NATIONAL PANCHAYATI RAJ DAY 2022: The heart of India lies in its village. India has more than six lakh villages, with more than six thousand blocks and more than 750 districts which are all governed by the Panchayati Raj system. Panchayati Raj Institution is said to be one of the oldest governing bodies in India.
The word Panchayat is an amalgamation of two words, ‘Panch’ and ‘Ayat’. Panch means five and ayat means assembly, therefore, Panchayat is said to be an assembly of five members who work for the upliftment of the local communities and resolve disputes at a lower level.
आप सभी को राष्ट्रीय पंचायती राज दिवस की ढेरों शुभकामनाएं। पंचायतें भारतीय लोकतंत्र का आधारस्तंभ हैं, जिनकी मजबूती में ही नए भारत की समृद्धि निहित है। आइए, आत्मनिर्भर भारत के निर्माण में अपनी पंचायतों को और अधिक सशक्त करने का संकल्प लें।
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 24, 2022
Every year, to mark the historic moment of decentralisation of power, India celebrates National Panchayati Raj day on April 24. The day was first celebrated in April 2010 making it one of the most important days in Indian history. On the 12th National Panchayati Day, let’s take a look back at the date, history and other important facts about the Panchayati Raj system and National Panchayati Raj day.
National Panchayati Raj Day: Date and History
As said above, the day was first celebrated on April 24, 2010. The day marks the enactment of the 73rd amendment of the constitution in 1992. Through this historic amendment, the powers of the grassroots were decentralised and the foundation of an institution called Panchayati Raj was laid. Due to this reason, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj commemorates April 24 every year as the National Panchayati Raj Day.
Even before the Constitution declared the diversifying power structure, India realised the need for having governing bodies for the rural areas. In 1957, a committee was established under the chairmanship of Balwantrai Mehta, which suggested bringing on the reforms of the central power system.
Thus, the concept of Panchayati raj came into existence. In 1959, Rajasthan became the first state to implement the system in the country. The scheme was inaugurated by the first Prime Minister of India, the late Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
National Panchayati Raj Day 2022: Theme and Celebrations
This year the celebrations will be held without any specific theme. Every year, various village level functions, seminars, and other events take place. This year’s highlight is going to be the award functions that will recognise the best work of panchayats in the country.
The award will be given in the following five categories:
- Deen Dayal Upadhyay Panchayat Sashaktikaran Purushkar
- Nanaji Deshmukh Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Pushkar
- Child-friendly Panchayat Award
- Gram Panchayat Development Plan Award
- e-Panchayat Puraskar
National Panchayati Day 2022: Fact of the year
After the Digital India campaign came into existence, many things are being carried out through digital platforms. Panchayats were also not far behind in the significant scheme as in 2021, for the first time, money was transferred to the accounts of the panchayats.
