110 ‘excellent’ in 50K panchayats
NIRD STUDY Performance assessed on infrastructure, services and social and economic development
NEWDELHI: A study of 50,000 gram panchayats has revealed that just 110 of them have scored above 80%, a measure of excellence, in a review of their performance based on three key parameters. The Union rural development ministry said the results were “encouraging.”
The National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRD) conducted the study, the first such exercise, covering about 20% of the country’s 250,000 panchayats, and submitted its report last month. Among the large states, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh were the top three performers while Jharkhand, Assam and Bihar brought up the rear.
The performance of the elected rural bodies was assessed on infrastructure and access to ser- vices; social development and protection; economic development and diversification of livelihoods. These parameters had a weightage of 30%, 30% and 40%, respectively, in the assessment.
NIRD undertook the exercise under Mission Antyodaya, whose website describes the programme as “a convergence framework for measurable effective outcomes on parameters that transform lives and livelihoods.”
“Given the work and responsibilities of the gram panchayats, 80% is a very high score. This also helps us to see which all panchayats have done exceptional work in these areas. This is not disappointing as we are able to identify role models in these grass-root structures,” rural development secretary Amarjeet Sinha said.
The assessment helps determine that the rural population is getting its share of the benefits offered by the government and also that welfare funds are being utilized optimally -- an issue that had impeded the delivery system for a long time.
Panchayats are playing a key role in identification and implementation of welfare schemes, with both the Centre and the states sharpening their focus over the years focus on poverty alleviation and creation of better rural infrastructure.
Elected panchayats also have a strong network in many states and play an active role in identification of beneficiaries for government schemes and handle large sums of development funds.
The basic parameters of the study included all-weather roads, Internet connectivity, safe housing, electricity, cooking gas connections, percentage of agricultural land giving two crops round the year, waste management, immunization for children, bank loans for diversified livelihoods, self-employment, and the proportion of households with over ₹ 10,000 in savings accounts, women in self-employment, food security and clean water. Points are awarded on the basis of completion of these targets.
“There are many reasons behind these results. We also need to refine some of the social and economic indicators. The purpose of the study was to learn how some GPS (gram panchayats) achieved such good results while some didn’t fare well. This is a part of our overall learning process,” said Venkata Rao, chief of National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj.