New Delhi, Oct. 2 -- More than 2.42 lakh special gram sabhas were held across the country to discuss transformative governance reforms on Gandhi Jayanti, marking the Centre's launch of the People's Plan Campaign 2026-27 under which Gram Panchayats will prepare their development plans for the next financial year.
The gram sabhas held on Friday -- with participation from locals, elected representatives, Panchayat functionaries and officials -- placed various government schemes and local issues at the centre of discussions, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj said in a statement.
The special gram sabhas provided rural citizens a "direct platform" to participate in discussions on key government initiatives and issues of local relevance, it said.
The deliberations covered the devolution of Central Finance Commission grants to panchayats, financial self-reliance through own-source revenue, property and land rights, employment and livelihoods, drinking water and sanitation, water security, food security, consumer protection and women's economic empowerment.
Agenda and information on key government initiatives, including governance reforms and citizen-centric measures undertaken over the last 12 years, were read out and discussed. Participants shared their experiences and suggestions, the ministry said.
The exercise was supported by various ministries and departments as well as their field-level functionaries and MY Bharat volunteers. Their engagement at the state-, district-, block- and gram panchayat-level helped facilitate meaningful dialogue on citizen-centric schemes and initiatives while strengthening "Jan Bhagidari and Samvaad at the grassroots", it said.
Panchayati Raj Secretary Vineet Joshi and senior officials of the ministry and participating departments were in touch with officials of states and Union Territories throughout the day to review the progress of the gram sabhas and facilitate coordination, the statement said.
The special gram sabhas also marked the commencement of the People's Plan Campaign 2026-27, "Sabki Yojana, Sabka Vikas", under which panchayats will prepare their development plans for the financial year 2027-28.
The campaign, led by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj in collaboration with 21 ministries and departments, has
been rolled out across all states and Union Territories since 2018 to enable panchayats to prepare evidence-based, holistic and participatory plans.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.