RAS question
In which district of Rajasthan was the Panchayati Raj system first inaugurated on 2 October 1959?
Correct answer: (A) Nagaur.
The Panchayati Raj system was first inaugurated in Nagaur district of Rajasthan on 2 October 1959 by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
Explanation
Nagaur is the answer because the Report of Third State Finance Commission, Rajasthan identifies Rajasthan as the pioneer in introducing the Panchayati Raj system and records that the scheme of democratic decentralisation was inaugurated by Jawaharlal Nehru at Nagaur on 2 October 1959. Rajasthan adopted a three-tier structure of representative bodies at the village, block and district levels. The first inauguration in India took place in Nagaur district, making Rajasthan the first state to implement Panchayati Raj. The date, place and inaugurating leader are therefore not incidental details; together they mark the formal launch of democratic decentralisation through Panchayati Raj.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Jaipur is not the site named in the Report of Third State Finance Commission, Rajasthan; the report places the 2 October 1959 inauguration at Nagaur.
- (C) Udaipur is wrong because the Report of Third State Finance Commission, Rajasthan specifically identifies Nagaur as the place where the scheme of democratic decentralisation was inaugurated.
- (D) Jodhpur is wrong because the first Panchayati Raj inauguration is linked to Nagaur, not Jodhpur.
Concept
This tests the RAS polity theme of local self-government and democratic decentralisation in Rajasthan. It recurs because Nagaur, 2 October 1959 and Jawaharlal Nehru form the standard factual triad for the launch of Panchayati Raj.