Panchayati Raj Diwas: 49.75% women leaders mark their presence in local governance
Singh said around 2.18 lakh gram panchayats are service-ready today, with nearly 2.14 lakh already connected
India has embraced local governance with over 2.5 lakh panchayats and 24.04 lakh elected representatives, including 49.75% women, the government said on Rashtriya Panchayati Raj Diwas on Friday.
It also said that over 95% of villages now have 3G/4G connectivity, while common service centres, run by over 6.5 lakh village level entrepreneurs (VLEs), provide easy access to digital services.
Local self-governance and power decentralisation in the country is observed as National Panchayati Raj Diwas on this day every year.This day commemorates the establishment of the Panchayati Raj System as a formal structure of local self-governance. It also marks the implementation of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, which came into force in 1993.
Union Minister of Panchayati Raj Rajiv Ranjan Singh launched the Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI)–2.0 along with three illustrated publications under the Panchayat Dharohar initiative.
"The Panchayati Raj system strengthens democracy at the local level. It enables social and political empowerment by bringing governance closer to the people. The importance of this system is best seen in everyday life. In many villages, small needs like repairing a handpump, building a drainage system, or fixing a school classroom directly affect daily living. Earlier, such issues often waited for long approvals from distant offices. With Panchayati Raj Institutions, decision-making has moved closer to the people," he said.
Singh said around 2.18 lakh gram panchayats are service-ready today, with nearly 2.14 lakh already connected. He added that drone survey has been completed in 3.29 lakh villages out of the targeted 3.44 lakh villages, as on March 11.
He noted that the central government has been successful in creating 3.10 crore property cards for 1.87 lakh villages, out of which 2.65 crore cards have been distributed.
The theme for this year's Panchayati Raj Day is ‘Sashakt Panchayat, Sarvangeen Vikas’. The theme focuses on strengthening the local bodies to ensure inclusive and balanced development. Panchayats are now playing an important role in implementing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the grassroots level.
The major initiative is also to support the vision of e-GramSwaraj designed to enhance transparency, accountability and efficiency in Panchayat operations.
With digital governance gaining momentum day by day in India, the rural administration is becoming more streamlined and accessible.
