Question : e-Panchayats

(a) whether under the Digital India Programme, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj had recommended the formation of e-panchayats as part of the Mission Mode Project (MMP) and if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether the Union Government has fixed any target to set up gram sachivalayas (village secretariats) to provide city-like IT facilities in rural areas under the Centrally sponsored scheme of Rashtriya Gram SwarajAbhiyan (RGSA);
(c) if so, the details thereof, State-wise;
(d) the details of the facilities proposed to be provided at village secretariats and particularly for the villages in Bundelkhand;
(e) whether some State Governments have failed to set up IT-enabled gram sachivalayas in the identified clusters; and
(f) the steps taken by the Government to complete the target under the RGSA?

MINISTER OF PANCHAYATI RAJ
(SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

(a) Under the Digital India Programme, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) is implementing e-Panchayat Mission Mode Project (MMP) wherein a suite of core software applications has been developed to address various aspects of Panchayats’ functioning including planning, budgeting, implementation, accounting, monitoring, social audit and delivery of citizen services like issue of certificates, licences, tax collection etc. These applications are part of Panchayat Enterprise Suite (PES). Details of these applications is at Annexure-I. Further, certain States have also developed and deployed their own State-specific software applications.

(b) to (f) “Local Bodies” or Panchayats is a state subject, regarding which the infrastructure is provided and the processes are formulated by the respective States or Union Territories (UT). Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) through Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Aabhiyan (RGSA) and Fourteenth Finance Commission grants to states supplements the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) strengthening by the State Government. RGSA scheme envisages to provide support for certain infrastructural requirement of Panchayats viz.construction/ repair of Panchayat Bhawan, Human Resource support, providing computers etc. in accordance with the approved Annual Action Plans of States/ UTs. The scheme of RGSA does not have any separate component to provide funds for Gram Sachivalayas (village secretariat). State-wise details of the number of Panchayat Bhawans approved under RGSA for construction and repair during the financial year 2019-20 is at Annexure-II. The current status of computerization of GPs may also be seen at Annexure-III.


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