NEW DELHI, October 21 — The Ministry of Panchayati Raj released the comprehensive 'Panchayat Devolution Index 2026' report compiled by the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) on Tuesday, benchmarking the grassroots empowerment of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) across India.
Evaluating constitutional compliance with Article 243G across six foundational pillars—Framework, Functions, Finances, Functionaries (the 3Fs), Capacity Building, and Accountability—the composite index ranked Karnataka first nationally with a score of 72.2, followed closely by Kerala (70.6), Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar registered the sharpest incremental improvements in digital accounting adoption via the e-GramSwaraj-PFMS interface.
Ministry officials noted that the empirical Devolution Index provides actionable fiscal benchmarks for the 16th Finance Commission and State Finance Commissions (Article 243I) in structuring untied and tied grants for over 2.55 lakh Gram Panchayats.
Constitutional provisions of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act 1992 (Part IX, Articles 243 to 243O, and the 29 functional items in the Eleventh Schedule), landmark committees on democratic decentralization (Balwant Rai Mehta, Ashok Mehta, G.V.K. Rao, and L.M. Singhvi Committees), and PESA 1996 are foundational topics for UPSC Prelims and GS-II.