Arunachal CM rolls out SPICE formula for Panchayat empowerment

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Friday announced a comprehensive reform agenda for strengthening panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) while unveiling the state’s new sustainable, participatory, inclusive, comprehensive and empowerment (SPICE) formula.

Taking to social media, Khandu said the government is committed to empowering grassroots democracy ‘like never before’, ensuring that village-level institutions take the lead in shaping local development.

Under this reform framework, the chief minister informed in a post on X that the state government has devolved all 29 subjects listed in the 11th Schedule of the Constitution to panchayats, giving them wider authority to plan and implement development schemes at the community level.

Highlighting the scale of empowerment, Khandu noted that budget allocations for PRIs have risen by 308 per cent in the past four years, signalling a strong financial commitment to rural governance.

In addition, 10 per cent of the state's tax revenue has been earmarked exclusively for panchayati raj institutions, enabling them to function with greater autonomy and efficiency, he said.

''Grassroots democracy has been strengthened for real development,'' Khandu said, underlining his government's vision to make panchayats the cornerstone of participatory governance in the state.

According to officials here, the SPICE model reflects a shift towards decentralised governance in the frontier state, where local bodies are being positioned as drivers of social, economic, and infrastructural transformation.