Policy Update
Om Vispute
Introduction
According to Mahatma Gandhi, who saw villages as miniature republics, genuine democracy should start with grassroots involvement from each village’s residents.
The Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act, 1992, gave Panchayati Raj institutions (PRIs) constitutional status to operate as units of local self-government on April 24, 1993, the National Panchayati Raj Day, marking the day the Government of India passed a historic law to realise Mahatma Gandhi’s vision.
Background
Launched in 2017–18 and running through 2021–22 under the 15th Finance Commission, the Revised Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) is a centrally sponsored program that aims to implement the SDGs at the village level, or Gram Panchayat.
With an emphasis on reimagining Panchayati Raj Institutions as dynamic hubs of local self-governance and economic growth, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj Institutions was redesigned for implementation from April 2022 to March 2026. This approach focused on localising the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the grassroots level using a thematic approach through coordinated and cooperative efforts of Central Ministries and State line departments with a ‘whole of Government’ approach at all levels. According to the plan, Elected Representatives (ERs) of Panchayats must receive basic orientation training within six months after the election and refresher training within two years.
Objectives
1: Enhance Panchayati Raj Institutions’ (PRIs’) capacity for governance in order to meet the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
2. Put an emphasis on enhancing the elected representatives of PRIs’ leadership abilities so that the Gramme Panchayats can efficiently serve as the third level of government;
3. Strengthen Panchayats’ capacity for inclusive local governance by emphasising the best use of the resources at hand and coordination with other programs.
4. Increase capacity to generate income on one’s own
5. Encourage the transfer of authority and responsibilities to Panchayats
6. Encourage e-government and other tech-driven initiatives to help Panchayat Administration implement effective governance.
Panchayats are responsible for addressing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that pertain to poverty, public health, nutrition, education, sanitation, drinking water, livelihood generation, and other areas. The main goal of the Revamped Rashtriya Gramme Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) is to strengthen Panchayat governance so they can fulfil the SDGs, which fall under their jurisdiction.
States have been encouraged to incorporate the SDGs into their training plans, and financial support has been given to States and Union Territories for these training plans as part of their respective Annual Action Plans, given that Panchayats are the primary player in implementing the SDGs in rural areas.
Functioning
RGSA functions by combining elements at the federal and state levels. The following are important elements
At Central level:
(i) the e-Panchayat Mission Mode Project (which involves implementing and improving the eGramSwaraj digital platform for planning, accounting, and monitoring);
(ii) Panchayat incentives (performance grants, awards);
(iii) Action Research & Publicity (studies, IEC to disseminate best practices); and
(iv) International Cooperation (learning from global practices).
At the state level,
RGSA funds are utilised to: strengthen Gram Sabhas and Mahila Sabhas; run frequent refresher courses; and orient all recently elected PRI members (Gramme Panchayats, Blocks, and District Panchayats). Under RGSA, states include training on theme topics (such as Panchayat ISO certification as part of “Good Governance” in their yearly action plans that are approved by the Central Empowered Committee.
Source: https://panchayat.gov.in/en/notice/annual-report-2024-25
Performance
One of the main initiatives of MoPR has been the Capacity Building and Training (CB&T) of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). The Ministry has been supporting the strengthening of PRIs through institutional, technical, and programmatic means. The plan underwent additional revisions for execution in 2022–2023 and 2025–2026 at a total cost of Rs. 5911 crore, which included Rs. 3700 crore for the Central Share and Rs. 2211 crore for the State Share.
Achievements under the RGSA scheme: Training were given to 1.43 crore participants between 2018–19 and 2021–22, including elected PRI representatives, their staff, and other Panchayat stakeholders. 43,36,584 people received training in 2022–2023. As of December 28, 2023, 17,96,410 people had received training. E-GramSwaraj adoption status as of right now, includes eGramSwaraj-PFMS and eGS-GeM Interface:
By enabling Panchayats to purchase goods and services through GeM at uniform prices and make easy payments via the eGS-PFMS interface, the eGS-GeM interface creates a transparent procurement system. More than 5,000 Block Panchayats have uploaded authorised BPDPs, 492 DPDPs have been uploaded by District Panchayats, and 2.5 lakh Gramme Panchayats have uploaded approved GPDPs.
By giving each rural household owner a “Record of Rights,” the SVAMITVA Scheme was introduced to support the economic development of rural India. The program uses the newest surveying drone technology to mark occupied (Abadi) land in rural areas.
In order to achieve Gramme Swaraj in its truest sense and make rural India Atma Nirbhar, the scheme addresses a number of different topics, including facilitating property monetisation and bank loan availability, lowering property-related disputes, providing thorough village-level planning, and guaranteeing the rural local government a reliable source of income.
