
assented to by the president
of the republic, and
history: previous 1935
(preindependence); latest
draft completed 4 November
1949, adopted 26 November
1949, effective 26 January
1950
amendments: proposed by
either the Council of States
or the House of the People;
passage requires majority
participation of the total
membership in each house
and at least two-thirds
majority of voting members

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Bangladesh India
approved in a referendum by
a majority of voters;
amended many times, last in
2014 (2017)
of each house, followed by
assent of the president of
India; proposed amendments
to the constitutional
amendment procedures also
must be ratified by at least
one-half of the India state
legislatures before
presidential assent;
amended many times, last in
2016 (2017)
Legal
system
mixed legal system of mostly
English common law and
Islamic law
common law system based
on the English model;
separate personal law codes
apply to Muslims, Christians,
and Hindus; judicial review
of legislative acts
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Executive
branch
chief of state: President
Abdul HAMID (since 24 April
2013); note - Abdul HAMID
served as acting president
following the death of Zillur
RAHMAN in March 2013;
HAMID was subsequently
indirectly elected by the
National Parliament and
sworn in 24 April 2013
head of government: Prime
Minister Sheikh HASINA
(since 6 January 2009)
cabinet: Cabinet selected by
the prime minister,
appointed by the president
elections/appointments: pr
esident indirectly elected by
chief of state: President
Ram Nath KOVIND (since 25
July 2017); Vice President M.
Venkaiah NAIDU (since 11
August 2017)
head of government: Prime
Minister Narendra MODI
(since 26 May 2014)
cabinet: Union Council of
Ministers recommended by
the prime minister,
appointed by the president
elections/appointments: pr
esident indirectly elected by
an electoral college
consisting of elected
members of both houses of
Parliament and state

20. 20 | P a g e

Bangladesh India
the National Parliament for
a 5-year term (eligible for a
second term); election last
held on 22 April 2013 (next
to be held by 2018); the
president appoints as prime
minister the majority party
leader in the National
Parliament
election results: President
Abdul HAMID (AL) elected by
the National Parliament
unopposed; Sheikh HASINA
reappointed prime minister
as leader of the majority AL
party
legislatures for a 5-year
term (no term limits);
election last held on 17 July
2017 (next to be held in July
2022); vice president
indirectly elected by an
electoral college consisting
of elected members of both
houses of Parliament and
state legislatures for a 5-
year term (no term limits);
election last held on 5
August 2017 (next to be held
in August 2022); following
legislative elections, the
prime minister is elected by
parliamentary members of
the majority party
election results: Ram Nath
KOVIND elected president;
percent of electoral college
vote - Ram Nath KOVIND
(BJP) 65.7% Meira KUMAR
(INC) 34.3%; Mohammad
Hamid ANSARI reelected vice
president (2012 election);
electoral college vote -
Mohammad Hamid ANSARI
490, Jaswant SINGH 238
Legislative
branch
description: unicameral
House of the Nation or
Jatiya Sangsad (350 seats;
300 members in single-seat
territorial constituencies
directly elected by simple
majority popular vote; 50
members - reserved for
women only - indirectly
elected by the elected
members by proportional
description: bicameral
Parliament or Sansad
consists of the Council of
States or Rajya Sabha (245
seats; 233 members
indirectly elected by state
and territorial assemblies by
proportional representation
vote, and 12 members
appointed by the president;
members serve 6-year

