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National Panchayati Raj Day in India is observed on:
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Answer: Option A — 24 April
Detailed Solution
National Panchayati Raj Day is observed in India every year on 24 April.
Why 24 April:
- The Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992, which gave constitutional status to Panchayati Raj institutions, came into force on 24 April 1993.
- The first National Panchayati Raj Day was celebrated in 2010.
- On this day, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj gives awards, such as the National Panchayat Awards, to the best-performing panchayats.
- The SVAMITVA scheme (to provide property cards to rural households using drones) was launched on National Panchayati Raj Day in 2020.
About the 73rd Amendment:
It added Part IX ("The Panchayats", Articles 243 to 243-O) and the Eleventh Schedule (with 29 subjects) to the Constitution.
It created a three-tier system: village panchayat (gram panchayat), intermediate panchayat (panchayat samiti) and district panchayat (zila parishad). States with a population of less than 20 lakh need not have the intermediate level.
It made the Gram Sabha the foundation of the system.
Panchayats have a five-year term, and elections are conducted by the State Election Commission.
At least one-third of the seats are reserved for women. Many states, including Bihar (the first, in 2006), have increased this to 50 per cent.
A State Finance Commission is set up every five years to review panchayat finances.
History of Panchayati Raj:
- Article 40 (Directive Principle) directs the state to organise village panchayats.
- The Balwant Rai Mehta Committee (1957) recommended a three-tier system of democratic decentralisation.
Panchayati Raj was first introduced in Nagaur district, Rajasthan, by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on 2 October 1959. Andhra Pradesh followed soon after.
The Ashok Mehta Committee (1977) recommended a two-tier system.
The 74th Amendment Act, 1992 did the same for urban local bodies (municipalities) and came into force on 1 June 1993.
Why not the other options?
- ✗2 October is the date Panchayati Raj began at Nagaur in 1959, and Gandhi Jayanti.
- ✗1 June is when the 74th Amendment (municipalities) came into force.
- ✗26 November is Constitution Day.
Quick tip
Remember: National Panchayati Raj Day = 24 April (73rd Amendment in force 1993; observed since 2010); first panchayati raj at Nagaur, Rajasthan, 2 October 1959; 74th Amendment in force 1 June 1993.
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Important Days & Dates — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Important Days & Dates, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers national and international days observed through the year, such as National Youth Day, World Environment Day and International Yoga Day, along with the themes announced for them and the events or people they commemorate. Questions ask for the date of a day, the day observed on a given date, or the person it honours (for example, National Sports Day on 29 August marks the birthday of Major Dhyan Chand). Revise days month by month in a calendar format. Themes change every year, so learn the current year's themes from current affairs. Practise the important days questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.