10 panchayats picked for total ‘digital’ push

After adopting villages with the aim of turning them into models of development, the government now wants to adopt panchayats and make their functioning fully digital.

After adopting villages with the aim of turning them into models of development, the government now wants to adopt panchayats and make their functioning fully digital.

These panchayats, selected from 10 states, will perform all functions — from planning, accounting and service delivery like issuance of certificates, licenses — online.

“It has now been decided to develop 10 gram panchayats across the country as e-panchayats by December 2015, which will serve as models. It is desired that state governments take concerted measures to develop these GPs as models,” panchayati raj secretary, AK Angurana wrote to all states last week.

Digitisation of panchayats was first launched in 2009, but till date it has not been achieved. Out of the eleven applications developed under the project, only three to four have been functional.

“Due to differences in the e-enablement of panchayats, willingness and interest shown by states these applications are in different stages of adoption by panchayats across the country consequently the full potential of these applications have not been fully realised,” an internal note of the ministry said.

To digitise the selected panchayats, the state governments have been asked to ensure necessary infrastructure is in place like a proper panchayat ghar building, power, internet connectivity, computers, mobile devices and manpower are provided.

The move is part of the government’s attempt to take the Digital India project to the panchayats.