With reference to the recommendations of the Ashok Mehta Committee (1977) on Panchayati Raj, which of the following statement(s) is/are correct?(1)The three-tier system of Panchayati Raj should be replaced by the two-tier system.(2)A block should be the first point for decentralization under popular supervision below the State level.Select the correct answer from the code given below:

1. A

   Only 1

   Option (a) asserts that only statement 1 is correct, meaning the Ashok Mehta Committee recommended replacing the traditional three-tier system with a two-tier system consisting of Zilla Parishad and Mandal Panchayat. This recommendation forms the core of their structural overhaul for local governance, making this statement factually accurate and establishing it as the correct choice.

2. B

   Only 2

   Option (b) claims that only statement 2 is correct regarding the block as the first point for decentralization. In reality, the Ashok Mehta Committee recommended the district (Zilla Parishad) as the first point of decentralization below the state level, not the block, which invalidates this statement.

3. C

   Both 1 and 2

   Option (c) suggests that both statements 1 and 2 are correct. While the first statement about the two-tier system is historically accurate according to the 1977 report, the second statement incorrectly identifies the block instead of the district as the primary unit of decentralization.

4. D

   Neither 1 nor 2

   Option (d) states that neither 1 nor 2 is correct. This is incorrect because the first statement accurately reflects the committee's landmark recommendation to substitute the existing three-tier Panchayati Raj setup with a robust two-tier model.

Summary. Official key is (a) because the Ashok Mehta Committee explicitly recommended replacing the three-tier Panchayati Raj system with a two-tier system. Statement 1 correctly captures this proposed shift to Zilla Parishad and Mandal Panchayat levels. Statement 2 is incorrect because the committee proposed the district, not the block, as the primary point for decentralization below the state level. Aspirants often confuse the recommendations of the Balwant Rai Mehta Committee with those of the Ashok Mehta Committee regarding tier structures. Thus, only statement 1 holds true under the 1977 committee guidelines.