Who formally inaugurated Panchayati Raj in Rajasthan on 2^nd October, 1959 at Nagaur?

The correct answer is Jawaharlal Nehru.

Key Points

• Jawaharlal Nehru formally inaugurated Panchayati Raj in Rajasthan on 2nd October 1959 at Nagaur.
• Rajasthan has the distinction of being a pioneer in accepting the scheme of democratic decentralization envisaging a three-tier system of representative bodies at the village, block, and district levels.
  • The system later came to be known as Panchayati Raj, which was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on 2 October 1959 at Nagour in Rajasthan.
  • The first elections under the Rajasthan Panchayat Samitis and Zilla Parishads Act, 1959 were held in September-October 1959.
  • With the already existing Panchayats at the village level under the Rajasthan Panchayat Act, 1953, the three-tier scheme of Panchayati Raj began functioning on 2 October 1959.
• Rajasthan was the first state in the country where the Panchayati Raj system was implemented.
• Article 40 of the Indian Constitution talk about the establishment of Panchayats in rural regions.
  • Sarpanch is the head of the Panchayat. The members of the gram panchayat are elected each for a period of five years by the members of the Gram Sabha.
  • A Panchayat Samiti (block panchayat) is a local government body at the tehsil level.
  • This body works for the villages of the tehsil that together are called a development block.
  • The Panchayat Samiti is the link between the Gram Panchayat and the district administration.