CAPACITY BUILDING OF ELECTED PANCHAYAT REPRESENTATIVES

Panchayat, being a “Local Self Government”, is a State subject and part of the State List of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India. Accordingly, strengthening Panchayat capacity is primarily the responsibility of States/UTs. However, the Ministry is implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, namely the Revamped Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA), w.e.f. financial year 2022-23, with the objective of supporting Panchayati Raj institutions (PRIs) by imparting trainings to Elected Representatives (ERs) and other stakeholders to develop leadership abilities, thereby enabling Gram Panchayats to function effectively across all States/UTs.

Under the scheme, capacity building support is provided to elected representatives, functionaries, and other stakeholders of Panchayats under different categories, viz. basic orientation and refresher programmes, thematic interventions, specialized trainings and Panchayat Development Plan-related programmes, etc. The scheme also supports exposure visits to facilitate experiential learning and replication of best practices for strengthening Panchayat governance, as well as development of training modules and materials etc. The State/UT- wise details of number of participants provided training under revamped RGSA during the last three years is at Annexure-I.

Further, to enhance skills and knowledge, a major step has also been taken to build capacity and train elected representatives and functionaries of Panchayats through institutes of excellence such as IIMs/IITs under the Leadership/Management Development Program (MDP). So far, 3,381 participants have been provided training under MDP.

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj, in collaboration with IIM Ahmedabad, has also developed a training module on Own Source Revenue (OSR) to strengthen the financial self-reliance of Gram Panchayats. The module helps elected representatives and Panchayat functionaries understand how OSR is generated through tax and non-tax sources. So far, 2,24,379 participants have been trained in OSR.

Additionally, the Ministry has launched a Specialized Training Module for the capacity building of Women Elected Representatives (WER) of Panchayati Raj Institutions. The focus of this training module is to build the capacity of WERs across different aspects of rural governance and enhance their knowledge and practical skills for the effective discharge of roles and responsibilities as elected representatives, thereby promoting women-led governance. A total of 1,05,923 WERs, including Master trainers (as on 31st January 2026) have been trained on this Specialized Module.

A real-time monitoring of trainings is undertaken through the Training Management Portal (TMP). Apart from this, the implementation of RGSA is regularly reviewed through meetings/ video conferences, field visits by the Ministry’s officials, as well as pre-CEC meetings. The Central Empowered Committee also reviews the implementation of RGSA, while approving the Annual Action Plans of States/UTs.

Since 2022-23 to 2025-26 (as on 31.01.2026), the number of women elected representatives, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other marginalized communities participated and trained under Revamped RGSA is as under:

Source: Training Management Portal

*Categories are not mutually exclusive.

 To assess the effectiveness and to propose the corrective measures to strengthen Panchayati Raj Institutions, an external evaluation of the Revamped RGSA has been undertaken through the Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA). The study conducted a large-scale field survey covering 600 Gram Panchayats across 120 blocks in 60 districts of 16 States, engaging over 6,000 stakeholders, including Elected Representatives, Panchayat Functionaries, line department officials, trainers/faculty, and State/District RGSA units. The evaluations indicate that the scheme’s structured, multi-layered capacity-building, 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 practice, supporting more effective local governance and the localisation 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.

Annexure-I

 The State/UT- wise details of number of participants provided training under revamped RGSA during the last three years

This information was given by Union Minister Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh in a written reply in Rajya Sabha on 11^th February 2026.