RAS question
Which state was the first to implement Panchayati Raj in India?
Correct answer: (B) Rajasthan.
Rajasthan was the first state to implement Panchayati Raj in India, with the system inaugurated at Nagaur on 2 October 1959 by Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
Explanation
Rajasthan is credited as the first state to implement Panchayati Raj in India. The launch took place at Nagaur on 2 October 1959, with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru inaugurating it. Rajasthan District Gazetteers, Hanumangarh records the same core details: Panchayati Raj was inaugurated by the then Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, on 2 October 1959 at Nagaur in Rajasthan. It also notes that, with existing village-level panchayats and the first elections under the Rajasthan Panchayat Samitis and Zila Parishads Act, 1959, the three-tier Panchayati Raj scheme began functioning on that date. The place, date, inauguration, and institutional start establish Rajasthan's priority in Panchayati Raj implementation.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Maharashtra is wrong because Panchayati Raj was first implemented in Rajasthan.
- (C) Andhra Pradesh is wrong here because Rajasthan is credited as the first state to implement Panchayati Raj, even though Andhra Pradesh also implemented it on 2 October 1959.
- (D) Kerala is wrong because the first implementation of Panchayati Raj was in Rajasthan, not Kerala.
Concept
The origin of Panchayati Raj is closely linked with Rajasthan's role in democratic decentralisation. RAS polity questions often connect local self-government institutions with dates, places, and landmark administrative reforms.