UP: Gram Pradhans to act as Administrators, Panchayat tenure ends

Uttar Pradesh government has appointed outgoing village Pradhan as administrators of gram panchayats until new bodies are formed, or for a maximum period of six months. The term of the state’s gram panchayats ends on Tuesday. The outgoing Pradhans themselves will handle the routine administration of the panchayats. On Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s instructions, all district magistrates have been authorised to designate outgoing Pradhans as administrators in gram panchayats.
The Panchayat Raj Department clarified that the five-year term of gram panchayats elected after the 2021 elections will formally conclude on May 26, in line with provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Panchayat Raj Act, 1947. To avoid any administrative vacuum at the village level, the government has decided to appoint the existing gram pradhans as administrators from May 27 (Wednesday) onward. 
The administrators will be permitted to carry out only routine and day-to-day functions and will not be allowed to take any policy decisions. The government also clarified that if, in an emergency or special circumstance, a policy decision is required, the proposal must be submitted to the district magistrate through the District Panchayat Raj Officer and can be taken only after the DM’s approval. It is noted that a gram panchayat’s term is five years. After the term ends, and until new panchayats are constituted, the state government has the authority to appoint administrators. The order puts restrictions on the decision-making powers of these administrators. They will not be allowed to take any policy decisions during their tenure.