A Ministry of Panchayati Raj study finds that village institutions in Nagaland focus mainly on welfare schemes, development and health.
KOHIMA — Village governance institutions in Nagaland primarily focus on welfare schemes, development priorities, health and literacy, while giving relatively little attention to issues such as Own Source Revenue (OSR) generation, drainage and sanitation, and livelihoods and employment, according to a national study.
The findings were published in the National Study Report on “Low Participation in Gram Sabha across States and Union Territories”, released in June 2026 by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
The study examined major categories of agenda items discussed during Gram Sabha meetings across surveyed regions.
In Nagaland, welfare schemes, identification of beneficiaries, development priorities, and health and literacy each accounted for 9.17 per cent of the agenda items discussed.
Annual budgets constituted 8.75 per cent, while identification of local issues and grievances and infrastructure development accounted for 7.50 per cent each.
Approval of Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs) made up 7.08 per cent of discussions.
However, issues such as social issues and social audits accounted for only 2.92 per cent each, while drainage and sanitation, and livelihoods and employment, constituted just 1.67 per cent each.
No discussions on OSR generation were reported.
Also read: Nagaland women among lowest in Gram Sabha participation
At the national level, the report noted that Gram Sabha discussions continue to be dominated by welfare delivery, local grievances, sanitation concerns and civic infrastructure-related issues affecting rural communities.
In contrast, agenda items relating to fiscal decentralisation, participatory monitoring and Panchayat Own Source Revenue generation receive comparatively less attention in many regions.
The analysis found that identification of local issues emerged as the most frequently discussed agenda category nationwide, followed by approval of GPDPs, sanitation-related matters, welfare schemes and beneficiary identification.
Discussions on development priorities, health and literacy, annual budgeting, infrastructure and livelihood issues were also reported in a significant number of Gram Sabha meetings.
Among the states, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh reported relatively higher levels of discussion on GPDP approval, while Kerala showed a stronger focus on health, literacy and sanitation-related issues.
Haryana and Gujarat placed greater emphasis on development priorities and infrastructure, while annual budgeting, social issues and livelihood concerns featured prominently in several other states.
The report observed that Gram Sabha institutions currently function more as platforms for local governance responses, welfare implementation and articulation of public issues within rural governance systems.
States such as Bihar, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand demonstrated comparatively stronger emphasis on GPDP-related discussions, indicating better integration of decentralised planning processes within Gram Sabha functioning.
Rajasthan reported greater focus on development priorities and social issues, while Haryana showed stronger attention to sanitation and infrastructure-related concerns.
Gujarat placed comparatively greater emphasis on health and literacy, whereas Jammu and Kashmir demonstrated a stronger orientation towards development priorities and local infrastructure.
The findings further indicate that welfare-oriented discussions continue to dominate Gram Sabha proceedings across several states, particularly in regions where dependence on welfare delivery systems and beneficiary-oriented governance remains high.