The Gram Nayalaya Act comes into force from today on the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. The Act paves the way for setting up of more than 5,000 Gram Nayalayas at grassroot level for the purpose of providing access to justice to citizens at their door steps. The Gram Nayalaya will be of the level of a first class judicial magistrate court and will exercise the powers of both criminal and civil courts. The court will be mobile and move from village to village to dispose cases.<br/><br/> A grateful nation will also pay homage to the Father of the Nation with an all religion prayer meeting being held at Raj Ghat, the Samadhi of Bapu in the morning. A special function to render Gandhi Bhajans at Gandhi Smriti will be organized in the afternoon. The Union Govdernment has planned a series of programmes to mark the occasion. The Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh will inaugurate a national convention on Panchayati Raj in New Delhi. State Panchayati Raj Ministers, elected representatives of Panchayats will participate in the convention which is also being addressed by the UPA Chairperson, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi to mark the 50 years of Panchayati Raj in the country. The Health Minister, Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad will be inaugurating the 27th Biennial Conference on Leprosy.<br/><br/>All India Radio will broadcast a radio report based on the Birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and Late Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri tonight at 10.30 pm on Indraprastha channel and additional frequencies. It will also broadcast an interview with Sunil Shastri entitled "Meri Yadon Mein Lal Bahadur Shastri" at 08.30 pm today on Indraprastha channel.