Panchayati Raj Day

Question: Consider the following statements regarding Panchayati Raj Day:
(1) It was introduced by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment in 1992.
(2) It is observed in India on 24th April every year.
Choose the correct option:
(a) Only(1)
(b) Only(1)
(c) Both(1) and (2)
(d) All the above
Answer: (c)
Related facts:

  • On 24th April 2019; recognized as National Panchayati Raj Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Madhya Pradesh’s Mandla district to meet and address panchayat bodies as well as independent communities.
  • The Prime Minister launched a scheme that seeks to strengthen the country’s Panchayati Raj System and address critical gaps that hinder its success.
  • Prime Minister Modi, who arrived in Mandla, inaugurated the National Panchayati Raj day program in Ramnagar, after which he addressed a rally on Adivasi Diwas.
  • PM Modi unveiled a roadmap for development of tribal areas of Madhya Pradesh over the next five years. Under the plan, Rs 2 lakh crore will be spent for development of areas under tribal panchayats.

About Panchayati Raj:

  • In India, the Panchayati Raj generally refers to the system of local self-government in India introduced by 73rd Constitutional Amendment in 1992, although it is based upon the traditional panchayat system of the Indian sub-continent.
  • This Panchayati Raj System was formalized in 1992, following a study conducted by a number of Indian committees on various ways of implementing more decentralized administration.
  • The Panchayati Raj now functions as a system of governance in which gram panchayats are the basic units of local administration.
  • The system has three levels: Gram Panchayat (village level), Mandal Parishad or Block Samiti or Panchayat Samiti (block level), and Zila Parishad (district level).
  • Currently, the Panchayati Raj system exists in all states except Nagaland, Meghalaya, and Mizoram and in all Union Territories except Delhi.

Links:
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/on-panchayati-raj-day-pm-narendra-modi-launches-rashtriya-gram-swaraj-abhiyan-in-madhya-pradesh-1842049
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panchayati_raj_(India)