The Parliament enacted the Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA) under Article 243M(4)(b) of the Constitution to extend the provisions of Part IX of the Constitution to the Fifth Schedule Areas with certain exceptions and modifications. Panchayats, being "Local Government", are a State subject and operate through the respective State Panchayati Raj Acts. Accordingly, implementation of PESA, including the adoption and utilisation of digital governance applications such as eGramSwaraj and AuditOnline in Scheduled Areas, falls within the purview of the respective State Governments.

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj facilitates digital governance through the e-Panchayat Mission Mode Project (MMP), including eGramSwaraj and AuditOnline, and periodically reviews their implementation with the States through review meetings and other monitoring mechanisms. The Ministry has also developed 10 PESA Indicators to facilitate assessment of PESA implementation by the States, one of which relates to the uploading of Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs) of PESA Gram Sabhas on the eGramSwaraj portal.

The State-wise details of utilisation of eGramSwaraj/ status of GPDP uploads in PESA areas, are placed below.

S.No.	State Name	Total PESA Panchayat	Total Villages	Approved PESA Main Plan
1	Andhra Pradesh	609	1613	609
2	Chhattisgarh	5552	9891	5532
3	Gujarat	2889	4701	2755
4	Himachal Pradesh	178	1533	164
5	Jharkhand	2066	17240	2066
6	Madhya Pradesh	5197	7710	5173
7	Maharashtra	2918	4317	2907
8	Odisha	1390	11668	1390
9	Rajasthan	1608	5690	1604
10	Telangana	1314	1321	1314
Total		23,721	65,684	23,514

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj has initiated Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) integration of PESA within the GPDP framework to enable the preparation of PESA-specific Village Development Plans. A dedicated PESA-GPDP Portal has been launched by the Ministry to facilitate the preparation, implementation, and monitoring of Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs) in Scheduled Areas under the provisions of the PESA Act.

Further, in Plan Year 2026-27, PESA has been included as a separate theme in eGramSwaraj Portal with 42 activities. It has also been made mandatory for Gram Sabhas in Fifth Schedule Areas to take up at least one activity under PESA theme while preparing their GPDP plan.

In certain rural and tribal areas, challenges such as inadequate digital infrastructure, intermittent internet connectivity, and limited technical capacity have been experienced, affecting the adoption of digital governance applications. To address these challenges, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, in coordination with the State Governments, provides continuous technical support, undertakes periodic reviews of the implementation of the e-Panchayat applications, and upgrades the applications based on feedback received from the stakeholders. Further, internet connectivity to Gram Panchayats is being strengthened through the BharatNet project being implemented by the Department of Telecommunications to provide broadband connectivity to Gram Panchayats across the country.

Panchayat, being “Local Self Government”, is a State subject and part of the State list of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India. However, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj is implementing the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of revamped Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) since the financial year 2022-23 in States/ UTs, including tribal/PESA areas with the objectives to strengthen the capacity of Panchayati Raj institutions (PRIs) by imparting training to Elected Representatives (ERs), Panchayat Functionaries and other stakeholders to develop their governance capabilities for leadership roles, enabling the Gram Panchayats to function effectively across all States/UTs.

Under the scheme, the Ministry provides support for Capacity Building & Training (CB&T) of Panchayat representatives and Officials in different categories, including various digital trainings as per the priority of the States/UTs. Since, 2022-23 to 2026-27 (as on 10.07.2026), 1,87,238 Panchayat representatives and officials have been trained in PESA States to strengthen digital governance and other digital platforms.

This information was given by Union Minister Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh in a written reply in Lok Sabha on 21^st July 2026.

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