Who will preside over the meeting of the Gram Sabha in the absence of the sarpanch and up-sarpanch in Madhya Pradesh?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — D. Under the M.P. Panchayat Raj Avam Gram Swaraj Adhiniyam, 1993, a Gram Sabha meeting is presided over by the Sarpanch, or in the Sarpanch's absence by the Up-Sarpanch; if both are absent, a Panch of that Gram Panchayat — elected for the purpose by the members present at the meeting — presides. The stand-in presiding officer must be an elected panchayat functionary (a Panch), not simply whoever happens to be oldest or a government employee.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) The BDO is a government (executive) officer overseeing block-level administration, not an elected panchayat functionary — the Act gives the BDO no role in presiding over Gram Sabha meetings.  (b) The Secretary is the panchayat's administrative/record-keeping officer, responsible for maintaining minutes and registers — not empowered by the Act to preside over the meeting.  (c) A close trap — the Act specifies that a Panch (an elected panchayat member) is to be elected for the purpose, not simply the oldest person present.

Concept: The Gram Sabha — the village-level body of all registered voters — has a clear, cascading chain of presiding authority under Madhya Pradesh's panchayat law: the Sarpanch presides first; if the Sarpanch is absent, the Up-Sarpanch presides; and if both are absent, a Panch elected on the spot by the members present presides. This ensures every Gram Sabha meeting always has a valid presiding officer drawn from among elected panchayat representatives, never from the administrative staff.

State PCS 2021 Q79 — Madhya Pradesh GK PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2021 Q79 — Madhya Pradesh GK PYQ with Answer