Gram Sabha consists of all adults living in the area covered by a particular Panchayat.

The Gram Sabha is a meeting of all adults who live in the area covered by a Panchayat. Anyone who is 18 years old or more and who has the right to vote is a member of the Gram Sabha.

Sources of funds for the Panchayat :-

The Panchs and the Gram Panchayat are answerable to the Gram Sabha.

Panchayat Raj system is the first level of democratic government. It is the lowest level which is closest to the people. It promotes grass root level democracy.

The people of Hardas village are facing the problem of water shortage. The hand pump water has gone well below the point up to which the ground has been drilled. They hardly get water in the taps. Women have to go to the Suru River which is 3 km away to get water.

The Gram Panchayat is elected for five years.

Gram Panchayat collects taxes houses, market places, etc.

Gram Panchayat meets regularly in order to perform its task efficiently and within given time limit.

Every Gram Panchayat has a secretary who is also the secretary of the Gram Sabha.

Members of Gram Sabha elects the Sarpanch which is the head of Panchayat.

Raghu had illegally occupied some of Mohan's Land and Mohan was worried about picking a quarrel with Raghu as Raghu's uncle was a village sarpanch and his family-owned many fields in the village. Some people suggested him go to the police stations to file a complaint against Raghu as it is sheer injustice while others warned him of consequences because of the influential position of Raghu. But still, he went to Raghu's house. There he was beaten up by Raghu. So later he went to Police station to complain about Raghu.

During the Municipal Corporation and Panchayat elections, the town or the village is split into wards according to its population and people directly elect their representatives from each ward. Post elections, the elected members select a president among themselves to preside over the meetings of the municipality. Hence, Option A is correct. The rest of the factors are not the primary basis for electoral process, hence, incorrect. 

Zilla panchayat is also called as district council. It is the third tier of panchayat raj system.

Functions of ZillParishads:

• It has to approve the budgets of Samitis in the district.
  
• It must distribute funds given by the government to the Panchayat Samiti.
  
• It has to coordinate and consolidate the block plans in the district.
  
• It has to process the request for grants to the state government.
  
• It has to supervise the functions of Panchayat Samiti in the district.
  

73rd Constitutional Amendment in the area of Panchayat Raj states following

Thirty per cent seats in all elected rural local bodies will be reserved for women candidates at all levels.

The States will constitute their Finance Commissions to allocate resources to Panchayat Raj institutions.

The elections will be held in six months' time if Panchayat Raj bodies are superseded or dissolved by the State government.

• A few Gram Panchayats are grouped together to form Panchayat Samiti.
  
• It is also called as a block or Mandal Samiti.
  
• The Panchayat Samiti collects all the prospective plans prepared at Gram Panchayat level and processes them for funding and implementation by evaluating them.
  

As per article 243 D, 1/3 seats of Panchayati Raj Institutions and 1/3 offices of chairperson at all level of Panchayati Raj Institutions are reserved for women. Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Chattisgarh, Tripura, Jharkhand, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa have implemented 50% reservation for women in Panchayati Raj Institution.

• A council consisting of several ward members, often called Panch is called Gram Panchayat.
  
• The rural local self-governing bodies are called panchayats. Mahatma Gandhi advocated panchayat raj as the foundation of India's political system. 
  
• The head of panchayat is Sarpanch.
  

• In India, seats are reserved for women in Panchayat Raj bodies which are local self-governing bodies.
  
• According to 73rd amendment out of the total number of seats to be filled by the direct elections for local self-governing bodies, 1/3rd have to be reserved for women. 
  

• The Directive Principles of State Policy are the guidelines or principles given to the central and state governments of India, to be kept in mind while framing laws and policies. 
  
• The need of establishing Panchayat Raj institutions is prescribed in Directive Principles of state policy.
  

People of India get right to vote which is universal adult franchise.

Universal adult franchise is the right to vote which is given to all adults irrespective of caste, creed, race etc

In India people get right to vote from the age of 18.

Therefore to cast vote in panchayat raj elections minimum one should have is 18.

• President: President is the Head of the country.
  
• Governor: Governor is the nominal head of state. Any decision at the state level is made with his approval.
  
• Mayor: He is the highest-ranking official at the municipal level. He heads Municipal Corporation.
  
• Sarpanch is an elected head of a village-level statutory institution of local self-government called the panchayat.
  

• A few gram panchayats are grouped together to form Panchayat Samiti.
  
• It is also called as a block or Mandal Samiti.
  
• The Panchayat Samiti collects all the prospective plans prepared at Gram Panchayat level and processes them for funding and implementation by evaluating them.
  

A sarpanch is an elected head of a village-level statutory institution of local self-government called the panchayat. Members of the Panchayat are called Panches and are elected by Gram Sabha by secret ballot in all the States.

The source of maximum income to Panchayati Raj institution is Government grants.

In India, the Panchayati Raj generally refers to the system of local self-government in India introduced by a constitutional amendment in 1992, although it is based upon the traditional panchayat system of the Indian subcontinent. This Panchayati Raj system was formalized in 1992, following a study conducted by a number of Indian committees on various ways of implementing more decentralized administration. It also keeps an eye on the elected representatives and in making them responsible to the persons who elected them. Hence, Option A is correct. The rest of the factors are not the main aim of the function of Panchayati Raj, hence, incorrect. 

