The Decentralised Governance Learning Series, a Common Ground Community of Practice run in collaboration with the Centre for Research in Schemes & Policies (CRISP) and the Xavier Institute of Social Service (XISS), Ranchi, launched on 25th May 2026. Held virtually and fortnightly, the series alternates between technical sessions led by CRISP that unpack policy content and analytical frameworks, and field dialogue sessions facilitated by XISS that troubleshoot live challenges practitioners are encountering on the ground. The opening session, anchored by Mr. S. M. Vijayanand, President of CRISP and former Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Government of India, laid the groundwork for the series by examining what policy frameworks like the localisation of Sustainable Development Goals actually ask of Gram Panchayats.
On 7th July 2026, the series held its second session, taking up an especially important macro-policy theme: the 16th Finance Commission and its application to local government. Mr. Vijayanand led this session as well, walking participants through how NGOs working at the grassroots can use the Finance Commission’s recommendations to strengthen infrastructure, improve access to finance, and support better financial decision-making at the Gram Panchayat level. Field practitioners, PRI representatives, administrative officials, and community leaders came away with a clearer structural understanding of how national public finance stacks, performance grants, and state-level Own Source Revenue (OSR) guidelines shape what’s possible at the village level.
This is what the Decentralised Governance Learning Series is built to do: turn national policy shifts into something local governance actors can actually act on.