Arunachal: Papum Pare DC urges coordination to improve Panchayat indicators

A meeting on the Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) 2.0 with all stakeholder departments was convened at the Deputy Commissioner’s Conference Hall, in Arunachal Pradesh's Yupia on August 18.

Chairing the meeting, Papum Pare Deputy Commissioner, IAS Vishakha Yadav, underlined the objectives of PAI 2.0 and its alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She emphasized that achieving localized SDGs through PAI 2.0 will serve as the true indicator of grassroots development.

The DC called for close coordination between Gram Panchayat Chairpersons (GPCs) and the Member Secretaries of the Gram Panchayats (GPs) to ensure the submission of accurate data. “PAI 2.0 will be the report card of the district, hence data must be authentic and reliable so that necessary interventions can be planned in Gram segments lagging behind in certain indicators,” she said.

Yadav further directed all departments to appoint Nodal Officers for data collection and uploading on the PAI 2.0 portal, reminding that district-level data must be submitted to the State by the end of September. She instructed that the appointment of Nodal Officers be completed by August 21 without delay.

Highlighting the district’s performance, the DC observed that Papum Pare’s indicators are presently low and urged all stakeholders to work collectively to improve the scores.

ADC-cum-DPDO Tame Yajum also noted that Papum Pare has a unique situation, with jurisdictional overlaps with ICR in certain departments, making better inter-departmental coordination essential for the effective implementation of PAI 2.0. He further informed that block-level training programmes on PAI 2.0 and the Localization of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were conducted earlier this month, with more intensive training sessions in the pipeline. These, he said, are aimed at improving panchayat performance, aligning local governance with SDG themes, and promoting inclusive, participatory rural development.

During the meeting, Nabam Kuku, Technical Assistant, gave a detailed presentation on PAI 2.0 and apprised members of the performance status of various Gram Panchayat segments. He pointed out that many Panchayats are lagging in the themes of ‘Clean and Green Panchayat’ and ‘Self-Sufficient Infrastructure Panchayat’, and urged member secretaries to ensure accurate ground-level reporting in coordination with line departments.

The meeting concluded with an interactive session, during which Heads of Departments (HoDs) clarified their queries. It was attended by HoDs, member secretaries, and officials of the Panchayat department.