Lok Sabha Question No. 5227 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-24
Subject: Women Pradhans in Panchayati Raj Institutions
Ministry: PANCHAYATI RAJ
Asked by: Shri Anurag Singh Thakur, Shri Captain Brijesh Chowta, Shri Tangella Uday Srinivas

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PANCHAYATI RAJ

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5227

ANSWERED ON- 24.03.2026

## WOMENPRADHANS INPANCHAYATI RAJ INSTITUTIONS

## 5227. SHRI CAPTAIN BRIJESH CHOWTA: SHRI TANGELLAUDAYSRINIVAS: SHRI ANURAG SINGH THAKUR:

Will the Minister of PANCHAYATI RAJ be pleased to state:

(a) the key findings and actionable recommendations of the Advisory Committee constituted by the Ministry on issues concerning women pradhans;

(b) the initiatives and solutions being implemented by the Ministry to address the Pradhanpati phenomenon and to promote genuine empowerment, accountability and effective participation of women in reserved seats;

(c) whether certain States have experienced delays in conducting timely Panchayat elections as mandated under Article 243E, guidelines issued by Ministry to facilitate compliance in such cases, State-wise including Himachal Pradesh;

(d) if so, the details of utilisation and progress of the e-Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Nirnay platforms for scheduling and managing Gram Sabha meetings in the States, State/UTs-wise; and

(e) the number of elected representatives, panchayat functionaries trained under the Revamped Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan since 2022-23, State and district-wise including Dakshina Kannada?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF PANCHAYATI RAJ

## (SHRI RAJIV RANJAN SINGH ALIAS LALAN SINGH)

(a) and (b) 'Panchayat', being 'Local Government', is a State subject and part of the State List of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India. Therefore, any matters related to address the Pradhan-pati phenomenon and to promote genuine empowerment, accountability participation of women in reserved seats lies in the domain of the State.

On the direction of the Hon'ble Supreme Court, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj constituted an Advisory Committee in September 2023 to examine the issue of Women Pradhans being represented by the male members of their families and also to examine other issues related to proxy practices. The Committee has submitted its Report with recommendations to the Ministry in February 2025, and the same has been accepted by the

Ministry.

The Advisory Committee recommended that the State Governments take necessary measures, including legal safeguards, capacity-building, women ombudspersons, public oathtaking, mentorship by women leaders,social audits and penal provisionsto eliminate proxy leadership in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and ensure real empowerment, autonomy and accountability of elected women representatives.

This Ministry has implemented the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Revamped Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) w.e.f. FY 2022-23 in States/ UTs with main objective of capacitating PRIs through imparting training to the Elected Representatives, including Women Elected Representatives, functionaries and other stakeholders to develop their governance capabilities for leadership roles and to function effectively. A total of 30,94,748 Women Elected Representatives were trained from FY 2022-23 to FY 2025-26 (as on 28th February 2026) under this scheme. Further, to strengthen the Women-Led Initiatives, the Ministry has launched a comprehensive Specialized Training Module 'Championing Change -Empowering Women Leaders in Local Governance and Beyond' as a part of 'Shashkta Panchayat Netri Abhiyan' Campaign for the capacity building of Women Elected Representatives of Panchayati Raj System. The focus of the training module is to build the capacity of the Women Elected Representatives on different aspects of rural governance; enhance the knowledge & practical skills for effective delivery of their roles & responsibilities as elected representatives, and also to develop the leadership, communication, managerial, & decision making skills for fostering women-led governance . Atotal of 1,05,966 Women Elected Representatives (as on 28 th February 2026) have been trained on this special module.

Article 243D of the Constitution of India provides not less than one-third reservation for women in PRIs out of 'total number of seats to be filled by direct election in every Panchayat' and 'total number of offices of Chairpersons in the Panchayats at each level'. However, 21 States namely, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttarakhand and West Bengal and 2 Union Territories namely, Lakshadweep and Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, have gone even further and have made provisions of upto 50% reservation for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions in their respective State Panchayati Raj Acts/Rulesencouraging increased participation in grassroots governance.

(c) The details of the States and Union Territories, where Panchayat elections were delayed, including Himachal Pradesh is placed at Annexure I . This Ministry, from time to time, issues advisories to the States and Union Territories for conducting elections.

(d) The Ministry is implementing the e-Panchayat Mission Mode Project (MMP) under RGSA, which has significantly enhanced transparency, efficiency, and governance at the grassroots level. The eGramSwaraj application, developed as part of the e-Panchayat MMP, has facilitated digital planning, accounting, monitoring, and online payments at the Panchayat level. The integration of eGramSwaraj with the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) enables real-time payments to vendors and service providers, ensuring seamless fund flow and reducing delays. During Financial Year 2025-26, 2,55,254 Gram Panchayats across the country, uploaded their Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs). During the same period, Panchayati Raj Institutions made payments amounting to ₹53,342

crore through the eGramSwaraj-PFMS interface. The State-wise adoption status of eGramSwaraj, for the 15 th Finance Commission is provided in the Annexure II .

