E-Governance in Panchayats
	12:27 IST

Lok Sabha The Minister of Panchayati Raj Shri Mani Shankar Aiyar informed the Lok Sabha today that his Ministry is preparing a mission mode project for e-governance at the Gram Panchayat level under the National e-Governance Plan.  In a written reply, he said, it is envisaged that this will enable all Panchayats in the country to progressively obtain the benefits of Information Technology in implementing e-Governance solutions with reference to identified services delivered at the Panchayat level.  This is a new initiative.  A few Panchayats in the States have been implementing pilots project for e-Governance at the Panchayat level with support of the State Government concerned.  It is under the Central Plan that common standards and benchmarks will be developed so as to ensure the integrated application of Information Technology to further good governance at the Panchayat level. The Minister said, under the proposed Gram Swaraj Programme also e-governance is one of the essential elements.  Similarly, capacity building and training are also parts of this new scheme proposed under 2006-07, for which outlays are yet to be finalized; but Rs.8 crores is proposed for this purpose in 2006-07.    He said, other components for e-governance for Panchayats include basic computer infrastructure, software and basic process re-engineering.  Activity mapping for Panchayat basic services would assist this process.             Shri Aiyar said the objective is to support all State Governments and Panchayats to make effective use of IT in : Improving internal management processes and decision making in Panchayats; Panchayats using IT as a tool for transparency, disclosure of information to citizens and social audit; Panchayats using IT to better deliver its mandated services to its citizens; States and Panchayats using IT for electronic tagging and tracking of funds transferred to Panchayats from higher level of governments, including rapid bank transfer of funds, tracking fund transfers to, and expenditures of the Panchayats; Using IT as a medium of e-Procurement. AD/SL