In sustained efforts to strengthen Panchayati Raj Institutions and enhance grassroots governance across rural India, the government has implemented a wide range of initiatives focused on capacity building, training, digital governance, institutional strengthening and community participation.
In 2025, aligned with the localisation of Sustainable Development Goals and the vision of Viksit Bharat, these initiatives reinforced the central role of Panchayats in sustainable rural development, according to Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
For example, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over the distribution of property cards under the SVAMITVA Scheme in January, providing 65 lakh rural citizens with legal ownership documents in a single day.
The distribution covered more than 50,000 villages across 10 states and 2 Union Territories, bringing the total number of property cards distributed under SVAMITVA to 2.25 crore in January.
Under the SVAMITVA scheme, drone flying has been completed in 3.28 lakh villages, and about 2.76 crore property cards have been prepared for 1.82 lakh villages (as on December 16).
Moreover, the ministry undertook an initiative to leverage popular digital platforms for mass awareness on key issues relating to Panchayati Raj.
It also launched ‘SabhaSaar’, an AI-powered meeting summariser tool that automatically generates structured minutes from video or audio recordings of Gram Sabhas.
Leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing, the tool supports 13 regional languages through AI-powered translation engines integrated with Bhashini, the government’s National Language Translation platform.
As on December 10, 92,869 Gram Panchayats across 30 states/UTs have conducted 1,43,124 meetings and generated automated minutes using the SabhaSaar tool, significantly reducing documentation workload while enhancing transparency and accountability in local governance.
Also, eGramSwaraj, the work-based accounting application now available in 22 Indian languages, continues to enhance Panchayat financial management.
Over 2.52 lakh Gram Panchayats and 5,400 Block Panchayats have uploaded their development plans (GPDP and BPDP) and 2.52 lakh Gram Panchayats onboarded eGramSwaraj-PFMS integration for 2025-26.
In addition to infrastructure development, the ministry prioritised digital empowerment by sanctioning 19,472 computers for Gram Panchayats with established office buildings.
(IANS)
