29-07-2025
Maha govt approves construction of 500 new gram panchayat buildings
Nagpur: The Maharashtra govt has sanctioned the construction of 500 new Gram Panchayat office buildings under the Revised Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) for the financial year 2025–26, with a total budget outlay of Rs324.28 crore.
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Of these, 127 buildings will be constructed in Vidarbha, reflecting a significant push to strengthen rural governance infrastructure in the region.
The approvals include 73 buildings in the Amravati Division (covering Amravati, Akola, Yavatmal, Buldhana, and Washim) and 54 in the Nagpur Division (including Nagpur, Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, and Wardha), giving Vidarbha one of the largest regional shares under the scheme.
The state's decision follows the approval of the annual action plan by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) in May 2025. The initiative aims to strengthen rural governance by creating proper administrative infrastructure in villages where existing Gram Panchayat buildings are either unavailable, unsafe, or in a dilapidated condition.
The scheme mandates that selected villages must have a population of over 3,000 and lack a viable panchayat building or operate from structurally compromised premises, as per a GR dated July 18.
Under the funding structure, 60% of the cost will be borne by the central govt and 40% by the state. Each approved panchayat will receive Rs25 lakh — Rs20 lakh for the construction of the office building and Rs5 lakh for an adjoining Citizen Service Centre (CSC room), which will house digital and public utility services.
The state govt has directed the respective Zilla Parishads and district administrations to begin construction immediately after land and legal clearances.
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Locations must be free of legal disputes and under full ownership of the Gram Panchayat. The directive also stresses the importance of transparency, mandating standardised building plans, cost boards, and completion monitoring at the district level.
The RGSA, first launched as a restructuring of the Rajiv Gandhi Panchayat Sashaktikaran Abhiyan, aims to build institutional capacity at the grassroots and strengthen decentralised governance. With this phase of approvals, Maharashtra hopes to accelerate rural development by creating functional spaces for panchayat operations, grievance redressal, and citizen outreach. The scheme will be monitored by the Directorate of Panchayati Raj, Pune, which will oversee fund disbursal and ensure timely completion of the works through regular field reports.
