ed COPP report's recommendations, left it to the individual States to decide upon the exact form of decentralisation, as suited to local conditions and requirements. It presumed that decentralisation would be achieved gradully by stages.

The pattern of legislation enacted, or being enacted, by the State Governments to bring into being higher formations of local self-government has, consequently, varied. While Uttar Pradesh and Bombay propose to keep the Block Committee in its existing position as an advisory body and introduce the scheme of democratic decentralisation at district level, some other States, e. g. Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Madras and Mysore have provided, or are providing, for a three-tier system, including popular institutions at Block or taluka level.

Panchayat Samitis

The panchayat samitis which, under the scheme, are to replace the Block Development Committees, are to consist of all the directly elected sarpanchas of the village. panchayats in the area, in addition to representatives of special interests, such as Scheduled Castes & Tribes and women. The power to co-opt representatives of special interest is to vest not in the Government, but in the members of the panchayat samitis themselves. They are to handle more and more development activities at present undertaken by the development departments at the Block level, exercise supervision over the activities of the panchayats and provide services concerned with almost every aspect of rural life.

To enable them to discharge their functions regarding development work, the panchayat samitis are to be provided with such funds from Government revenues which would enable them to carry out their obligations.

Zila Parishads

The zila parishad, the people's institution at the district level, is to be like a house of elders of a district. It is to consist of the Chrirmen of the panchayat samitis in the district, Members of Parliament and State Legislatures of the area, the Collector and such other officers as are nominated by the Government. It is to be a supervisory and

coordinating body, approving the budgets of all panchayat samitis, but not modifying the proposals submitted by them.

The implementation of the programme of democratic decentralisation, it is recognised, will throw greater burden on the administrative agency. The States officials will not only have to work in accordance with the wishes of the people, but also to establish sound traditions and healthy conventions.

The programme also calls for a reorientation of the people's representatives, who will have to realise their limitations and responsibilities in raising resources, formulating plans and ensuring the maximum cooperation.

to

Rajasthan, which is the first State to undertake the experiment on a State-wide scale, launched in April last an ambitious programme of orientation training to officials and non-officials who, in turn, have trained, or are training, 5000 Panches and Sarpanchas. These Panchas and Sarpanchas are man the Panchayat Samitis at the Block level. The State Government plans to tell: the largest number of people in the State, through audio-visual aids, about the importance and implications of the scheme for de-> mocratic decentralisation by the end of the year.

U.P. Zila Parishad Bill

Governor V.V. Giri in his address to the State Legislature on July 27 referring to the U.P. Zila Parishad Bill, which is to be discussed in the Legislature in August, said that the Zila Parishads will take over all those functions which were being performed by the erswithile district boards and are at present being performed by the Antarim Zila Parishads, with widened powers to control and regulate the building activities, health and sanitation programmes, etc. to take necessary action or incidential to the implementation of the Plan in the district; to exercise supervision over town area committees and Gaon Sabhas and to approve and sanction tax proposals and byelaws of the Gaon Sabhas within the district. It was also proposed to have an enabling provision for transfer in future to the Zila Parishads with other functions of the Government departments at district level, as the State Government may decide.

Andhra

Municipal Elections

The Andhra Pradesh Government has decided against further extension of the life of Municipal Councils in the Andhra region beyond October 1. An official spokesman said on July 21 that elections would be held to all Municipal Councils in the Andhra region, except Guntur and Vijayawada before the end of September and that the new Councillors would take office on October 1. Eletions to Guntur and Vijayawada Councils, which had been superseded for, sometime were held only this year. Elections to Tenali Municipali Council were in progress.

There are 32 Municipal Councils in the Andhra region, and election to 29 of these were to have been held before July 1, but the term of office of the Coucillors were extended to October 1. There was a proposal to extend the terms further so that elections could be conducted to all Municipal Councils in the Andhra and Telangana regions after the proposed integrated District Municipalities Bill became a law. This Bill seeks to provide for a five-year term of office for the councillors instead of three at present.

Kurnool Resignations

The Congress Chairman and 20 of the 31 members of the Kurool Municipal Council resigned their membership at a meeting of the Council held on July 25 and walked out of the meeting hall. The resignation was because of the Andhra Government's failure to restore the Finance and Taxation Commitee's appellate powers, and also because of the Government refusal to sanction a loan

of Rs. 4 laks for the improvement of Kurnool's protected water supply.

