Ever since, the 3 Tire PRI is in place in the district and an integral part of grass-root level planning and implementation. The 3 Tiers in the PRI are Zilla Parishad the highest tier, Panchayat Samiti/ Block Advisory Committee (in tribal areas) the middle tier and Gram Panchayat/ ADC Villages (in tribal areas) the lowest tier. The second general Panchayat election was held in the month of July, 1999.

From 1994 onwards the State Govt. has been delegating different powers and responsibilities with the 3-tires of the Panchayati Raj Institution. The Panchayat (Administration) Rules 1994 and the Tripura Panchayat (Election of office bearers) Rules 1994 have been framed for effective decentralization of development activities and determination of the responsibilities of Panchayat functionaries.. The State Govt. has already transferred some of the responsibilities of 12 departments with the 3-tiers of PRI. Out of these twelve departments, administrative and financial powers of 9 departments were further vested with PRI on 28.03.2000 by a separate notification.

The PRI in the district comprises of one Zilla Parishad at the district level, 7 Panchayat Samitis/ 4 Block Advisory Committee(BAC) at the Block level and 155 Gram Panchayats/ 167 ADC Villages at the village level.

The Chief Executive Officer (DM & Collector) Zilla Parishad, Additional Chief Executive Officer (ADM & Collector) Zilla Parishad and Secretary Zilla Parishad (Member Secretary) are the Official Members in the Executive Committee of Zilla Parishad. The Executive Officer (Block Development Officer) Panchayat Samiti and the Secretary (Panchayat Extension Officer - Member Secretary) are the Official Members in the Executive committee of the Panchayat Samitis.

Zilla Parishad in the district is known as Dakshin Tripura Zilla Parishad (DTZP). It consists of 21 directly elected members and 24 Ex-officio members. The Chairman of the different Panchayat Samitis/ BACs of the district, the MLAs elected from the constituencies falling under South Tripura District and MPs of the two Parliamentary constituencies constitute the Ex-officio members. All the Panchayat Samitis in the district are being constituted from 22 directly elected members and 29 Ex-officio members.

Each Panchayat Samiti and Zilla Parishad consist of 7 Standing Committees.

i) Finance, Audit and Planning Committee(to be known as Finance Committee).

ii) Education, Environment, Cultural, Health and Sports Affairs Committee (to be known as Education and Health Committee).

iii) Communication, Rural Electrification and non-conventional Energy Committee (to be known as Works Committee)

iv) Industries including Cottage Industry and Sericultlural Committee (to be known as Industries Committee).

v) Social Justice Committee.

vi) Agricultural, Food, Irrigation, Cooperation, Fisheries and Animal Husbandry Committee (to be known as Agriculture Committee).

vii) Poverty Alleviation Programme, Social and Farm Forestry, Rural Housing and Drinking Water Committee (to be known as Poverty alleviation Committee).

The number of members to be elected for each standing committee and the Zilla Parishad have been notified by the State Government. For Dakshin Tripura Zilla Parishad, the number of members in standing committees could be 7. For all the Panchayat Samitis, except Amarpur and Hrishyamukh where the number is 5, the number of members in the Standing Committees is expected to be 7.

The Chairman and the Vice Chairman of the Panchayat Samiti and the Sabhadhipati and the Sahakari Sabhadhipati of the Zilla Parishad are the Ex-officio members of the Standing Committees of the Panchayat Samities or the Zilla Parishad as the case may be. Also, the Chairman of the Panchayat Samiti and the Sabhadhipati of Zilla Parishad shall be the President of the Standing Committee in Finance, Audit and Planning of the Panchayat Samiti or the Zilla Parishad, as the case may be.

In case of Hrishyamukh Panchayat Samiti and Amarpur Panchayat Samiti, a member of the Panchayat Samiti other than the Chairman and the Vice Chairman shall be eligible to serve on maximum 3 Standing Committees. In case of other Panchayat Samitis, no member other than the Chairman and the Vice Chairman shall be eligible to serve on more than 2 Standing Committees.

