Which Part of the Constitution has the provisions for Panchayati Raj System?

The correct answer is A) Part IX. Part IX, covering Articles 243 to 243O, was inserted by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, and it lays down the structure of Panchayats: composition, reservation for SCs, STs and women, the five-year term, the State Election Commission, and the State Finance Commission. The Act came into force on 24 April 1993, which is why 24 April is observed as National Panchayati Raj Day.

• B) Part VI is wrong. It deals with the States: the Governor, the State Executive, the State Legislature and the High Courts.
• C) Part III is wrong. It contains the Fundamental Rights, Articles 12 to 35.
• D) Part IV A is wrong. It contains the Fundamental Duties, Article 51A, added by the 42nd Amendment in 1976.

The directive principle in Article 40 (Part IV) only asks the State to organise village panchayats. The detailed constitutional framework is in Part IX. For Mains, this links to decentralisation, the three-tier structure, and the debate on the financial and functional devolution to Panchayats under the Eleventh Schedule.

Trap: Aspirants confuse Part IX with Part IX-A, which deals with Municipalities under the 74th Amendment, or with the Article 40 directive, which is in Part IV.