The Ministry of Panchayati Raj, under its capacity building initiatives, under the Revamped Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA), facilitates training programmes for elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). The number of elected Panchayati Raj Institution representatives trained under capacity building programmes during the last three years, year-wise and State/UT-wise, is placed at Annexure-I.

Panchayats, being “Local Government”, are a State subject and form part of the State List under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India. The Ministry of Panchayati Raj implements the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) with the primary objective of strengthening Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) through capacity building and training of Elected Representatives (ERs) and PRI functionaries, and by providing selective infrastructural support such as Gram Panchayat Bhawans and computers and peripherals.

Revamped RGSA is demand-driven in nature. Funds are released to States/UTs based on the Annual Action Plans approved by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) and the pace of expenditure. Release of funds is also subject to the submission of requisite documents such as Utilization Certificates and Auditor’s Reports. The funds are to be utilized only for the approved components as prioritized by the States/UTs. The State/UT-wise and year-wise details of funds allocated, released, and utilized under RGSA are placed at Annexure II.

To assess effectiveness and identify measures to strengthen Panchayati Raj Institutions, an external evaluation of the Revamped RGSA was undertaken by the Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA). The evaluation indicates that the scheme’s structured, multi-layered capacity-building approach, combining classroom/thematic modules, exposure visits, and digital learning, has enhanced PRI capacities in Panchayat operations, planning, and implementation (including GPDP), digital governance, citizen engagement, and financial management. Post-training assessments record measurable gains in knowledge and practices, supporting effective local governance and the localization of SDGs.

In addition, NITI Aayog has commissioned an independent assessment study of RGSA to provide complementary evidence on outcomes. The study has observed that RGSA has made a significant contribution to strengthening governance capacity at the grassroots level. The scheme has also substantially advanced several cross-cutting themes, including accountability, transparency, gender mainstreaming, effective use of digital infrastructure, and convergence

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj implements the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) to strengthen the capacity of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and their elected representatives. Under RGSA, orientation training is imparted to newly elected Panchayat representatives within six months of their onboarding and refresher training within two years thereafter.

The scheme acknowledges challenges such as literacy barriers and limited reach in remote areas. To address these challenges, training modules are designed keeping in view varying literacy levels and local contexts, and Master Trainers are trained accordingly to deliver the training based on the capacity of trainees. Further, as part of measures to institutionalize a structured and continuous training framework with special focus on Women Elected Representatives (WERs), simplified and gamified training modules in vernacular languages, including specialized modules for WERs, have been developed. Under the specialized WER module, 1,05,966 Women Elected Representatives (WERs)have been trained as on 28.02.2026, andaround 7 lakh WERs have been trained under the Revamped RGSA scheme during FY 2025-26.

Further, training under RGSA is delivered through a cascading model at the State, district, and block levels to ensure wider outreach, including in remote and geographically dispersed areas.

 

 Annexure-I

State-wise and year-wise details of trained Elected Panchayati Raj Institution representatives of the last three years and the current year

 

S. No.	States	2022-23	2023-24	2024-25	2025-26 (till 28 Feb 2026)
		ER Trained	ER Trained	ER Trained	ER Trained
1	Andaman & Nicobar Islands	692	21	723	619
2	Andhra Pradesh	2,201	30,195	65,299	30,342
3	Arunachal Pradesh	2,184	1,198	2,054	3,173
4	Assam	51,893	14,499	3,699	63,198
5	Bihar	3,65,222	73,877	2,62,466	57,120
6	Center	1,912	177	329	729
7	Chhattisgarh	1,12,193	83,641	26,851	1,29,676
8	Goa	1,293	2,078	2,645	529
9	Gujarat	175	7	16,343	4,796
10	Haryana	4,027	7,493	206	77,973
11	Himachal Pradesh	1,440	30,624	34,283	2,287
12	Jammu & Kashmir	2,78,764	1,77,182	23	-
13	Jharkhand	3,050	39,503	34,763	48,716
14	Karnataka	1,08,496	63,918	54,610	36,234
15	Kerala	54,372	20,968	17,684	18,768
16	Ladakh	-	-	-	72
17	Madhya Pradesh	56,010	26,763	69,565	1,22,670
18	Maharashtra	3,51,495	3,24,812	1,20,278	54,773
19	Manipur	27	884	42	715
20	Meghalaya	7,032	47,526	42,077	33,470
21	Mizoram	1,956	8,712	8,673	11,717
22	Nagaland	646	2,508	3,920	2
23	Odisha	75,270	51,386	96,445	23,629
24	Punjab	24,596	6,785	42,981	61,018
25	Rajasthan	373	54,574	11,604	10,941
26	Sikkim	2,529	2,758	2,690	1,188
27	Tamil Nadu	74,179	95,898	48,058	14,931
28	Telangana	1,246	41	30	34,716
29	Dadra & Nagar Haveli & Daman & Diu	374	608	419	2,228
30	Tripura	3,794	47,405	36,404	35,016
31	Uttar Pradesh	40,264	62,561	36,922	1,26,222
32	Uttarakhand	2,34,294	68,133	13,157	57,712
33	West Bengal	86,353	1,86,680	1,29,043	1,15,026
	TOTAL	19,48,352	15,33,415	11,84,286	11,80,206

 

Annexure II

 

The State/UT-wise details of funds allocated, released, and utilised under the Revamped Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) during FY 2025-26

(Rupees in crore)

S. No.	States/ UTs	2025-26 (as on 28.02.2026)
		Funds Allocated	Funds Released	Fund utilized
1	Andaman & Nicobar Islands	1	1	1.81
2	Andhra Pradesh	30	30	35.02
3	Arunachal Pradesh	52	52	54.04
4	Assam	55.71	55.71	57.22
5	Bihar	35	35	35.69
6	Chhattisgarh	30	30	29.7
7	Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu	1.25	1.25	1.71
8	Goa	1	1	1.29
9	Gujarat	7.5	7.5	10.62
10	Haryana	17.5	17.5	29.17
11	Himachal Pradesh	14	14	18.77
12	Jammu & Kashmir	50	50	64.34
13	Jharkhand	15	15	21.62
14	Karnataka	20	20	22.81
15	Kerala	18	18	20.63
16	Ladakh	0.5	0.5	0.21
17	Lakshadweep	0	0	0
18	Madhya Pradesh	42	42	64.09
19	Maharashtra	53	53	80.52
20	Manipur	3.55	3.55	8.95
21	Meghalaya	7.5	7.5	4.64
22	Mizoram	15	15	17.68
23	Nagaland	10	10	11.21
24	Odisha	55	55	80.26
25	Puducherry	0	0	0
26	Punjab	30	30	34.02
27	Rajasthan	10	10	22.96
28	Sikkim	3	3	4.28
29	Tamil Nadu	20	20	51.67
30	Telangana	3	3	24.83
31	Tripura	30	30	27.16
32	Uttar Pradesh	20.24	20.24	53.35
33	Uttarakhand	40	40	26.77
34	West Bengal	40	40	71.09
	Sub-Total	730.75	730.75
	Other Implementing Agency	20.78	20.78	20.58
	Total	751.53	751.53	1008.71

 

Funds released represent the Central Share only. For FY 2025–26, the releases comprise funds both through SNA module till 30^thJune 2025 and SNA-SPARSH since 1^stJuly 2025.

This information was given by Union Minister Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh in a written reply in Rajya Sabha on 18^th March 2026.

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