The Ministry of Panchayati Raj will organise an outreach workshop on the Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, on June 9, as part of efforts to promote financial self-reliance among Panchayati Raj Institutions.
According to the Ministry, the workshop will be attended by Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Vivek Bharadwaj; Joint Secretary Mukta Shekhar; Principal Secretary of Gujarat’s Panchayat, Rural Housing and Rural Development Department, Dhananjay Dwivedi; and Additional Development Commissioner Gaurav Dahiya. Senior state government officials, representatives of NABARD and HUDCO, and Panchayat representatives will also participate.
The event will be conducted in a hybrid mode, enabling eligible Gram Panchayats and Block Panchayats across Gujarat to join through video conferencing. Panchayats located near Gandhinagar will participate in person, while others will attend virtually from their respective offices.
The Ministry said the workshop aims to directly engage Panchayat leaders and functionaries and familiarise them with the vision, objectives and implementation framework of the Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme.
The programme will include an address by the Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, on the initiative’s vision, followed by presentations on policy objectives, the technical roadmap and expected outcomes. Participants will also witness a live demonstration of the Atmanirbhar Panchayat Portal and take part in an interactive question-and-answer session. Representatives from NABARD and HUDCO will outline the support available under the programme.
The Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme is a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj aimed at strengthening the financial independence of Panchayats. Under the programme, Panchayats are invited to submit proposals for revenue-generating projects that make productive use of local assets and untapped opportunities.
Selected projects will receive technical assistance from the Ministry to develop them into viable and bankable ventures. Funding support may be mobilised through public-private partnerships (PPP), corporate social responsibility (CSR) contributions, bank financing and convergence with existing government schemes.
The Ministry said community participation will remain central to the initiative, with Gram Sabha involvement mandated at every stage of project planning and implementation.
Gram Panchayats with a minimum Own Source Revenue (OSR) of Rs 50 lakh and Block Panchayats with a minimum OSR of Rs 1 crore, along with at least three years of remaining tenure, are eligible to participate in the challenge process.
Implemented under the Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA), the programme seeks to create a new generation of self-reliant Panchayats capable of driving local economic development while strengthening grassroots governance.
The Ministry has partnered with NABARD and HUDCO to provide institutional expertise in project development and facilitate access to financial support for qualifying Panchayats.
