In which year was the Panchayati Raj system first formally introduced in India at the village level, starting with the experiment in Nagaur district of Rajasthan?

Introduction / Context:
Panchayati Raj represents local self government in rural India and is a key part of democratic decentralisation. Although village councils existed in traditional forms, modern Panchayati Raj bodies with elected representatives and defined powers were introduced only after independence. This question asks about the year when the Panchayati Raj system was first formally launched in independent India, following the recommendations of the Balwantrai Mehta Committee. Knowing this date is important in both Indian Polity and post independence history topics.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The subject is the formal introduction of Panchayati Raj institutions in independent India.
• The question mentions the Nagaur district experiment in Rajasthan as the starting point.
• Four years are given, all in the mid twentieth century.
• The learner must recall which year marks the launch of this initiative.

Concept / Approach:
The Balwantrai Mehta Committee, set up to study Community Development and National Extension Service programmes, recommended establishing a three tier system of Panchayati Raj to involve people more directly in planning and development. Acting on these recommendations, Rajasthan became the first state to introduce Panchayati Raj in 1959, starting from Nagaur district on 2 October. Andhra Pradesh followed soon after. Nationally, the year 1959 is therefore remembered as the starting point for modern Panchayati Raj institutions, which much later received constitutional status through the Seventy third Amendment.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Step 1: Recall that the Balwantrai Mehta Committee submitted its report in the late nineteen fifties and recommended Panchayati Raj. Step 2: Remember that Rajasthan took the lead and implemented Panchayati Raj in Nagaur district on 2 October 1959. Step 3: Recognise that 1945 and 1950 are too early for this reform, since India was still under British rule in 1945 and had not yet adopted this system by 1950. Step 4: Note that 1962 is later and does not match the widely cited year for the first introduction. Step 5: Conclude that 1959 is the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
A simple verification method is to connect Panchayati Raj with two key dates: 1959 for the first introduction in Rajasthan and 1992 for the passage of the Seventy third Constitutional Amendment that gave these bodies constitutional status. Many textbooks and exam guides emphasise the first date with the example of Nagaur district. Cross checking these memory anchors confirms that 1959 is the correct year for the first formal introduction of Panchayati Raj at the village level in independent India.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
1945: This was during colonial rule and before any such democratic local self government reform was formally attempted on modern lines. 1950: The Constitution had just been adopted and attention was still on consolidating the Union; Panchayati Raj as a system was not yet introduced. 1962: By this time Panchayati Raj experiments were already underway in several states, so it cannot be the starting year. These years therefore do not match the historic first introduction described in the question.

Common Pitfalls:
Some candidates confuse the year of initial introduction with the year of the Seventy third Amendment, which was in the early nineteen nineties, or with years when other states adopted the system. Others remember the launch date of 2 October but forget the exact year. To avoid such confusion, aspirants should memorise the paired information that Rajasthan's Nagaur district began Panchayati Raj on 2 October 1959 and that constitutional status came much later. This structured memory approach makes it easier to answer questions about dates correctly.

Final Answer:
The Panchayati Raj system was first formally introduced in India in 1959, starting with Nagaur district in Rajasthan.