Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) is an instrument to measure the performance and progress of each of the 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats (GP) in the country on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Each GP can assess its level of development through the PAI and compare its performance with other GPs of the Block, District or State. It is a powerful tool for evidence-based planning at Panchayat level through identified development indicators across 9 themes of localization of sustainable development goals (LSDGs).

 

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) act as a global blueprint for peace and prosperity, for people and the planet. India being a signatory to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 Agenda, is committed to achieve 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 Targets which encompasses the motto of inclusive development of Government “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” - development through collective efforts.

 

Panchayats, being the 3rd tier of Government, are poised to play a significant role in good governance and in achieving the 2030 Agenda of SDGs.Considering the importance of issues related to development in rural areas viz. poverty eradication, food security, health& nutrition, education, gender equality, access to safe water and sanitation etc., it had been imperative to localize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the Panchayat level.

 

Ministry of Panchayati Raj has, accordingly, anchored the process of localization of sustainable development goals through thematic approach aggregating 17 Goals of Sustainable Development in collaboration with Union Ministries/ Departments, State Governments, UN Agencies, Academic Institutions and Panchayati Raj Institutions(PRIs) embodying the spirit of Whole of Government and Whole of Society approach. The thematic approach has been taken to cover most relevant SDGs in 9 themes so that Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) can easily relate to and comprehend the SDGs through those themes with Local Targets aligned to the National Targets & provide holistic vision for the Panchayats. The progress of PRIs in attainment of LSDGs will, in turn, lead to attainment of SDGs.

 

Following are the themes for Localization of Sustainable Development Goals.

 

• Theme 1: Poverty Free and Enhanced Livelihoods in Panchayat
• Theme 2: Healthy Panchayat
• Theme 3: Child-Friendly Panchayat
• Theme 4: Water Sufficient Panchayat
• Theme 5: Clean and Green Panchayat
• Theme 6: Panchayat with Self-Sufficient Infrastructure
• Theme 7: Socially Just and Socially Secured Panchayat
• Theme 8: Panchayat with Good Governance
• Theme 9: Women Friendly Panchayat

 

With the landmark initiative of the Ministry to localize the SDGs and work for their attainment through the PRIs, the measure of the progress on the LSDGs in rural areas through Panchayats needs to be assessed and measured at the local Government level. However, till now there was no instrument to assess such progress. Hence a need was felt to have an evidence-based mechanism based on Local Indicator Framework (LIF) for evaluation and assessment of progress of PRIs in achieving the LSDGs and ultimately the SDGs.

 

Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) has been formulated based on 435 unique local indicators framework (LIF) across 9 themes aligned with National Indicator Framework (NIF) of Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation’s (MoSPI). Thematic scores across nine themes of Localized Sustainable Development Goals, obtained in preparation of PAI and the composite PAI score of the Gram Panchayats will help to assess their progress in achieving localized SDGs. These scores range between 0–100.

 

PAI score will help in tracking the Gram Panchayats’ progress on development goals across nine themes as well as overall (through composite PAI score). Based on the scores achieved by different Gram Panchayats, they will grade into one of the following – Achiever: A+(90+), Front Runner: A (75 to below 90); Performer: B (60 to below 75); Aspirant:  C (40 to below 60) and Beginners: D (0 to below 40).

 

PAI Scoring Matrix

The scoring system categorizes performance into five levels: "Achiever" (90-100, grade A+, blue), "Front Runner" (75-90, grade A, green), "Performer" (60-75, grade B, amber), "Aspirant" (40-60, grade C, orange), and "Beginner" (0-40, grade D, red).   Grade Score Range Achiever A+ 90 - 100 Front Runner A 75 - below 90 Performer B 60 - below 75 Aspirant C 40 - below 60 Beginner D Below 40

 

PAI would spur competitive spirit amongst the Panchayats for achieving developmental goals and for scaling up their efforts with proper visibility, thereby accelerating the pace of holistic development across the sectors.

 

The launch of the PAI FY 2022-23 provides a baseline data to set local targets & local action points in preparation of thematic Gram Panchayat Development Plan by converging different resources through structured institutional mechanisms involving all stakeholders. Baseline status shows the status on defined measured indicators of Panchayat which would spur them to take action to achieve local goals with support from line departments and other key stakeholders.

 

Objectives of Panchayat Advancement Index

 

• Measure incremental progress on LSDGs using scores of GP over years.
• Grading of Panchayats based on performance in achieving LSDGs.
• Evidence Based Assessment and Planning – by identifying gaps based on evidence, better planning can be done to reduce/bridge the gap.
• Better method for Incentivization on developmental progress. Ministry of Panchayati raj is using the data of PAI for incentivization. States can also adopt the same system for incentivization of Panchayats
• States/Districts can compare GPs on LSDG thematic scores on each theme & Composite PAI scores.
• Promotes healthy competition among Rural Local Bodies to achieve local goals.
• Strengthens the commitment to "Leaving No One Behind".
• Drives “Data for Development” (D4D) and tracks scheme progress at the GP level

Local Indicator Framework (LIF)

 

Based on the 17 Sustainable Goals, 169 Targets and 231 Global Distinct Indicators, India has developed its National Indicator Framework (NIF) for measuring progress of SDGs for the country. Currently, MoSPI has published 290 NIFs in the FY 2024-25. 113 National Indicators have been used to prepare SDG India Index Report 2023-24. In the similar line, PAI uses 435 unique local Indicators (331 mandatory & 104 optional) consisting of 566 unique data points across 9 themes of LSDGs involving. LIFs are visualized as backbone of monitoring the attainment of SDGs through 9 Themes of LSDGs at Panchayat level.