Further, applications developed by the Ministry like Meri Panchayat have endeavoured to bring transparency in Panchayat Governance by making information on planning, activities and progress of works in Panchayat accessible to public. Similarly, Panchayat NIRNAY is an online application aims at bringing transparency and better management in conduct of Gram Sabhas by Panchayats. As per the information available on Panchayat NIRNAY Portal (https://meetingonline.gov.in/), over 2.57 lakh Gram Panchayats have scheduled the Gram Sabha using this portal. All the 28 States and 6 Union Territories are utilising the application to conduct Gram Sabha meetings.

(e) State-wise and District-wise details of number of elected representatives, panchayat functionaries trained under the Revamped Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan since 2022-23, including Dakshina Kannada district of the State of Karnataka, is available on the Ministry's website of Traniang Management Portal at https://trainingonline.gov.in/.

****

Annexure -I Annexure referred to in reply to part (c) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 5227 answered

on 24.03.2026 on 'Women Pradhans in Panchayati Raj Institutions'

## Details of States and Union Territories (UTs) where Panchayat elections were delayed

|   Sl. No | Name of State/UT   | Original Due Date                                                                                | Last Election Date                                                                                                                                | Remarks                                                                                                                                |
|----------|--------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|        1 | Gujarat            | Gram Panchayat: March, 2023 Block Panchayat: March, 2023 District Panchayat: March, 2023         | Gram Panchayat: February, 2018 (121 out of 14805) Block Panchayat: February, 2018 (4 out of 238) District Panchayat: February, 2018 (2 out of 31) | Elections in the selected Gram Panchayat, Block Panchayat and District Panchayat is due since 2023.                                    |
|        2 | Himachal Pradesh   | Gram Panchayat: January, 2026 Block Panchayat: January, 2026 District Panchayat: January, 2026   | Gram Panchayat: January, 2021 Block Panchayat: January, 2021 District Panchayat: January, 2021                                                    | All these Panchayats belong to non- tribal areas. Elections in these Panchayats are due since January 2026.                            |
|        3 | Karnataka          | Gram Panchayat: December,2025 Block Panchayat: February, 2021 District Panchayat: February, 2021 | Gram Panchayat: December, 2020 Block Panchayat: February, 2016 District Panchayat: February, 2016                                                 | Election in Gram Panchayatis due since December 2025. Whereas, for Block Panchayat and District Panchayat, election is due since 2021. |
|        4 | Maharashtra        | Block Panchayat: January/February, 2022 District Panchayat: January/February,                    | Block Panchayat: January/February, 2017 District Panchayat: January/February,                                                                     | Election in Block Panchayat and District Panchayat is due since 2022.                                                                  |

|    |            | 2022                                                                                                                                         | 2017                                                                                                                                                                                             |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
|----|------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|  5 | Manipur    | Gram Panchayat: October, 2022 Block Panchayat: Not Applicable District Panchayat: October, 2022                                              | Gram Panchayat: October, 2017 Block Panchayat: Not Applicable District Panchayat: October, 2017                                                                                                  | Election in Gram Panchayatand District Panchayat is due since 2022. The provision of Panchayat Samiti (Block Panchayat) was inserted in the Manipur Panchayati Raj Act, 1994 vide 8th Amendment Act, 2023, notified in Gazette on 22nd |
|  6 | Rajasthan  | Gram Panchayat: January 2025 Gram Panchayat: March, 2025 Gram Panchayat: September-Octob er, 2025 Block Panchayat: November - December, 2025 | Gram Panchayat: January, 2020 (6759 out of 11320) Gram Panchayat: March, 2020 (704 out of 11320) Gram Panchayat: Sept.-Oct., 2020 (3847 out of 11320) Block Panchayat: November - December, 2020 | February, 2023. Election in Gram Panchayat, Block Panchayatand District Panchayatis due since 2025.                                                                                                                                    |
|  7 | Tamil Nadu | January 2025 (For all Panchayats of 28 Districts out of 37 Districts)                                                                        | (21 out of 33) December, 2019                                                                                                                                                                    | Election in all Panchayats of 28 Districts is due since January 2025. Tenure of all                                                                                                                                                    |

|                             |                             |                                                                                                          |                                                                                      | reaming 9 Districts is till October, 2026.                                                    |                             |                             |
|-----------------------------|-----------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------|-----------------------------|
| 8                           | Telangana                   | Block Panchayat: July, 2024 District Panchayat: July,                                                    | Block Panchayat: May, 2019 District Panchayat: May,                                  | Election in Block Panchayatand District Panchayat is due since July 2024.                     |                             |                             |
| 2024 2019 Union Territories | 2024 2019 Union Territories | 2024 2019 Union Territories                                                                              | 2024 2019 Union Territories                                                          | 2024 2019 Union Territories                                                                   | 2024 2019 Union Territories | 2024 2019 Union Territories |
|                             | Jammu and Kashmir           | Gram Panchayat : Januar y, 2024                                                                          | Gram Panchayat: Nov-Dec, 2018                                                        | Election in Gram Panchayatand Block Panchayat is due since                                    |                             |                             |
| 10                          | Ladakh                      | Gram Panchayat: Not Available Block Panchayat: Not Available District Panchayat: Not Available Available | Gram Panchayat: Not Available Block Panchayat: Not Available District Panchayat: Not | Election in Gram Panchayat, Block Panchayat and District Panchayat is due since January 2024. |                             |                             |
| 11                          | Lakshadweep                 | Gram Panchayat: December, 2022 Block Panchayat: Not Applicable District Panchayat: December, 2022        | Gram Panchayat: December, 2017 Block Panchayat: Not Applicable District Panchayat:   | Election in Gram Panchayatand District Panchayat is due since December 2022.                  |                             |                             |
| 12                          | Puducherry                  | Gram Panchayat: July, 2011 Block Panchayat: July, 2011 District Panchayat: Not                           | Gram Panchayat: July, 2011 Block Panchayat: July, 2011 District Panchayat: Not       | Election in Gram Panchayatand Block Panchayat due since July 2011.                            |                             |                             |

Source: Data as available on the website of the States/UTs or as provided by them to the Ministry of Panchayati Raj

Annexure -II Annexure referred to in reply to part (d) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 5227

answered on 24.03.2026 on 'Women Pradhans in Panchayati Raj Institutions'

State-wise adoption status of eGramSwaraj for the 15 th Finance Commission for FY 2025-26

