Political Science · Governance & Public Policy in India
UGC NET January 2026 Political Science
Passage
Read the following passage and answer the questions. In January 1957, the Government of India appointed a committee to examine the working of the community development programme (1952) and the National Extension Service (1953) and to suggest measures for their better working. The chairman of this committee was Balwant Rai Mehta. The committee submitted its report in November 1957 and recommended the establishment of the scheme of democratic decentralisation, which ultimately came to be known as Panchayati Raj. The specific recommendations made by it included the establishment of a three-tier Panchayat Raj system: Gram Panchayat at the village level, Panchayat Samiti at the block level, and Zila Parishad at the district level.
As per the passage, the Balwant Rai Mehta committee proposed the establishment of:
AOne-tier Panchayat Raj System
BTwo-tier Panchayat Raj System
CFour-tier Panchayat Raj System
DThree-tier Panchayat Raj System ✓ Correct
Correct answer: (D) Three-tier Panchayat Raj System — As per the passage, the Balwant Rai Mehta Committee proposed a three-tier panchayati raj system, so the answer is the three-tier system.
Explanation
★As per the passage, the Balwant Rai Mehta Committee proposed a three-tier panchayati raj system, so the answer is the three-tier system.
★The committee was appointed in 1957 and reported in November 1957.
★It recommended democratic decentralisation, which became known as panchayati raj.
★The three tiers were the Gram Panchayat, the Panchayat Samiti, and the Zila Parishad.
★The Gram Panchayat operates at the village level.
★The Panchayat Samiti operates at the block level and the Zila Parishad at the district level.
★This three-tier design became the model for panchayati raj across India.
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