Match List-I with List-II and select the answer using the code given below the Lists : List-I (Name of the Committee) A. Balwantrai Mehta Committee B. Ashok Mehta Committee C. G. V. K. Rao Committee D. L. M. Singhvi Committee List-II (Key Recommendation) 1. Constitutional status for Panchayati Raj 2. Creation of post of District Development Commissioner 3. Creation of Zilla Parishad and Mandal Panchayat 4. Creation of Zilla Parishad, Panchayat Samiti and Gram Panchayat Code :
- (a)A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1
- (b)A-4, B-2, C-3, D-1
- (c)A-1, B-3, C-2, D-4
- (d)A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4
Correct — A, A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1. The Balwantrai Mehta Committee of 1957 recommended democratic decentralisation through a three-tier structure — Gram Panchayat at the village level, Panchayat Samiti at the block and Zila Parishad at the district — which is item 4. The Ashok Mehta Committee of 1977 proposed replacing that with a two-tier system of Zila Parishad at the district level and Mandal Panchayat covering a group of villages, which is item 3. The G. V. K. Rao Committee of 1985 examined administrative arrangements for rural development and recommended creating the post of District Development Commissioner to head district-level development administration, which is item 2. The L. M. Singhvi Committee of 1986 recommended that panchayati raj institutions be given constitutional recognition, which is item 1 and the recommendation that eventually issued in the 73rd Amendment.
- (b)A-4, B-2, C-3, D-1 — Keeps Balwantrai Mehta correctly at the three-tier system but interchanges Ashok Mehta and G. V. K. Rao, giving the two-tier Mandal Panchayat scheme to the wrong committee. Mandal Panchayat is the signature Ashok Mehta proposal.
- (c)A-1, B-3, C-2, D-4 — Starts by giving Balwantrai Mehta the recommendation of constitutional status, which belongs to L. M. Singhvi nearly thirty years later.
- (d)A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4 — Also opens with Balwantrai Mehta and constitutional status, and then compounds the error by handing Singhvi the three-tier structure that Balwantrai Mehta proposed.
Four committees mark four stages in the evolution of rural local government. Balwantrai Mehta in 1957 gave India the three-tier panchayati raj system, adopted first in Rajasthan in 1959. Ashok Mehta in 1977 concluded that the system had decayed and proposed a leaner two-tier structure with the district as the first point of decentralisation. G. V. K. Rao in 1985 found that development administration had been bureaucratised away from elected bodies and recommended strengthening the district machinery. L. M. Singhvi in 1986 argued that only constitutional status would protect these bodies from the states, an argument realised in the 73rd Amendment of 1992.
The reliable way through this list is chronological, because each committee's signature idea belongs unmistakably to its moment. Three tiers is the founding idea of 1957; two tiers with Mandal Panchayat is the reformist counter-proposal of 1977; a District Development Commissioner is an administrative fix of 1985; and constitutional status is the 1986 idea that took until 1992 to be enacted. The commonest error is swapping the two Mehtas, which is precisely what the strongest wrong option does. Hold the mnemonic that Balwantrai built the structure and Ashok pruned it.
- Balwantrai Mehta Committee, 1957 — a three-tier structure of Gram Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti and Zila Parishad.
- Ashok Mehta Committee, 1977 — a two-tier structure of Zila Parishad and Mandal Panchayat.
- G. V. K. Rao Committee, 1985 — creation of the post of District Development Commissioner.
- L. M. Singhvi Committee, 1986 — constitutional status and protection for panchayati raj institutions.
- The 73rd Amendment Act, 1992 gave effect to the Singhvi recommendation by inserting Part IX and the Eleventh Schedule.
- 1957 — Balwantrai Mehta: three tiers, Gram Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti, Zila Parishad
- 1977 — Ashok Mehta: two tiers, Zila Parishad and Mandal Panchayat
- 1985 — G. V. K. Rao: create the post of District Development Commissioner
- 1986 — L. M. Singhvi: constitutional status for panchayati raj
- 1992 — 73rd Amendment enacts constitutional status, Part IX and the Eleventh Schedule
Read the list as a sequence: build the structure, prune it, fix the administration, then entrench it in the Constitution.
- Interchanging the Balwantrai Mehta and Ashok Mehta committees, which is the trap in the strongest wrong option.
- Crediting the 73rd Amendment's ideas to the committee that implemented rather than proposed them.
- Confusing the Mandal Panchayat of the Ashok Mehta report with the Mandal Commission on reservations.
Asked as a four-pair match on committees and recommendations, where the two committees sharing a surname are placed adjacent to invite a swap.
The 73rd Constitution Amendment Act, 1992 refers to the
- (a) generation of gainful employment for the unemployed and the underemployed men and women in rural area
- (b) generation of employment for the able-bodied adults who are in need and desirous of work during the lean agricultural season
- (c) laying the foundation for strong and vibrant Panchayati Raj Institutions in the country
- (d) guarantee of right to life, liberty and security of person, equality before law and equal protection without discrimination
Answer(c) laying the foundation for strong and vibrant Panchayati Raj Institutions in the country
The destination of the sequence tested here. The 73rd Amendment is what the Singhvi recommendation of constitutional status finally became.
Which of the following is/are correct in relation to the Panchayats? 1. Only the Parliament may endow Panchayats with powers and authority 2. A state may devolve powers to Panchayats in preparation of plans for economic development and social justice 3. A state may devolve powers to Panchayats in implementation of schemes for economic development and social justice Select the correct answer using the code given below:
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 1 and 3
- (c) 2 and 3
- (d) 3 only
Answer(c) 2 and 3
What the constitutional framework actually did with these recommendations: devolution is left to state legislatures, which is why the Singhvi argument for entrenchment mattered.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The recommendation of a two-tier panchayati raj system with Mandal Panchayats came from
- (a)the Balwantrai Mehta Committee
- (b)the Ashok Mehta Committee
- (c)the G. V. K. Rao Committee
- (d)the L. M. Singhvi Committee
Answer(b) the Ashok Mehta Committee — reporting in 1977 on the decline of the original three-tier system.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which committee recommended constitutional status for panchayati raj institutions?
- (a)Balwantrai Mehta Committee
- (b)Ashok Mehta Committee
- (c)L. M. Singhvi Committee
- (d)Sarkaria Commission
Answer(c) L. M. Singhvi Committee — the recommendation realised by the 73rd Amendment in 1992.