Rajasthan govt proposes educational criteria for Panchayat, ULB polls

Jaipur, Dec 25 (PTI) The Rajasthan government is planning to reintroduce educational qualification requirements for Panchayati Raj and urban local body elections, an official said on Thursday.

Local Self Government minister Jhabbir Singh Kharra said a proposal to implement educational qualifications has been sent to Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma for approval.

According to the proposal, candidates for the position of village head should have at least secondary grade education. For candidates contesting the role of ward councillors, a minimum qualification of either secondary or senior secondary should be required.

He said that to implement educational qualifications for Panchayati Raj and local body elections, amendments will need to be made to the Panchayati Raj Act and the Municipalities Act. Once approved at the chief minister's level, amendments will be passed in the upcoming Budget Session of the Assembly.

The move follows a similar decision made in 2015 during the tenure of the then chief minister Vasundhara Raje when the requirement for educational qualifications was introduced.

Candidates for village head had to be at least 8th grade pass. In tribal areas (TSP areas), it was mandatory for village candidates to be 5th grade pass.

The eligibility for Panchayat Samiti members, Zila Parishad members was set at 10th grade while Councillors and urban local body heads were also required to have at least secondary education.

However, after the Congress government came to power in 2018, the rule was reversed in 2019. PTI SDA OZ OZ