• The event also featured the unveiling of several key initiatives and publications by the MoPR, including PANCHAM – the Panchayat Assistance and Messaging Chatbot, the 2024-25 (Provisions of the Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas(PESA) State Rankings, the 17th edition of Gramoday Sankalp magazine, the Compendium of Basic Statistics on Panchayati Raj Institutions – 2025, and the Expert Committee Report on Service Delivery at the Panchayat level.”

Key Highlights
Panchayat Leaders: The honourees include around 240 Sarpanches, Mukhiyas, Gram Pradhans (GP) and Block and District Panchayat Presidents from Panchayats that have achieved saturation in flagship Central Government schemes.
Key Officials: The event was also attended by Vivek Bharadwaj, Secretary, MoPR and other senior officials of the Ministry.
About PANCHAM
Purpose: During the event, the MoPR launched Panchayat Assistance & Messaging Chatbot (PANCHAM) developed in collaboration with UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund).

• It is designed as a digital companion for Panchayats, providing timely and contextual guidance, simplified workflows, and easy access to information to support day-to-day governance and service delivery functions.

Digital Connect: It is a direct digital connect between the Government of India (GoI) and over 30 lakh Elected Representatives and Panchayat Functionaries across the country.
PESA State Rankings for 2024 -25:
PESA: The MoPR also released the PESA (Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996) rankings of the states for the year 2024-25.
Top State: Maharashtra bagged the 1st position in implementation of PESA, closely followed by Madhya Pradesh (MP) in 2nd position and Himachal Pradesh (HP) in 3rd position.