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Grama Sabha.- 

(1) The Grama Sabha shall meet at least once in six months: Provided that a Special meeting of the Grama Sabha shall be convened if a request is made by not less than ten percent of the members of the Grama Sabha with items of agenda specified in such request and there shall be a minimum three months period between two special meetings of the Grama Sabha.

 (2) The quorum for the meeting of a Grama Sabha shall be not less than one tenth of the total number of members of the Grama Sabha, or hundred members, whichever is less. As far as may be, at least ten members from each Ward Sabha within the Panchayat area shall attend the meeting and not less than thirty percent of the members attending the Grama Sabha shall be women. As far as may be the persons belonging to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes shall be represented in proportion to their population in the Grama Sabha. 

(3) Subject to such rules as may be prescribed, the Grama Sabha, shall exercise powers and discharge functions as hereinafter provided, namely:- 

(a) to consider and approve the annual plan prepared by the Grama Panchayat; 

(b) to generate proposals and determine the priority of all schemes and development programmes to be implemented in the Panchayat area by the Zilla Panchayat or Taluk Panchayat after considering the recommendations and suggestions of the Ward Sabhas through the Grama Panchayat;

 (c) to identify and select the most eligible persons from the Panchayat area for beneficiary oriented schemes on the basis of criteria fixed by the Grama Panchayat, Taluk Panchayat, Zilla Panchayat or the Government and to prepare list of beneficiaries in the order of priority after considering the priority lists of individual beneficiaries sent by the Ward Sabhas. Such list shall be binding on the concerned Grama Panchayat, Taluk Panchayat, Zilla Panchayat or the Government, as the case may be; 

(d) to disseminate information on development and welfare programmes and to render assistance in effective implementation of development schemes by providing facilities locally available and to provide feed back on the performance of the same;

 (e) to render assistance to the Grama Panchayat in collection and compilation of details required, formulation of development plans, collection of essential socio-economic data and canvassing participation in health, literacy and similar development compaigns; 

(f) to get information from the officers of the Grama Panchayat as to the services they will render and the works they propose to do in the succeeding period of six months after the meeting of the Grama Sabha; 

(g) to get information from the Grama Panchayat on the rational of every decision of the Grama Panchayat concerning the Panchayat area;

 (h) to get information from the Grama Panchayat on the follow up action taken on the decisions of the Gramasabha; 

(i) to provide and mobilize voluntary labour and contributions in cash and kind for development works and to supervise such development works through volunteer teams;

 (j) to resort to persuasion of Grama Sabha members to pay taxes and repay loans to the Grama panchayat;

 (k) to decide, after considering the suggestions of the ward sabhas the location of street lights, street or community water taps, Public wells, Public sanitation units, irrigation facilities and such other Public amenity schemes and to identify the defiencies in them and after considering the suggestions of the ward sabhas to suggest the remedial measures and to report the satisfactory completion of the works; 

(l) to impart awareness on matters of public interest such as cleanliness, preservation of environment and prevention of pollution; 

(m) to assist employees of the Grama panchayat in sanitation arrangements in the panchayat area and to render voluntary service in the removal of garbage; 

(n) to promote the programme of adult education within the Panchayat area; 

(o) to assist the activities of school betterment sanghas, Anganawadi, Mahilasamaja, Youth associations, self help groups, women activities in the Panchayat area; 

(p) to assist the activities of public health centres in the panchayat area, especially in disease prevention and family welfare population control and control of cattle diseases and create arrangement to quickly report the incidence of epidemics and natural calamities; 

(q) to promote communal harmony and unity among various groups of people in the Panchayat area and to arrange cultural festivals literary activities and sports meets to give expression to the talents of the people of the locality; and 

(r) to conserve and maintain public properties such as Gomala, tanks, tank beds, ground water, grazing grounds of the cattle, mines etc., within the limits of the Gram Panchayats; (s) to take action to prevent discrimination on the basis of caste, religion and sex etc., and to direct the Gram Panchayaths to not to grant license to shops vending liquor or narcotic drugs or place of gambling or any other activities prejudicial to public interest; 

(t) to identity the child labourers if any, present within the limits of the Grama Panchayaths and to take action to rehablitate them and to assist in implementation of the legal action specified by the Central and State Governments; 

(u) to exercise such other powers or discharge such other functions as may be prescribed. (4) The Grama Sabha shall in its ordinary meeting or a special meeting convened for the purpose, discuss the budgetary provisions, the details of plan outlay and the subject wise allocation of funds and also the details of the estimate and cost of materials of the works executed or proposed to be executed in the Panchayat area.

 (5) The annual statement of accounts of the preceeding financial year, the last audit note and replies thereto and the panchayat jamabandi report and action taken thereto shall be placed by the Grama Panchayat for the consideration of the Grama Sabha in its meeting. The views, recommendations or suggestions of the Grama Sabha shall be communicated to the Grama Panchayat. The Grama Panchayat shall give due consideration to the views, recommendations and suggestions of the Grama Sabha. 

(6) The procedure for convening and conducting the meeting of the Grama Sabha shall be such as may be prescribed. (7) Every meeting of a Grama Sabha shall be presided over by the Adhyaksha of the concerned Grama Panchayat and in his absence by the Upadhyaksha and in the absence of both Adhyaksha and Upadhyaksha, by any member of the Grama Panchayat nominated by it. 

(8) The officers of the Grama Panchayat shall attend the meetings of the Grama Sabha as may be required by the Adhyaksha and an officer specifically nominated by the Grama Panchayat as convener of the Grama Sabha meeting shall assist in convening and conducting its meetings and recording its decisions in a minute book and also in taking follow up action thereon.

(9) The Grama Sabha may constitute sub-committees consisting of not less than ten members of whom not less than half shall be women, for in-depth discussion on issues and programmes for effective implementation of decisions of the Grama Sabha and in furtherance of exercise of powers and discharge of functions of Grama Sabha.

(10) All resolutions in respect of any issue in the meetings of the Grama Sabha shall be passed by the majority of the members present and voting."