The government approved Rs 5,911 crore for the Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) which will focus on empowering elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) for leadership roles and help 2.78 lakh rural local bodies achieve the sustainable development goals.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the continuation of the revamped RGSA from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2026.

What is Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan?

• The RGSA, a centrally sponsored scheme, was first approved by the Union Cabinet in 2018 with the primary aim of strengthening PRIs for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with main thrust on convergence with Mission Antyodaya and emphasis on strengthening PRIs in the 117 Aspirational Districts.

• The scheme was launched by April 24, 2018 on the occasion of National Panchayati Raj Day.

• The scheme extends to all states and UTs including Part IX areas comprising about 2.53 lakh Gram Panchayats as well as Institutions of Rural Local Government in non-Part IX areas where Panchayats do not exist.

It consists of central and state components. The central component comprises:

i) National level activities like National Plan for Technical Assistance (NPTA).

ii) Mission Mode Project (MMP) on e-Panchayat.

iii) Incentivisation of Panchayats.

The state component primarily includes capacity building & training (CB&T) activities, institutional mechanism for CB&T along with other activities at a limited scale.

• Around 1.36 crore elected representatives, functionaries and other stakeholders of PRIs received various and multiple trainings under the scheme during 2018-19 to 2021-22.

Objectives of RGSA:

i) Develop governance capabilities of PRIs to deliver on the SDGs.

ii) Enhance capabilities of panchayats for inclusive local governance with focus on optimum utilisation of available resources and convergence with other schemes to address issues of national importance.

iii) Enhance capabilities of panchayats to raise their own sources of revenue.

iv) Strengthen Gram Sabhas to function effectively as the basic forum of people’s participation, transparency and accountability within the panchayat system.

v) Promote devolution of powers and responsibilities to panchayats according to the spirit of the Constitution and PESA Act 1996.

vi) Develop a network of institutions of excellence to support capacity building and handholding for PRIs.

vii) Strengthen institutions for capacity enhancement of PRIs at various levels and enable them to achieve adequate quality standards in infrastructure, facilities, human resources and outcome based training.

viii) Promote e-governance and other technology driven solutions to enable good governance in panchayats for administrative efficiency and improved service delivery.

ix) Recognise and incentivise PRIs based on performance.

Continuation of RGSA

• Third party evaluation report of RGSA appreciated the interventions made under the RGSA scheme and recommended its continuation for strengthening of PRIs. 

• Further, capacity building & training (CB&T) is a continuous process, as every five years a majority of panchayat representatives are elected as fresh entrants. Therefore, imparting basic orientation and refresher training to them is important for equipping them to discharge their mandated functions efficiently and effectively. 

• Hence, the proposal for continuation of revamped RGSA was prepared for implementation during the period from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2026 (co-terminus with XV Finance Commission period).

• Of the total financial outlay of Rs 5,911 crore, the central share will be Rs 3,700 crore with states providing the balance Rs 2,211 crore.

• Around 60 lakh elected representatives, functionaries and other stakeholders of Rural Local Bodies including traditional bodies across the country will be direct beneficiaries of the scheme.

Highlights of revamped RGSA:

• The approved scheme of RGSA will help more than 2.78 lakh Rural Local Bodies including traditional bodies across the country to develop governance capabilities to deliver on SDGs through inclusive local governance with focus on optimum utilisation of available resources. 

• The key principles of SDGs — leaving no one behind, reaching the farthest first and universal coverage — along with gender equality will be embedded in the design of all capacity building interventions. 

Priority will be given to subjects of national importance principally under following themes: 

i) Poverty free and enhanced livelihood in villages

ii) Healthy village

iii) Child friendly village

iv) Water sufficient village

v) Clean and green village

vi) Self-sufficient infrastructure in village

vii) Socially secured village

viii) Village with good governance

ix) Engendered development in village.

• As panchayats working at the grassroots level have representation of Scheduled Castes, Schedule Tribes and women, strengthening panchayats will promote equity and inclusiveness, along with social justice and economic development of the community.

• Increased use of e-governance by PRIs will help achieve improved service delivery and transparency. 

• The scheme will strengthen Gram Sabhas to function as effective institutions with social inclusion of citizens particularly the vulnerable groups.

• It will establish the institutional structure for capacity building of PRIs at the national, state and district level with adequate human resources and infrastructure.

• Panchayats will progressively be strengthened through incentivisation on the basis of nationally important criteria to recognise roles of panchayats in attainment of SDGs and to inculcate spirit of healthy competition.

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