Which among the following was not the recommendation of Balwant Rai Mehta…

Concept

The Balwant Rai Mehta Committee (1957) was appointed to review the working of the Community Development Programme and the National Extension Service. Its guiding principle was democratic decentralisation: entrusting rural administration and development to a hierarchy of elected local bodies. This report became the foundation of the Panchayati Raj system in India.

Key recommendations of the committee

• A three-tier structure: Gram (Village) Panchayat at the village level, Panchayat Samiti at the block level, and Zila Parishad at the district level.

• Only the Village Panchayat was to be directly elected by the people; the Panchayat Samiti and the Zila Parishad were to be indirectly elected from the tier immediately below them.

• Genuine transfer of power, resources, and all planning and development functions to these elected bodies.

• The Panchayat Samiti to function as the executive body, while the Zila Parishad to act as the advisory, coordinating, and supervisory body (with the District Collector as its chairman).

Applying it to this question

We need the statement that does not match these recommendations. Three options restate genuine recommendations: the three-tier structure; the transfer of all planning and development functions to these bodies; and the executive role for the Panchayat Samiti with an advisory, coordinating, and supervisory role for the Zila Parishad. The remaining statement claims that the Village Panchayat, the Panchayat Samiti, and the Zila Parishad should all be constituted by directly elected representatives. The committee recommended direct election only for the Village Panchayat and indirect election for the two higher tiers, so this statement contradicts the committee and is the exception being asked for.

Cross-check

Trace the committee's chain of election: the people directly elect the Village Panchayat; its members in turn elect the Panchayat Samiti; and the Panchayat Samiti members elect the Zila Parishad. Because direct election stops at the village level, the claim of direct election at all three tiers is the one recommendation the committee never made.