Parliament Question: Panchayat Samiti and Zilla Parishad

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PANCHAYATI RAJ LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 430 ANSWERED ON 21.07.2026 PANCHAYAT SAMITI AND ZILLA PARISHAD

430. DR. THIRUMAAVALAVAN THOLKAPPIYAN:

Will the Minister of PANCHAYATI RAJ be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has the details about the Social-justice plans that are expected to be implemented by the Panchayats, Panchayat Samiti and the Zilla Parishad;

(b) if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether the Government has the details about the Social Justice plans that have been implemented, if any by the Panchayats, Panchayat Samiti and the Zilla Parishad; and

(d) if so, the details of implemented plans, State-wise? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF PANCHAYATI RAJ (SHRI RAJIV RANJAN SINGH)

(a) to (d) “Panchayat”, being “Local Government”, 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 which may vary from State to State, 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 included in the Eleventh Schedule to the Constitution. The State legislatures are to consider the 29 subjects illustratively set out in the Eleventh Schedule for devolution of power and responsibilities upon Panchayats. Accordingly, all functions of Panchayats, including preparation and implementation of plans for social justice etc., depends on the extent of powers and resources devolved to them by the States concerned, which varies across States.

The Ministry is implementing the e-Panchayat Mission Mode Project (MMP) under Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, which has significantly enhanced transparency, efficiency, and governance at the grassroots level. The eGramSwaraj application, developed as part of the e- 1Panchayat 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.

During the Financial Year 2025–26, 2,55,254 Gram Panchayats, 6149 Block Panchayats and 594 District Panchayats across the country, uploaded their Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs), Block Panchayat Development Plans (BPDPs) & District Panchayat Development Plans (DPDPs), respectively.

Further, under the Gram Panchayat Development Plan campaign, Gram Panchayats (GPs) prepare participatory development plans aligned with the nine themes of the Localized Sustainable Development Goals, including the 'Socially Secured GP' theme. For financial year 2025-26, 6428 GPs have taken Sankalp on the 'Socially Secured GP' theme. The details of State wise Sankalp taken by GPs on Socially Secured theme (2025-26) is placed at Annexure-I.

**** 2Annexure-I Annexure referred to in reply to part (a) to (d) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 430 for answer on 21.07.2026 Statewise Sankalp taken by GPs on Socially Secured GP theme (2025-26) Total Gram No. of GP with Sankalp in ‘Socially Secured GP’ State Name Panchayats theme Andhra Pradesh 13326 37 Arunachal Pradesh 2108 4 Assam 2657 0 Bihar 8052 100 Chhattisgarh 11693 360 Goa 191 1 Gujarat 14621 6 Haryana 6230 270 Himachal Pradesh 3615 1 Jharkhand 4347 12 Karnataka 5949 75 Kerala 941 5 Madhya Pradesh 23011 1002 Maharashtra 27998 126 Manipur 3811 0 Meghalaya 7020 0 Mizoram 854 0 Nagaland 1327 0 Odisha 6794 49 Punjab 13236 173 Rajasthan 11071 2243 Sikkim 199 1 Tamil Nadu 12480 580 Telangana 12760 10 Tripura 1194 3 Uttar Pradesh 57695 944 Uttarakhand 7812 35 West Bengal 3339 391 Total 264331 6428 3