RGSA: The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, today approved the continuation of the revamped Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) for implementation from April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2026 (co-terminus with the XV Finance Commission period) to strengthen Panchayati Raj Institutions’ governance capabilities (PRIs).
Financial implications of RGSA extension
The scheme’s entire financial outlay is Rs.5911 crore, with the Central Share amounting to Rs.3700 crore and the State Share amounting to Rs.2211 crore.
Major impact including employment generation potential
- The approved RGSA scheme will assist over 2.78 lakh Rural Local Bodies, including Traditional Bodies, across the country in developing governance capacities to deliver on SDGs through inclusive local governance and optimum resource utilization. All capacity-building initiatives, including training, training modules, and materials, will incorporate the SDGs’ essential principles, such as leaving no one behind, reaching the farthest first, and universal coverage, as well as gender equality. Priority will be given to matters of national importance, which will be organized into themes, namely: (i) Poverty free and enhanced livelihood in villages, (ii) Healthy Village, (iii) Child-Friendly Village, (iv) Water Sufficient Village, (v) Clean and Green Village, (vi) Self-Sufficient Infrastructure in Village, (vii) Socially Secured Village, (viii) Village with Good Governance, and (ix) Engendered Development in Village.
- Because Panchayats are institutions closest to the grassroots and have representation from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and women, strengthening Panchayats will promote fairness and inclusion, as well as social justice and economic development in the community. PRIs that employ e-governance more frequently will be able to increase service delivery and transparency. Gram Sabhas would be strengthened to operate as effective institutions for the social inclusion of citizens, particularly vulnerable groups, under the scheme. It will create an institutional structure with enough human resources and infrastructure for PRI capacity building at the national, state, and district levels.
- Panchayats would be gradually enhanced through incentivization based on nationally relevant criteria in order to acknowledge their responsibilities in achieving SDGs and instill a spirit of healthy competition.
- Although no permanent positions will be created as part of the scheme, need-based contractual human resources may be made available to oversee the scheme’s implementation and provide technical assistance to States/UTs in order to meet the scheme’s objectives.
No. of beneficiaries
Around 60 lakh Elected Representatives, Functionaries, and other stakeholders of Rural Local Bodies including Traditional Bodies across the country will be direct beneficiaries of the scheme.
Details
(i) The RGSA will be divided into two parts: central and state. The scheme’s major components would be entirely supported by the Indian government. Except in the Northeast, the Hilly States, and the Union Territory (UT) of J&K, the funding pattern for State Components will be 60:40 between the Centre and States, with the exception of NE, the Hilly States, and the Union Territory (UT) of J&K, where the Central and State share will be 90:10. For other UTs, however, the Central share will be 100 percent.
(ii) The scheme will include both a Central Component – National Level activities such as the National Plan of Technical Assistance, Mission Mode Project on e-Panchayat, Incentivization of Panchayats, Action Research & Media, and a State Component – Capacity Building & Training (CB&T) of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), Institutional Support for CB&T, Distance Learning Facility, and a State Component – Capacity Building Support for the construction of Gram Panchayat (GP) Bhawans, the co-location of Common Service Centres (CSCs) in GP Bhawans, and the provision of computers to GPs, with a special focus on the NE States. Support for strengthening Gram Sabhas in PESA areas, support for innovation, support for economic development and income enhancement, and so on.
(iii) The scheme’s activities will be implemented and monitored in a way that is broadly consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Panchayats serves as the focal point for all development initiatives and the execution of SDG-related schemes by various Ministries/Departments and State governments.
(iv) The Ministry is undergoing a transformation. RGSA will change its focus to developing an effective third tier of government to enable them to deliver on localization of SDGs, primarily for nine topics, by training elected representatives of PRIs for Leadership Roles, namely: (i) Poverty free and enhanced livelihood in villages, (ii) Healthy Village, (iii) Child-Friendly Village, (iv) Water Sufficient Village, (v) Clean and Green Village, (vi) Self-Sufficient Infrastructure in Village, (vii) Socially Secured Village, (viii) Village with Good Governance, and (ix) Engendered Development in Village.
(v) The plan will also bring together other Ministries’ and Departments’ capacity-building activities in order to achieve the SDGs. Rural Local Bodies Sector Enablers, including traditional bodies, should be included in training programs run by various Ministries/Departments, where they will provide training to officials and other stakeholders in their respective domains.
(vi) Recognize the importance of Panchayats in achieving the SDGs and promoting a healthy competitive spirit. The nodal ministries are expected to play a larger role in evaluating Panchayat’s performance and sponsoring awards in the relevant areas.
(vii) Evidence-based research studies and evaluations in the disciplines relevant to PRIs will be conducted to give in-depth analyses. The activities will include raising awareness, sensitizing rural populations, and communicating government policies and plans through electronic, print, social, and traditional media.
Implementation strategy and targets
The central government and state governments will work together to complete the activities that have been approved for their roles. The State Government will develop its Annual Action Plans in order to seek support from the federal government based on their objectives and needs. A demand-driven model will be used to implement the system.
States/districts covered
This scheme will extend to all States and UTs of the country and will also include institutions of rural local government in non-Part IX areas, where Panchayats do not exist.
Background
In his 2016-17 budget speech, the then-Finance Minister announced the launch of a new restructured Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) scheme for developing governance capabilities of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Union Cabinet approved the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of RGSA on April 21, 2018, in accordance with this announcement and the recommendations of the Committee chaired by the Vice Chairman-NITI Aayog, for implementation from Financial Year 2018-19 to 2021-22. (01.04.2018 to 31.03.2022).
RGSA will be evaluated by a third party in 2021-22. The evaluation study praised the RGSA scheme’s actions and recommended that it be continued to enhance PRIs. Furthermore, CB&T is an ongoing process; every five years, a majority of Panchayat representatives are elected as newcomers who must be trained in terms of knowledge, awareness, attitude, and skills in order to perform their duties in local administration. Therefore, delivering basic orientation and refresher training to them is an essential prerequisite for equipping them to fulfill their assigned responsibilities efficiently and effectively. As a result, a proposal for the continuation of the redesigned RGSA was created for implementation from April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2026. (co-terminus with XV Finance Commission period).
Details and progress of scheme if already running:
- The Union Cabinet approved the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the RGSA on April 21, 2018, for implementation from Financial Year 2018-19 to 2021-22. Incentivisation of Panchayats and the Mission Mode Project on e-Panchayat, as well as other efforts at the central level, were the key Central Components. The State component primarily consists of CB&T activities, institutional mechanisms for CB&T, and other small-scale activities.
- From 2018-19 to 2021-22, an amount of Rs.2364.13 crore was released to States, UTs, Panchayats, and other implementing agencies under the RGSA program, which included Panchayat Incentiviasation and Mission Mode Project on e-Panchayat (as on 31.03.2022).
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During the year 2018-19 to 2021-22, around 1.36 crore Elected Representatives, Functionaries, and other PRI stakeholders received diverse and repeated training under the scheme (as on 31.03.2022).