Panchayats, as institutions of local self- governance, provide a space for rural communities to engage and come together to solve their own developmental challenges. PRIA has steadfastly continued to contribute towards making panchayats effective through systematic capacity building, sustained advocacy, and sharing, dialogue and mutual learning amongst practitioners, researchers and policy- makers.
Our learnings and knowledge on Gram Panchayat Development Plans, planning capacities at the local level, annual plans of panchayats, and E-panchayats was shared in meetings of the Rajiv Gandhi Panchayat Sashaktikaran Abhiyan (RGPSA), thereby supporting states in strengthening panchayati raj institutions.
Supported by Niti Aayog, PRIA used a participatory action-research framework to conduct a study on Decentralised District Planning in Sikkim. The study analysed the new environment created for decentralised planning through reduction and streamlining of Centrally Sponsored Schemes and increased devolution of resources to States.
In Rajasthan, we are reforming local health governance with support from Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives (APPI) in collaboration with Dasra. In 12 months, the project has covered 16,000 population, conducted 211 meetings of Village Health, Nutrition and Sanitation Committees (VHNSC), and facilitated 104 gram panchayat meetings.
Supported by UNICEF, PRIA implemented a model in Siwana block, Barmer district and Anandpuri block, Banswara district in which communities and officials came together to develop annual village health plans, rejuvenate village health committees to monitor services and ensure widespread use of e-Janswasthya app to collect and report localised health data.
In its third phase, the Rapid Action Learning Unit (RALU) of the Andhra Pradesh government was supported by PRIA to undertake participatory research with citizens around issues related to sanitation.
In Jharkhand we enhanced capacities of 1725 gram panchayat members to support the promotion of Beacon Panchayats for the Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Government of Jharkhand. In 10 months, citizens in 25 gram panchayats in Simdega, Latehar, West Singhbhum, Deoghar and Ramgarh districts began participating in planning, implementation and monitoring of development programmes.
In Chhattisgarh, 19 block level public dialogues and 9 district level public dialogues reached out to 7,900 citizens from all walks of life and professions to engage with local officials and present their view of the sanitation challenge in their panchayats. These dialogues catalysed demand from individual households to construct toilets and prompted them to end open defecation.