Father of PRI

Balwantrai Mehta (19 February 1899 – 19 September 1965) was an

Indian politician who served as the second Chief Minister of Gujarat
state, India. He participated in Indian independence movement and
later held various public offices. He is considered as the 'Architect of
Panchayati Raj ' due to his contributions towards democratic
decentralization.
 The Balwant Rai Mehta Committee was appointed in 1957. It was one of many
committees that were made during the 1950s and 60s to check if various government
departments were functioning properly and carrying out their duties as mandated. The
Committee was appointed in 1957 by the Indian Government to look into the functions
of the Community Development Programme and National Extension Service. This
committee was primarily tasked with formulating the operations and functions of the
newly conceptualized Panchayati Raj. The Panchayat Samiti was the second tier of the
system and was the main area of inquiry for the committee.

The Balwant Rai Mehta committee recommended the following things:

1. Democratic decentralization of power through the creation of a 3-layered Panchayati

Raj system
2. The administration had to be handed over to the local governing bodies named Gram
Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti, and Zila Parishad
3. The functions, organizations, responsibilities, funding, and duties were all laid down in
the report for each of the institutions
4. Proper representation of the SC, ST, and OBCs had to be provided