Synopsis It is a well known fact that Gram Panchayats had been in existence in ancient India, administering justice, looking after affairs of the villages and promoting community life. Panchayati Raj System in India is inevitable. The Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) are the prime instruments of de-centralisation at the grass root level programmes. Panchayats are meant to secure the participation of rural people in various activities of the rural sector. People’s involvement through Panchayats in planning would result in better and more efficient planning, because they have a better perception of their needs, which would be useful in the identification and selection of schemes and programmes formulation for local importance. This book is an effort to present an assessment and panorama of Panchayati Raj with special emphasis on women empowerment and education as tool of development. This book will be indeed of immense use to teachers, policy makers, researchers and students of various disciplines in India and abroad.