Panchayat Advancement Index: Frontrunners, Gaps and Challenges
Why in the news
Around National Panchayati Raj Day, PM Modi underlined the role of village bodies in meeting the SDGs, while the new index showed how far panchayats still have to go.
Key facts
- Purpose: measure panchayat performance on poverty reduction, health, water sufficiency, livelihoods and governance.
- Idea: localise the SDGs and rank panchayats on SDG themes.
- Top category: none in “achievers”; 699 in “frontrunners”.
- Finance: heavy dependence on higher tiers of government.
Frontrunner panchayats by state
| State | Frontrunner panchayats |
|---|---|
| Gujarat | 346 |
| Telangana | 270 |
| Tripura | 42 |
Concerns
- Weak finances: limited own revenue restricts long-term investment.
- Technology gaps: low digital literacy and tools hinder monitoring, evaluation and reporting.
- Fragmentation: departments work separately, causing duplication and wasted resources.
Way forward
- Train panchayat officials and promote digital inclusion.
- Allow local taxes such as property and market taxes; release funds on time and in sufficient amounts.
- Improve inter-department coordination and encourage community participation.
Exam angle
- Ministry: Panchayati Raj; index: PAI.
- Top-performing category named: frontrunners (699).
- State with most frontrunners: Gujarat.