The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Panchayat

(from Sanskrit and Hindi pancha, “five”), in southern Asian countries, especially India, an elective committee that administers various corporative organizations, such as castes, subcastes, rural cooperatives, certain types of communal groups, and temples. Both traditional and newly formed associations may be run by panchayats. In India, the village councils that serve as organs of rural self-government are also called panchayats. Despite its name, a panchayat usually consists not of five but of an arbitrary number of members.

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References in periodicals archive

The Backdrop of Panchayati Raj System in Jammu and Kashmir

Panchayati Raj Institutions in Jammu and Kashmir

Three tyre Panchayati Raj Institutions was put in place by the constitution (Seventy Third Amendment) Act 1992 during the prime ministership of late Rajeev Gandhi.

END THE PRACTICE OF SARPANCH PATHI

Panchayati Raj, the Seventy-Third Constitutional Amendment Act 1992 has reserved thirty three percent of its seats for women in Panchayats (grassroots level local government institutions) and Municipal bodies (urban local bodies).

Reflections on new partnerships between women and local self-government in India: a rural revolution?

Commissioner of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Neetu Prasad also promised her support for POSHAN Abhiyaan by ensuring the participation of 'sarpanches' at the village-level programme.

Telangana should eliminate malnutrition by 2022: NIRDPR Director-General Reddy

Nehru was facing a criticism that he was not taking forward the Panchayati Raj System envisioned by Mahatma Gandhi when he was in power at the dawn of independence.

Nehru's Framework of Panchayati Raj and Rural Development

Prime Minister Modi will also address Panchayati Raj from Mandla.

PM Modi to launch Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan from MP

Former panchayati raj minister and senior Congressman Mani Shankar Aiyar said, " Ensuring devolution to panchayats through central government schemes is the singlemost effective way to promote efficiency in the delivery of public goods and services." Aiyar, who is the chairman of the committee, added, " Inclusive development requires the beneficiary communities to have a sense of ' ownership' of these schemes.''

' Panchayat powers rest with Centre'

New Delhi [India], April 11 ( ANI ): The National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, under the aegis of the National Commission for Women, has launched a capacity building programme for elected women representatives in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) of Manipur.

Manipur: Training programme for elected women reps of PRIs

The J& K CM said militants and separatists tried their best to sabotage the election process for Panchayati Raj in 2011 but they failed to do so.

' Those attacking defenceless sarpanches are cowards'

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India] January 7 ( ANI ): Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Sunday constituted a seven-member Cabinet sub-committee with Panchayati Raj Minister Jupally Krishna Rao as its chairman for the preparation of Panchayati Raj Bill.

KC Rao constitutes Cabinet sub-committee on Panchayati Raj Bill

"We transformed Panchayati Raj system; MNREGA transferred power to people and we constructed and reinforced that pillar.

Congress took steps to ensure power to people: Rahul Gandhi

Third thing that Omar Abdullah and me have been discussing is the Panchayati Raj. These are the three things I am trying to push in the state," he added.

'We are committed partners of UPA': Omar Abdullah