Knowledge Nugget: What does the Panchayat Advancement Index reveal?
Here’s your knowledge nugget on the Panchayat Advancement Index.(Relevance: This is an important topic from Prelims perspective. Last year, there was a question on Panchayats in the Prelims. Similarly, questions on this topic have been asked in the Mains as well. Understanding this topic and connecting it with the static portion is crucial for your exam preparedness.)The Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) 2.0, which assessed 2,59,867 rural local bodies based on their performance and progress across nine themes aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), was released by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj. It covers all Gram Panchayats in the country, except West Bengal. Gear up for UPSC Prelims 2026—Practice smarter, revise faster, and succeed with our Special Quiz Magazine. Click Here Key takeaways:
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The inaugural edition was launched last year which ranked over 2.16 lakh panchayats based on their performance and progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
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PAI is a multi-dimensional index used to assess the implementation of Localization of Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs) across nine broad themes.
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This year panchayats are assessed based on their performance across 150 indicators covering nine SDGs –from poverty-free and enhanced livelihoods to women-friendly panchayats—during the 2023-24 financial year.Story continues below this ad
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Under PAI, the Gram Panchayats have been ranked under five categories based on their score on a scale of 0-100: ‘Achiever’ (90-100), ‘Front Runner’ (75-90), ‘Performer’ (60-75), ‘Aspirant’ (40-60 ) and ‘Beginner’ (below 40).
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Of the 2,59,867 Gram Panchayats, 3,635 have been ranked as ‘Front Runner’, 1,18,824 as ‘Performer’, 1,23,719 as ‘Aspirant’, and 13,689 as ‘Beginner’. No panchayat could make it to the ‘Achiever’ category.
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Among the ‘Front Runner’ panchayats, 943 were in Tripura, which constituted 80 per cent of the state’s total 1,176 rural local bodies. The state was followed by Kerala, where 10 per cent of its 941 Gram Panchayats have been assessed as ‘Front Runner’. With 8 per cent of its total 6,794 Gram panchayats assessed as ‘Front Runner’, Odisha stood next.
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Panchayats in these states have performed relatively better vis-à-vis several big states. For instance, only 51 of 57,678 Gram Panchayats in Uttar Pradesh were assessed as ‘Front Runner’. In Rajasthan, the number stood at eight out of 11,037; in Bihar, 2 out of 8,053; and in Punjab, just one out of 13,233.Story continues below this ad Objective of introducing PAI:
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