Context: In a push for data driven governance, the Department of Panchayati Raj has come up with the first ever Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI). 

Meaninf of the context: There are 2.5 lakh gram panchayats in the country. Out of these, data of around 2.16 lakh gram panchayats from 29 States have been assessed.

Learn More:

• The Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) is a comprehensive, multi-domain, and multi-sectoral tool introduced by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj in India to assess the holistic development, performance, and progress of Gram Panchayats across the country. 
• The PAI reflects India’s commitment to achieving the SDG 2030 Agenda through participatory, bottom-up development. 
• The first baseline report, released for FY 2022-23, analyzed data from 2,16,285 panchayats with validated inputs.

Purpose of PAI :

• Measures the overall well-being and development status of local communities under a panchayat’s jurisdiction.
• Identifies development gaps and supports evidence-based planning and policy-making at the grassroots level.
• Encourages panchayats to adopt best practices and set local targets to enhance their performance.

Indicators:

• Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) is a composite Index & has been compiled based on 435 unique local Indicators (331 mandatory & 104 optional) consisting of 566 unique data points across 9 themes of LSDGs (Localization of Sustainable Development Goals) aligned with National Indicator Framework (NIF) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
• Nine Themes of Localized SDGs:
  • Poverty-Free and Enhanced Livelihoods Panchayat
  • Healthy Panchayat
  • Child-Friendly Panchayat
  • Water-Sufficient Panchayat
  • Clean and Green Panchayat
  • Self-Sufficient Infrastructure in Panchayat
  • Socially Just and Socially Secured Panchayat
  • Panchayat with Good Governance
  • Women-Friendly Panchayat
• Based on the PAI scores & thematic Scores achieved by different Gram Panchayats, these GPs are grouped into one of the five categories
  • Achiever: 90+ score (none achieved this in 2022-23)
  • Front Runner: 75 to <90 (e.g., 699 panchayats, 0.3%)
  • Performer: 60 to <75 (e.g., 77,298 panchayats, 35.8%)
  • Aspirant: 40 to <60 (e.g., 1,32,392 panchayats, 61.2%)
  • Beginner: <40 (e.g., 5,896 panchayats, 2.7%)

Source : The Hindu