Similarly, in case of DTZP, no member other than the Sabhadhipati and the Sahakari Sabhadhipati shall be eligible to serve on more than 2 Standing Committees. The Ex-officio members of the Panchayat Samiti or Zilla Parishad could be elected as Members and Presidents of Standing Committees of Panchayat Samiti or Zilla Parishad, except, as the President of Standing Committee for Finance, Audit and Planning.

The election of the members of the Standing Committees and their respective Chairmans and Vice Chairmans are to be held after every 2 years for Panchayat Samiti and 5 years for Zilla Parishad.

For DTZP, Sri Ratan Bhowmik, Sabhadhipati is the president for Finance Committee. Sri Narayan Chandra Bhowmik, Sri Bhuban Debnath, Sri Swapan Debnath, Sri Parimal Debnath, Sri Uttam Kumar Paul and Smti Shiuli Lodh are presidents for Education & Health, Works, Industry, Social Justice, Agriculture and Poverty Alleviation Standing Committees respectively. District level Officers constitute the Official Members in each of the Standing Committees of DTZP.

Project Director DRDA, District Panchayat Officer, District Planning Officer, Deputy registrar of Co-operative Societies, Development Officer Institutional Finance, District Statistical Officer, Lead Bank officer, Senior Deputy Collector looking after Revenue Section of the Office of the DM & Collector and a nominated Professor/ Assistant Professor of Economics are the Official Members of the Finance Standing Committee.

The Official Members of Education and Health Standing Committee comprises of Chief Medical Officer, Deputy Director of Education, District Level Officer from Science and Technology Department, Assistant Director of ICAT Department, Deputy Director of Physical Education, District Inspector of Social Education, one nominated Headmaster and Representative of the Ramkrishna Mission.

The Official Members of Works Standing Committee comprises of Superintending Engineer (PWD), Superintending Engineer(Electrical), District Level Officer of the Science and Technology Department, Executive Engineer RD Department, Senior Deputy Collector looking after Development Section of the office of the DM & Collector and the Executive Engineer(PWD) from different Divisions of the district.

Project Director DRDA, General Manager District Industries Centre, Officer-in-Charge of the Cluster Constituted for development of Sericulture and Handloom of the District, Representative of KVIC and the Assistant Marketing Officer / Assistant Development Officer of THHDC Ltd constitutes the Official Members in Industry Standing Committee.

District Tribal Welfare Officer, any Member of the Mahila Commission, District Inspector of Social Education, Representative of State Social Welfare Board for the district and representative of the Ramkrishna Mission constitutes the Official Members in Social Justice Standing Committee.

The Official Members of Agriculture Standing Committee comprises of Senior Collector looking after the Food and Civil Supplies in the office of the DM & Collector, Executive Engineer of concerned MIFC Division, Deputy Registrar Cooperative Societies Deputy Director of Agriculture, Horticulturist, Deputy Project Officer(Soil Conservation), Deputy Director of Fisheries and the Deputy Director of Animal Resources Development.

The Official Members of Poverty Alleviation Standing Committee is constituted of the Conservator of Forest, Additional District Magistrate & Collector, Project Director DRDA, Executive Engineer RD Division, Deputy Director of Fisheries, Horticultlurist andthe Executive Engineer PHE.

The Gram Panchayats in the non-tribal areas and the ADC villages in the tribal areas are directly responsible to the villagers for all the development activities of their electoral constituency. The Gram Panchayat is regularly conducting Gram Sabha, a forum of active participation by the electorates in the constituency.

The following agendas are being normally laid down and discussed in the Gram Sabha:

(a) Accounts of income & expenditure of the Gram Panchayat.
(b) Annual Administrative Report for the last financial year
(c) Last Audit Note and resolutions regarding rectification.
(d) Budget of the Gram Panchayat for the current financial year.
(e) Details of the receipt of fund and developmental activities taken up and completed during the last financial year.
(f) Likely receipt of fund and proposed developmental activities to be taken up during the current financial year.

As per the provisions of Tripura Panchayat Act, Gram Sansad has also been constituted at the Gram Panchayat Constituency level (Wards) to involve citizens more in the development aspects of the Gram Panchayat.