This book introduces its readers to the concept of governance and various aspects of the Panchayat Raj Institutions, including Panchayats in the Fifth Scheduled Areas and the institutional arrangements in the Sixth and other scheduled areas. It also focuses on the role of voluntary and community-based organisations, along with the participation of vulnerable groups and their involvement in the implementation of various programmes and schemes, strategies, and policy instruments in rural development. Encompassing wider aspects of rural governance and development, this book illuminates how people, communities, institutions, and PRIs plan and implement development in rural India. Drawing extensively on author’s field experiences of working in villages and with grassroots level institutions, each chapter is aided by ‘Main Points to Remember’ and review questions for classroom discussions. This reader-friendly volume also includes PPTs and instructions as support material. The balanced blend of both theory and field insights makes this book relevant not only to students of public administration, political science, and development administration but also practitioners, civil society actors, and researchers.