What is the Panchayati Raj system?

Why villages need their own government

India has about 600,000 villages, and almost two-thirds of its people live in rural areas. Each village has its own needs: water for the fields, a road repaired after heavy rain, a primary school kept in good shape. Disputes over land or stolen crops have to be settled too. People cannot travel to the State capital or to Delhi for every such matter. Decisions about village life work well when they are taken close to home, by the people who live there.

Panchayati Raj: self-government

Every village in India has a local government called a Panchayat, which means a village council. Panchayats bring governance closer to the people and make it possible for them to take an active part in decisions. That is why the Panchayat system, also known as Panchayati Raj, is a form of self-government. Panchayats deal with local issues, promote development and make sure that the benefits of government schemes reach the grassroots.

The three tiers

Panchayati Raj works at three levels, from the bottom up: the village, the block and the district. This is called a three-tier system.

Level	Body (other names)	Main role
Village	Gram Panchayat (Village Parishad)	Closest to the people; looks after the village’s needs
Block	Panchayat Samiti (Block Panchayat, Mandal Parishad)	Links the Gram Panchayats and the Zila Parishad; puts plans together
District	Zila Parishad (District Panchayat)	Looks after the whole district

Together, these institutions cover almost all parts of life in a district: agriculture, housing, the upkeep of roads, water resources, education, health care, social welfare and even cultural activities.

How the tiers work together

The Panchayat Samiti at the block level is the link between the Gram Panchayats below it and the Zila Parishad above it. It coordinates matters across Gram Panchayats: for example, it collects the development plans of all the Gram Panchayats and puts them together to present at the district or State level. This helps in allotting funds for development projects and for government schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, which builds all-weather roads in rural areas.

The members of the Panchayat Samiti and the Zila Parishad are elected by the local people, but there may be other members too, such as the Sarpanchs of villages in the area and local members of the State Legislative Assembly.

A fair voice for all

At all three levels, special rules have been made so that disadvantaged sections of the population can make their needs and problems heard. One-third of the seats are reserved for women. (Extra: Panchayati Raj institutions got their place in the Constitution through the 73rd Amendment, which came into force in 1993.)

Different States, same aim

The structure and work of Panchayati Raj institutions differ a little from State to State, because the States have authority over them. But their aim is the same everywhere: to let villagers take an active part in managing and developing their villages and their area. Democracy here works in two ways: directly, when all the adults meet in the Gram Sabha, and through the representatives they elect.

Panchayats and the Central government

Both the Panchayats and the Central government are made up of representatives elected by adult citizens, and both have a head and officials who help them. But a Panchayat looks after a village, block or district, while the Central government looks after the whole country, with matters like defence and currency. And in the Gram Sabha, every adult voter can take part directly, which is not possible for a whole country. Read how the village level works in Gram Sabha and Gram Panchayat.