• On basis of decentralization, three-tier Panchayat Raj system has been introduced.
  
• When power is taken away from central and state governments and given to local government, it is called decentralization.
  
• Decentralisation of powers is the sharing of powers among local self-governing bodies. It helps in proper functioning of government and can be reached to even remote parts of the country.
  

• Under Panchayat Raj system the lowest unit is gram Sabha.
  
• A Gram Sabha consists of members that include every adult of the village. It is generally formed in villages with population at least exceeding 1500 people.
  

A Gram Panchayat is the cornerstone of a local self-government organization in India of the Panchayati Raj system at the village or small town level and has a sarpanch as its elected head. Gram Sabha consists of the entire adult with age above 18 members of a village or a cluster of villages. It is generally formed in villages with the population at least exceeding 1500 people.

Article  40 of the Constitution which enshrines one of the Directive Principles of State Policy lays down that the State shall take steps to organize village panchayats and endow them with such powers and authority as may be necessary to enable them to function as units of self-government. In the light of the experience in the last forty years and in view of the shortcomings which have been observed, it is considered that there is an imperative need to enshrine in the Constitution certain basic and essential features of Panchayati  Raj Institutions to impart certainty, continuity, and strength to them.

In 1989 the central government introduced two constitutional amendments. Later in 1992, the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments were passed by the parliament. The 73rd amendment is about rural local government which is also known as Panchyati Raj Institutions and the 74th amendment made the provisions related to urban local govt known as Nagarpalikas. The 73rd and 74th amendments came into force in 1993.

The minimum age limit for a person to be a member of the Panchayat Samiti is 21 years. It is the local government body at the tahsil level in the India. It joints between the Gram Panchayat and Zilla Parishad. It is called as Mandal Panchayat in Karnataka and Taluka Panchayat in Gujarat.

It is the second layer of the three-tier Panchayat system. It’s member elected for five years. The members are all the pradhans of the Gram Panchayat within the block area.

Local Governance in India has been formalized under the Panchayati Raj System since 1992. The Panchayati Raj system is a three-tier system with elected bodies at the village, taluka and district levels.

The Zila Panchayat or District Council or Zilla Parishad or District Panchayat is the third tier of the Panchayati Raj system. Zila Parishad is an elected body. 

Democratic decentralization covers a system of governance in which citizens of any locality possess the right to hold local public officials accountable through various democratic means.

A Nyaya Panchayat is a system of dispute resolution at and is created at the village level in India. Nyaya panchayats can be endowed with functions based on broad principles of natural justice and can tend to remain procedurally as simple as possible. They can be given civil and minor criminal jurisdiction. But they should never follow civil and criminal procedure code in toto.

The Block Development Officer (BDO) is the Executive Officer of the Panchayat Samiti. He runs the day to day administration of the Samiti. Besides this, there is a Panchayat Officer. The Executive Officer and the Panchayat Officer work in co-operation with each other. Though there are specialised officers for each department in the Panchayat Samiti, BDO has to ensure that there is coordination among various wings.

The 73rd and 74th CAA deal with local self government in rural and urban areas respectively. They provide for the reservation of not less than one-third of the total number of seats for women including the number of seats reserved for women belonging to the SCs and the STs.

Gujarat had increased women’s quota to 33 percent in local self-government institutions and created 33 percent posts in the police force for women.

The Panchayat Samiti is the tehsil or taluka or block level of rural local-self government system in India. They form the middle level of the Panchayati Raj Institutions in India. It acts as a link between Village Panchayats (Gram Panchayats) and Zila Parishad (District Council). Thus, it acts primarily as a coordinating agency between the two extremes.

 The Comptroller and Auditor-General of India maintains the account of both Union and State government. 

It was by the 73rd Amendment of the Indian Constitution that rural self-government was constitutionally recognized. It introduced the Three-tier Panchayati Raj system.

Balwant Rai Mehta Committee was appointed by the government of India in 1957. It aimed to examine the working of Community Development Programme (1952) and the National Extension Service (1953) and to suggest measures for their better working. It recommended ‘democratic decentralization’

The Local Self Government was brought in the Constitution of India by 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment. The Rural local self-government and Urban local self-government were formed consequentially. The government at this level works at villages (Gram), town (Zilla) and locality areas.

The committee related with Rural Local Government are as below:-

• The Balwant Rai Mehta Committee was a committee appointed by the Government of India in January 1957 to examine the working of the Community Development Programme(1952) and the National Extension Service(1953) and to suggest measures for their better working.
• In December 1977, the Janata  Government appointed a committee on Panchayati Raj institutions under the chairmanship of Ashoka Mehta.
• Rural development activities under Government sponsorship was started with the introduction of community development programme on 2nd October
  1. The National Extension Service programme was formulated in April 1953 and it was inaugurated one year after the 55 community projects that is, on October 2, 1953.
     

