National Panchayati Raj Day 2023: History, theme and significance

National Panchayati Raj Day 2023: The Nation Panchayati Raj Day is observed every year on April 24. The day marks a defining moment in the history of decentralization of power to the grassroots, with the institutionalization of Panchayati Raj, through the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992 which came into force with effect from that day. National Panchayati Raj Day is commemorated as a grand event on a big scale and is being generally held outside the National Capital.

The word panchayat comes from the Sanskrit words ‘panch’ (meaning five) and ‘ayat’ (meaning assembly).

This year’s National Panchayati Raj Day holds a special significance as it would be commemorating 30 years of Panchayati Raj in India. This Constitution Amendment Act which introduced Part IX regarding Panchayats has been a watershed initiative in our democratic polity ushering in an effective local governance at the grassroots level.

 
Nation Panchayati Raj Day: Theme

The theme for the National Panchayati Raj Day 2023 is ‘Sustainable Panchayat: Building Healthy, Water Sufficient, Clean & Green Villages.’ The theme focuses on promoting sustainable development in rural areas by ensuring the availability of clean water, promoting good health practices, and creating a clean and green environment.

About Panchayati Raj

Since 2014 the Central Government has intensified its efforts to support the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in the best manner possible to ensure that the basic objectives of the Panchayati Raj are achieved in true letter and spirit. Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra  Modi, India has seen a quantum leap in the allocation of fiscal resources to Panchayati Raj Institutions to support various infrastructure requirements and developmental activities in rural areas. Central Government has been taking many initiatives for strengthening and empowering Panchayati Raj Institutions, increasing the capacity of representatives of PRIs to fulfil their role and responsibilities and improving the efficiency, transparency of functioning and accountability of PRIs to contribute towards inclusive development, economic growth and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in nine themes i.e. (1) Poverty Free and Enhanced Livelihoods Village, (2) Healthy Village, (3) Child-Friendly Village, (4) Water Sufficient Village, (5) Clean and Green Village, (6) Village with Self-sufficient Infrastructure, (7) Socially Just & Socially Secured Village, (8) Village with Good Governance and (9) Women Friendly Village.