PANCHAYATI RAJ DEVOLUTION INDEX

Posted On: 18 MAR 2026 3:02PM by PIB Delhi &ldquo;Panchayat&rdquo;, being &ldquo;Local Government&rdquo;, is a State subject and part of State List of Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India. Panchayats are set up and operate through the respective State Panchayati Raj Acts. States have made their own Panchayati Raj Act, subject to the provisions of the Constitution. Article 243G of the Constitution empowers the Legislature of a State to make provisions, by law, for the devolution of power and responsibilities upon Panchayat at appropriate level, subject to such conditions as may be specified, with respect to the preparation of plans for economic development and social justice and implementation of schemes for economic development and social justice as may be entrusted to them including those in relation to matters listed in the Eleventh Schedule to the Constitution. The State legislatures are to consider the 29 subjects listed in the Eleventh Schedule for devolution of power and responsibilities upon Panchayats.Accordingly, the performance of Panchayats depends on the extent of powers and resources devolved to them by the States concerned, which varies across States. However, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj reviews performance of Panchayats, from time to time, through studies, review meetings, field visits, video conferencing, Information Technology applications etc. The Ministry has released a report titled &ldquo;Status of Devolution to Panchayats in States - An Indicative Evidence-Based Ranking, 2024&rdquo; in February 2025 to assess the effectiveness of devolution and the role of local governments in strengthening grassroots democracy. This report presents the Devolution Index, which provides the overall scores and ranks for all States/Union Territories covered under Part-IX of the Constitution, based on six identified dimensions: Framework, Functions, Finances, Functionaries, Capacity Enhancement, and Accountability. As per this report, the State of Madhya Pradesh has ranked 12 th position among 18 general category States. The Ministry has been rolling out People’s Plan Campaign as ‘Sabki Yojana Sabka Vikas’ since 2018 for preparation of evidence based, holistic and inclusive Development Plans at the grassroots level in structured manner for the next financial year through people’s participation at various levels of Panchayati Raj Institutions including Gram/Village Panchayats, Block/Intermediate Panchayats and District Panchayats. The campaign aims to give impetus to the process of attainment of Localized Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs) at the grassroots, which, in turn, leads to the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals in rural areas. Since the inception of the revamped Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA),the number of Block Panchayat Development Plan (BPDP) is as follows (as on 13 th March 2026): Financial year Total number of block Panchayat/equivalent Total number of plans uploaded 2022-23 6752 6332 2023-24 6759 6144 2024-25 6808 6141 2025-26 6792 5638 Data source: https://egramswaraj.gov.in/approveActionPlanData.do As of date, no complaints have been received from States/UTs regarding constraints encountered at the Block level during the preparation of Panchayat Development Plans. The Ministry is implementing the e-Panchayat Mission Mode Project (MMP) under RGSA, which has significantly enhanced transparency, efficiency, and governance at the grassroots level. The eGramSwaraj application, developed as part of the e-Panchayat MMP, has facilitated digital planning, accounting, monitoring, and online payments at the Panchayat level. The integration of eGramSwaraj with the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) enables real-time payments to vendors and service providers, ensuring seamless fund flow and reducing delays. As on 11.03.2026, during the current Financial Year 2025&ndash;26, 2,54,604 Gram Panchayats and equivalent (96.36%), out of a total of 2,64,211 Gram Panchayats and equivalent across the country, have uploaded their Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs) on eGramSwaraj. Additionally, 2,42,871 Gram Panchayats and equivalent (91.92%) have transferred ₹38,491 crore payments through the eGramSwaraj&ndash;PFMS interface. The State-wise adoption status of eGramSwaraj for the XV Finance Commission for the Financial Year 2025-26 is provided in the Annexure-I . Furthermore, the Ministry has strengthened the e-GramSwaraj platform through integration with other national digital platforms. Integration with the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) facilitates transparent, efficient and rule-based procurement by Gram Panchayats. Integration with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) enables Gram Panchayats to apply for internet connectivity at the Panchayat level. Integration with BHASHINI enables multilingual access to e-GramSwaraj. In addition, integration of weather forecast information supports timely decision-making, particularly in the areas of agriculture and disaster preparedness. ANNEXURE-I State-wise adoption status of eGramSwaraj for the XV Finance Commission for Financial Year 2025-26 S.No State Name Total Number of Village Panchayats & Equivalent Village Panchayat onboard Village Panchayats & Equivalent With Online Payment Total Number of Block Panchayats & Equivalent Block Panchayat onboard Block Panchayats With Online Payment Total Number of Zila Panchayats & Equivalent Zila Panchayat onboard Zila Panchayats With Online Payment 1 Andhra Pradesh 13327 13320 13025 660 660 649 13 13 13 2 Arunachal Pradesh 2108 2108 1486 0 0 0 27 26 22 3 Assam 2663 2186 2075 182 182 179 30 29 27 4 Bihar 8054 8054 8047 534 534 529 38 38 38 5 Chhattisgarh 11692 11687 11313 146 146 146 33 33 27 6 Goa 191 191 116 0 0 0 2 2 2 7 Gujarat 14619 14596 13800 248 248 248 33 33 33 8 Haryana 6227 6227 6010 143 143 141 22 22 22 9 Himachal Pradesh 3615 3615 3562 92 81 81 12 12 12 10 Jharkhand 4345 4345 4252 264 264 262 24 24 24 11 Karnataka 5949 5949 5938 238 232 93 31 31 23 12 Kerala 941 941 937 152 152 152 14 14 14 13 Madhya Pradesh 23011 23011 22194 313 313 309 52 52 52 14 Maharashtra 28002 27934 26438 351 351 265 34 34 33 15 Manipur 3175 161 113 0 0 0 12 6 4 16 Meghalaya 6884 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 3 17 Mizoram 855 841 817 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 Nagaland 1312 984 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 Odisha 6794 6794 6785 314 314 313 30 30 30 20 Punjab 13236 13233 12341 155 152 150 23 23 22 21 Rajasthan 13128 11184 10774 361 353 351 37 33 33 22 Sikkim 199 199 196 0 0 0 6 6 6 23 Tamil Nadu 12482 12482 12437 388 388 388 36 36 36 <span st