Panchayati Raj Day

India is known for its formation from villages and in India, we have more than 7 lakh villages which sum ups to the economic growth of the country. The meaning of the word ‘Panchayat’ is an amalgamation of two words where ‘Panch’ means ‘five’ and ‘Ayat’ means ‘assembly’ and ‘Raj’ means ‘rule’. This Panchayati Raj is also known as the oldest rule which has been followed in India. If we see traditionally then panchayats are best known as sensible and respected elders chosen and accepted by the local community. The leader of the panchayat was often called as the mukhiya, sarpanch or pradhan. The job of these assemblies was to settle disputes between individuals and between villages. In 1992 a major change in the Panchayat system of India came in the form of the passage of the Panchayati Raj Act (73rd Amendment). The act came into existence with effect from April 24, 1993. After which first Panchayati Raj Day was celebrated on 24th April 2010. The enactment of the 73rd amendment is applauded as a defining moment in history as it permits states to take steps to organize village panchayats and provide them with necessary powers and authority necessary to help them to function as units of self-government. Every year on this National Panchayati Raj Day Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj organises National Conference and awards best performing Gram Panchayats with ‘The Panchayat Shashakatikaran Puraskar/Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Puraskar’. Traditionally, Panchayats have been given sufficient authority to function as institutions of self-governance and aid social justice.