Career Development Centre (CDC) > Bangladesh Civil Service-BCS
Local Government in Bangladesh
Md. Fouad Hossain Sarker:
Local government is a vital organization for managing local economy and development and consolidating the democracy at the sub-national and grassroots level of any country. It is an integral part of the central government of a country, recognized or created under law for the management of local affairs of a human settlement, promoting pro-people and participatory development at the field level. Capable local institution is deemed as one of the fundamental pre-requisites for sustainable development of the country, which can share and promote people’s urge, aspiration and wisdom.
Md. Fouad Hossain Sarker:
Theoretical framework of Local Government:
In a general sense, local government is as the formulation and execution of collective action at the grassroots level designed by the central government. UN says-‘Local government refers to a political subdivision of national or state which is constituted by law and has substantial control of local affairs including the power of imposing taxes, exact labor for proscribed purposes. The governing body of such an entity is elected or locally selected.’
According to encyclopedia of Social Science, ‘Local self-government is the government which has a territorial non-sovereign community, having or possessing the legal right to impose taxes and use of it and the necessary organization to regulate its own affairs.’
According to Graham, a good local government possesses five qualities:
1. Participation
2. Transparency
3. Contestation
4. Accountability
5. Innovation
Md. Fouad Hossain Sarker:
Constitutional framework:
9. Promotion of local Government institutions:
The State shall encourage local Government institutions composed of representatives of the areas concerned and in such institutions special representation shall be given, as far as possible, to peasants, workers and women.
59. Local Government
(1) Local Government in every administrative unit of the Republic shall be entrusted to bodies, composed of persons elected in accordance with law. (2) Everybody such as is referred to in clause (1) shall, subject to this Constitution and any other law, perform within the appropriate administrative unit such functions as shall be prescribed by Act of Parliament, which may include functions relating to-
(a) administration and the work of public officers;
(b) the maintenance of public order;
(c) the preparation and implementation of plans relating to public services and economic development.
60. Powers of local government bodies:
For the purpose of giving full effect to the provisions of article 59 Parliament shall, by law, confer powers on the local government bodies referred to in that article, including power to impose taxes for local purposes, to prepare their budgets and to maintain funds.
Md. Fouad Hossain Sarker:
Historical Background of Local government:
Local Government government below or government as organized locally. Historically, local government was always there in Bengal. Only its forms differed from age to age. The ancient and medieval governments of Bengal were heavily dependent on village institutions, which made the structure of the local government. The village society was left to itself for its own governance. The king remained contented with its share in produce in the form of tax. There were state-sponsored institutions, such as village headmen and village councils of many denominations. These were instituted for double purposes: to collect tax and to keep the people together for keeping production going and for keeping the kingdom happy and prosperous. There is not enough record at our disposal to discuss in details about the actual nature of the local governance under the state-sponsored institutions like Gramin, Gramika, or gramapala, etc. It is quite possible that above the village level, there existed not local self-government but a local extension of the central authority, perhaps tempered by some degree of local consultation system through a social council system.
Md. Fouad Hossain Sarker:
Medieval Period:
Historians reckon the beginning of medieval period with the establishment of Turko-Afghan rule in Bengal from the 13th century. It is believed by many, but disputed by others, that administration of villages in medieval times was left to the PANCHAYETs. Each village had its own council or panchayet. It appointed or elected its own headman who served as a link between the village and the central government. The headman collected revenue from the cultivators and forwarded the same to the treasury. He was answerable for delays in revenue collection. A patwari or village accountant working under the supervision of the headman used to keep records of crops and revenue. The panchayets were generally entrusted with the task of looking after education, irrigation, religious practices and moral conduct of the villagers. Holding fairs and festivals, and maintenance of law and order were also their functions.
It is not clear whether the administrative units during the medieval period were the same as those in the ancient period, but it seems that revenue collection became more organised during the Mughal period and local administration was more geared up to that end.
During Mughal period there was four tiers of administrative body, to collect revenue.
1. Sudhas- Province
2. Sarker- District
3. Maragana- Thana/Mohkoma
4. Mahallas
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