PANCHAYAT DEVELOPMENT INDEX

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj has introduced the Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI), formerly the Panchayat Development Index, as a composite framework to assess Gram Panchayats across nine themes of localized Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs). For FY 2023‑24, 2.59 lakh Gram Panchayats/ equivalents from 33 states/UTs were onboarded onto PAI 2.0, with grades A+ to D detailed in Annexure‑I. No special incentive fund was created for ‘Frontrunner’ Panchayats in the 2026‑27 budget. Under the Revamped Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) scheme, 36,81,750 elected representatives and stakeholders were trained on LSDG themes from FY 2022‑23 to FY 2026‑27 (Annexure‑II). For FY 2026‑27, 1,56,019 Gram Panchayats took "Sankalp" for GPDP preparation, with 31,789 focusing on Theme 4 (Water‑Sufficient) and 32,806 on Theme 5 (Clean and Green). No collaboration with UNDP is reported.