Bengal Assembly passes Panchayat (Amendment) Bill to curb corruption, revive defunct bodies

4 min readKolkataJul 26, 2026 10:21 AM IST West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. (File Photo)The West Bengal Panchayat (Amendment) Bill, aimed at temporarily transferring exclusive authority to sign financial documents from pradhans to panchayat secretary and assistant secretary, was passed in the Assembly on Saturday. The Bill mandates that in the absence of both the pradhan and upa-pradhan for more than 15 days, and if none of the elected members agrees to take charge, the authority can appoint an extension officer or an officer of a higher rank as the administrator for a maximum period of 30 days. During this period, the administrator will exercise all powers and perform all functions of the gram panchayat.According to the government, it was forced to bring these amendments becau