Panchayati raj ministry holds workshop on spatial development plan for villages
New Delhi, Jul 17 (PTI) The Panchayati Raj Ministry on Thursday said it has brought together 19 partner institutes of planning and architecture to prepare spatial development plans for 36 gram panchayats across 14 states as a pilot project.
A two-day workshop in this regard, titled 'Navingram –� Re-Imagining the Village', commenced in Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal on Thursday, the ministry said in a statement.
A Gram Panchayat Spatial Development Plan (GPSDP) is a comprehensive plan that guides the physical and spatial development of a gram panchayat. It outlines how land should be used, what infrastructure should be built, and how development should be managed to achieve social and economic goals.
'Spatial development plans must be realistic, sustainable and aimed at empowering gram panchayats to become self-reliant," an official statement quoted Panchayati Raj Secretary Vivek Bharadwaj as saying while delivering the keynote address at the workshop.
Bharadwaj stressed on panchayats generating their own revenue.
'We must include strategies to enhance the panchayats' own revenue generation, and ensure that village development becomes a model of self-sufficiency and innovation," he said.
According to the statement, the ministry will create a valuable knowledge repository for Panchayati Raj transformation.
'The initiative reflects the evolution from traditional village development approaches to scientifically designed spatial planning methodologies that integrate modern planning principles with Panchayati Raj governance structures," it said.
The workshop witnessed participation from elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions from the spatial planning gram panchayats, officers from Departments of Panchayati Raj in various states, faculty and students from planning and architecture institutes, Town and Country Planning Department officials, and government agencies, the statement said.
'The workshop emphasises the critical importance of Own Sources of Revenue (OSR) generation and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) partnerships in creating financially sustainable gram panchayats that can effectively implement their spatial development plans," it said.
The partner institutes will make presentations, showcasing the enhanced GPSDPs prepared for the 36 gram panchayats.
The institutes will also present land use plans based on land suitability analysis, and propose physical and social infrastructure interventions envisioned for the next 7-�10 years, aligned with projected population growth in these gram panchayats.
Alok Prem Nagar, Joint Secretary to the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, delivered comprehensive insights on spatial planning for rural areas and the way forward, highlighting the ministry's strategic interventions and innovative approaches.
Principal Secretary in Panchayati Raj Department of Madhya Pradesh, Dipali Rastogi highlighted that Bilkisganj and Murvas gram panchayats in the state are progressing well with their comprehensive spatial planning implementation. Five more gram panchayats will adopt similar approaches with complete support from the state's Panchayati Raj Department, Rastogi said. PTI AO RUK RUK
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July 17, 2025, 22:30 IST
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