Parliament Question: e-Gram Swaraj Portal in Scheduled Tribe-dominated Areas

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PANCHAYATI RAJ LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION 412 ANSWERED ON 21.07.2026 E-GRAM SWARAJ PORTAL IN SCHEDULED TRIBE-DOMINATED AREAS 412. DR. FAGGAN SINGH KULASTE: Will the Minister of PANCHAYATI RAJ be pleased to State: (a) whether the Government is aware that the utilization of e-Gram Swaraj and Audit Online portals by Gram Panchayats in Scheduled Areas and tribal-dominated areas is lower than the national average in these regions; (b) if so, the details thereof, State-wise; (c) the current status of the preparation of Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDP) in alignment with the provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA), 1996, and the subsequent uploading of these plans on the e-Gram Swaraj portal in these areas; (d) the major challenges identified regarding digital infrastructure, internet bumbling, connectivity, electricity supply, and technical capacity, along with the steps taken by the Government to mitigate them; and (e) whether the Government has conducted special training and capacity building programmes for elected representatives and panchayat officials in tribal areas formulated a specific action plan to strengthen digital governance in these regions of Panchayats, if so, the details thereof? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF PANCHAYATI RAJ (SHRI RAJIV RANJAN SINGH ALIAS LALAN SINGH) (a) to (b) The Parliament enacted the Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA) under Article 243M(4)(b) of the Constitution to extend the provisions of Part IX of the Constitution to the Fifth Schedule Areas with certain exceptions and modifications. Panchayats, being "Local Government", are a State subject and operate through the respective State Panchayati Raj Acts. Accordingly, implementation of PESA, including the adoption and utilisation of digital governance applications such as eGramSwaraj and AuditOnline in Scheduled Areas, falls within the purview of the respective State Governments. The Ministry of Panchayati Raj facilitates digital governance through the e-Panchayat Mission Mode Project (MMP), including eGramSwaraj and AuditOnline, and periodically reviews their implementation with the States through review meetings and other monitoring 1mechanisms. The Ministry has also developed 10 PESA Indicators to facilitate assessment of PESA implementation by the States, one of which relates to the uploading of Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs) of PESA Gram Sabhas on the eGramSwaraj portal. The State-wise details of utilisation of eGramSwaraj/ status of GPDP uploads in PESA areas, are placed below. S.No. State Name Total PESA Panchayat Total Villages Approved PESA Main Plan 1 Andhra Pradesh 609 1613 609 2 Chhattisgarh 5552 9891 5532 3 Gujarat 2889 4701 2755 4 Himachal Pradesh 178 1533 164 5 Jharkhand 2066 17240 2066 6 Madhya Pradesh 5197 7710 5173 7 Maharashtra 2918 4317 2907 8 Odisha 1390 11668 1390 9 Rajasthan 1608 5690 1604 10 Telangana 1314 1321 1314 Total 23,721 65,684 23,514 (c) The Ministry of Panchayati Raj has initiated Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) integration of PESA within the GPDP framework to enable the preparation of PESA-specific Village Development Plans. A dedicated PESA-GPDP Portal has been launched by the Ministry to facilitate the preparation, implementation, and monitoring of Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs) in Scheduled Areas under the provisions of the PESA Act. Further, in Plan Year 2026-27, PESA has been included as a separate theme in eGramSwaraj Portal with 42 activities. It has also been made mandatory for Gram Sabhas in Fifth Schedule Areas to take up at least one activity under PESA theme while preparing their GPDP plan. (d) In certain rural and tribal areas, challenges such as inadequate digital infrastructure, intermittent internet connectivity, and limited technical capacity have been experienced, affecting the adoption of digital governance applications. To address these challenges, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, in coordination with the State Governments, provides continuous technical support, undertakes periodic reviews of the implementation of the e-Panchayat applications, and upgrades the applications based on feedback received from the stakeholders. Further, internet connectivity to Gram Panchayats is being strengthened through the BharatNet project being implemented by the Department of Telecommunications to provide broadband connectivity to Gram Panchayats across the country. (e) Yes, sir. Panchayat, being “Local Self Government”, is a State subject and part of the State list of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India. However, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj is implementing the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of revamped Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) since the financial year 2022-23 in States/ UTs, including tribal/PESA 2areas with the objectives to strengthen the capacity of Panchayati Raj institutions (PRIs) by imparting training to Elected Representatives (ERs), Panchayat Functionaries and other stakeholders to develop their governance capabilities for leadership roles, enabling the Gram Panchayats to function effectively across all States/UTs. Under the scheme, the Ministry provides support for Capacity Building & Training (CB&T) of Panchayat representatives and Officials in different categories, including various digital trainings as per the priority of the States/UTs. Since, 2022-23 to 2026-27 (as on 10.07.2026), 1,87,238 Panchayat representatives and officials have been trained in PESA States to strengthen digital governance and other digital platforms. ***** 3