21. 21 | P a g e

Bangladesh India
representation vote using
the single transferable vote
method; all members serve
5-year terms)
elections: last held on 5
January 2014 (next to be
held by January 2019); note
- the 5 January 2014 poll
was marred by widespread
violence, boycotts, general
strikes, and low voter
turnout
election results: percent of
vote by party - AL 79.1%, JP
(Ershad) 11.3%, WP 2.1%,
JSD 1.8%, other 1%,
independent 4.8%; seats by
party - AL 234, JP 34, WP 6,
JSD 5, other 5, independent
15; 1 seat repolled
terms) and the House of the
People or Lok Sabha (545
seats; 543 members directly
elected in single-seat
constituencies by simple
majority vote and 2
appointed by the president;
members serve 5-year
terms)
elections: House of the
People - last held April-May
2014 in 10 phases; (next
must be held by May 2019)
election results: House of
the People - percent of vote
by party - BJP 31.0%, INC
19.3%, AITC 3.8%, SP 3.4%,
AIADMK 3.3%, CPI(M) 3.3%,
TDP 2.6%, YSRC 2.5%, AAP
2.1%, SAD 1.8%, BJD 1.7%, SS
1.7%, NCP 1.6%, RJD 1.3%,
TRS 1.3%, LJP 0.4%, other
15.9%, independent 3.0%;
seats by party - BJP 282, INC
44, AIADMK 37, AITC 34, BJD
20, SS 18, TDP 16, TRS 11,
CPI(M) 9, YSRC 9, LJP 6, NCP
6, SP 5, AAP 4, RJD 4, SAD 4,
other 33, independent 3
Judicial
branch
highest court(s): Supreme
Court of Bangladesh
(organized into the
Appellate Division with 7
justices and the High Court
Division with 99 justices)
judge selection and term of
office: chief justice and
justices appointed by the
president; justices serve
until retirement at age 67
"highest court(s): Supreme
Court (the chief justice and
25 associate justices)
judge selection and term of
office: justices appointed by
the president to serve until
age 65
subordinate courts: High
Courts; District Courts;
Labour Court
note: in mid-2011, India’s

22. 22 | P a g e

Bangladesh India
subordinate
courts: subordinate courts:
civil courts include:
Assistant Judge's Court;
Joint District Judge's Court;
Additional District Judge's
Court; District Judge's Court;
criminal courts include:
Court of Sessions; Court of
Metropolitan Sessions;
Metropolitan Magistrate
Courts; Magistrate Court;
special courts/tribunals
Cabinet approved the
""National Mission for Justice
Delivery and Legal Reform""
to eliminate judicial
corruption and reduce the
backlog of cases
"
Political
parties and
leaders
Awami League or AL [Sheikh
HASINA]
Bangladesh Nationalist Front
or BNF [Abdul Kalam AZADI]
Bangladesh Nationalist Party
or BNP [Khaleda ZIA]
Bangladesh Tariqat
Federation or BTF [Syed
Nozibul Bashar
MAIZBHANDARI]
Jamaat-i-Islami Bangladesh
or JIB (Mujibur RAHMAN)
Jatiya Party or JP (Ershad
faction) [Hussain Mohammad
ERSHAD]
Jatiya Party or JP (Manju
faction) [Anwar Hossain
MANJU]
Liberal Democratic Party or
LDP [Oli AHMED]
National Socialist Party or
JSD [KHALEQUZZAMAN]
Workers Party or WP [Rashed
Khan MENON]
Aam Aadmi Party or AAP
[Arvind KEJRIWAL]
All India Anna Dravida
Munnetra Kazhagam or
AIADMK [Edappadi
PALANISWAMY,
Occhaathevar
PANNEERSELVAM]
All India Trinamool Congress
or AITC [Mamata BANERJEE]
Bahujan Samaj Party or BSP
[MAYAWATI]
Bharatiya Janata Party or
BJP [Amit SHAH]
Biju Janata Dal or BJD
[Naveen PATNAIK]
Communist Party of India-
Marxist or CPI(M) [Prakash
KARAT]
Indian National Congress or
INC [Rahul GANDHI]
Lok Janshakti Party (LJP)
[Ram Vilas PASWAN]
Nationalist Congress Party or
NCP [Sharad PAWAR]
Rashtriya Janata Dal or RJD
[Lalu Prasad YADAV]

23. 23 | P a g e

Bangladesh India
Samajwadi Party or SP
[Akhilesh YADAV]
Shiromani Akali Dal or SAD
[Parkash Singh BADAL]
Shiv Sena or SS [Uddhav
THACKERAY]
Telegana Rashtra Samithi or
TRS [K. Chandrashekar RAO]
Telugu Desam Party or TDP
[Chandrababu NAIDU]
YSR Congress or YSRC [Jagan
Mohan REDDY]
note: India has dozens of
national and regional
political parties
Political
pressure
groups and
leaders
Ain o Salish Kendro (Centre
for Law and Mediation) or
ASK (legal aid and civil
rights)
Bangladesh Center for
Worker Solidarity or BCWS
Bangladesh Rural
Advancement Committee or
BRAC [Sir Fasel Hasan ABED]
Federation of Bangladesh
Chambers of Commerce and
Industry or FBCCI [Md.
Shafiul Islam (Mohiuddin)]
Ministry of Women's and
Children's Affairs or MoWCA
[Meher Afroze CHUMKI]
(advocacy group to end
gender-based violence)
Odikhar [Dr. C.R. ABRAR
(human rights group)
other: associations of
madrassa teachers; business
associations, including those
intended to promote
international trade;
All Parties Hurriyat
Conference in the Kashmir
Valley (separatist group)
Bajrang Dal (militant
religious organization)
Jamiat Ulema-e Hind
[Mahmood MADANI]
(religious organization)
Rashtriya Swayamsevak
Sangh or RSS [Mohan
BHAGWAT] (nationalist
organization)
Vishwa Hindu Parishad
[Pravin TOGADIA] (militant
religious organization)
other: hundreds of social
reform, anti-corruption, and
environmental groups at
state and local level;
numerous religious or
militant/chauvinistic
organizations; various
separatist groups seeking
greater communal and/or
regional autonomy