 

Process in Panchayat Advancement Index

 

Ministry has developed dedicated PAI Portal (www.pai.gov.in) which is a comprehensive database management application for online entry of data by the Gram Panchayats which is subjected to rigorous validation at different levels before computation of thematic and composite PAI scores. Over 2.55 lakh Gram panchayats have entered data in the portal. Out of these, data of over 2.16 lakh Gram panchayats from 29 States/ UTs have been received after due validation by the States/UTs. Only those Panchayats have been included in preparation of PAI whose data has been duly validated by the State/UT concerned. PAI Data of 11,712 Gram Panchayats (GPs)/Traditional Local Bodies (TLBs) from 5 States/UTs (Meghalaya, Nagaland, Goa, Puducherry, and West Bengal) have not duly validated by the concerned State/UT.

Convergence with Union Ministry/ Department (Auto-ported Data)

In the development of the Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI), collaboration with various line ministries and departments has been crucial for comprehensive data collection and analysis. Discussions with these entities focused on identifying relevant data points, indicators, and the availability of data at the Gram Panchayat (GP) level, ensuring compliance with the Local Government Directory (LGD).

Certain line ministries were particularly supportive, facilitating data sharing to ensure that the PAI could be effectively constructed. In total, data corresponding to 137 data points were shared by various ministries and departments as mentioned in below table. This collaborative approach not only enriched the data available for PAI calculations but also reinforced inter-ministerial cooperation, ensuring that the PAI reflects a comprehensive and accurate analysis of Gram Panchayats.

 

PAI is an excellent example of convergence of the Ministries/Departments in terms of data sharing and will help to review and build the robust monitoring system in convergence & collaborative efforts of all Key Ministries / Departments, Knowledge Partners, and Panchayats for evidence-based policy at the grassroots for effective public service delivery. It is designed as a robust, user-friendly, and multilingual interface for efficient information management

Conclusion

PAI is akin to report card of the performance of Panchayats in rural areas in achieving their goals of sustainable development.With grading framework, the PAI is also expected to trigger positive and healthy competition among Panchayats.It will also be an extremely useful tool for other Union Ministries/Departments to assess the outcome of their schemes and plan future developments based on evidence along particular LSDG themes aligned with their Ministries/Department. It will also help the State Governments, District/Block Administration and Members of Parliament, and Members of Legislative Assemblies to know about the status of progress of development works in their constituencies and contribute to development planning in their respective constituencies.

 

The state wise report of top 25 Gram Panchayats is enclosed for reference as Annexures. The details of PAI scores of Gram Panchayats various States/UTs are available at www.pai.gov.in .

Table: Number of Panchayats in each Grade
Sl.No	State/UT	Total No of GPs	No of GPs Submitted Data*	Grade
				A+	A	B	C	D
1	Gujarat	14618	14618	-	346	13781	491	-
No of GPs whose Data has been submitted on PAI portal after validation by State*

 

Top 25 Gram Panchayats in Gujarat

S.no	State Name	District	Block	GP	Overall PAI Score	Grade
1	Gujarat	Anand	Anand	Navli	79.44	A	Front Runner
2	Gujarat	Porbandar	Ranavav	Daiyar	79.26	A	Front Runner
3	Gujarat	Anand	Anand	Rasnol	79.23	A	Front Runner
4	Gujarat	Porbandar	Ranavav	Pipaliya	79.01	A	Front Runner
5	Gujarat	Porbandar	Ranavav	Valotra	78.9	A	Front Runner
6	Gujarat	Porbandar	Ranavav	Padardi	78.57	A	Front Runner
7	Gujarat	Porbandar	Ranavav	Mahira	78.45	A	Front Runner
8	Gujarat	Porbandar	Ranavav	Ramgadh	78.44	A	Front Runner
9	Gujarat	Anand	Anand	NapadVanto	78.43	A	Front Runner
10	Gujarat	Ahmadabad	Daskroi	Ode	78.41	A	Front Runner
11	Gujarat	Porbandar	Ranavav	Khambhala	78.38	A	Front Runner
12	Gujarat	Anand	Anand	Jol	78.36	A	Front Runner
13	Gujarat	Botad	Gadhada	Tatam	78.28	A	Front Runner
14	Gujarat	Porbandar	Ranavav	Vadwala	78.26	A	Front Runner
15	Gujarat	Porbandar	Ranavav	Bapodar	78.19	A	Front Runner
16	Gujarat	Anand	Anklav	Joshikuva	78.15	A	Front Runner
17	Gujarat	Ahmadabad	Daskroi	Gatrad	78.09	A	Front Runner
18	Gujarat	Porbandar	Ranavav	Jambu	78.09	A	Front Runner
19	Gujarat	Porbandar	Ranavav	Khijdad	78.07	A	Front Runner
20	Gujarat	Porbandar	Ranavav	Virpur	78.01	A	Front Runner
21	Gujarat	Panch Mahals	Ghoghamba	Damavav	78.01	A	Front Runner
22	Gujarat	Anand	Anand	Ajarpura	77.99	A	Front Runner
23	Gujarat	Anand	Anand	Lambhvel	77.97	A	Front Runner
24	Gujarat	Anand	Anand	Kunjrao	77.93	A	Front Runner
25	Gujarat	Porbandar	Ranavav	Nerana	77.92	A	Front Runner

AP/IJ/GP/JD

(Release ID: 2120448)