New Delhi/ Patna: Three villages in Bihar have been honoured with the prestigious National Panchayat Awards for their exemplary governance and development initiatives. Jajuar Middle in Katra block received the award for being a Healthy Panchayat, Parthu in Ekangasarai block of Nalanda was recognised as an Atmanirbhar Infrastructure Panchayat, and Punhada in Makhdumpur block of Jehanabad was awarded for being a Sushashan Yukt Panchayat. Each village was granted Rs. 50 lakh as part of the recognition.
The awards were based on scores calculated through the Panchayat Development Index (PDI), a comprehensive framework developed by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj to localize India’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The PDI reflects the progress, performance, and welfare of panchayats, using 577 local indicators, 144 goals, and 688 data points spread across nine thematic areas.
Bihar’s Push Towards Sustainable Development
Bihar has implemented a robust mechanism to operationalize the PDI, ensuring accurate data collection and verification across multiple administrative levels. Committees have been formed at the state, district, subdivision, and block levels to oversee the process. Eighteen state departments contribute to the data collection, with 485 local indicators and 514 data points tailored to Bihar’s specific needs. Automated systems using APIs have further streamlined the process, with 134 data points directly sourced from departmental databases.
Data Collection and Verification Process
At the gram panchayat level, data is collected through department-wise formats and approved by the Gram Sabha before being entered into the central portal. The data then undergoes a three-tier verification process by block, district, and state-level authorities before being submitted to the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
Ranking Panchayats
The verified data is used to calculate theme-wise and consolidated scores for Gram Panchayats, Panchayat Samitis, and Zilla Parishads. These rankings serve as the foundation for awarding high-performing panchayats.
National Recognition
The National Panchayat Awards underline Bihar’s progress in integrating grassroots governance with national development goals. The success of Jajuar Middle, Parthu, and Punhada showcases the state’s commitment to achieving the SDGs by 2030 through innovative governance and community-driven development. These villages now stand as models of sustainability and good governance for others to emulate.
