Date: 2026-03-15Category: Press ReleaseState: Union GovernmentCountry: India
Union Minister of Communications Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia inaugurates Samriddhi Kendra under Samriddh Gram Phygital Services Initiative at Umri Village, Guna District, Madhya Pradesh
**Executive Summary**
On March 15, 2026, the Union Minister for Communications inaugurated the "Samriddhi Kendra" in Umri Village, Madhya Pradesh, under the Samriddh Gram Phygital Services Pilot Initiative. This integrated center leverages BharatNet infrastructure to provide a single-window hub for healthcare, education, agriculture, and e-governance in rural areas. The initiative aims to transform digital connectivity into a platform for comprehensive service delivery and local empowerment.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Service Delivery Framework**
* Operates as an "Integrated Phygital Service Centre," combining physical infrastructure with digital service delivery.
* Utilizes high-speed FTTH broadband via BharatNet and public Wi-Fi access under the PM-WANI framework.
* Functions as a single-window hub to minimize the need for rural citizens to travel for essential services.
* **Healthcare and Medical Facilities**
* Offers telemedicine consultations and on-site diagnostics with doctors from major cities.
* Includes a "Health ATM" for basic diagnostics, capable of producing blood test reports in under 30 minutes.
* Provides access to affordable medicines through the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana.
* **Agriculture and Rural Development**
* Provides farmers with digital tools for real-time insights into soil moisture, nutrients, and crop health.
* Facilitates access to modern farming technologies, including drone-based agriculture services and advisory support.
* **Education and Skill Development**
* Features smart classroom infrastructure and access to modern digital learning resources.
* Offers digital training and skill development programs for rural youth, supported by the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology.
* **Financial and e-Governance Services**
* Enables essential government services, including the issuance of certificates and digital documentation.
* Provides banking, digital payment services, financial literacy support, and assisted access to e-commerce.
* **Operational and Sustainability Model**
* Implemented by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in partnership with the Digital Empowerment Foundation.
* Driven by a community-led model involving trained local youth serving as Village Level Entrepreneurs.
* Ensures sustainability through service delivery revenues and convergence with various government programs.
**Impact Analysis**
**Rural Residents of Umri and Neighboring Villages**
**Impact:** Residents receive faster access to healthcare, education, and government services within their own village, reducing travel and costs.
**Action Required:** Utilize the center for diagnostics, e-banking, and obtaining government certificates.
**Farmers**
**Impact:** Farmers can make data-driven decisions using real-time soil and crop insights, leading to smarter and more productive agriculture.
**Action Required:** Access the center’s digital tools and drone services for soil testing and crop monitoring.
**Rural Youth**
**Impact:** The initiative creates local livelihood opportunities and provides access to specialized digital training and skilling programs.
**Action Required:** Participate in skill development programs or engage as Village Level Entrepreneurs to manage center operations.
**Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and Digital Empowerment Foundation**
**Impact:** These entities are responsible for the infrastructure, field operations, community mobilization, and the overall success of the pilot.
**Action Required:** Monitor the pilot’s sustainability framework and manage the transition from providing connectivity to providing integrated services.
Key Entities Referenced
Samriddh Gram Phygital Services Initiative: A pilot initiative by the Department of Telecommunications to deliver integrated physical and digital services to rural areas.
BharatNet: The high-speed broadband infrastructure project that provides the foundational connectivity for the Samriddh Gram initiative.
Department of Telecommunications (DoT): The primary government department responsible for implementing the Samriddh Gram pilot initiative.
Samriddhi Kendra: Integrated 'Phygital' service centres acting as single-window hubs for delivery of healthcare, education, agriculture, and e-governance services.
Umri Village, Guna District, Madhya Pradesh: The specific location where the first Samriddhi Kendra was inaugurated to pilot the integrated rural service delivery model.
Ministry of Communications
Union Minister of Communications Shri
Jyotiraditya M. Scindia inaugurates Samriddhi
Kendra under Samriddh Gram Phygital Services
Initiative at Umri Village, Guna District, Madhya
Pradesh
Integrated Phygital Service Centre will help to realize the
vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to deliver
healthcare, education, agriculture, financial and e-
governance services in rural and remote areas
Initiative aims to transform BharatNet connectivity into a
platform for integrated rural service delivery
Samriddhi Kendra is part of the Samriddh Gram Phygital
Services Pilot Initiative of the Department of
Telecommunications (DoT)
Posted On: 15 MAR 2026 10:42AM by PIB Delhi
Union Minister for Communications Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia inaugurated the Samriddhi Kendra,
an Integrated Phygital (Physical + Digital) Service Centre, at Umri village in Guna district under the
Samriddh Gram Phygital Services Pilot Initiative of the Department of Telecommunications.The initiative leverages the high-speed broadband infrastructure created under BharatNet to transform
digital connectivity into an integrated platform for delivery of citizen-centric services in rural areas.
