The Ministry of Panchayati Raj organized Virtual Outreach Workshops under the Atmanirbhar Panchayat program on 13th and 14th July 2026, targeting participants from seven states: Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh. The workshops aimed to familiarize participants with the program's vision, objectives, and implementation framework for strengthening financially self-reliant Panchayats through enhanced Own Source Revenue (OSR).
Secretary of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Shri Vivek Bharadwaj, emphasized that financially empowered Panchayats are the foundation of Viksit Bharat and called upon Panchayati Raj Institutions to harness local resources and innovative ideas to build sustainable revenue streams. The Ministry assured continued technical guidance and support to help Panchayats convert ideas into successful, self-sustaining projects.
The Atmanirbhar Panchayat Program, anchored under the Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA), promotes financial self-reliance through a transparent national challenge process. Eligibility criteria require Gram Panchayats to have a minimum OSR of ₹50 lakh and Block Panchayats to have a minimum OSR of ₹1 crore, both with at least three years of tenure remaining. Selected innovative revenue-generating proposals receive technical support to be developed into bankable projects, with funding facilitated through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), bank finance, and convergence with government schemes.
NABARD and HUDCO serve as institutional partners providing project development and financial facilitation support. Workshop sessions included presentations by these partners, an overview of program guidelines, a live demonstration of the Atmanirbhar Panchayat Portal, and interactive question-and-answer sessions.
With these workshops, the program's outreach has expanded to ten states across India, following earlier in-person and hybrid workshops held in Hyderabad (Telangana, 2 May 2026), Gandhinagar (Gujarat, 9 June 2026), and Kochi (Kerala, 7 July 2026). The Ministry now invites eligible Panchayats from all covered states to submit innovative ideas for joining the movement toward financially self-reliant Panchayats.