The Balwant Rai Mehta Committee that proposed for an early establishment of elected local bodies and devolution of necessary resources, power and authority to them, was formed in the year

In 1957, Balwant Rai Mehta Committee was formed to study the Community Development Projects and to recommend the measures for enhancing the output of these projects. In its report, the committee proposed many recommendations among which the one was for an early establishment of elected local bodies and devolution of necessary resources, power and authority to them. The K. Santhanam Committee was established in 1963.