Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Wednesday announced plans to restructure gram panchayats ahead of the 2027 three-tier panchayati raj elections.
Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water (PR&DW) Minister Rabi Narayan Naik said the government also intends to restructure blocks before the 2029 Lok Sabha and Odisha Assembly elections.
The announcement came a day after Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati urged the state to review the structure of panchayats and revenue villages to explore the possibility of increasing their numbers. Odisha currently has 6,794 gram panchayats spread across 314 blocks.
While reviewing PR&DW schemes on Tuesday, the Governor stressed that panchayats should be closer to the people, as decentralisation strengthens programme delivery and monitoring. He also noted that having fewer panchayats could sometimes lead to missed opportunities for availing funds under specific schemes.
The Governor’s review included updates on the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) and other key rural development programmes such as Viksit Gaon Viksit Odisha, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Gramin, PM-JANMAN Scheme, Antyodaya Gruha Yojana, MGNREGS, BASUDHA, solar projects, DDUGKY, Swachh Bharat Mission – Gramin, and rural marketing and livelihood initiatives.
Kambhampati interacted directly with implementing agencies to understand challenges in execution, urging them to avoid delays and adhere to timelines. “It is the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure every household has access to safe tap water,” he said while reviewing JJM progress.
