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12. Article 40 of the Constitution states that the State shall take steps to organize village panchayats and endow them with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as units of self-Government. However, these institutions have not been able to acquire the status and dignity of viable and responsive people's bodies due to a number of reasons including absence of regular elections, prolonged supersessions, insufficient representation of weaker sections, inadequate devolution of powers and lack of financial resources. The insertion of Part IX relating to the Act was designed to rectify several things which includes disqualification of membership of Panchayat.