Synopsis When a free market economy came as the panacea not only for economic development but also for the political crisis of hegemony of the nation state, the Indian state has reiterated significance of democratic decentralization through panchayats. The renewed concern for panchayats as instrumentality of democratic decentralization has resulted in the seventy third amendment of the Constitution. This renewed emphasis on panchayts with a definite space for them in the Constitution, has also been occupying substantive political and intellectual space in Indiasince the early 1990s. With a comprehensive analysis of the history of Panchayati raj in India, this book has focused on functioning of the panchayati raj institution in Assam. This academic contribution may help the students, teachers, researchers, policy makers and politicians.