NEW DELHI, October 28: The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved an allocation of Rs 7,395 crore for the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Gram Swaraj Yojana, aimed at strengthening panchayats and promoting locally driven rural development.
Announcing the decision, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw described the initiative as a major shift from centrally prescribed schemes towards a model that empowers local institutions to plan their own development.
Vaishnaw said the scheme would enable panchayats to identify their available resources, assess local challenges and prepare development plans according to the specific needs of their communities.
“This is a paradigm change,” the minister said, highlighting the focus on strengthening grassroots institutions and improving their capacity to make development decisions.
A key component of the scheme will be capacity-building for elected representatives. General and specialised training will be provided to help them improve governance, administrative efficiency and the implementation of local development programmes.
The initiative also aims to strengthen the financial position of panchayats through better utilisation of Finance Commission grants and increased mobilisation of their own-source revenue.
According to the minister, these measures are intended to make panchayats more self-reliant and enable them to play a greater role in planning and delivering rural development initiatives.
