In case of petty disputes, civil or criminal the panchayet will be the sole deciding authority, but in the case of larger disputes, they will report to the district civil and criminal courts; and their reports will be treated as the sole plaints or complaints in such cases.
In the next place, the primary assembly of each group, will, according to its population, select from five to twenty five members to the district Assembly. These district assemblies will consist of members numbering from 200 to 500 and will exercise the following powers:--
(1) It will exercise general supervision over the working of the panchayets and the affairs of the village group.
(2) It will devise ways and means of the better performance of the functions of panchayets; and it will be directly responsible for the education and sanitation of the district capital.
(3) It will devise means for the improvement of agriculture and cottage industries.
(4) It will supervise the sanitation of the villages included in each village-group: and will be directly responsible for the sanitation of the district council.
(5) It will start such industrial and business concerns as may be best suited to further the resources of the district.
(6) It will employ chowkidars and peace-officers for the villages.
(7) It will have sole charge of the district police.
(8) Each district assembly will elect its own President and will appoint sub-committees for the discussion of different subjects.
(9) For the provision of cheap capital, each district assembly will open a bank: this bank will have branches in each village-group.
(10) The district assemblies will have power to raise by taxation the money necessary for its requirements.
(11) The present local and district boards will be abolished.
(12) Necessary laws will have to be passed to place the primary and district assemblies on a legal basis.
This out-line of work is very closely connected with Indian socialism. This is what we now call Swaraj or self-government of the villages. These institutions did actually exist in our country from very ancient times; they grew and developed with our growth, and they have a peculiar harmony with the genius of our national character. Chitta Ranjan has therefore proposed only reversion to our older social institutions. But life among us now is not so simple as it was before; it has become complex, difficult and intricate. Hence what was inchoate requires to be put into a system. The panchayet was a natural out-growth of our ancient village community! It consisted of those five persons who naturally and easily emerged into prominence by their qualities of character and intellect. The authority of the panchayet lasted only so long as the community at large tacitly accepted their authority. Now the question arises, "Will the Government entrust so much power to us?" Again there are the Anglo-Indian papers crying themselves hoarse, "No no, there is so much of anarchism in the land, it will lead to fearful abuses if the people are entrusted with any large share of power." But the real fact is just the opposite, if the people are given opportunities of serving their country on a larger scale, the so-called anarchism will die out of itself. Of this Chitta Ranjan says in his address:--