Who becomes the chairperson of District Planning Committee in Rajasthan ?

Correct — option (4), Zila Pramukh.

The District Planning Committee in Rajasthan is set up under Section 121 of the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act, 1994. Sub-section (6) settles the chair in one line: the Chairperson of the Committee shall be the Pramukh of the Zila Parishad concerned.

The Pramukh is the elected head of the Zila Parishad. Under Section 29, the elected members of the Zila Parishad choose the Pramukh from among themselves.

The choice fits the Committee's job. It consolidates the plans of the Panchayati Raj Institutions and the Municipalities in the district into a draft development plan, and at least four-fifths of its members are elected from the Zila Parishad and the Municipalities. Under Section 121(8), the chairman forwards that plan to the State Government.

The Constitution leaves the choice of chairperson to state law, and Rajasthan's law names the elected district head — not an officer and not a legislator.

Why the others are wrong

• (1)
  District Collector — The Collector is the district's chief administrative officer and, as District Magistrate, responsible for law and order — RPSC's 2016 key lists law and order, control over police and checking the passports of foreigners among those powers.

  Section 121 does not make the Collector chairperson of the District Planning Committee. The chair goes to the elected Pramukh.

• (2)
  Chief Executive Officer of Zila Parishad — The Chief Executive Officer is the Zila Parishad's senior officer, appointed by the State Government under Section 82 — an IAS or RAS officer, or a Project Director selected by the Rural Development Department.

  The CEO carries out the Zila Parishad's decisions and works under the Pramukh's administrative supervision (Section 35). The CEO attends Zila Parishad meetings without a vote, and does not chair the planning committee.

• (3)
  Member of Parliament — A Member of Parliament can sit on the Committee but does not chair it. Section 121(4) allows nominated members to include Lok Sabha members whose constituency covers the whole or part of the district, and Rajya Sabha members registered as electors there.

  Section 121(6) gives the chair to the Pramukh, so an MP's place is as a member only.

The District Planning Committee is the body that joins rural and urban planning at district level. Article 243ZD, added by the 74th Amendment, requires every state to constitute one in each district.

The Constitution fixes one rule on membership: at least four-fifths of the members must be elected by and from the elected members of the district panchayat and the municipalities, in proportion to the district's rural and urban population. The rest — including how the chairperson is chosen — is left to state law.

Rajasthan wrote these choices into Section 121 of the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act, 1994. The State Government fixes the size by notification, nominated members may represent the government, MPs, MLAs and institutions, and the Pramukh of the Zila Parishad is the chairperson.

Key facts

• Section 121(6) of the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act, 1994 makes the Pramukh of the Zila Parishad the Chairperson of the District Planning Committee.
• Under Section 121(2), at least four-fifths of the Committee's members are elected by and from the elected members of the Zila Parishad and the Municipalities in the district.
• Nominated members may include Lok Sabha members and MLAs whose constituencies comprise the whole or part of the district, and Rajya Sabha members registered as electors there.
• Under Section 29, the elected members of the Zila Parishad choose the Pramukh and Up-Pramukh from among themselves.
• Article 243ZD of the Constitution, inserted by the 74th Amendment, provides for a District Planning Committee in every district.

Common traps

• Picking the most senior-sounding officer. The Collector heads the district administration, but Section 121 gives the chair to an elected head.
• Confusing the Zila Parishad's head with its officer. The Pramukh is elected and chairs; the Chief Executive Officer is appointed and executes.
• Treating membership as chairmanship. An MP can be a nominated member of the Committee without chairing it.

UnlockIAS will link similar questions from RAS Pre 2016 here once that paper is published on this site.

• practice — not a real PYQ

  Under Article 243ZD of the Constitution, what minimum proportion of the members of a District Planning Committee must be elected from the elected members of the district panchayat and the municipalities?

  • (a)One-half
  • (b)Two-thirds
  • (c)Three-fourths
  • (d)Four-fifths
  Answer(4) — Article 243ZD(2) requires not less than four-fifths, and Section 121(2) of the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act, 1994 repeats it. One-half (1), two-thirds (2) and three-fourths (3) are all below that minimum.
• practice — not a real PYQ

  Under the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act, 1994, who is appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of a Zila Parishad?

  • (a)The Up-Pramukh elected by the Zila Parishad
  • (b)An IAS or RAS officer (or a specially selected Project Director) appointed by the Government
  • (c)The District Collector, by virtue of office
  • (d)A member of the Zila Parishad nominated by the Pramukh
  Answer(2) — under Section 82(1), an IAS or RAS officer, or a Project Director specially selected by the Rural Development Department, is appointed CEO by the Government. The Up-Pramukh (1) is an elected office under Section 29. Section 82 makes neither the Collector (3) nor a member nominated by the Pramukh (4) the CEO.