Parliament Question: Development of Digital Infrastructure in Panchayats

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PANCHAYATI RAJ LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 1564 ANSWERED ON 28.07.2026 DEVELOPMENT OF DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN PANCHAYATS 1564. SHRI VIJAYAKUMAR ALIAS VIJAY VASANTH: Will the Minister of PANCHAYATI RAJ be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has taken steps to improve connectivity between Panchayats and cities, if so, the details thereof including roads, transport and digital infrastructure developed and if not, the reasons therefor; (b) whether any district-wise plan exists to enhance rural-urban connectivity, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons for lack of integrated planning linking Panchayats with nearby urban centres; (c) whether schemes like rural roads and transport services have achieved desired connectivity outcomes, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons for gaps affecting rural mobility and access; (d) whether adequate funds have been allocated for improving Panchayat to city connectivity, if so, the details thereof State-wise and if not, the reasons for insufficient funding impacting infrastructure development; and (e) whether the Government has ensured last-mile connectivity from Panchayats to major cities, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons for continued gaps in transportation networks? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF PANCHAYATI RAJ (SHRI RAJIV RANJAN SINGH ALIAS LALAN SINGH) (a) to (e): This subject matter does not come under the purview of Ministry of Panchayati Raj. However, the Ministry, under the revamped Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) scheme, supports strengthening of digital infrastructure of Panchayats by providing computer facilities and through co-location of Common Service Centres (CSCs) in Panchayat office premises on a limited scale to facilitate service delivery. For the period 2022–26, under the Scheme, approval 1was accorded for a total of 65,345 computers and for co-location of 17,547 Common Service Centres (CSCs) in Panchayat office premises across 29 States and 5 Union Territories. Further, for promotion of eGovernance in the Panchayats, under the Digital India initiative, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj has developed various digital platforms and applications to bring in transparency, accountability and efficiency in local rural governance of the country. This Ministry has launched eGramSwaraj (https://egramswaraj.gov.in), a user friendly web-based portal, which aims to bring in better transparency in the decentralized planning, progress reporting, financial management, work-based accounting and details of assets created. The application has been further integrated with Public Fund Management System, Government e- Marketplace, AuditOnline applications for smooth payment, transparent procurement, and auditing of Panchayats accounts. The Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) has also undertaken a significant step to digitise the OSR collection of the Panchayats by developing the “SAMARTH Panchayat portal”, a dedicated digital platform that facilitates the generation of tax & non-tax demands and collection thereof, maintenance of tax registers, and online tracking of revenue. This digital empowerment is designed to bring transparency, efficiency, and scalability to local financial administration. *** 2