Public Policy Qualitative Participatory Action Research Fieldwork Fellowship- Cohort 5.0 | An Online National Winter & Spring School Program |
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj was established in 2004 under the Allocation of Business Rules, 1961, to monitor all matters related to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and District Planning Committees. The Panchayati Raj plays a crucial role in strengthening India's democratic framework by encouraging political participation at the grassroots level. Currently, there are approximately 2.6 lakh Panchayats across the country, which have 31.5 lakh elected representatives, with almost 46% being women. The system also encourages the inclusion of marginalised communities such as Scheduled Tribes (STs), Scheduled Castes (SCs), and Other Backwards Classes (OBCs) through provisions for reservation mentioned in the constitutional provision. The 73rd Constitutional Amendment mentioned that Panchayats were recognised as the third tier of governance, reinforcing the country’s commitment to decentralised and participatory democracy.
As an essential element of the Indian government, the Ministry of Law and Justice stands as the guardian of the nation's legal integrity and the promoter of equitable justice. Holding its place as one of the most established and vital ministries, its responsibilities extend beyond mere legal management. It forms the very groundwork upon which India's democratic principles and the rule of law are firmly entrenched.
A Gram Panchayat Development Plan is a comprehensive document outlining a village’s development goals and their strategies, focusing on economic, social and physical development. It is a bottom-up approach and is a participatory process where villagers, along with their elected representatives, identify their needs and priorities aiming for a more efficient use of their available resources.
PRAYAS is a data driven framework that enables the government to visualize progress of its flagship schemes on a single platform and monitor their progress through identified Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). PRAYAS electronically captures aggregated anonymous data from IT systems of respective schemes in a predefined format at an agreed frequency and granularity through APIs.
War is too important to be left to the generals — that statement is attributed to French statesman Georges Clemenceau.
The Central Vista Redevelopment Project is a landmark program that brought modernization to India's 86-year-old administrative complex. Spanning ₹20,000 crores in expenditure and a duration of seven years (2019-2026), the project seeks to rehouse government offices, upgrade structural weaknesses in historic buildings, and design effective, eco-friendly administrative spaces with all heritage concerns kept intact.