The Ministry of Panchayati Raj announced that it will launch the People’s Plan Campaign (PPC) 2025-26 across all states and Union Territories starting October 2 (Thursday), coinciding with the preparation of Panchayat Development Plans (PDPs) for the financial year 2026-27. The initiative aims to strengthen grassroots democracy by enabling evidence-based, inclusive, and community-driven planning through special gram sabha meetings.
Deepening participatory planning
Launched in 2018, the campaign has consistently drawn strong responses from states, Union Territories, and Panchayati Raj Institutions. According to the eGramSwaraj Portal, more than 18.13 lakh Panchayat Development Plans have been uploaded since 2019-20, including Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs), Block Panchayat Development Plans (BPDPs), and District Panchayat Development Plans (DPDPs). Of these, more than 2.52 lakh plans relate to the current exercise for 2025-26, reflecting the scale and impact of the initiative.
The ministry described this as a demonstration of how participatory grassroots planning has grown into a comprehensive and inclusive process nationwide.
Preparations and coordination
To ensure success, the ministry has initiated a series of virtual meetings with state and UT departments of Panchayati Raj and key institutions like the State Institutes of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj (SIRD&PRs). These sessions, led by Additional Secretary Sushil Kumar Lohani, focused on strategy, lessons from past campaigns, and state-level readiness.
The ministry has also reached out to 20 central ministries and departments, requesting them to direct their state and UT-level counterparts to ensure frontline staff actively participate in the upcoming gram sabha meetings.
Key steps for states and Panchayats
States and UTs have been asked to-
- Activate monitoring platforms for oversight.
- Appoint nodal officers and facilitators at state, district, and block levels.
- Conduct orientation sessions for facilitators.
- Finalise schedules of gram sabha meetings.
- Display public information boards in gram panchayats by the end of September.
Formal launch on October 2
The special gram sabhas on October 2 will mark the official start of the People’s Plan Campaign (PPC) 2025-26.
These meetings will-
- Review progress on previous development plans via digital tools like eGramSwaraj, Meri Panchayat App, and Panchayat NIRNAY.
- Identify delays and address challenges in implementation.
- Take stock of unspent Central Finance Commission grants (tied and untied).
- Prioritise completion of unfinished works to improve efficiency and accountability.
Strengthening local governance
By aligning participatory village-level planning with digital platforms and inter-departmental collaboration, the People’s Plan Campaign seeks to create a stronger, inclusive, and more accountable framework for rural development across India.
