New Delhi, July 5 (APAC Media): IAS Vipul Ujwal has earned national recognition for his contribution to the Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI).
The flagship rural governance platform has won the Gold Award at the National Awards for e-Governance (NAeG) 2026.
The award was presented during the 29th National Conference on e-Governance, held on July 1–2 at the Rajasthan International Centre in Jaipur.
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj’s flagship initiative received the top honour in Category VII – Digital Transformation through the Use of Data Analytics in Digital Platforms.
A 2009-batch officer of the Punjab cadre, IAS Vipul Ujwal is currently serving as Director, Capacity Building Division in the Ministry of Panchayati Raj on central deputation.
He has been associated with the Panchayat Advancement Index since its inception.
He played a key role in designing the assessment framework and expanding the platform across the country.
According to the Ministry, IAS Vipul Ujwal also helped strengthen the digital platform. He coordinated with States and Union Territories and integrated data from multiple ministries.
He further led capacity-building programmes that supported the nationwide rollout of the initiative.
The second edition of the Panchayat Advancement Index assessed 2,59,867 Gram Panchayats. This covers 97.3% of India’s 2,66,999 Gram Panchayats.
The exercise saw participation from 33 States and Union Territories. It marks a significant improvement over the 80.79% coverage recorded in the first edition.
The index evaluates Gram Panchayats using 150 indicators and 230 data points. These are spread across nine thematic pillars aligned with the Localisation of Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs).
To improve data quality, the platform automatically integrates 59 data points from 11 government schemes managed by six Union Ministries.
These include eGramSwaraj, Jal Jeevan Mission, MGNREGS, POSHAN Tracker, and UDISE+. The integration reduces manual reporting and enables more reliable assessments.
The initiative has also focused on large-scale capacity building.
More than 4.71 lakh Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) functionaries and stakeholders have been trained under the programme.
Its implementation network covers nearly 37 lakh elected representatives, 7,135 Block Development Officers, and 741 District Officers.
According to the Ministry, PAI scores are now being used for the National Panchayat Awards and the preparation of Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs).
Several states, including Punjab, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh, are also using the scores for incentive programmes.
Officials said the initiative reflects the combined efforts of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, state governments, district administrations, and Panchayati Raj Institutions.
They said it has helped promote transparency, accountability, and data-driven governance at the grassroots level.
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