The numbers of Grama Panchayats set up in different areas are shown below:

Sl. No.	Year	No. of Gram Panchayats
1	1950-51	530
2	1951-52 (Phase-I)	519
3	1951-52 (Phase-II)	705
4	1951-52 (Phase-III)	1241
5	1951-52 (Phase-IV)	1348
6	1951-52 (Phase-V)	2261
7	1951-52 (Phase-VI)	341

     Initially a Panchayat was being formed in a single village having minimum of population of 1500 or a group of villages having a minimum of population 1000. It was soon noticed that such a small unit is not economically viable. Therefore, some of the Panchayats established in the year 1950-51 were merged in the neighboring Panchayats in order to make them financially viable units.

     During the period 1958 to 1961, Blocks were established in the State in selected areas. In the year 1961 the 3 tier system of PRIs were established in the State covering all villages. The Odisha Zilla Parishad Act was enacted in the year 1959 but Zilla Parishads neither were nor constituted immediately. Subsequently Zilla Parishad Act was amended as the Odisha Panchayat Samiti and Zilla Parishad Act, 1959 in the year 1961 (Odisha Act 24 of 1961).

     In the year 1961, three tiers of Panchayati Raj Institutions were introduced in Odisha. The growth chart of Panchayats after 1961 is indicated below: 

Sl. No.	Year	Grama Panchayat	Panchayat Samiti	Zilla Parishad
1	1961	2350	214	13
2	1963	2350	304	13
3	1966-1967	3826	307	13
4	1983-1984	4391	314	13
5	1991-1992	5263	314	13
6	2000-2002	6234	314	30

Duties of the Public Authority:

a) Empowerment of Panchayat Raj Institutions.
b) To provide funds to PRIs, to carryout development works and poverty alleviation programmes in rural areas.

Main activities / functions of the Public authority:

a) To handover such powers and authorities to PRIs in order to enable them as institutions of self Govt. as mandated under 73rd amendment of constitution.
b) To provide funds to the PRIs to implement wage employment schemes and self employment programmes.
c) Supervise and monitor implementation of wage employment and poverty termination programmes.

List of services being provided by the public authority with a brief write up on them:

   The Department provides basic services in critical areas under finance Commission grants which are normally not taken up under different on going schemes.

   This Department provides following basic services:

(a) Rural connectivity.
(b) Rural housing for BPL families under IAY.