At the local level it is possible for people to directly participate in decision making. This helps to inculcate a habit of democratic participation. Local government is the best way to realise one important principle of democracy, namely local self-government.

Gram Swaraj or village self rule was often stressed upon by Mahatma Gandhi because he believed that villages were the backbone of the nation and every village should be self-reliant, thus promoting welfare of all people. Mahtama Gandhi believed in individual freedom that could be attained only in autonomous, self-reliant communities like the Gram Raj aimed for. 

The Zilla Panchayat or District Council or Zilla Parishad or District Panchayat is the third tier of the Panchayati Raj system. Zilla Parishad is an elected body. Block Pramukh known as the president of Panchayat Samiti of a block are also represented in Zilla Parishad. 

Rajasthan is the state in which first Panchayat Raj Institute was established in Independent India. Panchayat Raj system or local self-governing institutions were inaugurated by Jawaharlal Nehru on 2 October 1959 at Nagaur in Rajasthan.

Rajasthan is India's largest state in terms of area. It occupies 10.4% of India's total area. The total area of Rajasthan is 3,42,239 sq kilometer. Rajasthan shares the boundary with Punjab to the north, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh to the northeast, Madhya Pradesh to the southeast and Gujarat to the south-west. 

Rajasthan is India's largest state in terms of area and when it comes to population, it is the 8th most populated state in India. According to 2011 census, the total population of Rajasthan is 6.68 crore. The total population of the male is 35,550,997 and female is 32,997,440. The total population growth in this decade was 21.31% as compared to 2001. Sex ratio is 928 per 1000 males.

Rajasthan is the largest state of India in terms of area. It comprises of 10.4% of India's total area. It is divided into 33 districts for administrative purpose. Jaipur is the capital city of Rajasthan.

The members of the Gram Panchayats have a tenure of five years and are directly elected from wards while the Sarpanch is elected by the members. There is provision for reservation of seats for women and for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. There is Gram Sabha for each panchayat and the Sarpanch is required to conduct Gram Sabha meetings at least once in six months. Also, the Sarpanch is required to conduct the meeting of the members of the Panchayat once in a month.

Baran district was formed on April 10, 1991. Before that, it was a part of Kota district. Baran city is the district headquarters of Baran district. The district lies at an average height of 262 m above sea level. Usually, the district has a dry climate but in monsoons, the climate of the area becomes humid. The months from November to February are the winter months while summers start from March and end in June. The average rainfall experienced by the district is around 895.2 mm. The coldest month of the district is January with the maximum temperature of 24.3 degree C and the minimum temperature of 10.6 degree C. 

Rajasthan, the largest state of India, has an area of 3,42,239 sq km. Rajasthan covers the territory which has a very mature topography, developed during the thousands of years of denudation and erosional processes. Physiographically, it is difficult to find a region more varied and diverse than Rajasthan. It is a land of lofty hills and shifting sand dunes, of scorching heat and freezing cold, of fertile plain, rugged ravines and dense forests. However, desert remains its dominant pecularity, besides the mountaineous Aravalli range that divides the land into two natural divisions. Aravalli ranges are one of oldest of the world. The other ranges are comparatively new.

Rajasthan, the largest state of India, has an area of 3,42,239 sq km. Rajasthan covers the territory which has a very mature topography, developed during the thousands of years of denudation and erosional processes.

Rajasthan, the largest state of India, has an area of 3,42,239 sq km. Rajasthan covers the territory which has a very mature topography, developed during the thousands of years of denudation and erosional processes. Physiographically, it is difficult to find a region more varied and diverse than Rajasthan. It is a land of lofty hills and shifting sand dunes, of scorching heat and freezing cold, of fertile plain, rugged ravines and dense forests. However, desert remains its dominant pecularity, besides the mountaineous Aravalli range that divides the land into two natural divisions. Aravalli ranges are one of oldest of the world. The other ranges are comparatively new.

Baran district was formed on April 10, 1991. Before that, it was a part of Kota district. Baran city is the district headquarters of Baran district.  The district lies at an average height of 262 m above sea level. Usually, the district has a dry climate but in monsoons, the climate of the area becomes humid. The months from November to February are the winter months while summers start from March and end in June. 

Rajasthan was the first state to implement Panchayati Raj in India on 2nd of Oct 1959 in the Nagaur district. Rajasthan was followed by Andhra Pradesh which also implemented in the year 1959. Thereafter most of the states adopted the system.

Baran district was formed on April 10, 1991. Before that, it was a part of Kota district. Baran city is the district headquarters of Baran district. The district lies at an average height of 262 m above sea level. Usually, the district has a dry climate but in monsoons, the climate of the area becomes humid. The months from November to February are the winter months while summers start from March and end in June. The average rainfall experienced by the district is around 895.2 mm. 

Gram Panchayat is the basic, first formal democratic institution at the village level. It is the primary unit of local self-government.  Gram panchayat is a cabinet of the village elders, directly elected by the adult citizens of the village.

Panchayat Samiti are rural local governments (panchayats) at the intermediate level in Panchayat Raj institutions. The 73rd Amendment defines the levels of panchayati raj institution as:

1. District (or apex) level.
2. Intermediate level.
3. Base level.