Panchayati Raj system in India is an example of which of the following?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Participatory democracy
Option (1) Participatory democracy — Correct. Participatory democracy is a system in which the members of a group or community participate collectively in the taking of major decisions. Panchayati Raj brings this to the village: grassroot democracy or decentralised governance came with the 73rd Constitutional Amendment of 1992, and the Gram Sabha, the entire body of citizens of a village, elects the local government and is meant to be an open forum for discussion.
Option (2) Federal democracy — Incorrect. Federalism divides powers between the Centre and the States, through the lists of subjects in the Constitution. Panchayati Raj is about people taking part in decisions at the village level, not about the Centre-State division.
Option (3) Pre-colonial democracy — Incorrect. The present Panchayati Raj Institutions got their constitutional status only in 1992, through the 73rd Amendment. It is a modern constitutional arrangement, not a system of the pre-colonial past.
Option (4) Oligarchy — Incorrect. An oligarchy is rule by a small group of powerful people. Panchayati Raj does the opposite: it reserves seats for the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and one-third for women, to widen participation.
Note 1: 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 opening lines on direct, representative and participatory democracy, which present the panchayati raj system as an example of participatory democracy, have been deleted; the section on Panchayati Raj and the 73rd Amendment is still there.
Note 2: The concept in Option (4), ‘oligarchy’, is not in the pre-rationalised NCERT, nor in NCERT (2025-26); explained here for the benefit of the students.
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.…” NCERT (Pre-rationalised): “…There has increasingly been a feeling that democracy ought to involve people more regularly and should not just mean casting a vote every five years. Both the concepts of participatory democracy and decentralised governance have thus become popular. Participatory democracy is a system of democracy in which the members of a group or community participate collectively in the taking of major decisions. This chapter will discuss the panchayati raj system as an example of a major initiative towards decentralised and grassroot democracy.…” |