In India, de-centralised governance ushered in by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment. What was the need for it?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → To ensure democracy at grassroots level
Option (1) To ensure democracy at grassroots level — Correct. Panchayati Raj means governance by elected local bodies, so that ordinary villagers take part in the decisions that affect them. It was only in 1992 that grassroot democracy or decentralised governance was ushered in by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment, which gave constitutional status to the Panchayati Raj Institutions and made elections to local bodies compulsory every five years.
Note: The chapter ‘The Story of Indian Democracy’ of the pre-rationalised NCERT, which NTA followed in 2023, has been renamed ‘The Constitution and Social Change’ in the NCERT book (2025-26). Its section on Panchayati Raj and the 73rd Amendment is still there.
NCERT (2025-26): “Ideals of Panchayati Raj … It was, however, only in 1992 that grassroot democracy or decentralised governance was ushered in by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment. This act provided constitutional status to the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). It is compulsory now for local self-government bodies in rural and municipal areas to be elected every five years. More importantly, control of local resources is given to the elected local bodies.…” |