Which of the following reasons were cited by the Ashok Mehta Committee for the decline of the Panchayati Raj Institutions in India ? 1. Role of Bureaucracy 2. Lack of Political Will 3. Lack of conceptual clarity 4. Lack of gender parity Select the correct answer using the code given below:

The Ashok Mehta Committee (1977-1978) identified several factors responsible for the decline and stagnation of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in India. According to the committee's report, the primary reasons included the role of bureaucracy, which often adopted a lukewarm or hostile attitude toward local bodies. It also highlighted a significant lack of political will among the political elite to devolve power effectively. Furthermore, the committee noted a lack of conceptual clarity regarding the very nature and objectives of PRIs, with some viewing them as mere administrative agencies and others as instruments of local self-government [1]. While the committee addressed social inequalities and recommended the reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes and Tribes, 'lack of gender parity' was not specifically cited as a primary reason for the historical decline of the system in the 1978 report.

Sources

1. [1] https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/144510156.pdf