National Panchayati Raj Day in India is celebrated on

The correct answer is D) 24 April. National Panchayati Raj Day is observed on 24 April because the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, came into force on that date in 1993. The Amendment gave constitutional status to Panchayati Raj institutions by adding Part IX and the Eleventh Schedule, which lists 29 subjects for devolution. The Ministry of Panchayati Raj has marked the day every year since 2010.

• A) 26 January is Republic Day, when the Constitution came into effect in 1950. It has nothing to do with Panchayati Raj.
• B) 2 October is Gandhi Jayanti. Gandhi's idea of village self-rule is often linked to Panchayati Raj, which is why the mix-up happens.
• C) 21 April is Civil Services Day, which commemorates Sardar Patel's address to probationers on 21 April 1947.

Core concept: constitutional decentralisation under Part IX and the Eleventh Schedule. For Mains, this connects to GS-II on federalism and local governance, including the gaps between devolution of funds, functions and functionaries.

Trap: Candidates often confuse 24 April with 21 April (Civil Services Day) because both fall in the same week of April. Anchor the date to the 1993 commencement of the 73rd Amendment.