Previous Year Question
Which one of the following is not correctly matched?
G.V.K. Rao Committee — Planning at the Block Level
Dantwala Committee — Rural Credit
Santhanam Committee — Panchayati Raj Finances
Ashok Mehta Committee — Panchayati Raj Institutions
Correct Answer: C
Detailed Solution
Option (c) is marked in the Commission’s published answer key. However, there is a discrepancy between this answer and official historical material. It is therefore necessary to distinguish the answer given by the Commission from the facts concerning the committees.
The Santhanam Committee constituted in 1963 was concerned with Panchayat finances. It recommended measures relating to taxation powers, grants and financial assistance to strengthen the financial resources of Panchayats. Therefore, “Santhanam Committee — Panchayati Raj Finances” is a factually correct match. A separate committee chaired by Santhanam dealt with the prevention of corruption; the two committees should not be treated as the same.
The G.V.K. Rao Committee, 1985 was concerned with reviewing administrative arrangements for rural development and poverty alleviation. It emphasised strengthening the district level and the role of the Zila Parishad. Its principal association is therefore with district-level rural development administration.
M.L. Dantwala is associated with both a working group on block-level planning and a committee reviewing Regional Rural Banks. Therefore, associating Dantwala with rural credit is not inherently incorrect.
The Ashok Mehta Committee, 1977 was constituted to review Panchayati Raj Institutions and suggest measures to strengthen them. Therefore, option (d) is correctly matched.