The Panchayat Advancement Index ranks 216,000 panchayats
Focus: poverty, health, water, infrastructure, governance
No panchayat achieved top rank; only 699 are front-runners
Most front-runners: Gujarat (346), Telangana (270), Tripura (42)
Context-driven, bottom-up governance needed for diverse India
One-size-fits-all policies often fail in varied village realities
Panchayats rely on higher governments for funds
Own revenue: just 1.1% of ~₹21 lakh average income
Poor digital infrastructure limits progress tracking
Fragmented departmental efforts waste resources
Strengthen capacity, ensure funds, promote participation
oost tech, training, and inter-departmental synergy