Panchayat Workshop Pushes Atmanirbhar Panchayats, EV MoU

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj held a national workshop on the People's Plan Campaign (PPC) 2026-27 in New Delhi on 30 October 2026, attended by more than 400 participants from across the country. Union Minister of Panchayati Raj and of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, asked every stakeholder to join the effort to build Atmanirbhar Panchayats, that is self-reliant Panchayats, and Viksit Panchayats. The PPC 2026-27 booklet was released at the workshop in English and in Hindi.

PM VGSY, the new scheme cited

The Minister told the gathering about the Union Cabinet's approval of the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Gram Swaraj Yojana (PM VGSY), described as a next-generation governance initiative aligned with the Viksit Bharat vision. Its stated objectives are to spread awareness of government schemes, encourage debate at the grassroots, bring Centre and State schemes of different departments onto one digital platform, get Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs) ready on time and train Panchayat representatives for better local governance. A Panchayat becomes truly self-reliant, he said, when Gram Sabhas plan with confidence, when Own Source Revenue (OSR) keeps rising and when every tier of government works together, and he tied this to the goal of Viksit Bharat 2047.

The money and the responsibility

Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Dr Vineet Joshi, said the Cabinet decision gives a base for decentralised, evidence-based planning. He noted that the Sixteenth Finance Commission has recommended grants of Rs 4,35,236 crore for duly constituted Panchayati Raj Institutions and rural local bodies in all 28 states for the award period 2026-31, which places a heavier duty on Gram Panchayats to use funds well. Run by the Ministry since 2018 under the theme Sabki Yojana, Sabka Vikas, the PPC has grown into the framework for preparing Gram, Block and District Panchayat Development Plans and for localising the Sustainable Development Goals. He pressed for an OSR component in GPDPs, since performance-based grants are linked to the revenue a Panchayat raises, and for linking Centre and State portals such as eGramSwaraj and the Samarth Panchayat Portal.

MoU for EV charging on Panchayat land

The Ministry signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Energy Efficiency Services Limited under the Ministry of Power, to set up electric vehicle charging and battery swapping stations on Panchayat land across the country. It was exchanged by Mukta Shekhar, Joint Secretary in the Ministry, and Akhilesh Kumar Dixit, Director at CESL. The Ministry will help states identify and monitor sites, while CESL will handle assessment, supply, installation, commissioning, operation and maintenance. Stations may come up along State and National Highways and on Panchayat premises for two-wheelers, three-wheelers, four-wheelers and heavier vehicles, turning Panchayat land into an asset that earns a recurring income.

The workshop will be followed by orientations at state, district and block level to guide Panchayats in preparing their plans for FY 2027-28.