The Ministry of Panchayati Raj is gearing up to introduce new initiatives, including the PANCHAM – Panchayat Assistance and Messaging Chatbot, developed in partnership with UNICEF. A special felicitation event is scheduled for Sunday to recognize elected Panchayat representatives who have been invited as Special Guests to witness the Republic Day Parade 2026 at Kartavya Path in New Delhi.
Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj, Professor SP Singh Baghel, will felicitate the honorees, as per a ministry statement. The occasion will also see the launch of the 17th issue of Gramoday Sankalp magazine, the Compendium of Basic Statistics on Panchayati Raj Institutions–2025, the Expert Committee Report on Service Delivery at the Panchayat Level, and the PESA Performance and Implementation Rank Indicators.
Among the honorees are Sarpanches, Mukhiyas, Gram Pradhans, Block and District Panchayat Presidents from Panchayats that have excelled in flagship Central Government schemes, the statement mentioned. Approximately 240 panchayat heads, nominated by states and union territories, will be acknowledged for their grassroots contributions and efforts towards the vision of Viksit Bharat.
For the Republic Day Parade, the Ministry will host Heads of PRIs/RLBs along with their spouses, totaling nearly 450 Special Guests. These special invitees will visit the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya on January 25 to witness India’s leadership and governance journey since Independence and observe the Ministry’s Tableau during the Parade, themed “SVAMITVA Scheme: Aatmanirbhar Panchayat se Samriddh evam Aatmanirbhar Bharat.”
President Droupadi Murmu is set to address the nation on the eve of the 77th Republic Day on Sunday. The address will be aired from 7 PM on the entire national network of Akashvani and broadcast on all Doordarshan channels in Hindi, followed by the English version.
