New Delhi, Jun 28 (PTI) A ‘Panchayat Development Index’ has been formulated by the Centre to evaluate different indicators responsible for ensuring targeted development in villages, Minister of State for Panchayati Raj, Kapil Moreshwar Patil said on Wednesday. The Index will be a compact statistical tool to measure and monitor development at panchayat level. On a pilot basis, data from four districts in Maharashtra — Pune, Sangli, Satara and Solapur — was compiled. Patil along with Panchayati Raj secretary Sunil Kumar and other government officials launched a report of the Panchayat Development Index Committee which will provide a way forward with Localisation of Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs). “This is a huge achievement. Many times, even the sarpanch is not aware of where they stand in terms of development. The pilot project happened in four districts of Maharashtra, now they know where they are lacking,” the minister said. “It will also help in preparing a roadmap for the future. There are nine themes, including health, education, employment, and water, identified by the United Nations as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Once we achieve the Panchayat Development Index (PDI), we will be able to create villages that have all amenities that a city has,” he said. Secretary Panchayati Raj Kumar said the PDI will provide a matrix to monitor the progress of panchayats through the scores achieved by them, and the panchayats will be graded on that basis. “PDI is the logical culmination of the efforts of the last 10 years. It will tell what happens to the money that is spent on development, its outcome and what needs to be focused upon,” he said. “The pilot study has shown how no attention has been paid on certain themes. Like how can a panchayat be women-friendly, or what kind of development is needed,” he said. The PDI ranks panchayats on the basis of scores, and categorises them into four grades. Those with score under 40 per cent fall in grade D, 40-60 per cent in grade C, 60-75 per cent in grade B, 75 to 90 per cent in category A, while those scoring above 90 per cent will be categorised as A+. The pilot study showed 70 per cent of the panchayats in the four districts of Maharashtra are in category C, while 27 per cent are in category B. Around 53 per cent of the gram panchayats in the state fall in grade D when it comes to water sufficiency, and 36 per cent fall in grade D.
Around 30 per cent panchayats are in grade B in being clean and green villages, and 30 panchayats in grade C when it comes to being women-friendly. The Ministry of Panchayati Raj had constituted a committee for preparation of the Panchayat Development Index which included members from different ministries and departments of Union and state governments. The Local Indicators Framework on nine themes of Localization of Sustainable Development Goals was prepared for developing the measures of Panchayat Development Index and other SDGs progress. The nine themes taken into account are poverty free and enhanced livelihood in village, healthy village, child friendly village, water sufficient village, clean and green village, village with self-sufficient infrastructure, socially just and socially secured villages, village with good governance, and women friendly village. The ministry has also approved the revamped Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan for implementation from 2022-23 to 2025-26 with the focus on capacity building and training of elected representatives and functionaries to strengthen the Panchayati Raj Institutions.
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