Parliament Question: AI-powered governance platform SabhaSaar

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRYOF PANCHAYATI RAJ RAJYASABHA UNSTARREDQUESTION NO. 1351 ANSWEREDON 11.02.2026 AI-POWERED GOVERNANCEPLATFORM SABHASAAR 1351: SHRIAMARPALMAURYA: SHRIKESRIDEVSINHJHALA: SHRIMADANRATHORE: SHRINARAYANAKORAGAPPA: WilltheMinisterofPANCHAYATIRAJbepleasedtoState: (a) thekeyfeaturesoftheAI-poweredgovernanceplatformSabhaSaar; (b) howmanyGramPanchayatshaveadoptedSabhaSaarsofar; (c ) the steps taken to improve the accuracy of AI transcription, including the provision of recordingequipmentsuch asmicrophones andcamerastoGram Panchayats; (d) whether anysecure digital safeguards are beingused for long-term storage of meeting records; (e) if so, the detailsthereof; and (f) how the Ministry is ensuring that all SabhaSaar data related to village governance remainswithin Government systems andisnot shared with private or third-partyentities? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF PANCHAYATI RAJ (SHRIRAJIVRANJAN SINGH ALIAS LALAN SINGH) (a) and (b) The Ministry of PanchayatiRaj launchedSabhaSaar,anAI-enabled meeting- summarisation tool, on 14thAugust 2025. The SabhaSaarplatform enables structured capture and analysis of Gram Sabha proceedings and supports monitoring of key parameters such as frequency/ type of Gram Sabha meetings and participation. SabhaSaar has been made available to all States/UTs, and Gram Panchayats are progressively adopting it for routine Gram Sabha andPanchayatmeetings. As on04.02.2026,a totalof 1,15,115 Gram Panchayats have used the SabhaSaar tool for automatedmeetingsummarisation across States/UTs. (c) The Ministry has taken multiple steps to improve the accuracy of AI-based transcription of Gram Sabha proceedings. SabhaSaar uses the Automatic Speech Recognition 1(ASR) service provided by BHASHINI for voice-to-text transcription. Further, the platform allows Panchayat functionaries to review, validate and edit the draft minutes prior to final acceptance. The SabhaSaar tool transcribes audio/ video input acquired through readily available devices such as mobile phone, camera etc. The Ministry encourages the use of appropriate audio- visual recording arrangements to enhance the quality and accuracy of AI-based transcription. Further, Standard Operating Procedures, user guidelines and training sessions have been issued, along with a dedicated SOP for recording Gram Sabha proceedings covering infrastructure requirements andprocurementunderFinanceCommission grants. (d) to (f) The AI model used in SabhaSaar operates on AI and cloud infrastructure provisioned through the IndiaAI Compute Portalunder the IndiaAI Mission of MeitY. Data is processed within the Government framework and is not shared with any external third-party serviceprovider.TheIndiaAIMissionofMeitYisthenodalagencyresponsibleforgovernance of the underlying AI infrastructure. All matters pertaining to data privacy and storage are regulated as per the extant rules namely Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP)issued vide the Gazette of India No. CG-DL-E-14112025-267650, Part II—Section 3—Sub-section (i), dated13thNovember2025.However,it istomentionthatSabhaSaarfacilitatesrecordingand documentation of proceedings of Gram Sabha meetings, which are public forums, and the platformisusedsolelytosupportaccurateandtransparentdocumentationofsuchproceedings. ***** 2