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The Ministry of Panchayati Raj has renamed the Panchayat Development Index (PDI) as the Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI), a composite framework measuring the incremental performance of Gram Panchayats on the localisation of Sustainable Development Goals.
A total of 2.59 lakh Gram Panchayats and equivalent bodies across 33 States and Union Territories have been onboarded for PAI 2.0 covering FY 2023-24.
Not a single Gram Panchayat in any State or Union Territory secured the top A+ grade in PAI 2.0; Tripura recorded the largest number of A-grade Panchayats at 943.
Under the Revamped Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, 36,81,750 elected representatives and other stakeholders have been trained on LSDG themes between FY 2022-23 and FY 2026-27 (as on 10 July 2026).
For FY 2026-27, 1,56,019 Gram Panchayats had taken a 'Sankalp' for preparing their development plans as on 29 July 2026.
The seventeen Sustainable Development Goals are framed for nations, not for villages, and a Gram Panchayat sarpanch cannot act on a goal stated at that level of abstraction. The Ministry of Panchayati Raj therefore regrouped the goals into nine themes written in terms a Panchayat can actually plan around — poverty and livelihoods, a child-friendly village, a water-sufficient Panchayat, a clean and green Panchayat, and so on. The Panchayat Advancement Index then scores each Panchayat theme by theme and overall, so that the abstract global agenda becomes a scorecard with identifiable gaps. Two design points matter. First, the index measures incremental performance, so it rewards improvement rather than only absolute position — which is why a state with weak starting conditions can still register movement. Second, the scores feed back into planning: Gram Panchayats are asked to declare a 'Sankalp', prioritising the themes they will focus on, before preparing their Gram Panchayat Development Plans.
Simple Analogy: Seventeen national goals become nine village-sized questions, and the index is the report card that tells each village which of the nine it is failing.
Measure the incremental performance of Gram Panchayats across the nine LSDG themes and identify performance gaps
Key: Earlier called the Panchayat Development Index; provides theme-wise and overall scores through scorecards and dashboards; PAI 2.0 for FY 2023-24 covers 2.59 lakh Gram Panchayats across 33 States and UTs, graded A+ to D
Build the capacity of elected representatives and functionaries of Panchayati Raj Institutions
Key: A Centrally Sponsored Scheme implemented from FY 2022-23, covering basic orientation and refresher training, thematic training, specialised training and Panchayat development plan training; 36,81,750 representatives and stakeholders trained on LSDG themes between FY 2022-23 and FY 2026-27 as on 10 July 2026
Produce a participatory annual development plan at the Panchayat level
Key: Prepared through a thematic planning approach aligned with the nine LSDG themes; Panchayats first declare a 'Sankalp' identifying priority sectors. For FY 2026-27, as on 29 July 2026, 1,56,019 Gram Panchayats had taken Sankalp — 31,789 choosing Theme 4 (Water Sufficient Panchayat) and 32,806 choosing Theme 5 (Clean and Green Panchayat)
Fold sustainable farming practices into Panchayat-level planning
Key: Drip and sprinkler irrigation, watershed development, agroforestry and allied practices are integrated under Theme 4 (Water Sufficient Panchayat) and Theme 5 (Clean and Green Panchayat)
Gave constitutional status to rural local self-government by inserting Part IX, 'The Panchayats', covering Articles 243 to 243-O, and a new Eleventh Schedule listing 29 subjects that may be devolved to Panchayats. It came into effect on 24 April 1993, which is why the Ministry's flagship events fall on National Panchayati Raj Day
Lists the 29 subjects in respect of which State Legislatures may endow Panchayats with powers and responsibilities — the functional space within which the LSDG themes and Gram Panchayat Development Plans operate
NITI Aayog's SDG India Index scores States and districts; PAI carries the same logic down to the Gram Panchayat, which is the level at which most SDG-relevant services are actually delivered
Finance Commission grants to rural local bodies are tied to planning and accounting discipline, which is what GPDP preparation and the RGSA training effort are meant to build
Theme 4 and Theme 5 together absorb watershed development, micro-irrigation and agroforestry, making the Panchayat the delivery unit for climate-resilient agriculture
The Ministry runs eGramSwaraj as a separate work-based planning, accounting and monitoring system for Panchayats — it is not integrated with the SVAMITVA property-card exercise
GS Paper 2 > Polity > Local Self-Government; Governance > Government Policies
General Awareness > Indian Polity and Government Schemes
General Awareness > Polity and Schemes
Panchayati Raj and SDG localisation are recurring GS Paper 2 themes, and government indices are standard Prelims fare
Panchayat Advancement Index — the Ministry of Panchayati Raj's composite index scoring Gram Panchayats on the nine LSDG themes, formerly the Panchayat Development Index
Localization of Sustainable Development Goals — the nine-theme framework translating the SDGs into Panchayat-level targets
The declaration in which a Gram Panchayat identifies and prioritises its focus themes before preparing its development plan
Gram Panchayat Development Plan — the participatory annual plan prepared under the thematic LSDG approach
Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan — the Centrally Sponsored Scheme for capacity building and training of Panchayat representatives, revamped from FY 2022-23