The Meri Panchayat App has been honored with the prestigious WSIS Prizes 2025 Champion Award in the category of Cultural Diversity and Identity, Linguistic Diversity, and Local Content. This mobile application, developed by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj in collaboration with the National Informatics Centre (NIC), has set a global example of inclusive and transparent digital governance at the grassroots level.
Background
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) is a global initiative aimed at fostering inclusive and people-centered information societies. The recent 2025 event in Geneva, Switzerland, marked 20 years of WSIS and focused on reviewing digital advancements. The Meri Panchayat App was recognized as a Champion Project for its contribution to promoting inclusivity and empowering local communities.
Significance
- Global recognition signifies India’s dedication to digital transformation at the grassroots.
- Strengthens decentralized governance and enhances transparency.
- Promotes participatory democracy through real-time citizen engagement in panchayat affairs.
Key Features
The Meri Panchayat App serves 2.65 lakh Gram Panchayats, benefiting over 25 lakh elected representatives and nearly 950 million rural citizens. Key features include:
- Real-time access to budgets, payments, and development plans.
- Display of public assets, elected member details, and civic services.
- Access to Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs).
- Grievance redressal through geo-tagged and geo-fenced tracking.
- Support for 12 Indian languages for wider accessibility.
- Tools for social audits, project ratings, and Gram Sabha participation.
Impact
The Meri Panchayat App has revolutionized rural governance by:
- Improving transparency and citizen involvement.
- Enhancing accountability in local governance.
- Ensuring better fund utilization for development projects.
- Empowering villagers to actively participate in local development planning and monitoring.
Key Takeaways for Competitive Exams
- Meri Panchayat App wins WSIS Prizes 2025 Champion Award for Digital Governance.
- Developed by Ministry of Panchayati Raj and NIC, the app promotes inclusive and transparent governance.
- Recognized at the WSIS+20 High-Level Event 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland.
- Key features include real-time access to budgets, multilingual support, and tools for citizen engagement.
- The app significantly improves transparency, citizen participation, and accountability in rural governance.
