ICT in Panchayati Raj institutions

Abstract

In India, the notion of local self government is just as old as the civilisation. In today’s time, PRIs, i.e. Panchayati Raj Institutions are local governmental bodies of grass-root governance in rural India and forms the third layer of the federalism in India. These institutions of grass-root government are playing an essential role in improving the living standard of rural masses in India. In the current tech savvy scenario, the concept of e-governance and usage of Information and Communications technology (ICT) in offering services to the community have gained momentum. In order to move from governance to good governance with the help of ICT, the Government of India has initiated many projects such as National e-Governance Plan, e-Kranti, Bharat Net etc. This paper depicts the use of ICT by Panchayati Raj Institutions in providing effective public service delivery to the rural masses. Further, this paper also throws some light on various programs and applications which are designed by national and state governments to strengthening the position of PRI’s in development of rural areas.