BENGALURU: The Karnataka government plans to rename all gram panchayats after Mahatma Gandhi before August 15 this year. Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (RDPR) Minister Eshwar Khandre has directed all 5,927 gram panchayats to be renamed and said the decision was announced in the State Budget earlier this year, and now the Independence Day deadline has been set for implementation across the state.
The Congress, which has been opposing the Central government’s decision to rename Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) to Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G), has decided to add Mahatma Gandhi’s name to panchayats.
Speaking after launching the transfer counselling process for Panchayat Development Officers (PDOs), panchayat secretaries and accounts assistants on Tuesday, Khandre said clear instructions have been issued on renaming gram panchayats after Gandhi. The initiative aims to honour the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, who advocated the concept of Gram Swaraj and the idea of village self-governance.
Khandre explained that at a recent conference of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj ministers from across the country, he had suggested naming all 2.68 crore Gram Panchayats in India after Gandhi. He also demanded that Gandhi’s name be prefixed to the VB-G RAM G scheme. He urged panchayat officials to transform villages into model villages, and said rural development depends on providing employment opportunities and basic infrastructure to prevent migration of youth to cities.
The minister said the online transfer counselling system for PDOs, secretaries and accounts assistants was introduced to ensure transparency in the transfer process. Officials should work with honesty, efficiency and commitment to bring development to villages.
As part of the 2026-27 transfer process, 1,801 applications from Gram Panchayat secretaries, Grade-I, Grade-II and second division accounts assistants were scrutinised. Of these, 1,229 eligible employees received transfer orders through online counselling. For PDO transfers,839 applications were received, including requests under special categories, compulsory transfers and general transfers. He directed officials to ensure quality in all rural development works and said every asset created in villages should be durable and geo-tagged.
