Gujarat: Ministry of Panchayati Raj to hold Atmanirbhar Panchayat workshop on June 9
Ahmedabad, June 8
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj is organising an Outreach Workshop on the Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme on 9 June at Gujarat's Gandhinagar.
According to the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, the workshop will be held in hybrid mode. Eligible Panchayats located around Gandhinagar will participate in person, while those beyond that radius will join the proceedings live through video conferencing from their respective offices.
Through this outreach, the Ministry aims to directly engage with Gram Panchayat and Block Panchayat-level leaders across Gujarat and present to them the vision, objectives and operational framework of the Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme.
The workshop programme includes an address on the vision of the Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme by the Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, a detailed presentation on the national policy objectives, technical roadmap and expected outcomes, a live end-to-end demonstration of the Atmanirbhar Panchayat Portal, and an interactive Question and Answer session. Representatives of NABARD and HUDCO will also address participants, reaffirming their institutional commitment to the programme.
The Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme is a government initiative anchored by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, designed to promote the financial self-reliance of Panchayats. Through a transparent national challenge process, Panchayats are invited to submit ideas for revenue-generating projects and initiatives that put idle assets and untapped local opportunities to productive use.
Selected ideas will receive dedicated technical assistance from the Ministry to develop them into feasible, bankable projects, with funding support drawn from Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) contributions, bank finance and convergence with other government schemes. Community ownership is ensured through mandatory participation of the Gram Sabha at every stage of planning, the ministry stated.
Gram Panchayats with a minimum Own Source Revenue (OSR) of Rs 50 lakh and Block Panchayats with a minimum OSR of Rs 1 crore, both with at least three years of tenure remaining, are eligible to participate in the challenge process. The Ministry of Panchayati Raj has partnered with NABARD and HUDCO to provide institutional expertise in rural project development and to facilitate financial support to qualifying Panchayats.
The Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme is implemented under the Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA). It envisages to build a new generation of self-reliant, economically confident Panchayats, each a demonstration that financial independence and good local governance go hand in hand. In the vision of the Ministry, an Atmanirbhar Panchayat is the surest foundation of an Atmanirbhar Bharat. The Gandhinagar workshop marks the commencement of the programme's outreach in the State of Gujarat.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Finally, some focus on local self-governance! Our panchayats often have idle land and community buildings that could be used for solar panels, market yards, or even small processing units. The PPP and CSR angle is smart too — private sector can bring real efficiency. I just hope the Gram Sabha is genuinely involved, not just a rubber stamp.
As someone who's worked with local governments in India, I see potential but also challenges. The hybrid workshop format is practical, but will the panchayat leaders really understand the technical roadmap? Most sarpanches I've met have basic literacy. Hope the Ministry provides field-level handholding, not just online demos. Accountability is key.
Atmanirbhar Bharat starts from the ground up! 👏 Our village in Gujarat recently started a small nursery on panchayat land — it's now generating steady income. If this programme provides technical and financial backing, many more can do the same. But please ensure transparency in the challenge process, otherwise corruption will creep in.
Good to see NABARD and HUDCO involved — they have the rural expertise. But Rs 50 lakh OSR is steep; most panchayats in my district barely have Rs 10-15 lakh. This might end up benefiting only the already developed panchayats, widening the gap. The programme should have a separate track for backward areas with lower thresholds. 🙏
I appreciate the intent, but I'm skeptical about implementation. "Mandatory Gram Sabha participation" sounds nice on paper, but who
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