Standing Committees of Panchayats

30. In the Principal Act, after section 133, the following new sections shall be inserted, namely:- "134. Standing Committees of Panchayats.- 1. (1) In every Panchayat at all levels Sectoral Standing Committees as stated below shall be constituted: (a) Standing Committee for Finance. (b) Standing Committee for Economic Development and Planning. (c) Standing Committee for Welfare and Social Justice. :> (d) Standing Committee for Health, Nutrition, Sanitation and Drinking water. (e) Standing Committee for Education and Skill Development. (f) Standing Committee for Agriculture, Forestry, Watershed and Allied Activities. (2) In the District Panchayat a Standing Committee for Public Works shall also be constituted. (3) Every Standing Committee shall consist of such number of members, including its Adhakshya or Sabhapati, as decided by the Panchayat, so that all elected members except the Adhakshya and Up-Adhakshya or Sabhapati and Up-Sabhapati shall be members in one of the Standing Committees and the number of members to each Standing Committee shall, as far as possible, be equal. (4) The number of members of each Standing Committee as decided by the Panchayat under sub-section (2) shall not be changed within the term of that Panchayat. (5) In every Standing Committee there shall be members appointed in accordance with the procedure prescribed by the Panchayat itself. No Panchayat representative shall be a member of more than one Standing Committee at a time. (6) The Chairperson of every Standing Committee, except the Standing Committee for Finance, shall be elected by the members of the respective Standing Committee from among themselves. (7) TheUp-Adhakshya or Up-Sabhapati of Panchayat shall be an ex-officio member and Chairperson of the Standing Committee for Finance and the Sabhapati of Panchayat shall be an ex-officio member of all Standing Committees without the right to vote. (8) A member other than an ex-officio member of a Standing Committee and the Chairperson of a Standing Committee other than the Standing Committee for Finance may resign the membership or Chairmanship of a Standing Committee, as the case may be by tendering resignation to the Sachiva of the Panchayat in the prescribed form and the resignation shall take effect from the date on which it was received by the Sachiva and the Sachiva shall inform the Chairperson and the Panchayat immediately of the fact. (9) The person who intends to resign from the membership or Chairmanship of the Standing Committee shall personally present such resignation letter to the Secretary who shall acknowledge the receipt of the same. (10) Except as otherwise provicfed in this Act, the term of the Chairperson of a Standing Committee or its members shall co-exists with the term of that Panchayat. (11) An election to fill up a casual vacancy of a member of a Standing Committee shall be conducted within thirty days of the occurrence of that vacancy: Provided that where the vacancy in a 3~::.:nding Committee could not be filled due to the vacancy of a member of Panchayat, the vacancy of Standing Committee shall be filled up within thirty days from the date of filling up of the vacancy of the member of Panchayat. (12) If a casual vacancy of the Chairperson of a Standing Committee other than the Standing Committee for Finance arises, one of its members shall be elected as its Chairperson in the next meeting of the Standing Committee. (13) A motion of no-confidence against the Chairperson of the Standing Committee other than the Standing Committee for Finance may be moved subject to the prescribed provisions and procedures and if such a motion is passed with the support of not less than the majority of the members of the Standing Committee, the Chairperson of that Standing Committee 'shall cease to hold office and shall be deemed to have vacated the office of the Chairperson of the Standing Committee immediately".