Local self-government in rural India — from Balwant Rai Mehta to the 73rd Amendment's constitutional guarantee.
Panchayati Raj refers to the system of rural local self-government in India, designed to bring decision-making closer to the people through elected bodies at the village, block and district levels. Though Article 40 (a Directive Principle) called for the organisation of village panchayats since 1950, Panchayati Raj remained a matter of state legislation and administrative experiment for over three decades before being given constitutional status by the 73rd Amendment Act, 1992.
Part IX mandates a uniform three-tier structure in every state (with population above 20 lakh; states may skip the intermediate tier if population is below that threshold):
All seats are filled by direct election; the Constitution mandates reservation for SC/ST in proportion to their population, and not less than one-third reservation for women (including within SC/ST quotas) at every level and for the office of Chairperson.
The Gram Sabha — a body of all registered voters within a village panchayat area — is the foundational institution of the system (Article 243A). Its powers and functions are determined by state legislation, but it typically exercises social audit, approves village plans, and vets beneficiary lists under schemes like MGNREGA.
Article 243H empowers state legislatures to authorise panchayats to levy, collect and appropriate taxes, and to make grants-in-aid. Article 243I mandates a State Finance Commission every five years to recommend the distribution of resources between the state and panchayats. The Eleventh Schedule lists 29 subjects (agriculture, land improvement, minor irrigation, rural housing, drinking water, etc.) that may be devolved to panchayats.
The Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 extends Part IX, with modifications, to Fifth Schedule Scheduled Areas — giving Gram Sabhas there greater powers over natural resources, minor forest produce, money-lending and community resources, recognising customary law and practices.
Prelims tests committee names and their key recommendations, the Article numbers within Part IX, and the Eleventh Schedule subject count. Mains rewards discussing the gap between constitutional devolution ("Panchayati Raj on paper") and actual functional, financial and functionary (3F) devolution on the ground — a recurring GS Paper II theme.
