Union Minister for Panchayati Raj and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh on Monday launched the Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme, the SAMARTH Panchayat Portal, and released the Model Own Source of Revenue (OSR) Rules for Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), aimed at strengthening the financial sustainability and digital governance of Panchayats across the country.
The initiatives were launched at a function held at Krishi Bhawan in New Delhi. During the event, the Minister was also presented with the Gold Award conferred on the Ministry of Panchayati Raj under the National Awards for e-Governance (NAeG) 2026 for the Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) – Data Driven Governance for Viksit Bharat.
Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj Prof. S. P. Singh Baghel, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj Vivek Bharadwaj, and senior ministry officials were also present.
Addressing the gathering, Singh said the three initiatives mark a significant step towards building financially empowered, technologically enabled and self-reliant Panchayats in line with the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047.
Describing Panchayati Raj Institutions as central to India’s democratic and developmental journey, the Minister said strengthening them through digital tools and sustainable revenue streams would improve grassroots governance and accelerate inclusive rural development.
He said the Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme will help Gram Panchayats and Block Panchayats identify local assets and economic opportunities and convert them into sustainable revenue-generating projects with technical support from the Ministry. Financing for these projects will be facilitated through public-private partnerships (PPPs), corporate social responsibility (CSR) contributions, convergence with government schemes, bank finance, and institutional support from NABARD and HUDCO.
Under the programme, 350 projects are planned over the next four years, including 50 projects in the first year and 100 projects annually during the following three years.
Gram Panchayats with a minimum own source revenue of ₹50 lakh and Block Panchayats with at least ₹1 crore in own revenue, along with a minimum remaining tenure of three years, will be eligible to apply. Relaxed eligibility norms have been provided for special category states. The Ministry has already conducted outreach workshops for Panchayat representatives across 10 states.
The Minister also launched the SAMARTH Panchayat Portal, describing it as the country’s first unified digital platform for managing Panchayat own source revenues. The portal enables Gram Panchayats to digitally manage the complete revenue cycle – from taxpayer registration and demand generation to online payments, revenue collection and real-time monitoring.
The platform has already been implemented in Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh, where more than 51 lakh taxpayers have been registered. According to the Ministry, the portal has generated demand notices worth ₹95 crore and facilitated the collection of more than ₹27 crore in Panchayat revenues so far. The onboarding process is currently underway in Maharashtra, Mizoram, Assam, Haryana, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.
To strengthen the financial independence of Panchayati Raj Institutions, the Ministry also released the Model OSR Rules, which provide a guiding framework for states and Union Territories to improve the assessment, collection and management of Panchayat revenues such as property tax, user charges, fees and other non-tax revenues.
The advisory rules, prepared in line with the recommendations of the Sixteenth Finance Commission, are intended to help states establish transparent, uniform and efficient systems for local revenue mobilisation while allowing flexibility to adapt the framework to their existing legal provisions and local requirements.
Singh said the initiatives are aligned with the Finance Commission’s recommendations to strengthen the own source revenues of Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies. He urged elected representatives and officials to make effective use of these digital platforms and policy frameworks to enhance transparency, strengthen participatory democracy and improve citizen-centric governance at the grassroots.
The event also highlighted the Ministry’s achievements in digital governance. Four Panchayati Raj-related initiatives, including the Panchayat Advancement Index, received recognition at the National Awards for e-Governance 2026, winning three Gold Awards and one Silver Award at the 29th National Conference on e-Governance held in Jaipur earlier this month.
The Ministry said the new initiatives are expected to strengthen local governance, improve Panchayats’ financial sustainability and enable them to deliver better public services while advancing the vision of self-reliant rural institutions.
