Previous Year Question

The modern Panchayati Raj system was first introduced in Rajasthan. On 2 October 1959, the Panchayati Raj system was inaugurated at Nagaur in Rajasthan by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. Rajasthan is therefore regarded as the first State to introduce Panchayati Raj.

An important background to this system was the Balwant Rai Mehta Committee of 1957. While reviewing the Community Development Programme and National Extension Service, the Committee emphasised the need for elected local representative institutions for democratic decentralisation. This led to the development of a three-tier Panchayati Raj structure.

Under this three-tier arrangement, Gram Panchayat operates at the village level, Panchayat Samiti at the block level and Zila Parishad at the district level. In Rajasthan, this structure was implemented under the Rajasthan Panchayat Samitis and Zila Parishads Act, 1959.

The first elections under the 1959 arrangement were held during September-October 1959, resulting in the constitution of 232 Panchayat Samitis and 26 Zila Parishads. Together with the already existing village Panchayats, these institutions formed the complete three-tier Panchayati Raj structure.

The distinction between 1959 and 1993 should be remembered—Rajasthan first implemented Panchayati Raj in 1959, whereas the 73rd Constitutional Amendment, effective in 1993, gave Panchayats constitutional status and a common constitutional framework across the country.

Therefore, if the question asks “Where was Panchayati Raj first introduced?”, the answer is Rajasthan; if the place is asked, it is Nagaur, and the date is 2 October 1959.