The father of our nation Mahatma Gandhi had originally advocated that the villages in our country should have a panchayat system so that rural development is facilitated and a foundation of India’s political system could be laid. On April 24, National Panchayati Raj Day is celebrated in India to promote the rural governance, growth and progress of the rural areas of the country. On this occasion, let’s acquaint ourselves with a few facts about the National Panchayati Raj Day.
- The National Panchayati Raj Day was incepted by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj to mark the passing of the Constitution Act (73rd Amendment), 1992, that came into existence on April 24, 1993. This act institutionalised the Panchayati Raj through village, intermediate and district-level panchayats.
- The Government of India after consultation with the states decided to observe April 24 as National Panchayati Raj Day.
- Former prime minister of India Manmohan Singh had declared the first National Panchayati Raj Day on April 24, 2010.
- Every year, the government felicitates the 170 Panchayati Raj institutions, for their exemplary work under the Panchayat Empowerment Accountability Incentive Scheme.
- The Panchayati Raj system was originally advocated by Mahatma Gandhi so that every village could be responsible for its own affairs.
- The Panchayat Raj system was initially adopted by Rajasthan in Nagaur district on the 2nd October 1959.
- Thereafter in 1950s and 1960s, the other state governments too adopted this system.
- The three tiers of the panchayat — Village Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti and Zilla Parishad ensure proper implementation of various activities, as per the budget allocated by the government.
- The leaders of the panchayat are often called as the Mukhiyas, Pradhan or the Sarpanch.
- With the help of the village heads, the Panchayati Raj helps in the overall development of rural areas.