OVERVIEW
The Constitution of India visualises panchayats as institutions of self-governance. At present, there are about 3 million elected representatives at all levels of the panchayat, 1/3rd of which are women. These members represent more than 2.4 lakh (240,000) Gram Panchayats, about 6,000 intermediate level tiers and more than 500 district panchayats. Municipal governance in India has existed since the year 1687, with the formation of Madras Municipal Corporation, and then Calcutta and Bombay Municipal Corporation in 1726. In the early part of the nineteenth century almost all towns in India had experienced some form of municipal governance. Let us study more of the present-day governance in India.
