ABSTRACT
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by the United Nations in 2015, provide a comprehensive global framework for achieving inclusive, equitable, and environmentally sustainable development by 2030. In India, the realisation of SDGs is fundamentally dependent on the strength of grassroots institutions, particularly the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). Karnataka, as a pioneer in democratic decentralisation, offers a meaningful case for analysing the localisation of SDGs through Panchayats. This article
critically examines the role of Gram, Taluk, and Zilla Panchayats in achieving major SDG targets relating to poverty reduction, health, education, sanitation, gender equality, employment generation, and environmental sustainability in rural Karnataka. Using a descriptive and analytical approach, the study also identifies key challenges such as financial dependency, administrative capacity gaps, social inequality, and the digital divide, while
highlighting emerging opportunities through digital governance, scheme convergence, community participation, and climate-resilient rural development. The paper concludes that strengthening fiscal autonomy, institutional capacity, and participatory governance of Panchayats is essential for accelerating SDG achievement in rural Karnataka.

Keywords: Panchayati Raj Institutions, SDGs, Rural Development, Decentralisation, Karnataka, Local Governance