Executive Summary:
This document presents the Indian government's response to questions regarding the functioning of Gram Panchayats. It outlines the support provided by the central government through the Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) scheme, focusing on infrastructure development and computerization. The document also details the Special Gram Sabha cum Orientation Programmes conducted and the role of Young Fellows in these initiatives. The data provided is as of July 22, 2025.
Key Points / Main Content:
* **Panchayat Infrastructure and Computerization:**
* The primary responsibility for Panchayat infrastructure development and computerization lies with State/UT governments.
* The Ministry of Panchayati Raj supplements state efforts through the RGSA scheme, with a focus on North Eastern States.
* The RGSA scheme provides assistance for Panchayat Bhawans and computer peripherals.
* Construction of 12,940 Gram Panchayat Bhawans and procurement of 52,562 computers have been approved under the scheme.
* Annexure I provides State/UT-wise details of Gram Panchayats with and without Panchayat Buildings.
* **Special Gram Sabha cum Orientation Programmes:**
* These programs aim to mobilize citizens, elected representatives (ERs), and Panchayati Raj (PR) officials to raise awareness about government initiatives, schemes, or projects.
* Specific programs focused on:
* October 2, 2024: GPDP, Localisation of SDGs (LSDGs), Sankalp by Gram Panchayats, and Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign.
* November 15-26, 2024 (Janjatiya Gaurav Divas): PESA Act and Forest Rights Act (FRA).
* January 18, 2025: SVAMITVA Scheme.
* March 8, 2025 (International Women's Day): Developing selected Gram Panchayats as Women-Friendly Panchayats.
* Annexure II provides State/UT-wise details of organized Special Gram Sabha cum Orientation Programmes.
* **Role of Young Fellows:**
* Young Fellows are engaged in select Gram Panchayat clusters under Ministry initiatives.
* They act as Nodal Officer-cum-Coordinator for Special Gram Sabha events within their clusters.
* Responsibilities include planning, execution, logistics coordination, ensuring IEC material availability, supporting elected representatives and Panchayat functionaries, and uploading program-related data.
* Young Fellows also work to ensure community participation, smooth conduct of Gram Sabha, and proper documentation.
Impact Analysis:
* **State/UT Governments:**
* *Impact:* Responsible for infrastructure development and computerization in Panchayats.
* *Action Required:* Utilize RGSA scheme to supplement efforts in building Panchayat infrastructure and procuring computers.
* **Elected Representatives (ERs) and Panchayati Raj (PR) Officials:**
* *Impact:* Involved in Special Gram Sabha cum Orientation Programmes for awareness and information dissemination.
* *Action Required:* Participate in and support the organization of these programs.
* **Citizens:**
* *Impact:* Beneficiaries of increased awareness and information regarding government initiatives.
* *Action Required:* Participate in Special Gram Sabhas to stay informed and contribute to local governance.
* **Young Fellows:**
* *Impact:* Play a crucial role in planning, executing, and coordinating Special Gram Sabha events.
* *Action Required:* Fulfill responsibilities as Nodal Officer-cum-Coordinator, ensuring effective community participation and proper documentation.
Key Entities Referenced
Gram Panchayats: Local self-government institutions at the village level in India.
Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan RGSA: A Centrally Sponsored Scheme aimed at strengthening Panchayati Raj Institutions.
Panchayati Raj PR: A system of local self-government in India at the village or small town level.
7th Schedule of the Constitution: A section of the Indian Constitution that defines the powers and responsibilities of the Union and State governments.
Special Gram Sabha cum Orientation Programme: Government programs focused on mass mobilization, awareness, and disseminating information about specific initiatives and schemes.
GPDP: Gram Panchayat Development Plan focused planning at local government level
PESA Act: Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act.
SVAMITVA Scheme: A scheme focused on surveying villages and mapping inhabited land using drone technology
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRYOF PANCHAYATI RAJ
LOK SABHA
UNSTARREDQUESTION NO. 430
ANSWEREDON 22/07/2025
FUNCTIONING OFGRAM PANCHAYATS
430.SHRIBASAVARAJ BOMMAI:
Will the Minister of PANCHAYATIRAJ be pleased to state:
(a) whether number of Gram Panchayats that are functioning with/without Panchayat
Buildings inthe country, State-wise,if so, the detailsthereof;
(b) whether the Government has taken any steps to construct Panchayat Buildings in all the
Gram Panchayatsinthe country, if so, the detailsthereof;
(c) whether any steps are being taken by the Government for the computerization of all
Gram Panchayatsoffices inthe country;
(d) if so, the detailsthereofandif not, the reasons therefor;
(e) the number of Gram-Panchayats that were covered under the Special Gram Sabha cum
Orientation Programme and the areas that were focussed upon in the Training
Programme;and
(f) the details of the role played by the young fellows from Panchayti Raj and its
representatives?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OFSTATE FORPANCHAYATI RAJ
(Prof.S.P. SINGH BAGHEL)
(a)to(d) LocalSelf Government andVillage Administration beingthe State subject underthe
7th Schedule of the Constitution, the primary responsibility for infrastructure development,
including computerization, in Panchayats lies with States/UTs. However, under the
Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA), the Ministry
supplements the efforts of States and UTs in building Panchayat infrastructure, at a limited
scale, with particular focus on the North Eastern States. Under this Scheme, the Ministry
provides assistance for key infrastructure elements within Panchayats, including the
1Panchayat Bhawan and Computers & peripherals. Under the scheme, construction of 12940
Gram Panchayat Bhawan and Procurement of 52562 computers have been approved to
States/UTs so far.
As per information available, State/UT-wise details of Gram Panchayats with/without
PanchayatBuildingsisattached at Annexure-I.
(e) The Special Gram Sabha cum-Orientation Programmes are organised with a clear focus
on specific initiatives, schemes, or projects of the Government. These programmes serve as
platformsfor mass mobilization of citizens,electedrepresentatives(ERs), andPanchayati Raj
(PR) officials, with the objective of raising awareness and disseminating key information
about the relevant scheme, initiative, or project. Details of Special Gram Sabha cum-
OrientationProgrammes were organisedondifferent occasionare asunder:
(i) 2nd October 2024: Focused on GPDP, Localisation of SDGs (LSDGs), Sankalp by
Gram Panchayatsfor focused planning,and Ek PedMaa Ke Naam campaign.
(ii)15–26November2024(JanjatiyaGauravDivas): CoveredPESAAct andForestRights
Act (FRA).
(iii)18thJanuary 2025: Organizedonthe theme of the SVAMITVAScheme.
(iv) 8th March 2025 (International Women’s Day): Special Gram Sabhas held in selected
Gram Panchayatsaimedat developingthemasWomen-FriendlyPanchayats.
The State-wise details of the special Gram Sabha cum-Orientation Programmes
organised andcapturedthrough online platform isat Annexure-II.
(f) Young Fellows (Panchayati Raj Associates) are engagedunder the Ministry’sinitiatives in
select Gram Panchayat clusters. If a selected Panchayatfor a SpecialGram Sabha fallswithin
a Young Fellow’s cluster, they act as the Nodal Officer-cum-Coordinator for that event. In
this capacity, they assist in planning and execution of the programme, coordinate logistics
such as venue selection and participant mobilization, ensure availability of IEC materials
(posters, banners, flip charts), support elected representatives and Panchayat functionaries in
organizing the event, anduploadprogramme-related data andreportson the Ministry’sonline
platform.
Additionally, Young Fellows work with Elected Representatives to ensure effective
community participation, smooth conduct of the Gram Sabha, and proper documentation of
discussions andoutcomes.
****
2Annexure-I
Annexreferto inreply to Part(a) to (d)of theLok Sabha UnstarredQuestionNo. 430to
beansweredon 22/07/2025
State/UT-wise details of Gram Panchayatswith/without PanchayatBuildings
Sl. Name of theState/UTs Total GPswith Bhawan GPswithoutGP
No GPs/TLBs Bhawan
1 Andhra Pradesh 13371 12139 1232
2 Arunachal Pradesh 2108 1182 926
3 Assam 2192 1934 258
4 Bihar 8053 1548 6505
5 Chhattisgarh 11693 11623 70
6 Goa 191 183 8
7 Gujarat 14648 12047 2601
8 Haryana 6227 2690 3537
9 HimachalPradesh 3615 3537 78
10 Jammu andKashmir 4291 3964 327
11 Jharkhand 4345 4247 98
12 Karnataka 5948 5690 258
13 Kerala 941 940 1
14 Madhya Pradesh 23011 21556 1455
15 Maharashtra 27943 23454 4489
16 Manipur 161 134 27
17 Meghalaya 6431 5372 1059
18 Mizoram 834 470 364
19 Nagaland 1315 753 562
20 Odisha 6794 5576 1218
21 Punjab 13236 8329 4907
22 Rajasthan 11193 11193 0
23 Sikkim 199 185 14
24 Tamil Nadu 12525 11694 831
25 Telangana 12848 10160 2688
26 Tripura 606 588 18
27 Uttar Pradesh 57691 55058 2633
28 Uttarakhand 7817 7037 780
29 West Bengal 3339 3252 87
UnionTerritories
1 Andaman& Nicobar 70 68 2
2 The Dadra And Nagar Haveli 42 42 0
And DamanAnd Diu
3 Lakshadweep 10 10 0
4 Ladakh 193 185 8
5 Puducherry 108 108 0
Total 263989 226948 37041
3Annexure-II
Annexreferto inreplyto Part(e)of the Lok SabhaUnstarredQuestion No. 430 to be
answered on22/07/2025
State/UT-wisedetails of specialGramSabhacum-Orientation Programmes
Sl. State/UT 2nd October, 15-26 18th January, 8th March,
No. 2024 November, 2025 2025
2024
1 Andhra Pradesh 13 269 0 0
2 Assam 5 328 0 26
3 Arunachal Pradesh 19 7 0 0
4 Andaman& Nicobar 0 0 0 2
5 Bihar 85 297 0 38
6 Chhattisgarh 86 4626 850 0
7 Goa 1 14 0 0
8 The Dadra and Nagar Haveli 2 26 0 3
andDamanandDiu
9 Gujarat 16 2388 394 32
10 Haryana 1 0 0 13
11 HimachalPradesh 11 87 27 11
12 Jammu & Kashmir 0 215 174 20
13 Jharkhand 103 0 0 0
14 Karnataka 10 364 0 31
15 Kerala 2 40 0 14
16 Ladakh 0 98 22 2
17 Madhya Pradesh 71 6807 8143 47
18 Maharashtra 45 0 1054 32
19 Manipur 2 143 0 6
20 Meghalaya 1 994 0 12
21 Mizoram 1 332 4 10
22 Nagaland 2 507 0 11
23 Odisha 69 2278 3 3
24 Punjab 0 0 117 18
25 Rajasthan 28 2090 1000 28
26 Tamil Nadu 11 125 0 32
27 Telangana 12 440 0 22
28 Sikkim 22 5 0 0
29 Tripura 5 297 0 8
30 Uttar Pradesh 54 291 21527 74
31 Uttarakhand 10 109 0 10
32 West Bengal 4 572 0 20
Total 691 23749 33315 525
****
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