New Delhi, April 23 (IANA) Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj S. P. Singh Baghel will kick off celebrations of the National Panchayati Raj Day (NPRD) here on Friday, disseminating Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message among functionaries of Panchayats and local bodies.

Observed every year on April 24, the day commemorates the enactment of the landmark 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, which gave constitutional status and legal recognition to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) across India. This year marks 33 years of that defining milestone in India’s democratic journey, said a statement.

During the event at Vigyan Bhawan, a Report on Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI)-2.0 and three books on ‘Meri Panchayat Meri Dharohar’ will also be released.

Under the Ministry’s ‘Panchayat Dharohar Initiative’, the three illustrated publications on rural heritage to be released are: a Monograph on Rural Heritage of Tripura, a Monograph on Rural Heritage of Tirupati and ‘Uttarkashi: Saumya Kashi: The Soul of Himalayan Heritage’.

Ministry of Panchayati Raj plans to celebrate National Panchayati Raj Day (NPRD) with fervour across the country at State, District, Block and Gram Panchayat levels, wherein Gram Panchayats will hold Gram Sabha meetings, reaffirming the spirit of participatory democracy at the grassroots.

The day provides an occasion to recognise the role of the three-tier Panchayati Raj system in accelerating progress towards Viksit Bharat, said the statement.

Last year, PM Modi presided over the distribution of property cards under the SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) Scheme in January 2025, providing 65 lakh rural citizens with legal ownership documents in a single day.

The distribution covered more than 50,000 villages across 10 States and 2 Union Territories, bringing the total number of property cards distributed under SVAMITVA to 2.25 crore.

The ceremony witnessed the participation of Union Ministers, Chief Ministers, Governors, Lieutenant Governors, and representatives across 237 Districts.

–IANS

rch/dan