New Delhi: The Quality Council of India (QCI), in collaboration with the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS), Ministry of Jal Shakti, and Ministry of Panchayati Raj, organized the Sarpanch Samvaad National Quality Conclave at QCI, World Trade Centre, New Delhi, on September 15, 2025. Union Minister of Jal Shakti Shri C.R. Patil inaugurated the conclave, which focused on ‘Viksit Gram se Viksit Bharat’ and brought together 75 distinguished sarpanchs from 22 states to discuss grassroots development aligned with Localised Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs).
Digital Empowerment and Milestones
The conclave marked a historic milestone with over 60,000 sarpanchs onboarded onto the Sarpanch Samvaad mobile application, a first-of-its-kind digital community empowering grassroots leaders. Shri Patil emphasized how this platform unites sarpanchs to share solutions impactful to their villages. The vision now aims to connect all 2.5 lakh sarpanchs to enable unified progress on sanitation (Swachhata) and security (Suraksha), advancing India’s path to Viksit Bharat 2047.
Perspectives from Government Officials
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Shri Vivek Bharadwaj, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, highlighted the role of capacity building and ICT tools like E-Gram Swaraj, PAI, and Sabha Saar in strengthening village governance. He stressed the need to fortify Village Water and Sanitation Committees and embed quality (Gunvatta) across initiatives.
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Shri Ashok K. K. Meena, Secretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti, described Sarpanch Samvaad not merely as a digital platform but as a movement to strengthen village leadership, enabling communities to become open-defecation free, clean, and water-secure through knowledge exchange and quality assessment.
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Shri Jaxay Shah, Chairperson, QCI, announced ambitious targets to onboard an additional 75,000 sarpanchs by October and reach 1,00,000 by the birthday of former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, underscoring ongoing growth and impact.
Workshop Proceedings and Key Outcomes
The conclave was preceded by a workshop that delved into challenges, best practices, and future strategies for water and sanitation-led grassroots development. A landmark announcement was the launch of the 100-Day Good Governance Challenge on the Sarpanch Samvaad app, running from September 17 to December 25, 2025 (Good Governance Day). This campaign will mobilize sarpanch-led initiatives nationwide, reinforcing their pivotal role in driving national progress.
Conclusion of National Quality Conclave
The conclave concluded with a commitment to documenting and disseminating best practices via the Sarpanch Samvaad platform, ensuring sustained peer learning and momentum in Panchayati-led development. This initiative exemplifies a transformative approach to grassroots governance for sustainable and inclusive growth aligned with India’s vision for 2047.
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Source: PIB