No Extension Of Dry Belt

The State Cabinet on July 9 decided against extending the "dry" belt along the Ecmbay border from three miles to ten miles. Assam

Nagas' Convention

The three-stage deliberations of Nagas, to find an answer to the question, how to

live with India, which has troubled them for a long time, will begin in Mokokchung on August 17. First, a drafting committee appointed by the Nagas will hold final discussions reviewing the situation in the Naga Hills in an endeavour to draft a political settlement of the Naga problem setting forth the tems on in which the Nagas are to live with ndia. The draft will go to a select commttee sitting immediately after the drafting at the same place and take into account the situation obtaining in the Naga Hills now. The select committee after screening the viewpoints of the drafting committee will forward its proposals to the general covention of the Nagas beginning at Mokokchung on August 21. The convention will adopt the proposals with modifications it considers

necessary.

The question of Naga independence, having been dropped and the rebel elements sufficiently routed, the stage is now set for a peaceful settlement. There has also been in recent times marked evidence of anxiety on the part of Nagas to break the stalemate and reach a settlement. The sustained improvement in the situation in these hilils has also induced belief among the Nagas in peaceful constitutional methods of solution of the problem.

Bihar

International Congress

Mr. Jaideva Prased, M. L. C., a Harijan leader of Bihar, was among the five Indian delegates who attended the 14th International Congress of Local Authorities which was held in Berlin from June 18 to 23. Mr. Prasad represented Patna Corporation, and was the only representative of a Municipal Corporation from India. The other five Indian delegates were: Mr. Mahendra Mohan Chaudhury (Assam), Dr. L. P. Khare (Uttar Pradesh), Mr. K. Narasimha Rao (Masulipatnam) and Mr. A. C. Sanmukhan (Rasipuram).

Legislature Meetings In Ranchi

The Chief Minister, Dr, Srikrishna Sinha, is reported to have decided against the proposal made by certain Deputy Ministers to hold the Autumn session of the State Legis

Demand For C. M.'s Registration

The Central Parliamentary Board of the Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti meeting in Bombay City on July 3 decided to issue directives to its members in the civic bodies, particularly in Bombay and Poona Municipal Corporations to immediately move a resolution demanding the resignation of the Chief Minister, Mr. Y.B. Chavan, for his failure

-to settle the border issues. The Board also decided to observe July 11 as the Border Day by holding demonstrations and meetings throughout the Maharashtra region in support of the agitation in some border areas for their transfer from Mysore to Bombay State. Mr. S.A. Dange, M. P. (Communist) is the chairman of the Board.

Civic Bodies' Resolutions

Poona Corporation on July 10 passed a resolution calling upon the Chief Minister to resign because of his failure to settle the Bombay-Mysore border dispute. The resolution, which was moved by Mr. B. L. Shirole, a former Mayor, and a member of the ruling Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti, was seconded by Mr. J.G. Sasane (P. S. PSamiti). It was passed by 24 votes to 20. The Samiti has a strength of 44 in a House of 65.

The Bombay Municipal Corporation also on July 23 adopted a similar resolution by 67 votes to 52, after 3 unsuccessful meetings in which the subject was raised, the first being held on July 13. The first two meetings were bogged by several points of order raised by Congress and Opposition members. When on July 20, Mr. M. V. Donde, leader of the ruling Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti group, had moved the resolution, and it had been seconded by Mr. G. B. Maha

an

sahbde, the leader of the Congress Opposition, Mr. Vishnu Prasad Desai, moved amendment which sought to delete the portion referring to the resignation of Mr. Chavan. The Mayor, Mr. P. T. Borale, admitted the amendment after ruling out a point of order raised by Mr. Donde, that the amendment sought to negative the proposition inasmuch as it deleted the operative part, namely, the resignation of Mr. Chavan. Several points of order and counter points of order were raised and ruled out during the one hour inconclusive debate, after which the meeting was adjourned.

While the House was considering the proposition on July 23 men of the City Fire Brigade kept at bay over 2,000 Congress volunteers who demonstrated before the main Corporation building. They shouted slogans asking the Samiti group in the Corporation to resign for its failure to solve civic problems and emphasising that the Congress and Mr.

Chavan would be able to solve the border dispute.

