Correct option is B
Correct Answer: b) 1977
The Ashok Mehta Committee was appointed in 1977 and submitted its report in 1979. It was set up by the Janata Government to review the functioning of the Panchayati Raj system and suggest measures to revive and strengthen it, as it had been weakening across the country.
The committee was chaired by Ashok Mehta, a prominent political and social leader.
It recommended a two-tier Panchayati Raj structure:
Zila Parishad at the district level
Mandal Panchayat (cluster of villages) at the lower level
It emphasized political party participation in Panchayat elections.
Suggested that Zila Parishad should be the executive body and the planning body.
Recommended the Constitutional status for Panchayati Raj institutions (which was later granted by the 73rd Amendment in 1992).
