A review: Panchayati raj system and community development in India
Author(s): Susheel Kumar
Abstract: The term "Panchayati Raj" in India primarily refers to the system that was implemented by a constitutional amendment in 1992, despite the fact that it is based on the conventional South Asian panchayat system. The extra-constitutional khap panchayats (or caste panchayats) present in various regions of northern India are not to be confused with the current panchayati raj and its gramme panchayats. Prior to the formalisation of the panchayati raj system in 1992, several Indian committees investigated various implementation strategies for more decentralised government. Panchayati raj, a decentralised type of administration in which each village was in charge of its own affairs, was the basis of the political system that Mahatma Gandhi favoured for India. Such a vision was known as Gram Swaraj. India instead established a very centralised system of governance. However, development has been restrained by the localization of a number of administrative tasks, giving elected gramme panchayats more authority. The Gandhian system, the traditional panchayati raj system, and the system that India officially adopted in 1992 are all very different from one another.
Susheel Kumar. A review: Panchayati raj system and community development in India. Int J Political Sci Governance 2022;4(2):04-07. DOI: 10.33545/26646021.2022.v4.i2a.166
