The Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) recently released its year-end review for 2022, highlighting key achievements and initiatives aimed at the development of the Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI). This review provided insights into several programs launched by the ministry, including the SVAMITVA scheme, e-Gram Swaraj e-Financial Management System, and the Geo-Tagging of Assets, among others.
SVAMITVA Scheme
The Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas (SVAMITVA) is a central government initiative launched on National Panchayati Raj Day 2020. The scheme aims to stimulate rural India’s economic progression by providing every rural homeowner with “Record of Rights”. As of December 2022, drone mapping has been achieved in approximately 200,000 villages across the country. Furthermore, property cards have been prepared for all inhabited villages in Haryana and Uttarakhand.
e-Gram Swaraj e-Financial Management System
The e-Gram Swaraj system is a simplified work-based accounting tool for Panchayati Raj. It is designed to enhance Panchayat’s credibility by encouraging greater devolution of funds to Panchayati Raj Institutions and promoting transparency through decentralized planning, performance reporting, and work-based accounting.
Geo-Tagging of Assets
The MoPR developed “mActionSoft”, a mobile-based solution that enables Gram Panchayats to capture geo-tagged photographs of assets. By the end of 2022, about 205,000 photos of assets had been uploaded by the Gram Panchayats for activities undertaken under the Fifteenth Finance Commission.
Citizen Charter
To underscore the commitment of PRIs to their citizens regarding service standards, the Ministry has facilitated the uploading of Citizen Charter documents under the slogan, “Meri Panchayat Mera Adhikaar – Jan Sevaayein Hamaare Dwaar”. By December 2022, around 215,000 Gram Panchayats had uploaded their approved Citizen Charters, listing 952 services to citizens, 268 of which are delivered online.
Audit Online
To increase public visibility of Panchayat accounts, the Ministry initiated “AuditOnline”, an application designed for conducting online audits of Panchayat accounts relevant to Central Finance Commission Grants. This initiative aids not only in account auditing but also in maintaining digital records of completed audits.
Gram Urja Swaraj
This initiative aims to encourage the adoption of renewable energy at the Gram Panchayat level. To monitor PRIs’ interest in adopting renewable energy, the Ministry launched the Gram Urja Swaraj Portal in May 2022.
Revamped Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (2022-23 to 2025-26)
The renewed RGSA aims to reimagine PRIs as lively hubs of local self-governance, focusing on localizing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the grassroots level through a concerted “Whole of Government and Whole of Society” approach. It encompasses all states and union territories (UTs) in India. As of December 2022, Rs. 435.34 crores have been disbursed to 11 state and other implementing agencies, and training has been provided to over 13 lakh stakeholders, with details available on the Training Management Portal.
Although these achievements have made significant strides towards empowering grassroots governance in India, it is crucial to remain focused on the fundamental objective of the Panchayati Raj system: to ensure people’s participation in development and democratic decentralization. The establishment of PRI is not an automatic guarantee of political accountability, and though it aims to transfer resources to grassroots governance, financial mobilization is not its primary objective.
