WHAT ARE THE FUNCTIONS OF ZILA PARISHAD

Composition

Zila Parishad is at the apex, being the third tier of Panchayati Raj System. It is situated at the district level. Zila Parishad also has a term of 5 years. Some of its members are directly elected and the Chairpersons of the Panchayat Samitis are ex-officio members. MPs and MLAs belonging to the district are also the members of Zila Parishad. Chairperson of the Zila Parishad is elected from the directly elected members. Not less than 1/3rd of the offices and seats are reserved for the women members. Seats are also reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Functions of the Zila Parishad

The following are the major functions of the Zila Parishad, though you may find some
variations across the States:

1. providing essential services and facilities to the rural population, planning and executing the development programmes for the district;

2. supplying improved seeds to farmers, informing them of new techniques of farming, undertaking construction of small-scale irrigation projects and percolation tanks, and maintaining pastures and grazing lands;

3. setting up and running schools in villages, executing programmes for adult literacy, and running libraries;

4. starting Primary Health Centers and hospitals in villages, managing mobile hospitals for hamlets, conducting vaccination drives against epidemics and family welfare campaigns;

5. executing plans for the development of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes,
running ashram for adivasi children, and setting up free hostels for scheduled caste
students;

6. encouraging entrepreneurs to start small scale industries like cottage industries,
handicrafts, agriculture products, processing mills, dairy farms, etc., and implementing rural employment schemes; and

7. constructing roads, schools and also taking care of the public properties;

Sources of Income of Zila Parshad
As you have seen, the Zila Parishad performs a number of important functions. For exciting them it needs money. This is arranged through its sources of income that are as follows:

1. income from taxes levied by Zila Parishad, license fees and market fees;

2. a share is given to Zila Parishad from the collected land revenue;

3. income from various properties of Zila Praishad;

4. grants from the State and Central governments; and

5. funds allotted by the State for developmental activities.