24. 24 | P a g e

Bangladesh India
development and advocacy
NGOs associated with the
Grameen Bank;
environmentalists; Islamist
groups; labor rights
advocacy groups; NGOs
focused on poverty
alleviation, and
international trade; religious
leaders; tribal groups and
advocacy organizations;
union leaders
Internation
al
organizatio
n
participatio
n
ADB, ARF, BIMSTEC, C, CD,
CICA (observer), CP, D-8,
FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC (national
committees), ICRM, IDA,
IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,
ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO,
ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs),
MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSMA,
MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OPCW,
PCA, SAARC, SACEP, UN,
UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL,
UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI,
UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU
(NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTO
ADB, AfDB (nonregional
member), Arctic Council
(observer), ARF, ASEAN
(dialogue partner), BIMSTEC,
BIS, BRICS, C, CD, CERN
(observer), CICA, CP, EAS,
FAO, FATF, G-15, G-20, G-
24, G-5, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC (national
committees), ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,
IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO,
ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAS
(observer), MIGA, MINURSO,
MONUSCO, NAM, OAS
(observer), OECD, OPCW,
Pacific Alliance (observer),
PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC,
SACEP, SCO (observer), UN,
UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL,
UNISFA, UNITAR, UNMISS,
UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO,
WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WTO

25. 25 | P a g e

Bangladesh India
Diplomatic
representat
ion in the
US
chief of
mission: Ambassador
Mohammad ZIAUDDIN (since
18 September 2014)
chancery: 3510
International Drive NW,
Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 244-
0183
FAX: [1] [phone]
consulate(s) general: Los
Angeles, New York
chief of
mission: Ambassador Navtej
Singh SARNA (since 18
January 2017)
chancery: 2107
Massachusetts Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20008; note
- Consular Wing located at
2536 Massachusetts Avenue
NW, Washington, DC 20008;
telephone: [1](202) 939-
7000
telephone: [1] (202) 939-
7000
FAX: [1] [phone]
consulate(s)
general: Atlanta, Chicago,
Houston, New York, San
Francisco
Diplomatic
representat
ion from
the US
chief of
mission: Ambassador Marcia
BERNICAT (since 4 February
2015)
embassy: Madani Avenue,
Baridhara, Dhaka 1212
mailing address: G. P. O.
Box 323, Dhaka 1000
telephone: [880] (2) 5566-
2000
FAX: [880] (2) 5566-2915
chief of
mission: Ambassador
Kenneth JUSTER (since 23
November 2017)
embassy: Shantipath,
Chanakyapuri, New Delhi
110021
mailing address: use
embassy street address
telephone: [91] (11) 2419-
8000
FAX: [91] (11) 2419-0017
consulate(s)
general: Chennai (Madras),
Hyderabad, Kolkata
(Calcutta), Mumbai
(Bombay)
Flag
description
green field with a large red
disk shifted slightly to the
three equal horizontal bands
of saffron (subdued orange)

26. 26 | P a g e

Bangladesh India
hoist side of center; the red
disk represents the rising sun
and the sacrifice to achieve
independence; the green
field symbolizes the lush
vegetation of Bangladesh
(top), white, and green,
with a blue chakra (24-
spoked wheel) centered in
the white band; saffron
represents courage,
sacrifice, and the spirit of
renunciation; white signifies
purity and truth; green
stands for faith and fertility;
the blue chakra symbolizes
the wheel of life in
movement and death in
stagnation
note: similar to the flag of
Niger, which has a small
orange disk centered in the
white band
National
anthem
"name: ""Amar Shonar
Bangla"" (My Golden Bengal)
lyrics/music: Rabindranath
TAGORE
note: adopted 1971;
Rabindranath TAGORE, a
Nobel laureate, also wrote
India's national anthem
"
"name: ""Jana-Gana-Mana""
(Thou Art the Ruler of the
Minds of All People)
lyrics/music: Rabindranath
TAGORE
note: adopted 1950;
Rabindranath TAGORE, a
Nobel laureate, also wrote
Bangladesh's national
anthem
"
Internation
al law
organizatio
n
participatio
n
has not submitted an ICJ
jurisdiction declaration;
accepts ICCt jurisdiction
accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction with
reservations; non-party state
to the ICCt
National
symbol(s)
Bengal tiger, water lily;
national colors: green, red
the Lion Capital of Ashoka,
which depicts four Asiatic

27. 27 | P a g e

Bangladesh India
lions standing back to back
mounted on a circular
abacus, is the official
emblem; Bengal tiger; lotus
flower; national colors:
saffron, white, green
Citizenship citizenship by birth: no
citizenship by descent
only: at least one parent
must be a citizen of
Bangladesh
dual citizenship
recognized: yes, but limited
to select countries
residency requirement for
naturalization: 5 years
citizenship by birth: no
citizenship by descent
only: at least one parent
must be a citizen of India
dual citizenship
recognized: no
residency requirement for
naturalization: 5 years

28. 28 | P a g e

29. 29 | P a g e

Conclusion:
During the past three decades, governments in developing countries have attempted to
implement a variety of decentralization policies. Some have been comprehensive in scope and
designed to transfer development planning and management responsibilities to local units of
government. Others have been more narrowly conceived; they simply concentrated or
reallocated administrative tasks among units of the Central Government. Whatever the
motivations for the decentralization policies that were enacted in developing countries over the
past few decades, there is a wide gap between objectives and results achieved. Only in those
countries where decentralization was defined more narrowly and the scope of policies was
limited to reallocating functions among units of the Central Government, did developing
countries achieve their intended goals. While comparing the characteristics of decentralization
in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh the first thing which can be easily recognized is, because of
the common heritage and the circumstances of creation, some local government characteristics
earlier nations. However many of the decentralizations politics that have been tried in India,
Pakistan and Bangladesh till 1980s either has been inefficiently implemented or have produced
disappointing results. But in 1990s, India was able to implement decentralization policies in a
huge manner. At that point of time Bangladesh also achieved some success to implement
decentralization policies, which Pakistan failed. But in 2000 during general Musarraf’s regime
Pakistan launched several programs making several new take offs in the presses of
decentralization and by end of first decade of new millennium Bangladesh succeeded to trickle
down to the local level of government. Nowadays, new policies are also immerging- whether
this will be for the better or worse remains to be seen. It has been seen that whenever there is
any sort of political or economic turmoil in the domestic polity, the mechanisms governing the
grass root governmental structure fail to perform as desired. Rather they simply ignore the
power of the Central Government or turn into puppets of local chiefs especially in a semifeudal
setup like that of India, Pakistan as well as Bangladesh, where the essence of democracy
remains to be an alien concept. That is why, in comparison to that of India, which rather has
more stable democratic structure, Pakistan and Bangladesh even with all the good intentions
of their respective leaderships have failed to initiate the proper process of decentralization as
intended. Only with a proper and stable democratic mechanism in the Centre can a stable
democratic, transparent and accountable federal polity with decentralized governing
mechanisms be established in the true sense.

30. 30 | P a g e

Reference:
Abdul Azis and David A. Arnold, 1996: Decentralized Governance in Asian
Countries, Sage Publications: New Delhi.

Govt. of Bangladesh, 2009: The Local Government (Union Parishad) Act (2009),
Dhaka.
Khuda. B.E, 1981: Ideals and Realities in Participatory Institutions in
Bangladesh: The Case of Gram Sarkar.
DERAP Publications 123, The Chr. Michelsen Institute: Bergen. Mohan.G. and
Stake.K, 2000: Participatory development and empowerment: the dangers of
localism, third world quarterly, 2nd December.

Siddiquee.N.A, 1997: Decentralization and Development: Theory and Practice in
Bangladesh, University of Dhaka: Dhaka.

UNDP, 1997: Decentralized Governance Programme; Strengthening Capacity for
People-centered Development, Management Development and Governance
Division, Bureau for Development Policy, September.