Union Territories & Panchayats
Defines key terms used throughout this Part: "district" (a state district), "Gram Sabha" (all registered voters within a village-level Panchayat's area), "intermediate level" (a level between village and district, notified by the Governor), "Panchayat" (a rural self-government institution under Article 243B), "Panchayat area", "population" (per the latest published census), and "village" (as notified by the Governor).
This sets out the basic vocabulary for the whole Panchayat system: a three-tier structure of village, intermediate, and district-level rural self-government bodies, and the "Gram Sabha" - the full body of all registered voters in a village, which is distinct from the smaller elected Panchayat itself.
The Gram Sabha - every registered voter in the village, not just elected representatives - is meant to be a genuine forum for direct village-level participation, distinct from the elected Gram Panchayat which actually administers the village.