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GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF PANCHAYATI RAJ
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO– 3811
ANSWERED ON- 11.08.2026
PARTICIPATION OF SC, ST AND MINORITIES IN PRI
3811. MD. RAKIBUL HUSSAIN:
Will the Minister of PANCHAYATI RAJ be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Government has taken steps to promote participation of Scheduled Castes (SC),
Scheduled Tribes (ST), and minority communities in Panchayati Raj Institutions in Assam;
(b) whether representation norms are being effectively implemented, if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether targeted capacity-building programmes have been undertaken; and
(d) the outcomes achieved so far?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF PANCHAYATI RAJ
(SHRI RAJIV RANJAN SINGH ALIAS LALAN SINGH)
(a) and (b) The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, through Article 243D in Part IX, provides
for the reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) in every
Panchayat in proportion to their population in the Panchayat area, and also mandates the
reservation of the offices of Chairperson in Panchayats at each level for SCs and STs, in such
manner as the State Legislature may, by law, determine. The provisions for reservation of seats
and offices of Chairperson for SCs and STs have been incorporated in respective State
Panchayati Raj Acts of States/Union Territories (UTs).
As informed by the State Government of Assam, 'The Assam Panchayat Act, 1994'
provides for reservation of seats for the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) at all
three tiers of the Panchayati Raj Institutions, namely the Gaon Panchayat (Section 9), Anchalik
Panchayat (Section 34) and Zilla Parishad (Section 66). The number of seats reserved shall, as
nearly as may be, bear the same proportion to the total number of seats to be filled through direct
election as the population of the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes in the respective
Panchayat area bears to the total population of that area. The reserved seats shall be allotted to
different territorial constituencies by rotation in the manner prescribed under above said State
Act.
1As informed by the State of Assam, the reservation norms are being effectively
implemented in the State.
(c) and (d) ‘Panchayat’, being a “Local Government”, is a State subject and part of the State List
of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India. Accordingly, targeted capacity building
programmes for Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and their outcomes are the responsibility of
the concerned States/UTs. However, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj has implemented the
Centrally Sponsored Scheme, namely the Revamped Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA),
w.e.f. financial year 2022-23, with the objective of supporting Panchayati Raj institutions (PRIs)
by imparting training to elected representatives, including SCs, STs and minority communities
and other stakeholders to develop leadership abilities, thereby enabling Gram Panchayats to
function effectively across all States/UTs.
The details of SCs, STs, and minority community participants trained under Revamped
RGSA in the State of Assam since financial year 2022-23 to 2026-27 (as on 10.07.2026) is as
under:
Financial Scheduled Scheduled Minority
Year Caste Tribe Community
2022-23 20,778 38,296 593
2023-24 33,476 47,654 699
2024-25 12,498 25,441 113
2025-26 18,410 22,761 121
2026-27* 163 328 -
*(till 10.07.2026)
***
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