In April 2025, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) launched the first-ever ‘Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) baseline report’ for the Financial Year 2022-23 (FY23) toward localizing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
- This transformative tool evaluates the performance of over 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats (GPs) across India using a comprehensive, evidence-based framework aligned with the SDG 2030 Agenda.
- The PAI data for 2022-23 reveals that out of 2,55,699 GPs, 2,16,285 submitted validated data, and 699 (0.3%) Panchayats emerged as Front Runners.
Note: The SDGs, also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by the United Nations (UN) in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure peace and prosperity for all by 2030.
What is PAI?
i.The PAI is a composite, multi-domain, and multi-sectoral index developed to assess the performance of the Panchayats based on 9 themes of Localized SDGs (LSDGs). ie. Poverty-Free and Enhanced Livelihoods in Panchayat, Healthy Panchayat, Child-Friendly Panchayat, Water-Sufficient Panchayat, Clean and Green Panchayat, Panchayat with Self-Sufficient Infrastructure, Socially Just and Socially Secured Panchayat, Panchayat with Good Governance and Women-Friendly Panchayat
ii.It takes into account various socio-economic indicators and parameters to measure the well-being and development status of the local communities within the jurisdiction of a panchayat.
- The index typically considers factors such as infrastructure, health and education, etc.
iii.Collaborative Approach and Data Validation:
- PAI development involved multiple Union Ministries, State Governments, and UN Agencies. Over 2.16 lakh GPs, data from 29 States/Union Territories (UTs), were processed through the PAI portal (www.pai.gov.in) .
- Data for 11,712 Panchayats from 5 States/UTs (Meghalaya, Nagaland, Goa, Puducherry, and West Bengal (WB)) were not included due to pending validation.
Structure and Purpose of PAI:
i.It is aligned with the National Indicator Framework (NIF) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
ii.Based on the PAI and thematic scores achieved by different GPs, these GPs are grouped into one of the categories of performance:
- Achiever (90 and above)
- Front Runner (75 to below 90)
- Performer (60 to below 75)
- Aspirant (40 to below 60) and
- Beginners (below 40).
Top 5 States in PAI Baseline Report for FY23:
| State | Total No.of Gram Panchayats | No of Front Runner |
|---|---|---|
| Gujarat | 14, 618 | 346 |
| Telangana | 12,768 | 270 |
| Tripura | 1,176 | 42 |
| Maharashtra | 27,849 | 8 |
| Uttar Pradesh(UP) | 57,702 | 4 |
Performance Breakdown in FY23:
i.According to the 2022-23 PAI data, none of the GPs is qualified as an Achiever. As of now, no inter-state comparison has been done.
- 77,298 (35.8%) were Performers, 1,32,392 (61.2%) were Aspirants, and 5,896 (2.7%) GPs were at the Beginner Level.
iii.Most GPs, however, persist in the Aspirants category. 6 states/UTs have no panchayat in the Beginners category.
- It includes Kerala, Gujarat, Tripura, and the UTs of Ladakh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu, and Lakshadweep.
Top Performing States:
i.Of the 699 panchayats that have been ranked as Front Runners, Gujarat led the pack with 346 GPs as Front Runners, followed by Telangana with 270 Front Runners.
ii.States with a high number of Performers include Gujarat (13,781), Maharashtra (12,242), Telangana (10,099), Madhya Pradesh (MP) (7,912), and Uttar Pradesh (UP) (6593).
iii.States with higher Aspirant GPs include Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh (AP).
About the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR):
Union Minister– Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh) (Constituency: Munger, Bihar)
Minister of State (MoS)- S. P. Singh Baghel (Constituency: Agra, Uttar Pradesh)