Source: https://panchayat.gov.in/en/notice/annual-report-2024-25
Impact
1. The RGSA-approved program will assist over 2.78 lakh rural local bodies, including traditional bodies, nationwide in building their governance capacities to meet the SDGs through inclusive local governance that prioritises the best use of the resources at hand. All capacity building interventions, including training, training modules, and materials, will be designed with the SDGs’ core tenets—leaving no one behind, reaching the farthest first, universal coverage, and gender equality—in mind.
2. Priority has been given to topics of national importance, primarily under the following themes: (i) villages with improved livelihoods and no poverty; (ii) villages that are healthy; (iii) villages that are child-friendly; (iv) villages that are water-sufficient; (v) villages that are clean and green; (vi) villages that have self-sufficient infrastructure; (vii) villages that are socially secure; (viii) villages with good governance; and (ix) villages that have engendered development.
3. Since Panchayats are the institutions closest to the grassroots and represent women, Schedule Castes, and Schedule Tribes, bolstering Panchayats would advance social justice, equity, and the community’s economic growth. PRIs will be able to increase service delivery and transparency by using e-governance more frequently. The plan will make Gramme Sabhas more capable of serving as socially inclusive organisations that include all people, especially the most vulnerable. With sufficient infrastructure and human resources, it will create the institutional framework for PRI capacity growth at the federal, state, and local levels.
Source: https://panchayat.gov.in/en/rgsa/rashtriya-gram-swaraj-abhiyan-rgsa
4. In order to acknowledge the responsibilities that Panchayats play in achieving the SDGs and to foster a culture of healthy competition, they have been steadily strengthened through incentives based on nationally significant criteria.
5. Although no permanent position has been established under the program, need-based contractual human resources may be made available to supervise program implementation and offer technical assistance to States and UTs in order to meet program objectives.
6. The number of beneficiaries: Approximately 60 lakh elected officials, functionaries, and other members of rural local bodies—including traditional bodies—were directly benefited by the program nationwide.
Emerging Issues
Despite the RGSA scheme’s revision, it still leaves some issues unaddressed, as listed below:
1. Discrimination and structural inequality: Despite reservations for women and other socioeconomic groups like SC and ST, discrimination and structural inequality remain major barriers for panchayats in rural India.
2. Since women are the most involved in local governance globally, there must be gender equality, meaningful involvement, and rural women’s empowerment.
3. The Indian Constitution gives state governments the authority to give Panchayats more authority to carry out their roles as local governance institutions. However, the extent to which Panchayats are empowered in terms of their ability to carry out their duties varies greatly from state to state.
4. Because states have not been interested in amending their laws to comply with the provisions of the Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act of 1996, and because attempts to strengthen Gramme Sabhas have not been sufficient, the implementation of the PESA Act has not been satisfactory.
Way Forward
1. Improved Panchayat capacities for good governance and SDG achievement by the adoption of a nine-thematic framework that incorporates democratic decision-making, participatory local planning, accountability, and transparency.
2. Greater utilisation of technology-driven solutions and e-governance at the Panchayat level to achieve better service delivery, increased accountability, and administrative efficiency.
3. Establishing an institutional framework with sufficient facilities, infrastructure, and human resources for capacity building at the national, state, district, and block levels.
4. Empower Gramme Sabhas and PRIs to operate as efficient institutions that include all citizens, especially the most vulnerable.
5. Create sector- or theme-wise plans to help the Standing Committees localise the SDGs and actualise the idea of a Vibrant Gramme Sabha.
6. Encourage PRIs to support social justice, equity, and inclusiveness as well as the community’s economic growth because panchayats are the closest institutions to the grassroots level and represent women, SC, and ST.
7. Incentives based on national priority criteria will be used to gradually strengthen Panchayats and foster a spirit of competition among them.
References
1. Ministry of Panchayati Raj. (n.d.). Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA). Government of India. https://panchayat.gov.in/en/rgsa/rashtriya-gram-swaraj-abhiyan-rgsa/
2. Press Information Bureau. (2022, July 13). Cabinet approves continuation of revamped Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA). https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1842770
3. MyScheme. (n.d.). Revamped Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA). Government of India. https://www.myscheme.gov.in/schemes/rgsa
4. Press Information Bureau. (2022, April 13). Revamped RGSA approved till 2025-26. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1816360
5. Press Information Bureau. (2023). Revamped RGSA Annual Progress 2023-24. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1991702#:~:text=8,2023
6. Ministry of Panchayati Raj. (2024). Annual Report 2024–25. https://panchayat.gov.in/en/notice/annual-report-2024-25/
About the Contributor
Om Vispute is a Research Intern at the Impact and Policy Research Institute (IMPRI) and is in his final year of a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science at Fergusson College in Pune.
Acknowledgement
The author sincerely thanks Ms. Aasthaba Jadeja and the IMPRI team for their valuable support.
Disclaimer: All views expressed in the article belong solely to the author and not necessarily to the organisation.
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