Odisha government today approved a proposal of the Panchayati Raj department to add 500 new gram panchayats before the 2017 three-tier panchayat polls.
The decision has been taken based on the recommendation received from the district level, said secretary to Panchayati Raj department Deo Ranjan Singh.
Singh said the state election commission will be soon informed about the proposal.
The state presently has 6,211 panchayats.