| S.No     | State Name        | Total Number of Village Panchayats& Equivalent   | Village Panchayat onboard   | Village Panchayats& Equivalent With Online Payment Total Number of Block Panchayats& Equivalent Block Panchayat onboard   | Village Panchayats& Equivalent With Online Payment Total Number of Block Panchayats& Equivalent Block Panchayat onboard   | Village Panchayats& Equivalent With Online Payment Total Number of Block Panchayats& Equivalent Block Panchayat onboard   | Block Panchayats With Online Payment Total Number of Zila Panchayats& Equivalent Zila Panchayat onboard   | Block Panchayats With Online Payment Total Number of Zila Panchayats& Equivalent Zila Panchayat onboard   | Block Panchayats With Online Payment Total Number of Zila Panchayats& Equivalent Zila Panchayat onboard   | Zila Panchayats With Online Payment   |
|----------|-------------------|--------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh    | 13327                                            | 13320                       | 13025                                                                                                                     | 660                                                                                                                       | 660                                                                                                                       | 649                                                                                                       | 13                                                                                                        | 13                                                                                                        | 13                                    |
| 2        | Arunachal Pradesh | 2108                                             | 2108                        | 1486                                                                                                                      | 0                                                                                                                         | 0                                                                                                                         | 0                                                                                                         | 27                                                                                                        | 26                                                                                                        | 22                                    |
| 3        | Assam             | 2663                                             | 2186                        | 2075                                                                                                                      | 182                                                                                                                       | 182                                                                                                                       | 179                                                                                                       | 30                                                                                                        | 29                                                                                                        | 27                                    |
| 4        | Bihar             | 8054                                             | 8054                        | 8047                                                                                                                      | 534                                                                                                                       | 534                                                                                                                       | 529                                                                                                       | 38                                                                                                        | 38                                                                                                        | 38                                    |
| 5        | Chhattisgarh      | 11692                                            | 11687                       | 11313                                                                                                                     | 146                                                                                                                       | 146                                                                                                                       | 146                                                                                                       | 33                                                                                                        | 33                                                                                                        | 27                                    |
| 6        | Goa               | 191                                              | 191                         | 116                                                                                                                       | 0                                                                                                                         | 0                                                                                                                         | 0                                                                                                         | 2                                                                                                         | 2                                                                                                         | 2                                     |
| 7        | Gujarat           | 14619                                            | 14596                       | 13800                                                                                                                     | 248                                                                                                                       | 248                                                                                                                       | 248                                                                                                       | 33                                                                                                        | 33                                                                                                        | 33                                    |
| 8        | Haryana           | 6227                                             | 6227                        | 6010                                                                                                                      | 143                                                                                                                       | 143                                                                                                                       | 141                                                                                                       | 22                                                                                                        | 22                                                                                                        | 22                                    |
| 9        | Himachal Pradesh  | 3615                                             | 3615                        | 3562                                                                                                                      | 92                                                                                                                        | 81                                                                                                                        | 81                                                                                                        | 12                                                                                                        | 12                                                                                                        | 12                                    |
| 10       | Jharkhand         | 4345                                             | 4345                        | 4252                                                                                                                      | 264                                                                                                                       | 264                                                                                                                       | 262                                                                                                       | 24                                                                                                        | 24                                                                                                        | 24                                    |
| 11       | Karnataka         | 5949                                             | 5949                        | 5938                                                                                                                      | 238                                                                                                                       | 232                                                                                                                       | 93                                                                                                        | 31                                                                                                        | 31                                                                                                        | 23                                    |
| 12       | Kerala            | 941                                              | 941                         | 937                                                                                                                       | 152                                                                                                                       | 152                                                                                                                       | 152                                                                                                       | 14                                                                                                        | 14                                                                                                        | 14                                    |
| 13       | Madhya Pradesh    | 23011                                            | 23011                       | 22194                                                                                                                     | 313                                                                                                                       | 313                                                                                                                       | 309                                                                                                       | 52                                                                                                        | 52                                                                                                        | 52                                    |
| 14       | Maharashtra       | 28002                                            | 27934                       | 26438                                                                                                                     | 351                                                                                                                       | 351                                                                                                                       | 265                                                                                                       | 34                                                                                                        | 34                                                                                                        | 33                                    |
| 15       | Manipur           | 3175                                             | 161                         | 113                                                                                                                       | 0                                                                                                                         | 0                                                                                                                         | 0                                                                                                         | 12                                                                                                        | 6                                                                                                         | 4                                     |
| 16       | Meghalaya         | 6884                                             | 0                           | 0                                                                                                                         | 0                                                                                                                         | 0                                                                                                                         | 0                                                                                                         | 3                                                                                                         | 3                                                                                                         | 3                                     |
| 17       | Mizoram           | 855                                              | 841                         | 817                                                                                                                       | 0                                                                                                                         | 0                                                                                                                         | 0                                                                                                         | 0                                                                                                         | 0                                                                                                         | 0                                     |
| 18       | Nagaland          | 1312                                             | 984                         | 0                                                                                                                         | 0                                                                                                                         | 0                                                                                                                         | 0                                                                                                         | 0                                                                                                         | 0                                                                                                         | 0                                     |
| 19       | Odisha            | 6794                                             | 6794                        | 6785                                                                                                                      | 314                                                                                                                       | 314                                                                                                                       | 313                                                                                                       | 30                                                                                                        | 30                                                                                                        | 30                                    |
| 20       | Punjab            | 13236                                            | 13233                       | 12341                                                                                                                     | 155                                                                                                                       | 152                                                                                                                       | 150                                                                                                       | 23                                                                                                        | 23                                                                                                        | 22                                    |
| 21       | Rajasthan         | 13128                                            | 11184                       | 10774                                                                                                                     | 361                                                                                                                       | 353                                                                                                                       | 351                                                                                                       | 37                                                                                                        | 33                                                                                                        | 33                                    |
| 22       | Sikkim            | 199                                              | 199                         | 196                                                                                                                       | 0                                                                                                                         | 0                                                                                                                         | 0                                                                                                         | 6                                                                                                         | 6                                                                                                         | 6                                     |
| 23       | Tamil Nadu        | 12482                                            | 12482                       | 12437                                                                                                                     | 388                                                                                                                       | 388                                                                                                                       | 388                                                                                                       | 36                                                                                                        | 36                                                                                                        | 36                                    |
| 24       | Telangana         | 12760                                            | 12674                       | 9570                                                                                                                      | 565                                                                                                                       | 547                                                                                                                       | 400                                                                                                       | 32                                                                                                        | 32                                                                                                        | 27                                    |
| 25       | Tripura           | 1194                                             | 1194                        | 1192                                                                                                                      | 75                                                                                                                        | 75                                                                                                                        | 75                                                                                                        | 9                                                                                                         | 9                                                                                                         | 9                                     |
| 26       | Uttarakhand       | 7817                                             | 7790                        | 6926                                                                                                                      | 95                                                                                                                        | 95                                                                                                                        | 94                                                                                                        | 13                                                                                                        | 13                                                                                                        | 13                                    |
| 27       | Uttar Pradesh     | 57695                                            | 57693                       | 57579                                                                                                                     | 826                                                                                                                       | 826                                                                                                                       | 820                                                                                                       | 75                                                                                                        | 75                                                                                                        | 74                                    |
| 28 Total | West Bengal       | 3339 265614                                      | 3339 25273 2                | 3337 24126 0                                                                                                              | 345 6447                                                                                                                  | 345 6401                                                                                                                  | 345 5990                                                                                                  | 22 663                                                                                                    | 21 65 0                                                                                                   | 21 620                                |

Source: e-Gramswaraj portal of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.