December 25
Odisha Amends Panchayat laws
Odisha government amended three laws to punish candidates who provide false information in the affidavit filed for the rural elections.
Government amended the Odisha Grama Panchayat Act, 1964, the Odisha Panchayat Samiti Act, 1959 and the Odisha Zilla Parishad Act, 1991 through an ordinance.
As per the ordinance, a candidate who himself or through his proposer, with intent to be elected in an election gives false information which he knows or has reason to believed to be false or conceals any information in his nomination paper or in his affidavit will be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend up to six months, or be fined, or with both.
Similarly, any elected member of the three-tier Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) will be disqualified, if he/she has not furnished an affidavit containing particulars relating to his criminal antecedents, assets and liabilities and educational qualification at the time of filing nomination.
As per the Amendment to the State Gram Panchayats Act, the gram panchayats and panchayat samities can prepare their own disaster management plans at village, panchayat and panchayat samiti level, carry out and facilitate relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction activities in disaster affected areas in accordance with state plan and district plan.
