Kanichar
Grama Panchayat

Health & Education Standing Committee: Provides leadership for public health, sanitation, drinking water supply, and the functioning of schools under the Panchayat.

Standing Committees (Sections 162 & 162A)

In accordance with the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act, 1994, Standing Committees are constituted in every Panchayat. These committees function as a core auxiliary support system enabling the Panchayat to discharge its developmental, welfare, and infrastructural responsibilities in an effective, efficient, and time-bound manner.

Before the Panchayat Committee takes a final decision on any matter, it must be scrutinized meticulously and in detail. This preliminary evaluation must first be carried out by the respective Standing Committee. The subject matter must be deliberated upon and a decision taken during the Standing Committee meeting before it can be officially listed as an agenda item for the general Panchayat meeting.

Once the general Panchayat Committee passes a decision on an agenda item, the concerned Standing Committee is also duty-bound to ensure its efficient execution. All resolutions passed by a Standing Committee must be tabled in the subsequent general meeting of the Panchayat. The Panchayat Committee reserves the right to modify or amend these resolutions if found necessary. The Panchayat Secretary must attend all Standing Committee meetings and establish necessary administrative arrangements to record the official minutes and decisions.

Structure of the Standing Committees

• The membership of Standing Committees is strictly restricted to elected representatives (Panchayat Members) only. Every elected member, excluding the President and Vice President, must be a member of at least one Standing Committee.

• A member is forbidden from holding membership in more than one Standing Committee at the same time.

• Each Standing Committee must mandatorily include at least one female member.

• The Panchayat President acts as an ex-officio member in all Standing Committees but does not possess voting rights.

• The Panchayat Vice President serves as a voting ex-officio member and designates as the Chairperson of the Finance Standing Committee (Section 162(6)).

Duties and Responsibilities

The administrative mechanism integrates everyone into a Standing Committee to decentralize the statutory roles and duties of the Panchayat among all its elected members. It is vital to note that the absolute authority and mandates are vested in the "Panchayat" as a corporate local government body, and not in any single individual or committee.

The structural framework splits all functions vested in the Panchayat among the various Standing Committees. Consequently, the Panchayat executes its day-to-day governance through these committees.

Important Note: Standing Committees are not autonomous bodies and do not possess independent statutory powers. They act on behalf of the Panchayat to execute legally assigned duties, thereby bringing efficiency, public participation, and true decentralization to grassroots governance.

All decisions taken by the Standing Committees must be presented at the very next general meeting of the Panchayat. The general Panchayat governing body has the full authority to amend or modify these decisions if required under Section 162A(3) of the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act, 1994.

Standing Committee Meetings

(As per the Kerala Panchayat Raj (Standing Committee) Rules, 2000)

• Frequency: Committees must convene an official meeting at least once every month.

• Venue & Time: Meetings shall be held at the Panchayat Office on the date and time stipulated by the respective Chairperson.

• Jurisdiction: A committee shall only consider matters falling within its designated sectors. If different Standing Committees pass conflicting decisions on an overlapping matter, the issue must be referred directly to the general Panchayat Committee for final resolution.

• Quorum: The statutory quorum for a meeting is three members. However, if the total number of members possessing voting rights in a committee is four or less, the quorum shall be two members.

• Decision Making: Decisions on agenda items are taken based on a majority vote of the members present and voting.

• Casting Vote: The presiding Chairperson possesses a casting vote in the event of a tie.

• Notification: The date of the meeting and the listed agenda items must be formally communicated to the President (ex-officio member) and published transparently on the office notice board.

• Amendments to Decisions: A decision taken by a Standing Committee can only be amended or canceled through a formal resolution supported by more than half of the total sanctioned strength of that committee, during a specially convened meeting. Such amendments must be executed within a period of three months.

The role of Standing Committees is paramount in local governance. Local administration becomes effective, rational, and scientific only when these committees systematically discharge their assigned mandates.

Health and Education Standing Committee

Sectors & Portfolios Under Purview:

The Health and Education Standing Committee provides leadership and monitors the daily activities of the following sectors:

• Public Health

• Sanitation and Waste Management

• Safe Drinking Water Supply

• Drainage Systems

• Environmental Protection

• Education (including the functioning of schools under the Panchayat)

• Art, Culture, and Recreation/Sports

Committee Members: