Panchayat Sammelan on “Ease of Living: Enhancing Service Delivery at Grassroots” was inaugurated by Prof. S. P. Singh Baghel, Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj in Agra on 19th November, 2024 in the distinguished presence of Shri Om Prakash Rajbhar, Minister of Panchayati Raj, Government of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Vivek Bharadwaj, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Shri Narendra Bhooshan, Additional Chief Secretary (Panchayati Raj), Government of Uttar Pradesh and Shri Alok Prem Nagar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
Second in the series of the four Panchayat Sammelans, the Agra Panchayat Sammelan witnessed an impressive gathering of dignitaries, including Agra District Panchayat Chairperson Smt. Manju Bhadauria, Chairperson of the Uttar Pradesh State Women Commission Smt. Babita Chauhan, along with other public representatives as well as representatives of three-tier Panchayati Raj Institutions.
Around 400 participants attended the Sammelan. Representing a diverse geographical spectrum, the Sammelan brought together participants from seven States: Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Nagaland, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
This strategic representation ensured a comprehensive dialogue reflecting India’s multifaceted rural governance landscape. Speaking on the occasion, Prof. S. P. Singh Baghel, emphasized on the transformative potential of grassroots governance: “Our Panchayats are not just administrative units, but catalysts of change.
Through digital empowerment and innovative service delivery, we are reimagining rural development as a collaborative, inclusive journey”.
Prof. S.P. Singh Baghel, called for ending the practice of 'Pradhanpati' (spouse interference) that undermines women’s leadership in Panchayats.
Prof. Baghel urged the Panchayats to utilize the e-Gram Swaraj portal and Meri Panchayat app for providing weather forecasts to citizens. Addressing rural migration concerns, the Minister of State emphasized that improved service delivery and ease of living would stem the exodus from villages.
“Smart villages will enhance people’s living standards,” he noted, encouraging Panchayats to generate Own Source Revenue (OSR) and learn from best practices across States.
He advocated for multi-purpose community halls in villages to improve facilities and boost Panchayat income. On the occassion of World Toilet Day, Prof. Baghel praised, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision, noting how the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has prioritized women’s dignity alongside health and sanitation in governance.
He urged Panchayat representatives to ensure information about government schemes, particularly healthcare facilities under Ayushman Bharat for seniors above 70, reache every citizen.
Shri Om Prakash Rajbhar, Minister of Panchayati Raj, Government of Uttar Pradesh, highlighted the State’s commitment to rural empowerment, “Uttar Pradesh is committed to creating a model of governance where every Panchayat becomes a hub of efficient, transparent, and responsive services. This Sammelan is a crucial step towards realizing that vision”.
Shri Om Prakash Rajbhar announced that the State would run a “Shauchalay Sanwaren, Jeevan Niharen” (Improve Toilets, Enhance Life) campaign from 19th November to 10th December 2024.
Shri Vivek Bharadwaj, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, underlined the strategic importance of technological integration in his address.
He said “Digital transformation is not just about technology, but about bridging the gap between governance and citizens. Our goal is to ensure that every rural resident experiences the ease of living through accessible, efficient services”.
He commended Uttar Pradesh’s rapid progress in decentralization and successful implementation of the Public Financial Management System (PFMS).
Shri Vivek Bharadwaj stated that over the past decade, transformative steps have been taken towards enhancing ‘Ease of Living’ in rural India’.
He highlighted that digital services have liberated people from the hassle of long queues. The Panchayat Sammelan recognized five outstanding Panchayat Sahayaks (Panchayat Assistants) from various Districts of Uttar Pradesh for their exemplary work.
Five outstanding Panchayat Assistants – Smt. Anamika Gautam (Jaunpur), Shri Dharmendra Kumar (Azamgarh), Smt. Ritu Chaudhary (Gorakhpur), Smt. Komal Mishra (Hardoi), and Shri Mehfooz Alam (Barabanki) – were felicitated for their exemplary contributions in service delivery at Gram Panchayat level.
A unique aspect of the event was linguistic inclusivity, utilizing the AI-powered Bhashini platform to live-stream proceedings in eleven languages, thereby democratizing administrative communication across linguistic barriers.
Additional Chief Secretary (Panchayati Raj) Shri Narendra Bhooshan, Joint Secretary, MoPR Shri Alok Prem Nagar, and Agra District Panchayat Chairperson Smt. Manju Bhadauria also addressed the inaugural session.
The Sammelan strategically coincided with World Toilet Day, whose 2024 theme “Toilets – A Place for Peace” resonated deeply with the event’s core objectives, and extensively explored sanitation challenges in rural regions, highlighting critical role of Panchayats in addressing infrastructural and service delivery gaps.
Technological innovations took center stage, with presentations from the National Informatics Centre (NIC), Wadhwani Foundation, and UNICEF showcasing cutting-edge digital solutions like the ServicePlus platform and digital public goods such as RapidPro.
The Panchayat Sammelan reiterated a collective and collaborative commitment to digital empowerment and infrastructural development at the grassroots level.
The Sammelan’s broader narrative centered on transforming every Panchayat into a responsive, efficient, and transparent service hub.
By facilitating knowledge exchange, sharing best practices, and creating actionable strategies, the event laid a robust foundation for a governance revolution that promises to redefine rural development paradigms.