The roots of India are its Panchayats, and the soul of those Panchayats today is its women. On 24 April 1993, the 73rd Constitutional Amendment gave constitutional recognition to village governance.
Share
Prof. S.P. Singh Baghel
When a nation nurtures its roots, its branches reach for the sky. The roots of India are its Panchayats, and the soul of those Panchayats today is its women. On 24 April 1993, the 73rd Constitutional Amendment gave constitutional recognition to village governance, writing a new chapter in Indian democracy. Over three decades later, Panchayati Raj Institutions have evolved far beyond administrative units – they have become living laboratories of social transformation, economic development and democratic participation.
Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Panchayati Raj has been infused with new energy and purpose. He has ensured that power reaches not merely the corridors of Delhi, but the doorstep of the last village in the country. The vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 is built on the foundation of over 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats, which serve as the lifeline for nearly 64 percent of India’s population.
The School of Democracy: The Rise of Women’s Leadership
National Panchayati Raj Day 2026 is being celebrated with a special sense of pride. At the Nari Shakti Vandan Sammelan, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi called Panchayati Raj Institutions the greatest school of women’s leadership in the country – an acknowledgment of a transformation that unfolds every single day across rural India.
Across the country, the total number of elected representatives in Panchayati Raj Institutions exceeds 32 lakh. As per the latest available data, of the 24,41,781 elected representatives currently in office, 12,14,885 are women, accounting for nearly 49.75 percent of the total. Twenty-one States and two Union Territories have extended reservation for women to 50 percent, going beyond the constitutionally mandated one-third.
Over the past four years, 33.50 lakh women representatives have received specialised leadership and governance training. In 2025–26 alone, 9.37 lakh women representatives were trained – a 47.7 percent increase over the previous year. Their focused work on education, health, sanitation, nutrition and women’s safety has given rural development a new and purposeful direction.
Sashakt Panchayat Netri Abhiyan and the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam
The Sashakt Panchayat Netri Abhiyan equips elected women representatives with awareness of their constitutional rights, responsibilities and leadership capabilities. Complementary initiatives – Women-Friendly Gram Panchayat and Nirbhay Raho, implemented under the Nirbhaya Fund – integrate legal awareness, social sensitisation and technological empowerment to build a safe environment for women in rural governance.
The Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, envisaging 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies, permanently anchors their role in Indian democracy. The women leaders forged in the school of Panchayats will become the harbingers of change in legislatures and Parliament.
Sixteenth Finance Commission: A Quantum Jump in Resources
Financial empowerment is the lifeblood of any institution's effectiveness. The Sixteenth Finance Commission has made an unprecedented allocation of INR 4.35 lakh crore for rural local bodies for 2026 to 2031 – approximately 84 percent higher than the Fifteenth Finance Commission.
In 2026–27 alone, grants of INR 1.40 lakh crore have been allocated. The thrust on Own Sources of Revenue (OSR) and performance-based grants has together fostered accountability and healthy competition among Panchayats.
Inclusive and Transparent Governance
The guiding mantra of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas aur Sabka Prayas underlies every initiative of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj. Through the eGramSwaraj platform, Gram Panchayats have cumulatively processed online payments of over INR 3 lakh crore, with more than 2.5 lakh Panchayats and 1.6 crore vendors linked to the platform.
Under the Gram Panchayat Development Plan framework, over 2.5 lakh Panchayats prepared their own development plans in 2025–26, localising the Sustainable Development Goals across 9 thematic clusters to make inclusive and sustainable development in rural areas target-oriented and outcome-focused.
PESA Rankings: A New Chapter in Governance of Scheduled Areas
In a landmark initiative, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, for the first time, released State-wise rankings on the performance of States under the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA) for 2024–25 on 25 January 2026. The rankings aim to promote healthy competition, strengthen transparency and accountability, and reinforce Gram Sabha–based self-governance in Scheduled Areas.
In the 2024–25 rankings, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh emerged as frontrunners; Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Telangana were placed in the performer category, while Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat featured in the aspirant category. The rankings cover all ten PESA States and are intended as a constructive tool to highlight progress, institutional capacity and future potential.
In the spirit of cooperative federalism, the Ministry continues to work closely with States to support the effective implementation of PESA.
Sabha Saar and AI-Enabled Governance: Democracy in Every Language
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj has brought artificial intelligence to the heart of grassroots governance. Sabha Saar, launched on 14 August 2025, is an AI-powered voice-to-text tool that records Gram Sabha proceedings in 23 Indian languages.
By January 2026, 1,11,486 Gram Panchayats had already adopted it – language is no longer a barrier to participation in local governance.
SVAMITVA: Economic Empowerment through Property Rights
The SVAMITVA Scheme has established property rights through drone-based surveys across approximately 3.30 lakh villages, with over 3.13 crore property cards prepared. It is linking rural households with bank credit and the formal financial system, enabling property to be leveraged as an economic asset, reducing land and property-related disputes, and emerging as a sustainable and transparent source of revenue for Gram Panchayats.
Building Institutional Capacity
Under the Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, a cumulative total of over 1.62 crore elected representatives and functionaries have been trained since 2022–23 – with over 45.24 lakh trained in 2025–26 alone.
Partnerships with IIMs and IITs for Leadership and Management Development Programmes reflect a commitment to equipping Panchayat leaders with modern governance skills.
Under the Meri Panchayat, Mera Adhikar campaign, over 2.15 lakh Panchayats have prepared citizen charters covering 954 services. The National Panchayat Awards recognise excellence and inspire a culture of continuous improvement.
Viksit Bharat 2047: A New Dawn Rising from the Villages
The vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 encompasses social justice, environmental balance and inclusive progress – not economic growth alone. Women’s participation reaching 50 percent in 21 States, digital transactions of over INR 3 lakh crore, the voice of Gram Sabhas resonating in 23 languages, the historic allocations of the Sixteenth Finance Commission, and the Sashakt Panchayat Netri Abhiyan – together these are the building blocks upon which the edifice of Viksit Bharat 2047 will rise.
On this occasion of National Panchayati Raj Day, we salute the more than 14 lakh women representatives who work tirelessly every day to make their villages and their country a better place. This is Nari Shakti. This is the preparation of Naya Bharat.
(The author is Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj)