An Evaluation of India's Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA)

One of the central objectives of the study on RGSA by NCAER is to assess the level of implementation and to evaluate if the scheme has been able to enhance the capabilities of Panchayats for inclusive local governance with focus on optimal utilisation of accessible resources and convergence to other schemes for addressing issues of efficient local governance. A field survey was carried out at different levels of stakeholders including Elected Representatives, Panchayat Functionaries, Standing Committee Members of the Gram Sabha, representatives of Self-Help Groups, the State Institutes of Rural Development, and state/district level resource persons across 12 States of India. One of the primary findings of the study has been that the State Panchayati Raj departments should focus more on capacity building and training of Elected Representatives at the village level.