RAS question
What are the three tiers of the Panchayati Raj system in Rajasthan?
Correct answer: (B) Gram Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti, Zila Parishad.
Rajasthan's Panchayati Raj system has three tiers: Gram Panchayat at the village level, Panchayat Samiti at the block level, and Zila Parishad at the district level.
Explanation
In Rajasthan, the three-tier Panchayati Raj structure runs from the village to the district: Gram Panchayat at the village level, Panchayat Samiti at the block level, and Zila Parishad at the district level. The Rajasthan State Finance Commission report treats these bodies as Panchayati Raj Institutions and records official communication with Zila Parishads, Panchayat Samitis and Gram Panchayats, matching the three institutional levels. Gram Sabha is the important trap in this topic. The report defines Gram Sabha as the body of persons registered in the electoral rolls for a village within a Panchayat area. That makes it a participatory body linked to the village Panchayat, not a separate tier of the Panchayati Raj hierarchy.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Block Samiti and District Board do not match the official Rajasthan tier names, which are Panchayat Samiti and Zila Parishad.
- (C) Ward Panchayat and Tehsil Panchayat are not recognised tiers in Rajasthan's Panchayati Raj structure.
- (D) Gram Sabha is the body of registered voters in the Panchayat area, so it is not the village-level tier; that tier is Gram Panchayat.
Concept
Rajasthan's Panchayati Raj system is part of the institutional design of local self-government. RAS often asks it because candidates must distinguish elected PRI tiers from associated bodies such as the Gram Sabha.