Question

Panchayat Raj System is based on _____.
A) Community development
B) Corporate responsibility
C) Democratic decentralization
D) Political education

Answer 1

Hint: The word panchayat literally refers to assembly (ayat) of five (panch). It originated in the Indian subcontinent and is found in countries like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh. It is the oldest form of government at the local level and is believed to have been introduced in the third century.

Complete answer:
The Panchayat raj system is referred to as the foundation of India’s own political system by Mahatma Gandhi. It was a decentralized form of government in which the villagers would be responsible for their own affairs.

Now let us look into the given options:
Option A) Community development – Community development refers to the process of community members coming together to provide solutions for a common problem. Such programs were initiated by the Government of India in 1952, i.e. many years after the advent of the panchayat raj system. Therefore, we can say that community development is an important part of all types of government (especially rural) but it is not the basis for the formation of a panchayat raj system. This option is thus incorrect.

Option B) Corporate responsibility – Corporate responsibility is a type of business self-regulation method, which helps a corporation to stay competitive by maintaining the accountability of customers, employees, shareholders etc. It is not a term related to the functioning of the panchayat raj system. Therefore, this option is incorrect.

Option C) Democratic decentralization – The panchayat raj system is based on the decentralization of democracy, i.e. the village and the panchayat will have their own democratic and elective procedures to appoint the panchayat. It will work like an independent democratic body where the villagers will elect their representatives who would work for their welfare. This is the correct option.

Option D) Political education – It refers to the initiative of providing education regarding the political system of the country. Political education at the rural level is indeed an important factor in the development of the panchayat raj system, but it was not the basis of the foundation of the panchayat raj system. This system was based solely on decentralizing democracy to the local level. Thus, this option is also incorrect.

Thus, the correct answer is Option (C) i.e, Panchayat Raj System is based on Democratic decentralization.

Note: The Panchayat Raj system is divided into three levels;
The Gram Panchayat – is elected by the gram sabha and it operates at the village level.
The Panchayat Samiti – this operates in the block level
The Zila Parishad – it is the third tier of the panchayat raj system and works at the district level.