Panchayati Raj Ministry to roll out People's Plan Campaign from Oct 2

New Delhi, Sep 27 (PTI) The Ministry of Panchayati Raj said on Saturday it will roll out the People's Plan Campaign across all states and Union territories from October 2, initiating the process for the preparation of Panchayat Development Plans (PDPs) for the financial year 2026-27.

In a statement, the ministry said since its launch in 2018, the People's Plan Campaign has enabled panchayats to prepare evidence-based, convergent and inclusive plans through special gram sabha meetings. Over the years, the response from states, UTs and Panchayati Raj Institutions has been encouraging, it said.

"As per data available on the eGramSwaraj Portal, more than 18.13 lakh Panchayat Development Plans, comprising Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs), Block Panchayat Development Plans (BPDPs) and District Panchayat Development Plans (DPDPs), have been uploaded since 2019-20, of which over 2.52 lakh plans pertain to the ongoing exercise for 2025-26," it said.

"These numbers speak volumes about the outcomes of the intensive and comprehensive exercise of Panchayat Development Plan preparation led by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj in collaboration with all stakeholders, reflecting the scale and depth of participatory planning and the strengthening of grassroots institutions across the country," it said.

A series of virtual interactions with the state/UT departments of Panchayati Raj and other stakeholders have also been initiated by the ministry to make this year's People's Plan Campaign a well-prepared and coordinated exercise, it said.

Sushil Kumar Lohani, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, held a virtual meeting on Friday, with Panchayati Raj departments of all states/UTs and the State Institutes of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj (SIRD&PRs) to share details on the roll-out strategy, draw upon lessons from previous editions, and take stock of state-level preparations.

"The virtual interactions are aimed at providing guidance, clarifying expectations, and ensuring readiness at every level for the forthcoming roll-out of the campaign," the ministry said.

The ministry has also written to 20 line ministries and departments of the Government of India, requesting them to issue suitable instructions to the respective departments in the states/UTs for ensuring the active participation of their frontline staff in the deliberations of the Special Gram Sabha meetings to be convened during the campaign.

States/UTs have been requested to activate monitoring platforms, appoint nodal officers and facilitators at state, district and block levels, conduct orientation of facilitators, finalise schedules of gram sabha meetings, and display public information boards in gram panchayats by the end of September.

"The special gram sabhas convened on October 2 will mark the formal commencement of the People's Plan Campaign (PPC) 2025-26," it said.

During the People's Plan Campaign, gram sabhas will review previous GPDPs using digital platforms such as eGramSwaraj, Meri Panchayat App and Panchayat NIRNAY to assess progress, identify delays and record challenges for corrective action.

They will take stock of unspent Central Finance Commission grants (tied and untied) and prioritise completion of unfinished works. PTI AO SKY SKY