• The Kerala Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 was promulgated on May 2, 2020.  It amends the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act, 1994.  The Act establishes a three-tier Panchayat Raj system in the State of Kerala.  The Ordinance amends the limits on the total number of seats to be filled by direct elections in a panchayat.  
   
• Strength of Panchayats:  The Act provides for the state government to notify the total number of seats in panchayats to be filled by direct elections, subject to certain limits.  The  Ordinance reduces the limits prescribed under the Act, as specified in Table 1.

Table 1: Limits on number of directly elected seats in Panchayats

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