The recent launch of the Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) by the Government of India is a timely and welcome initiative. In a country where the strength of local governance is directly tied to the well-being of its people, the PAI offers an opportunity to both reflect on our progress and chart a more responsive path forward. At Miracle Foundation India, our work has long focused on ensuring that every child grows up in a safe, supportive, and loving family. The PAI, with its child and women-centric lens, offers a structured way for Gram Panchayats to actively support this vision at the grassroots.
Why Families Matter
Our experience across multiple states, districts, and communities has consistently shown that the most effective way to ensure a child’s safety and well-being is to strengthen their family. Families are not perfect, but they are irreplaceable. The vast majority of children living in institutional care today are not orphans. Many have living parents or extended families who, with the right support, would be more than capable of caring for them.
The reasons why children are separated from their families are complex. Poverty is often a root cause, but so too are factors like lack of access to health services, education and food security, besides gender-based discrimination, and mental health issues. Many single mothers, often widowed, separated, abandoned, or unsupported, are left to navigate all of this alone. And these are not women who want to give up their children. In fact, we see the opposite every day, women fighting fiercely to hold their families together.
At Miracle Foundation India, we have seen that when a single mother has access to support, be it through predictable income, community childcare, timely health services, or simply acknowledgment from local systems, she becomes a resilient and capable caregiver. She doesn’t need to be rescued. She just needs to be seen, supported, and treated as the backbone of her family, not as a burden on the system. The PAI, if implemented with intent and integrity, has the potential to help make this support structure visible and actionable at the local level.
Child-Friendly Panchayats: A Foundational Shift
Mission Vatsalya, a Centrally-Sponsored Scheme for children in difficult circumstances, envisages a robust ecosystem through the network of state and local governments to ensure the safety and security of children in the country. These local bodies must be able to reach out to children, engage with communities, and encourage them to take ownership of the well-being of children in their areas. One of the most encouraging features of the PAI is its recognition of “Child-Friendly Panchayats” as a key pillar. This focus brings visibility and priority to children’s issues at the level of the Gram Panchayat, India’s most local and accessible governance unit. It means children’s needs are no longer peripheral or the responsibility of “other” departments; they are central to how we measure the development of a village.
When local leaders have a clear set of data indicators to work with, whether it’s school enrollment, nutrition status, birth registrations, or access to child protection services, they are better positioned to take action. A Panchayat that sees a pattern of girls dropping out of school can explore transport solutions, offer scholarships, or create safer pathways. One that identifies malnutrition or stunting can activate local health services or ensure food entitlements are reaching the right homes. It becomes possible to prevent rather than respond to harm.
The Index does not just create a score; it fosters a mindset shift, from service delivery to care and protection.
Supporting Women, Supporting Families
Another vital feature of the PAI is its emphasis on “Women-Friendly Panchayats.” This is not a symbolic gesture; it reflects a deeper understanding of how the empowerment of women directly influences the well-being of children. In our work, we regularly meet mothers who are trying to hold their families together in the face of extraordinary odds. Many are young widows, survivors of violence, or women whose husbands have migrated or disengaged. They are the decision-makers, caregivers, and providers. And yet, they often remain invisible in planning conversations.
The burden of caregiving in these households is high, and the support from systems is often inconsistent or slow to arrive. What they need is coordinated, responsive care. When Panchayats are equipped to see women’s realities through data, when they know how many women are earning an income, accessing maternal care, or participating in local governance,then meaningful change can follow. Schemes and entitlements become more accessible. Local budgets reflect real needs. And most importantly, women begin to be seen as agents of change rather than passive recipients of aid.
In these moments, you start to see the real impact: families staying together, children feeling secure, and entire communities becoming more resilient.
The Power of Data at the Local Level
What makes the PAI truly distinctive is its commitment to data. With 577 indicators across nine themes, and a combination of mandatory and optional data points, it gives Gram Panchayats a practical tool to assess their strengths and weaknesses. This is not about ranking for the sake of competition; it is about accountability, transparency, and self-improvement.
Data has the power to make the invisible visible. It brings into focus issues that are often overlooked, such as adolescent girls’ safety, children with disabilities, or the time burden on unpaid women caregivers. When Panchayats begin to act on these insights, their decisions become more targeted, equitable, and impactful.
Importantly, the process of collecting and analyzing this data also encourages community dialogue. It gives Panchayat leaders and citizens a shared language to talk about their village’s development, one rooted in facts, lived experience, and collective aspirations.
What This Means for Child Protection and Care Reform
India is in the midst of a significant transformation in how we care for children. The move from institutional care to family-based care is both a legal mandate and a moral imperative. The PAI supports this shift by ensuring the wider ecosystem around families, education, livelihoods, health, safety, and governance, is working in harmony to support prevention of family separation.
When we talk about preventing family separation, we are essentially talking about early support: reaching families before things fall apart. For that to happen, local systems need to be alert, equipped, and compassionate. The Panchayat is best placed to play this role because it is close to the community, knows the families personally, and can act quickly when needed.
What the PAI does is formalize this responsibility. It gives Panchayats the data to identify vulnerable families, the platform to advocate for resources, and the recognition that their efforts matter. Over time, this can build a culture of care and connection, where seeking help is normalized and offering support is institutionalized.
Looking Ahead
The Panchayat Advancement Index is not a quick fix, but it is a meaningful step forward, one that holds immense potential when matched with political will, community participation, and ongoing capacity-building. Its emphasis on outcomes rather than just inputs allows for a more meaningful assessment of progress.
At Miracle Foundation India, we see the PAI as a promising opportunity to align our work more closely with local governance structures. We are committed to working alongside Panchayats to build their understanding of the child protection ecosystem, support their use of data, and amplify their successes. Especially for the most marginalized families, led by widowed, separated, or single mothers, the Index offers a framework that, if implemented well, can create long-overdue pathways to dignity, recognition, and practical support.
We don’t have all the answers, and the path ahead will not be easy. But this is a chance to root care reform in the realities of people’s lives, guided by evidence and led by those closest to the ground.
About the Author:
Kusum Mohapatra is the CEO for India at Miracle Foundation, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that every child grows up in a safe and loving family. With a vision of “A Family for Every Child in Our Lifetime,” Miracle Foundation focuses on empowering children from vulnerable communities by promoting family-based care solutions and reducing reliance on institutional settings.
Under Kusum’s leadership, Miracle Foundation India has successfully scaled its interventions across the country and has developed innovative programs that support the reintegration of children into safe family environments, ensuring they thrive within their communities.
Disclaimer: The article was originally published on Press Trust of India (PTI).