The Committee appointed in 1977 to review working of the Panchayati Raj was chaired by

In December 1977, the Janata Government appointed a committee to review the working of the Panchayati Raj institutions under the chairmanship of Ashok Mehta [c3][t1]. The committee was tasked with reviving and strengthening the declining Panchayati Raj system in India [c4][t2]. It submitted its report in August 1978, making 132 recommendations, most notably suggesting the replacement of the existing three-tier system with a two-tier system consisting of Zila Parishads at the district level and Mandal Panchayats for a group of villages [c3][t5]. In contrast, the Balwant Rai Mehta Committee was appointed earlier in 1957 to examine the Community Development Programme and recommended the initial three-tier structure [c1][t1]. The Ashok Mehta Committee's report emphasized the need for constitutional recognition and the transfer of substantial powers to district-level bodies to ensure effective democratic decentralization [c4][t2].

Sources

1. [1] Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 39: Panchayati Raj > Balwant rai Mehta Committee > p. 383
2. [2] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 39: Panchayati Raj > Ashok Mehta Committee > p. 385
3. [3] Laxmikanth, M. Indian Polity. 7th ed., McGraw Hill. > Chapter 39: Panchayati Raj > Ashok Mehta Committee > p. 385