Hon’ble Union Minister of Panchayati Raj, Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, launched the Samarth Panchayat Portal on 27th July 2026 in the august presence of Prof. S. P. Singh Baghel, Minister of State for Panchayati Raj &  Shri Vivek Bharadwaj, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, GoI. 

The Samarth Panchayat Portal  https://samarthpanchayat.gov.in has been designed and developed  inhouse by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) for the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) as a transformative digital initiative to strengthen the financial autonomy of Panchayats. The portal aims to facilitate systematic mobilization, management and monitoring of Own Sources of Revenue (OSR) by Panchayats, thereby empowering them to enhance local finances more efficiently and transparently.

Designed as a centrally hosted digital platform for more than 2.65 lakh Panchayats across India, Samarth Panchayat is expected to significantly enhance rural local governance & rural development  by enabling Panchayats to identify revenue opportunities, manage revenue records, monitor tax collections and improve accountability in local resource collection and mobilization.

At present, Panchayats many remain largely dependent on Central and State Finance Commission grants, State-sponsored schemes and tied funds. This dependency often limits their financial flexibility and affects their ability to respond effectively to undertake development works as per their local needs. Delays and uncertainty in fund release, limited alignment with local needs, and insufficient incentives for mobilizing local revenue have continued to impact the quality and sustainability of public service delivery at the grassroots level.

Field-level assessments indicate that a large number of Gram Panchayats have annual Own Source Revenue below Rs.1 lakh, which is inadequate for meeting their growing responsibilities and constitutional mandates. The Samarth Panchayat Portal has been designed to address this gap by encouraging Panchayats to become more financially self-reliant and accountable. 

By promoting transparent revenue administration, digital monitoring and data-driven financial planning, the portal marks an important step towards building Atmanirbhar Panchayats. It will support Panchayats in strengthening their own revenue base, improving service delivery and contributing to the larger vision of Viksit Bharat through empowered and financially capable local self-governments.