Hinglish

The Panchayati Raj System

Class 6 Social Science · Chapter 11: Grassroots Democracy – Part 2: Local Government in Rural Areas · NCERT Exploring Society: India and Beyond section 11.1

Learn

In the village of Sonpur, the road to the school floods every monsoon. Children wade through knee-deep water. Kabir, who is in Class 6, asks his grandfather: "Who can fix this?" His grandfather smiles: "We can, together, through our Panchayat."

Every village in India has a system of local government called the Panchayat (a village council). It brings governance close to the people and lets them take part in decisions. That is why the Panchayat system, also called Panchayati Raj, is a form of self-government.

Panchayati Raj works at three levels, from the bottom up: the Gram Panchayat (village), the Panchayat Samiti (block, a group of villages) and the Zila Parishad (district). This is called the three-tier system.

Together, these bodies look after almost every part of rural life: farming, housing, roads, water, schools, health care, social welfare and cultural activities. They also make sure government schemes reach the grassroots. In 1992, the 73rd Amendment to the Constitution made Panchayats a regular part of India's democracy.

Explore: build the three tiers.

  1. Put the tiers in order from the bottom (village) to the top (district).

Remember

  • Panchayati Raj is local self-government in villages.
  • Three tiers: Gram Panchayat (village), Panchayat Samiti (block), Zila Parishad (district).

Quick check

Why is Panchayati Raj called self-government?

  1. Village people elect members and take part in decisions
  2. A king rules it
  3. It has no members
  4. Foreigners run it
Answer

Village people elect members and take part in decisions. People govern their own local matters.

Think about it

Why might a village Panchayat understand local problems better than the State Government?

One answer

Its members live in the village and face the same problems every day, like the flooded road, so they know what is needed and can act quickly.

Practice

Practise with fresh questions at three levels (easy, medium, hard), some answered hands-on, with hints and worked answers. Get 4 of your last 5 right to finish the topic.