3.4.2. Gram Panchayat

The Gram Panchayat was the lowest local governmen<sup>t</sup> body. They were responsible for the ICDS and SHG programs. They ran awareness and door-to-door campaigns on issues such as dengue. Most participants stated that any implementation activities must involve the Gram Panchayat. The Gram Panchayat would give permission for activities occurring in communities and were influential over village leaders. They could also assist in the recruitment of suitable program sta ff, the identification of venues for intervention activities and assist in resolving arising challenges. However, Gram Panchayats were unlikely to have their own funding to support the interventions (Ref 54 in Table S2).

Issues with nepotism in the Gram Panchayat operations were reported. Positions and resources were given to family members to run schemes who had limited incentive to ensure quality. This may present a challenge with recruitment. Panchayats were also not always responsive to requests for resources. One Anganwadi worker had been submitting applications for a new venue for two years with no response (Ref 55 in Table S2).