The Samriddhi Kendra has been conceptualised as a single-window rural service hub bringing together
healthcare, education, skilling, agriculture, financial services, e-governance support, entrepreneurship
facilitation and digital connectivity services at one location.
Converting Connectivity into Rural Empowerment
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Scindia said, “With the launch of the Samriddh Gram initiative in Umri,
Guna, we are bringing the world to our Umri. From education and agriculture to healthcare and
government services, technology is placing new opportunities directly in the hands of our people.”Highlighting on the benefits of initiative, the Union Minister said, “Farmers will be able to access real-
time insights on soil moisture, nutrients, and crop health through digital tools, making agriculture smarter
and more productive. Students will gain access to modern learning resources. Everyone in Umri will
receive faster healthcare through on-site diagnostics and tele-consultation with doctors from Delhi and
other states. Blood test reports will be produced in less than 30 minutes. Essential government services,
from certificates to E-banking, will now be available within the Samriddh Gram itself. This is truly “a
program of the future”, one that ensures progress reaches every village and every citizen.”
Union Minister Shri Scindia said that BharatNet has created one of the world’s largest rural broadband
infrastructures and that the next phase of India’s digital transformation lies in ensuring meaningful
utilisation of this connectivity for improving the quality of life in villages.
The Union Minister highlighted that the integrated Phygital Service Centre will help to realize the vision
of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to deliver healthcare, education, agriculture, financial and e-
governance services in rural and remote areas. He further noted that Samriddh Gram initiative represents a
shift from providing connectivity alone to enabling integrated digital service delivery ecosystems in rural
India.He further emphasised that such phygital service centres can act as important catalysts for digital
inclusion, rural entrepreneurship, improved access to government services, strengthened last-mile service
delivery and local employment generation.
Services available at Samriddhi Kendra
The Samriddhi Kendra at Umri, Guna has been equipped to provide a wide range of integrated services
including telemedicine consultations, a Health ATM for basic diagnostics, and access to affordable
medicines through Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana.Education and skilling facilities at the centre include smart classroom infrastructure, digital learning
access, digital training programmes supported by the National Institute of Electronics and Information
Technology, and skill development programmes for rural youth.
Agriculture-related services include soil testing support, agricultural advisory services, access to modern
farming technologies and drone-based agriculture services aimed at supporting farmers in the region.
The centre will also facilitate assisted access to e-governance services, including information on
government schemes, issuance of certificates, digital documentation and support for online citizen
services.
Financial and digital services available at the centre include banking and digital payment services,
financial literacy support and assisted access to e-commerce platforms.
Connectivity services are being provided through BharatNet-enabled high-speed FTTH broadband and
public Wi-Fi access under the PM-WANI framework.
The Samriddhi Kendra will also support community-oriented services including digital surveillance for
community safety and facilitation of government outreach camps and service delivery programmes.
Community-led and Sustainable Model
The centre operates on a community-driven model involving trained local youth serving as Village Level
Entrepreneurs, thereby promoting rural employment and ensuring sustainability.
The initiative is being implemented by the Department of Telecommunications in partnership with the
Digital Empowerment Foundation, which is acting as the field operations and community mobilisation
partner and supporting local participation, capacity building and operational management.
The model incorporates a sustainability framework through service delivery revenues, community
participation, digital entrepreneurship and convergence with various government programmes.
Expected ImpactThe Samriddhi Kendra is expected to benefit residents of Umri and neighbouring villages by improving
access to healthcare and government services, enabling digital education and skilling opportunities,
supporting farmers with modern agriculture services, promoting digital and financial inclusion, and
creating local livelihood opportunities.
The initiative is expected to serve thousands of rural citizens in the surrounding region through integrated
service delivery and demonstrates how digital infrastructure can be leveraged for inclusive rural
development.
वकसत भारत क मजबूत नव बनग े हमार समृद्ध गांव…
आज गुना के आरी–उमरी गाँव म दश के पहल े ‘समृद्ध ाम’ के रूप म इस योजना का शुभारभं करत े हुए
अपार संतोष हुआ। यह पहल ास्थ्य, शा, डजटल सेवाएं और आधुनक कृ ष क सुवधाओ ंको
गांव तक पहुचं ाकर युवाओ,ं कसान और… pic.twitter.com/6wJuozoCT8
— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) March 14, 2026
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