JAMMU JUNE 30: Director Panchayati Raj, Sham Lal on Monday chaired a review meeting with Assistant Commissioners Panchayat (ACPs) to evaluate the implementation of the Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) 2.0, construction of Panchayat Ghars and the co-location of Common Service Centres (CSCs).
During the meeting, the Director emphasized the need for organizing training sessions on PAI across all districts and blocks, ensuring full participation of relevant personnel.
He directed that the data under PAI must be fact-based and aligned with ground realities and should be personally monitored by Assistant Commissioners Panchayat (ACPs) and Block Development Officers (BDOs).
The Director highlighted that discrepancies in scoring often deprive well-performing panchayats of national-level recognition and awards, hence scoring must accurately reflect the actual performance in respective thematic areas.
He stated that district-level implementation of PAI is of critical importance and real-time and authentic data is essential to formulate strategies aligned with the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
Regarding the construction of Panchayat Ghars, the Director instructed that the process must be taken up on a mission-mode priority.
He said for panchayats where land has not yet been identified, immediate steps should be taken to finalize locations and in cases of land disputes, he directed that joint site inspections be conducted in collaboration with the Revenue Department to resolve issues promptly.
The Director stressed that no compromise on construction quality will be tolerated and that Panchayat Ghars should be located at central, accessible locations to serve the entire community effectively.
He further directed that a detailed list of panchayats without Panchayat Ghars be submitted for new approvals.
The Director also underscored the urgent need to activate Panchayat Learning Centres, recommending that these centres be developed as institutionalized training hubs for panchayat representatives and the local population.
He instructed officials to accelerate the geo-tagging of Panchayat Ghars using the “Meri Panchayat” mobile application. All Panchayat Ghars must be geo-tagged and the entire process should be completed within the next two days to facilitate transparency and monitoring.
