National Panchayati Raj Day or Panchayati Raj Diwas is annually observed across India on 24th April to recognise the work of the Panchayat leaders towards building an AtmaNirbhar Bharat. The day is annually commemorated by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
24th April 2021 marks the celebration of the 12th National Panchayati Raj Day.
- Panchayat is made up of two words – “Panch”, meaning five, and “Ayat”, meaning assembly.
- The Ministry has decided to commemorate the National Panchayati Raj Day 2021 as a virtual event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Background:
The first National Panchayati Raj Day was observed on 24th April 2010.
Why 24th April?
24th April marks the institution of Panchayat Raj through the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 which came into force in 1993.
Panchayati Raj in India:
The Panchayati Raj System, referred to as the local self-government of villages in Rural India, was first adopted in the Nagaur District, Rajasthan in 1959 and the system was first started on 2 Oct 1959 by Andhra Pradesh (AP).
Structure:
A committee was formed in 1957 to focus on the evolution of Panchayati Raj in the country. The chairman of the committee was Balwantrai Mehta. This committee recommended the Panchayati Raj System consist of 3 levels of governance:
- Gram Panchayat (village level)
- Samiti or Panchayat Samiti(Block level)
- Zila Parishad(District level).
Awards:
On the occasion of National Panchayati Raj Day, The Ministry of Panchayati Raj honours and awards the best performing Panchayats/States/UTs across the country under the Incentivization of Panchayats.
i.For the first time, Prime Minister to transfer the award money (as Grants-in-Aid) directly to the bank account of the Panchayats concerned in real time.
ii.Prime Minister will dedicate the Scheme of Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas’ (SVAMITVA) to the entire nation on 24th April, 2021.The Scheme was launched on 24th April 2020.
iii.Prime Minister will also electronically distribute Property Cards/ Title deeds (Sampatti Patrak) under the SVAMITVA Scheme to nearly 409945 property holders of 5002 villages.
About Ministry of Panchayati Raj:
Union Minister– Narendra Singh Tomar(Constituency- Morena, Madhya Pradesh)
