Under Digital India Programme, Ministry of Panchayati Raj is implementing e-Panchayat Mission Mode Project (MMP), in all the States/ UTs of the country. The aim is to revamp the functioning of Panchayats and to make them more transparent, accountable and effective. Ministry has launched eGramSwaraj, an accounting application to simplify Panchayat work like planning, accounting and budgeting. Ministry has also integrated eGramSwaraj with Public Financial Management System (PFMS) for Gram Panchayats (GPs) to make real time payments to vendors/service providers. The progress made by States/UTs, including Uttar Pradesh, under eGramSwaraj in for the last three years and the current year is given at Annexure.

Furthermore, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is implementing the BharatNet project to provide broadband connectivity to all GPs in the country. Phase-I of the project to connect one lakh GPs has been completed in December 2017. Under Phase-I of BharatNet out of 1.23 lakh GPs, approximately 1.22 lakhs of GPs were made Service Ready. Implementation of Phase-II to connect with the remaining GPs is in progress. Under Phase -II of BharatNet out of 1.44 lakh allotted GPs more than 77,000 GPs have been made Service Ready.

Ministry of Panchayati Raj has been taking several other steps for strengthening and development of the PRIs in States and Union Territories covered under Part IX of the Constitution through financial and technical assistance under the schemes and programmes of the Government and issuing advisories from time to time. The various measures taken include incentivizing good performing Panchayats, providing financial and technical assistance for capacity building of Panchayats to enable them to perform devolved functions effectively and efficiently, strengthening systems of budgeting, accounting and auditing and assisting States in preparation of participatory Gram Panchayat Development Plans by the Panchayats.

Annexure

Adoption of eGramSwaraj at Panchayat level during FY 2023-24

This information was given by the Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj, Shri Kapil Moreshwar Patil in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

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