IN 2022, we took a pledge to remove poverty from our village by 2030 and ensure employment of all residents. With our efforts, women in the village now work with self-help groups, while men earn through self-employment schemes," says Vinayak Gaikwad, sarpanch of Khandobachi Wadi, a village in Maharashtra Sangli district. In 2023, the National Panchayat Performance Assessment Committee awarded the village the first prize under "Poverty free and enhanced livelihoods" category. The award allows the panchayat to undertake works worth up to 1 crore in the village.
These were India's first National Panchayat Awards and will be an annual feature. The official dashboard of the panchayat awards says that its primary aim is "to assess the performance" of panchayats in meeting the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030.
India has been chasing SDGS since the UN adopted them in 2015. To this end, the Niti Aayog releases an SDG Index Report every year since 2018. But in 2019, the country's apex public policy think tank asked the government to focus on Localisation of Sustainable Goals (LSDG). The task went to the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj. In May 2021, the ministry set up a highpower committee, which submitted a report in October 2021. The report forms the basis of the awards.
Acting on the report, the ministry divided the 17 UN SDGS into nine themes, while also incorporating the 29 panchayat subjects under the XIth Schedule of Constitution of India (see 'Thematic integration').
The ministry then asked villages to prepare their Gram Vikas Panchayat Plan (GPDP) on the basis of nine themes. The top three panchayats are awarded in each category.
This story is from the October 16, 2024 edition of Down To Earth.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 16, 2024 edition of Down To Earth.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara
