Panchayati Raj (73rd) (Local Government).
Syllabus: UPSC Pre GS1: Indian Polity and Governance; Mains GS2
73rd Amendment for UPSC: Part IX (Articles 243-243O), three tiers, reservation, State Election and Finance Commissions, 29 subjects, exempted areas and PYQs.
Panchayati Raj for UPSC: Balwant Rai Mehta to L.M. Singhvi, the 73rd Amendment, compulsory vs voluntary provisions, PESA 1996, three Fs, and…
The Rural Development Ministry has notified 375 permissible works under the VB-G RAM G Act, 2025, the law that replaced MGNREGA. That is 41% more than the 266 works earlier. Works fall under four pillars: water security (128), core rural infrastructure (111), livelihood infrastructure (98) and disaster preparedness (38), all planned through Gram Sabha-approved village plans.
UPSC angle: Prelims: Act name, 125 days, works count. · Mains GS-II: welfare schemes; GS-III: rural employment.
6 Oct 2026
The Sixteenth Finance Commission has recommended grants of ₹4,35,236 crore for rural local bodies in all 28 States for 2026-31, the Panchayati Raj Ministry told Rajya Sabha on 12 August 2026. Basic and performance grants are in the ratio 80:20. Half the basic grant is tied to sanitation and water; the rest is untied.
UPSC angle: Prelims: FC grant structure.
12 Aug 2026
SVAMITVA gives property owners in rural inhabited (abadi) areas a Record of Rights, the Panchayati Raj Minister told Rajya Sabha on 5 August 2026. Drone surveys with CORS technology create high-accuracy maps. Drone survey is complete in 3.30 lakh villages, and 11,147 loans worth ₹1,713 crore have been given against SVAMITVA property cards.
UPSC angle: Prelims: SVAMITVA tech.
5 Aug 2026
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj released a two-volume national study on "Low Participation in Gram Sabha across States and Union Territories" on 30 June 2026. Prepared by NIRD&PR, it covered nearly 7,800 respondents in about 400 Gram Panchayats across 26 States and UTs and 213 districts, including PESA and Women-Friendly Gram Panchayats.
UPSC angle: Mains: why Gram Sabhas fail to function; remedies.
30 Jun 2026
The Panchayati Raj Ministry rolled out Nirbhay Chetna under the Nirbhaya Fund, with a Training of Trainers in New Delhi from 17 to 19 June 2026. It aims to sensitise over 17.5 lakh male elected representatives on women's safety and gender equality through 28,500 master trainers. It is one of three arms of Nirbhay Raho, launched on 11 March 2026.
UPSC angle: Mains: gender and local governance.
20 Jun 2026
Reform-linked Memoranda of Understanding under Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 were signed with Manipur and Bihar on 10 June 2026. The MoUs require a Gram Panchayat-led, service-based and community-centred model so every rural household gets adequate, prescribed-quality drinking water on a regular basis. Water is a State subject (List II, Entry 17).
UPSC angle: Mains: water governance and panchayats.
10 Jun 2026