Who is called the architect of the Panchayati Raj System in India?

Concept

Democratic decentralisation distributes governing authority among elected bodies at village, intermediate, and district levels.

Committees on local government are distinguished by their purpose: initial institutional design, administrative strengthening, or constitutional recognition.

Application

The 1957 committee chaired by Balwant Rai Mehta evaluated the Community Development Programme and National Extension Service. It recommended democratic decentralisation through a three-tier Panchayati Raj structure, which makes Balwant Rai Mehta the person associated with the architecture of the system.

Contrast and cross-check

• Acharya Narendra Dev is chiefly associated with socialist thought and education.

• G. V. K. Rao chaired the 1985 committee that focused on administrative arrangements for rural development.

• L. M. Singhvi chaired the 1986 committee that recommended constitutional recognition for Panchayati Raj institutions.

Official government accounts trace adoption of the three-tier Panchayat framework to the Balwant Rai Mehta Committee, while the later Rao and Singhvi committees dealt with strengthening administration and constitutional status.

Therefore, the best-supported offered value is B. R. Mehta, meaning Balwant Rai Mehta.