PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
The director of Panchayati Raj in Uttarakhand, Nidhi Yadav has been appointed as a member of a committee formed by the Central Government to suggest revisions to the cost norms for various components in the revamped Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) scheme. According to officials, the Central Government is in the process of revamping the centrally sponsored scheme of RGSA, which is set to be operational from April 1, 2026.
In this regard, suggestions regarding modifications and revisions to the existing scheme, including adjustments to the cost norms, have been solicited from States and Union Territories (UTs). The committee has been constituted with senior officers from State Panchayati Raj departments as well as from State Institutes of Rural Development (SIRD) or Panchayati Raj Training Institutes (PRTI) and allied training institutions.
Yadav’s selection as a committee member underlines her role in this important initiative. The committee is chaired by the Commissioner of PR&RD (Training) in Tamil Nadu, R Ananda Kumar. Other members include the secretary of the PR department in Assam, Munindra Sharma; director of the PR department in Uttar Pradesh, Amit Kumar Singh, director of SIRD in Odisha, Surendra Kumar Meena and the commissioner of the department of RDPR in Karnataka, Arundhati Chandrasekhar. Additionally, a director from the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MOPR) has also been included as a member-convener of the committee.
According to the officials, the committee may reference the existing framework for the implementation of the RGSA scheme as well as the suggestions received from States and UTs. The committee is expected to submit its recommendations concerning the revised cost norms, along with justifications and a breakdown of costs within three weeks.
