The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, on Saturday gave its approval for restructured centrally sponsored scheme of Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA).

The total outlay for the scheme during April 1 this year to March 31, 2022, is ₹7,255.50 crore, of which the Centre’s share would be ₹4,500 crore.

The scheme will be extended to all states and union territories. Institutions of rural local government in non-Part IX areas (where panchayats do not exist) will also be covered, a government release said, adding that the sunset date for RGSA will be March 31, 2030.

The scheme will have both a central component - national level activities, including “National Plan of Technical Assistance”, “Mission Mode project on e-Panchayat”, “Incentivisation of Panchayats” and a State component - capacity building of panchayati raj institutions.

The implementation and monitoring of activities will broadly be aligned for achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) with the main thrust on panchayats identified under Mission Antyodaya, and 115 aspirational districts as identified by NITI Aayog.

The Finance Minister, in his budget speech for 2016-17, announced the launch of a new restructured scheme of RGSA, for developing governance capabilities of panchayati raj institutions to deliver on the sustainable development goals.

A committee under the chairmanship of the Vice Chairman-NITI Aayog was constituted to restructure the existing scheme of this Ministry as Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan. The scheme will converge capacity building initiatives of other Ministries with particular focus on those Ministries which will be impacted substantially by this scheme.

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