Role Of Panchayati Raj Institutions In Rural Development: The Study Of A Village

Abstract

Overall development of country is the main objective of Indian government
since its independence. In the earlier Plans the main thrust for development
was laid on Agriculture, Industry, Communication, Education, Health and
Allied sectors but soon it was realised that the all-round development of the
country is possible only through the development of rural India. Keeping this
in view, Panchayati Raj Institutions have been introduced under the 73rd
Amendment Act of the Constitution of India in 1992. Rural Development
includes measures to strengthen the democratic structure of society through
the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). It also includes measures to improve
the rural infrastructure, improve income of rural households and delivery
systems pertaining to education, health & safety mechanisms. Government of
India has taken many steps to develop rural India and for this, Department of
Rural Development has been setup under the control of Ministry of Rural
Development. The Panchayats are expected to play an important role in rural
development in India, particularly after independence. Plan documents of both
the central and state governments and various committees have emphasised
the importance of these bodies in the polity. Five-year plans, specially the
second five-year plan, laid special emphasis on the role of Panchayats in rural
developments. An attempt is made in this paper to study the role of
Panchayati Raj Institutions in rural development in general.