ITANAGAR ,Aug 4: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu today inaugurated the two-day State Level Workshop on Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) 2.0 here at the DK Convention Centre. The workshop, aimed at strengthening evidence-based planning and decentralized governance, is being organized by the Department of Panchayati Raj and SIRD in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj and YASHADA, Pune.
He also released the PAI 2.0 booklet for the participants. The Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) is a multi-domain and multi-sectoral index that is intended to be used to assess the overall holistic development, performance and progress of panchayats. The Panchayat Advancement Index takes into account various socio-economic indicators and parameters to gauge the well-being and development status of the local communities within the jurisdiction of a panchayat.
In his keynote address, the Chief Minister highlighted the importance of PAI 2.0 as a scientific and data-driven framework introduced by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj to assess development at the Gram Panchayat level. He emphasized that the Index serves as a critical tool for bottom-up planning, helping identify local needs and progress on key rural development indicators.
Khandu acknowledged the formation of multi-tier committees at the State, District, and Block levels for the effective implementation and validation of PAI data. These include the State Level Steering Committee under the Chief Secretary, State Data Validation Team under the Secretary (PR), District Monitoring Committees under Deputy Commissioners, and Data Validation Teams under DPDOs and Block-level officers.
Speaking on rural governance, the Chief Minister reiterated that Arunachal Pradesh remains largely rural, and therefore, the success of such real-time evidence-based planning tools is crucial. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to decentralization, citing that 10% of the state’s own revenue is earmarked for Panchayati Raj institutions. The state has also institutionalized the SPICE model (Sustainable, Participatory, Inclusive, Comprehensive Empowerment) to empower grassroots democracy.
He further emphasized the need to align PAI 2.0 with the broader Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Localized SDG (LSDG) themes assigned to Panchayats.
“Achieving SDG targets by 2030 requires robust local planning and coordination across departments,” he said.
Emphasizing on the importance of continuous training and capacity building, Khandu termed it as the backbone for quality delivery of schemes and programmes at the grass root level. He lauded the efforts of SIRD & PR for having trained 15,819 personnel in the last financial year on thematic areas such as governance, planning, and implementation.
Addressing Deputy Commissioners present from across the state, the Chief Minister stated that DCs play a pivotal role in grassroots development and service delivery. The government has empowered DCs with significant administrative authority, including the power to suspend erring officers, and urged them to lead with dedication and integrity.
The Chief Minister congratulated the top-performing Gram Panchayats, Circles, Blocks, and Districts who were felicitated at the event for their performance under PAI for the year 2022-2023. He stressed the importance of fostering healthy competition among local bodies to improve governance and to strive for national-level excellence.
He also appreciated the Department of Panchayati Raj, led by Minister in-charge Ojing Tasing, Secretary (PR), and the dedicated officials and resource persons from MoPR, YASHADA, and SIRD & PR for organizing this timely and impactful workshop.
Present on the occasion were Ojing Tasing, Minister (Panchayati Raj), Tanya Soki, Advisor to the Minister, Manish Kumar Gupta, Chief Secretary, Dr. Sonal Swaroop, Secretary (PR), and resource persons from the Ministry of Panchayati Raj and YASHADA.
Participants include all Deputy Commissioners, District Panchayat Development Officers (DPDOs), District Nodal Officers, selected Member Secretaries, and Gram Panchayat Chairpersons from across the state.
