Panchayat, being “Local Government”, is a State subject and part of the State list of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India. Thus, the primary responsibility of providing dedicated office infrastructure for Gram Panchayats and internet connectivity in Panchayats lies with States/UTs. The Gram Panchayat (GP) Bhawan functions as the office for Panchayats to carry out its various administrative functions. The States/ UTs have to ensure the Gram Panchayat Bhawan is functional, with provisions such as public seating, space for Gram Sabha meetings, information walls, multifunctional rooms etc. to support effective governance and community use. However, under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA), the Ministry supplements the efforts of States/UTs including Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in building Panchayat infrastructure and computers and peripherals, at a limited scale, with particular focus on the North Eastern States. Further, Ministry with its limited resources under RGSA, attempted saturation approach for supporting Gram Panchayat Bhawans and computerization. With regard to Gram Panchayat Bhawans, the focus was on approving GP Bhawan for Panchayats having a population of over 3,000 but lacking their own building. Under the scheme of RGSA, construction of 13342 Gram Panchayat Bhawans has been approved to different States/UTs including 1273 and 500 Gram Panchayat Bhawans to the State of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, respectively. Similarly, procurement of 55,587 computers has been approved under the scheme including 3145 and 4,267 Computers to the State of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, respectively. The State/UT-wise details of Gram Panchayat Bhawans and computers approved under RGSA is given below. District-wise information is not maintained centrally.

All Gram Panchayats are accessing internet services either through private service providers or via the BharatNet project. As a result, all GPs are using e-GramSwaraj portal for carrying out a wide range of functions and activities. Further, to attain the vision of Digital India, the BharatNet project is being implemented by Department of Telecommunications (DoT) in a phased manner to provide broadband connectivity to all Gram Panchayats in the country. So far, 2.18 lakh GPs/ Traditional Local Bodies (TLBs) have been made service-ready for providing high-speed internet services under the BharatNet project. Additionally, to improve digital connectivity, the Amended BharatNet Programme was approved by the Cabinet on 04.08.2023 for the upgradation of the existing network of BharatNet Phase-I and Phase-II and the creation of a network in the remaining Gram Panchayats.

Under the scheme of RGSA, procurement of 3,145 computers was approved for the State of Uttar Pradesh. So far, the State/ UTs of Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andaman & Nicobar Island, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu and Ladakh have reported that there are no Gram Panchayats are without computers.

Ministry is implementing the e-Panchayat Mission Mode Project (MMP) under RGSA for e-enablement of Panchayats to improve service delivery, transparency, and administrative efficiency. The eGramSwaraj application, developed as part of the e-Panchayat MMP, has facilitated digital planning, accounting, monitoring, and online payments at Panchayat level. The integration of eGramSwaraj with the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) enables real-time payments to vendors and service providers, ensuring seamless fund flow and reducing delays. Additionally, the Ministry has integrated eGramSwaraj with the Government eMarketplace (GeM) to bring transparency at Panchayat level procurement. This integration allows Panchayats to procure goods and services through GeM via the eGramSwaraj platform. Further, an application of ‘AuditOnline’ has been developed for online audits of Panchayat accounts and their financial management. All the Panchayats of the State of Uttar Pradesh are on-boarded on eGramSwaraj. Out of 58,596 Panchayats in the State of Uttar Pradesh, 58562 Panchayats have prepared and uploaded their Panchayat Development Plan (PDP) on eGramSwaraj portal.

Other applications developed by the Ministry like Meri Panchayat has endeavored to bring transparency in Panchayat Governance by making information on planning, activities and progress of works in Panchayat accessible to public. Similarly, Panchayat NIRNAY is an online application which aims to bring transparency and better management in conduct of Gram Sabhas by Panchayats.

The Ministry has introduced the Model Panchayat Citizens' Charter, aligning local actions with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This framework guides Panchayats in delivering services in a time bound manner while addressing citizens' grievances effectively. The campaign "Meri Panchayat, Mera Adhikaar – Jan Sevaayein Hamaare Dwaar," conducted in 2021, reinforced these efforts. So far, 2.15 lakh Gram Panchayats have uploaded their Citizens’ Charters, offering 954 services, including 33 services of Uttar Pradesh.

State/UT-wise details of Gram Panchayat (GP) Bhawans and computers approved under RGSA

Sl. No.	State/UTs	No. of GP Bhawan approved	No. of computer approved
1	Andaman & Nicobar Islands	2	0
2	Andhra Pradesh	617	1,922
3	Arunachal Pradesh	1,339	1,936
4	Assam	610	2,055
5	Bihar	500	4,267
6	Chhattisgarh	334	6,496
7	Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman& Diu	17	4
8	Goa	1	25
9	Gujarat	412	43
10	Haryana	892	1,363
11	Himachal Pradesh	343	334
12	Jammu & Kashmir	1,000	1,318
13	Jharkhand	0	2,306
14	Karnataka	258	0
15	Kerala	7	200
16	Ladakh	3	127
17	Lakshadweep	0	0
18	Madhya Pradesh	50	289
19	Maharashtra	1,376	1,625
20	Manipur	43	141
21	Meghalaya	36	1,677
22	Mizoram	368	591
23	Nagaland	183	739
24	Odisha	500	350
25	Puducherry	0	0
26	Punjab	759	8,334
27	Rajasthan	43	1,554
28	Sikkim	27	235
29	Tamil Nadu	146	1,594
30	Telangana	856	3,452
31	Tripura	131	493
32	Uttar Pradesh	1,273	3,145
33	Uttarakhand	1,012	7,260
34	West Bengal	204	1,712
	Total	13,342	55,587

 

This information was given by Union Minister Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh in a written reply in Lok Sabha on 09^th December 2025.

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