RAS question
The Panchayati Raj system in Rajasthan was inaugurated on 2 October 1959 at:
Correct answer: (C) Nagaur.
The Panchayati Raj system in Rajasthan was inaugurated at Nagaur on 2 October 1959.
Explanation
Rajasthan was the first state in India to adopt Panchayati Raj, and the system was inaugurated by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru at Nagaur on 2 October 1959. The launch followed the Balwant Rai Mehta Committee’s recommendations, which made it a landmark in decentralised governance rather than a routine administrative event. The Sixth State Finance Commission, Rajasthan also places Rajasthan as the pioneer in implementing Panchayati Raj in 1959, reinforcing Nagaur's status as the historically significant site. For RAS, the key association is direct: Panchayati Raj in Rajasthan, 2 October 1959, Nagaur.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Jaipur is the state capital, but Nagaur, not Jaipur, was the place where Panchayati Raj was inaugurated in Rajasthan.
- (B) Ajmer has administrative importance in Rajasthan, but it was not the site of the first Panchayati Raj inauguration on 2 October 1959.
- (D) Jodhpur is a major Rajasthan city, but the inauguration of Panchayati Raj is specifically associated with Nagaur.
Concept
Rajasthan's local self-government history begins its Panchayati Raj milestone at Nagaur. Panchayati Raj recurs in RAS because it links constitutional decentralisation with Rajasthan-specific administrative history.