UDHAMPUR: A one-day District level workshop on the Panchayat Advancement Index organized by the Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj here at Conference Hall DC Office Complex, Udhampur.

The workshop was aimed at sensitizing concerned stakeholders about the Panchayat Advancement Index, a multi-dimensional assessment tool designed to evaluate the overall developmental status of Gram Panchayats.

Deputy Commissioner Udhampur, Saloni Rai presided over the workshop. Additional Deputy Commissioner Prem Singh, Chief Planning Officer Mohammad Iqbal, Assistant Commissioner Revenue Dr. Umesh Shan, Assistant Commissioner Panchayat Dr. Ashwani Hansa along with other concerned officers and field functionaries attended the workshop.

Speaking on the occasion, DC emphasized the importance of the Panchayat Advancement Index in achieving inclusive and targeted development at the grassroots level. She urged all stakeholders to actively mobilize field functionaries for effective implementation of PAI themes and directed the concerned departments to maintain utmost accuracy while uploading data on the PAI portal.

Nida Rafiq, Thematic Expert, Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj briefed the participants on the objectives and significance of the Panchayat Development Index. She explained that PAI is a structured tool to monitor and measure the socio-economic and infrastructural growth of Panchayats across key indicators of sustainable development goals.

A detailed presentation was given on various themes under PAI-2.0 viz. child-friendly panchayat, water-sufficient panchayat, clean and green panchayat and self-sufficient infrastructure in panchayats. The presentation also elaborated on socio-economic indicators and performance parameters essential for assessing the well-being of rural communities under the PAI framework.

Participants were also provided with hands-on training on the PAI portal to ensure efficient and accurate data entry and monitoring.

A video documentary highlighting the methodology and impact of the Panchayat Advancement Index was also screened during the session.

The workshop concluded with an interactive session where participants shared insights and clarified operational aspects of the PAI initiative.