New Delhi: The government on Wednesday said that over 2.16 lakh Gram Panchayats from 29 states/UTs have entered their data into the dedicated Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) portal, with each entry rigorously validated before being included in the final index.
The government launched the PAI to measure the progress of over 2.5 lakh gram panchayats (GPs) across the country.
While 35.8 per cent Gram Panchayats are now recognised as performers, 61.2 per cent are identified as aspirants while Gujarat and Telangana lead as front runners, as per the ‘PAI 2022–23’ data.
The PAI captures panchayats’ performance across nine themes of localised Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — Poverty-Free and Enhanced Livelihoods in Panchayat, Healthy Panchayat, Child-Friendly Panchayat, Water-Sufficient Panchayat, Clean and Green Panchayat, Panchayat with Self-Sufficient Infrastructure, Socially Just and Socially Secured Panchayat, Panchayat with Good Governance and Women-Friendly Panchayat.
State-wise, Gujarat led the pack with 346 Gram Panchayats as front runners, followed by Telangana with 270.
States with a high number of performers include Gujarat (13,781), Maharashtra (12,242), Telangana (10,099) along with Madhya Pradesh (7,912), and Uttar Pradesh (6,593) while Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh have a significant share of Aspirant Gram Panchayats.
The 2022-23 PAI data reveals that out of 2,55,699 Gram Panchayats, 2,16,285 submitted validated data. While 699 (0.3 per cent) panchayats emerged as front runners, 77,298 (35.8 per cent) were performers, 1,32,392 (61.2 per cent) were aspirants while 5,896 (2.7 per cent) Gram Panchayats were at the beginner level.
PAI is a composite Index and has been compiled based on 435 unique local Indicators (331 mandatory and 104 optional), consisting of 566 unique data points across 9 themes of LSDGs (Localization of Sustainable Development Goals) aligned with National Indicator Framework (NIF) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
The PAI reflects India’s commitment to achieving the SDG 2030 Agenda through participatory, bottom-up development.
The PAI serves as a tool for assessment and promotes healthy competition among Panchayats. Moreover, the data collected through PAI serves as a foundation for evidence-based planning, enabling Panchayats to identify development gaps, set clear targets, and allocate resources more effectively, thus driving more strategic and impactful governance at the local level.
(IANS)
