MoPR launches Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) 2.0 for FY24 — Tripura tops

What: Ministry of Panchayati Raj launched PAI 2.0 for FY2023‑24 to assess holistic performance of Gram Panchayats (GPs).

Participation: 33 of 36 States/UTs; validated data from 2,59,867 GPs (~97.3% of total).

Top performers: Tripura (top state; 943 ‘Front Runner’ panchayats — ~80% of its 1,176 GPs), Kerala (10% GPs front‑runner), Odisha third.

Top GP: Jugal Kishore Nagar Village Committee (Sepahijala, Tripura) — score 88.44.

Significance:

• Local governance: Encourages performance benchmarking, service delivery improvements and accountability at GP level.

• Federalism: Facilitates central evaluation while respecting state‑GP roles; potential to guide grants and capacity building.

UPSC relevance: Panchayati Raj, rural governance, performance monitoring frameworks.

Practice Q: Examine the role of indices like PAI in improving gram‑level governance and service delivery.