Page 9 - PDI Vol 2

Message from Chair

Jayashree Raghunandan

Chairperson, PDI Committee

Regular Governance in the modern world is combining the global perspective with local requirements. Panchayat
Development Index combines SDGs (in form of 9 basic themes) and local level indicators. SDGs are the blueprint for
people and planet and success. LSDGs are the blueprint for achieving SDGs in rural India. Ministry of Panchayati Raj
had unveiled the vision of the LSDGs for village development in April 2022, and the response of the Gram Panchayats

has been phenomenal as it struck the right chords for holistic development for all. 169 Global Targets for 17
Sustainable Development Goals translate to 142 Local Targets for 9 Themes, and the Global Indicator Framework for
measuring progress to achieve Global Targets, the National Indicator Framework for India is correlated as the Local
Indicator Framework that gives the parameters for assessment of performance on the LSDGs, Themes and local

Targets for rural India.
Amongst GPs, the better always do better and are also able to garner greater resources for their GP. They are always in

the forefront in participation in seminars and workshops, identified for their initiatives and success stories. And there
are endowed panchayats, villages close to the town or city, villages that are rich with OSR, rich with resources,
infrastructure, rich with services being provided... And there are other villages, and backward villages, interior
villages, disaster prone villages, villages where there are PHCs but no doctors or para-medics, schools where there are
just 1-2 teachers, etc., these are all known. The rural-urban divide, on the one hand, is here as a rural-rural divide.

Undoubtedly, they are receiving attention from different flagship schemes, especially where the goals are universal.
Panchayat Development Index would give the developmental status composite score of the Panchayat vis a vis other

Panchayats, while Thematic scores will give the Theme wise performance/status on each of the 9 Themes based on the
values of the Indicators thereunder. This would provide measures for all GPs, enabling greater attention to needy GPs
on their different areas of needs.

Gram Panchayat Development Plans have been introduced in 2015 and over the years GPDPs have been prepared to
differing degrees by the Panchayats. Planning as a process in itself without the link to outputs & outcomes, as a
Development Report, would be incomplete in its purpose. The evolution of the GPDP into being LIF based is the next
step, that would make the GPDP have a strong basis of baselines, benchmarks, targets, inputs, and outcomes making it

a result oriented systematic planning process that would motivate the GPs to achieving their highest level of

iii