Parliament Question: Digital governance and e-Panchayat initiatives in Maharashtra

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRYOF PANCHAYATIRAJ RAJYASABHA UNSTARREDQUESTION 4235 ANSWEREDON 01.04.2026 DIGITALGOVERNANCEAND E-PANCHAYAT INITIATIVES IN MAHARASHTRA 4235SHRIDHANANJAYBHIMRAO MAHADIK: Will the Minister of PANCHAYATIRAJ be pleased to State: (a) detailsregarding digital governance and e-Panchayat initiatives implemented in Maharashtra during the last five years; (b) how manyGram Panchayatshave been equippedwith digitalinfrastructure for record keeping,financialmanagement andservice delivery; (c) what measures are being takento train Panchayatofficials and elected representatives indigitaltools, online monitoringandgrievanceredressal systems; and (d) how does the Ministry coordinate with Maharashtra State authorities to ensure effective utilization of technology, transparency in fund allocation and timely delivery of citizen- centric services through Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI), thereby promoting good governance andrural development? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF PANCHAYATI RAJ (SHRIRAJIVRANJAN SINGH ALIAS LALAN SINGH) (a) and (b) The Ministry is implementing the e-Panchayat Mission Mode Project (MMP) under RGSA, which has enhanced transparency, efficiency and accountability in Panchayat governance. Under e-Panchayat MMP, the Ministry is implementing e-Gram Swaraj application across the country, including Maharashtra, which enables digital planning, accounting, monitoring and online payments at the Panchayat level. Integration with the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) facilitates real-time payments to vendors and service providers, ensuring transparent fund flow and reduceddelays. As on 26.03.2026, during the current FY 2025–26, out of a total of 2,58,730 Gram Panchayats and equivalent, 2,51,321 Gram Panchayats and equivalent (97.13%), have uploadedtheirGram Panchayat DevelopmentPlans(GPDPs)one-Gram Swarajand 2,45,191 Gram Panchayats and equivalents (94.76%) have made payments amounting to ₹41,125 crore through the e-Gram Swaraj–PFMS interface. As on 26.03.2026, during the current FY 2025–26, out of a total of 28,002 Gram Panchayats and equivalent, 27,906 Gram Panchayats and equivalent (99.65%) in Maharashtra, have uploaded their Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs) on e-Gram Swaraj and 26,631 Gram Panchayats and equivalents (95.10%) have made paymentsamounting to ₹3599crore through the e-Gram Swaraj–PFMS interface. Further, 2,52,122 Gram Panchayats (96%) have closed their yearbooks for FY2024-25 on e- GramSwaraj. As per the information available with the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, a total of 1421 online services are being delivered at the Gram Panchayat level in the State of Maharashtra. Further, the Ministry has also developed several other applications under the e-Panchayat MMP. The Meri Panchayat application provides citizens access to information on Panchayat planning,activities andprogress of works.Panchayat NIRNAYfacilitatestransparent conduct and management of Gram Sabha meetings. In addition, the Ministry has introduced SabhaSaar, anAI-enabledplatform for voice-to-text transcription andsummarisation of Gram Sabha and Panchayat meetings to ensure accurate documentation of proceedings. As on 26.03.2026, over 1.18 lakh Gram Panchayats have used the SabhaSaar portal for generation of Minutes of Meetings, andmore than2.40lakh minuteshave beenuploadedon the portal. Furthermore, an application of ‘AuditOnline’ has been developed for online audits of Panchayat accounts and their financial management. AuditOnline for transparent auditing of Central Finance Commission funds utilization to strengthen financial management of Panchayats launched in April 2020. For audit period 2023-24, audit report for 2,51,385 GPs have beengenerated. Furthermore, the Ministry has strengthened the e-Gram Swaraj platform through integration with other national digital platforms. Integration with the Government e- Marketplace (GeM) facilitates transparent, efficient and rule-based procurement by Gram Panchayats. Integration with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) enables Gram Panchayats to apply for internet connectivity at the Panchayat level. Integration with BHASHINI enables multilingual accesstoe-Gram Swaraj,thereby improvingaccessibility in regional languages. In addition, integration of weather forecast information supports informed local planning and timely decision-making, particularly in the areas of agriculture anddisaster preparedness. (c) Panchayat, being “LocalSelf Government”,isa Statesubject. However, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj is implementing the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) since the financial year 2022-23 in States/ UTs, including the State of Maharashtra. The main objective of the schemes is to build the capacity of Panchayati Raj institutions (PRIs) by creating a learning ecosystem especially through imparting of training to the Elected Representatives (ERs), functionaries and other stakeholders to develop their governance capabilities for leadership roles to enable the Panchayats to function effectively and also by supporting for exposure visits, development of training modules and materials, etc. Under the Revamped Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA), the Ministry of Panchayati Raj provides support to States/UTs for capacity building and training (CB&T) of elected representatives, functionaries, andother stakeholdersof Panchayats. The trainings are conducted across various categories, including general orientation and refresher training, thematic training, training on Panchayat Development Planning, specialized training and training onany othercategory which includes training on MIS, digitalportals & platforms, e- Gram Swaraj Portal etc. as proposed by the State/UTs in their Annual Action Plan and approved by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC). In addition, the Training Management Portal (TMP) has been put in place to monitor the real-time progress of trainings conducted by States/UTs under the scheme, thereby enhancing transparency and accountability. (d) The Ministry of Panchayati Raj coordinates with the Government of Maharashtra through regular review meetings, video conferences, and monitoring mechanisms for 2effective implementation of digital governance initiatives. The Ministry provides technical guidance andadvisory support for adoptionof platforms such ase-Gram Swaraj,AuditOnline and integration with the Public Financial Management System (PFMS), enabling transparency in fund allocation, real-time tracking of expenditures and improved accountability. Capacity-building programmes, training workshops, user guidelines and handholding support are also provided to Panchayati Raj Institutions for effective utilization of digital tools and timely service delivery. The Ministry further monitors progress through dashboard- based review and encourages States to strengthen digital infrastructure and data-driven decision-making. This coordinated approach facilitates improved transparency, efficient fund utilization, and timely delivery of citizen-centric services, thereby promoting good governance andrural development. *** 3