On July 23, after the opposition Congress amendment had been rejected, the main resolution was passed.

The Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti is 'demanding the inclusion of Belgaum Karwar, Khanapur and Nippani, now merged in Mysore, in the Bombay State.

Corporation Attacks Mysore Government

On July 27 Poona Municipal Corporation unanimously passed a resolution condemning the Mysore Government for issuing a notice to the Belgaum Municipal Borough asking it why it should not be superseded. The notice of the Mysore Government, the resolution stated, was "mischievous, malicious and did injustice to the Marathi-speaking majority in Belgaum." Intensification of Agitation

The General Council of the Sanyukta Maharashtra Samiti, which concluded its two day session in Bombay on July 24, decided to direct all its members in the Bombay Assembly to call for the resignation of the Chief Minister.

The General Council also adopted a resolution saying that considering the progress of direct action started by the Samiti in co

operation with the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti in the border areas, it had come to the conclusion that time had come for the Samiti to broad base and intensify the struggle for the realisation of the common aim of the Marathi-speaking people to establish Samyukta Maharashtra and the inclusion of all border areas in Maharashtra.

The General Council directed the members in the State Assembly and local bodies "to develop non-co-operation as a political weapon of direct action", and to take other steps for mobilising public opinion behind the demand for the breakup of the bilingual state. Chief Minister Visits Corporntion

Despite the resolution passed by the Poona Corporation on July 10 calling upon him to resign, the Chief Minister, Mr. Y. B. Chavan, visited Poona Municipal Corporation office on July 19 and discussed with the Mayor, Mr. R.V. Telang, and the Corporation officers, administrative problems confronting the civic body.

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The invitation extended by the Mayor to the Chief Minister to visit the Corporation, had created a major rift among the Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti Councillors, as evident from the voting on July 10. While only 24 Samiti members had voted in favour of the resolution, 20 independents had opposed it. Twenty of the Samiti members in à statement had asked the Mayor to withdraw his invitation to the Chief Minister, contending that the Mayor had not taken the Samiti Party into confidence. An equal number of Samiti Corporators had, however, supported the Mayor, pointing out that the signatories to the first statement had abstained from voting on the resolution and, therefore, they had no moral right to criticise the Mayor. They had also argued that the Mayor was not required to consult the members of the alliance in administrative matters.

The Mayor, in a statement clarifying the position, said the invitation to the Chief Minister was for a discussion in the implementation of certain administrative polices which had already been discussed and passed by the Corporation. He also emphasised that "quit office" resolution had no bearing on the day-to-day working of the Corporation.

Adjournment Motion Against Daily) - 2.{

Poona Municipal Corporation on July 21 adopted by 13 votes to 10 an adjournment motion moved by Mr. K. T. Girme, leader of the opposition, disapproving the language used by a Marathi Daily of Bomboy in publishing a report relating to the invitation extended by Mr. R. V. Teelang, Mayor of Poona, to Mr. Y. B. Chavan, Chief Minister of Bombay. Sixteen members of the Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti, the ruling alliance, abstained from voting.

Mr. Girme said the language used by the newspaper was an insult to the entire citizens of Poona and provided an instance of the freedom of Press being abused.

Ahmedabad Firing

Mr. Justice S. P. Kotwal, who inquired into the disturbances in Ahmedabad on August 12 to 14 last year, touched off by the martyr memorial satyagrah, and the police firing on those days, has held that the firings resorted to by the police were fully justified and that there were no excesses except in one case. The report of one-man commission was submitted to Government on April 28, and it was published on July 2 with the Government's observations.

The Government did not accept the finding of the Commission in regard to the causes of disturbance. The commission had listed the formation of the bilingual State of Bombay, the fiting which took place in August, 1956 and the refusal to order a judicial inquiry giving rise to a spontaneous feeling among the people of Ahmedabad of hostility to the Congress Party, the State Government and the local authorities, as some of the causes which led to the disturbances.

Mr. Justice Kotwal had also given among the causes of the disturbances the decisions of the authorities, first to permit the memorials to be erected and then to remove them. The first, he said, was an error of judgment, and, when the second decision was taken, thd consequences and depth and extent of public feelings were not correctly gauged and there was a miscalculation. In rejecting this finding, the Government said, the correct position was that there was only one composite decision, namely to suffer memorials to be placed tem