In a significant move marking a pioneering step in grassroots digital governance, Gram Panchayats were today conferred with the National Awards for e-Governance (NAeG) 2025 under a newly instituted category dedicated to grassroots-level initiatives in digital service delivery. The Awards were conferred during the 28^th National Conference on e-Governance (NCeG) in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh by Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State, Prime Minister’s Office & MoS (Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions). Earlier in the day, Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, inaugurated the Conference and delivered the inaugural address.

After a rigorous multi-tier evaluation of more than 1.45 lakh entries nationwide, the following Gram Panchayats were awarded under the newly introduced category, “Grassroots-level initiatives in Gram Panchayats for deepening service delivery” :

• Gold Award: Rohini Gram Panchayat, Dhule District, Maharashtra – Sarpanch Dr. Anandrao Pawara

• Silver Award: West Majlishpur Gram Panchayat, West Tripura District, Tripura – Sarpanch Smt. Anita Deb Das

• Jury Award: Palsana Gram Panchayat, Surat District, Gujarat – Sarpanch Shri Pravinbhai Parshottambhai Ahir

• Jury Award: Suakati Gram Panchayat, Kendujhar District, Odisha – Sarpanch Smt. Kautuka Naik

Each award includes a trophy, certificate, and financial incentives of Rs.10 lakh (Gold) and Rs.5 lakh (Silver), to be reinvested in strengthening citizen-centric initiatives.

These award-winning Panchayats have set new benchmarks in digital governance, transparency, and participatory service delivery:

• Rohini Gram Panchayat, Maharashtra has become the first Gram Panchayat in the State to adopt a fully paperless e-Office system, offering 1,027 online services and ensuring 100% household digital literacy. Real-time grievance redressal and bulk SMS outreach ensure that every citizen is connected to governance decisions.
• West Majlishpur Gram Panchayat, Tripura has transformed into a model of Citizen Charter–driven Panchayat governance. With services such as birth, death, marriage certificates, trade licenses, property records, and MGNREGS job cards available online, and every request monitored digitally, it ensures accountability, timeliness, and transparency.
• Palsana Gram Panchayat, Gujarat has integrated portals like Digital Gujarat and Gram Suvidha to enable QR/UPI-based property tax payments, online grievance redressal, and transparent welfare delivery. With 10,000+ citizens availing online services annually, it demonstrates how technology directly improves ease of living.
• Suakati Gram Panchayat, Odisha has digitized essential services via OdishaOne and Seva Odisha platforms, providing 24/7 citizen access with real-time tracking. By ensuring women’s leadership and inclusive service delivery, it exemplifies how technology bridges the last mile between government and citizens.

This first-of-its-kind recognition, instituted by DARPG in collaboration with the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR), highlights the Government’s vision that Good Governance is best delivered through Digital Governance. The two-day National Conference, jointly organized by DARPG, MeitY, and the Government of Andhra Pradesh with IIM Visakhapatnam as knowledge partner, is themed “Viksit Bharat: Civil Service and Digital Transformation”. On 23rd September 2025,  a dedicated plenary session on “Gram Panchayats and Grassroots Innovations in e-Governance”, chaired by Shri Vivek Bharadwaj, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, will showcase these success stories as replicable models for Panchayats nationwide.

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Aditi Agrawal