“Meri Panchayat” mobile application, developed jointly by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) and the National Informatics Centre (NIC), has been honoured with World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Prizes 2025 Champion Award under the Action Line Category: Cultural Diversity & Identity, Linguistic Diversity, and Local Content. The award was presented during the WSIS+20 High-Level Event 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Key Highlights
- Event: WSIS+20 High-Level Event 2025.
- Award Category: Cultural Diversity & Identity, Linguistic Diversity, and Local Content.
- Organised by: International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
- Co-hosted by: Swiss Confederation.
- Co-organised by: ITU, UNESCO, UNDP, UNCTAD.
- Occasion: Marking 20 years of WSIS, reviewing progress and accelerating inclusive information society building.
About Meri Panchayat App
- Type: Mobile-based m-Governance platform.
- Developed by: Ministry of Panchayati Raj + NIC (Ministry of Electronics and IT).
- Purpose: Empower rural citizens and Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) by making Panchayat-level data accessible, interactive, and transparent.
Objectives:
- Promote digital inclusion in rural India.
- Enhance transparency and accountability in Gram Panchayat operations.
- Strengthen participatory democracy and citizen engagement.
- Bridge knowledge and information gaps at the grassroots level.
Key Features
- Real-time Information: Budgets, receipts, payments, development plans.
- Civic Engagement:
- View Gram Sabha agendas, decisions, and GPDPs (Gram Panchayat Development Plans).
- Propose new projects, rate completed works, submit feedback.
- Geo-features: Geo-tagging & geo-fencing for project monitoring and grievance redressal.
- Multilingual Interface: 12+ Indian languages for inclusivity.
- Weather & Infrastructure Data: Panchayat-wise weather, civic assets, and service details.
- Social Audit Tools: Transparency in fund utilisation and performance tracking.
Scale of Reach:
- Covers 2.65 lakh Gram Panchayats.
- Involves 25 lakh elected representatives.
- Benefits a rural population of ~950 million.
Significance
- For Governance: A milestone in citizen-centric digital governance.
- For Rural India: Bridges the digital divide and enables inclusive participation in decision-making.
- For Global Recognition: Demonstrates India’s leadership in scalable, replicable e-Governance tools for developing countries.
- For Cultural Identity: Promotes linguistic diversity and strengthens local cultural identity through multilingual support.
About WSIS (World Summit on the Information Society)
- Launched by: United Nations in 2003–2005 (two phases: Geneva & Tunis).
- Purpose: Bridge the global digital divide and promote inclusive information societies.
- Key Organiser: International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
- Action Lines: Framework for implementing WSIS goals, e.g., C8 (Cultural Diversity & Identity, Linguistic Diversity & Local Content).
About ITU
- Full Form: International Telecommunication Union.
- Established: 1865.
- HQ: Geneva, Switzerland.
- Role: UN specialised agency for ICTs (Information & Communication Technologies).
Panchayati Raj in India
- Constitutional Basis: 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992.
- Three-Tier Structure: Gram Panchayat (village), Panchayat Samiti (block), Zila Parishad (district).
- Total Gram Panchayats: ~2.65 lakh.
NIC (National Informatics Centre)
- Established: 1976.
- Under: Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY).
- Role: Provides e-Governance and digital services infrastructure to government bodies.