Previous Year Question
Rajasthan was the first State where the Panchayati Raj system was implemented in 1959. In which district of Rajasthan was it first implemented?
Correct Answer: C
Detailed Solution
The modern Panchayati Raj system was formally inaugurated at Nagaur in Rajasthan on 2 October 1959. The official history of the Panchayati Raj Department of the Government of Rajasthan states that the system was inaugurated at Nagaur on 2 October 1959 by the then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
The background of this system was closely associated with the recommendations of the Balwant Rai Mehta Committee, which recommended a three-tier structure of democratic decentralisation—
Village level — Gram Panchayat
Block level — Panchayat Samiti
District level — Zila Parishad
Rajasthan took the lead in implementing this three-tier system and became the first State in India to introduce Panchayati Raj. Rajasthan was followed by Andhra Pradesh, which also adopted Panchayati Raj in 1959.
Important fact: The date 2 October 1959 was chosen on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary. Gandhi's concept of Gram Swaraj emphasised the village as an important unit of self-government.
Remember:
State = Rajasthan
District = Nagaur
Date = 2 October 1959
Inaugurated by = Jawaharlal Nehru