"DAANVEER Initiative Launched to Bridge Digital Infrastructure Gap in Gram Panchayats"
DAANVEER
Ministry of Panchayati Raj initiative enabling citizens to donate computers to Gram Panchayats via Meri Panchayat app.
e-GramSwaraj
integrated planning and accounting digital platform for Gram Panchayats under Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
India's Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) derive their constitutional mandate from Part IX of the Constitution, inserted by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992. This amendment gave constitutional status to the three-tier structure of local self-governance — Gram Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti, and Zila Parishad — and vested the Gram Sabha as the foundational democratic unit. The Eleventh Schedule lists 29 subjects, including rural development, primary education, and social welfare, that state legislatures may devolve to PRIs. However, the actual devolution of functions, funds, and functionaries (the '3Fs') has remained uneven across states, limiting the effectiveness of grassroots governance.
The digital transformation of PRIs has been a stated policy priority since the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP, 2006), which established Common Service Centres (CSCs) as the primary delivery channel for digital services in rural areas. The Digital India Programme (2015) further accelerated this by focusing on broadband connectivity, digital literacy, and online service delivery. The Ministry of Panchayati Raj has since built a dedicated digital ecosystem for PRIs — including e-GramSwaraj (integrated planning and accounting), Meri Panchayat (citizen engagement app), Sabha Saar (Gram Sabha management), AuditOnline (social audit), and Gram Manchitra (GIS-based planning) — to make Gram Panchayats more transparent, accountable, and efficient.
Despite these investments, a persistent digital infrastructure gap remains at the Gram Panchayat level. India has nearly 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats, and many lack basic computing hardware, limiting their ability to utilise the digital platforms already developed for them. This hardware deficit is the specific problem DAANVEER seeks to address through a citizen-participation model.
DAAN VEER — launched by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj in collaboration with the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and DigiHaat — is a voluntary citizen-contribution platform that enables individuals and organisations to donate standardised, quality-verified computer bundles directly to eligible Gram Panchayats. It is accessible through the Meri Panchayat mobile application, which integrates with the DigiHaat marketplace to allow donors to select from pre-approved, state-specification-compliant computer bundles. The platform auto-populates delivery details, provides end-to-end tracking from dispatch to installation, and issues a digital certificate of appreciation to donors.
The initiative's design incorporates several governance-quality features: verified institutional needs (only eligible Gram Panchayats are listed), standardised contribution options (pre-approved bundles mapped to state-specific technical specifications), direct delivery (bypassing intermediaries), and transparent tracking (donors can monitor their contribution in real time). …
The fundamental object of Panchayati Raj system is to ensure which among the following?
1.People's participation in development
2.Political accountability
3.Democratic decentralization
4.Financial mobilization
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Which of the following is/are the aim/aims of "Digital India" Plan of the Government of India ?
1.Formation of India's own Internet companies like China did.
2.Establish a policy framework to encourage overseas multinational corporations that collect Big Data to build their large data centres within our national geographical boundaries.
3.Connect many of our villages to the Internet and bring Wi-Fi to many of our schools, public places and major tourist centres.
Select the correct answer using the code given below :
Consider the following:
1.Aarogya Setu
2.CoWIN
3.DigiLocker
4.DIKSHA
Which of the above are built on top of open-source digital platforms?
With reference to the DAANVEER initiative, consider the following statements:
1.It is an initiative of the Ministry of Rural Development.
2.It enables citizens to contribute computer bundles to eligible Gram Panchayats through the Meri Panchayat app.
3.The initiative was developed in collaboration with the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and DigiHaat.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992 is associated with which of the following?
1.It inserted Part IX into the Constitution of India.
2.It placed Panchayati Raj subjects in the Twelfth Schedule.
3.It established the Gram Sabha as a constitutional body.
4.It mandated reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Panchayats.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Assertion (A): Digital infrastructure at the Gram Panchayat level is a prerequisite for realising the constitutional mandate of local self-governance under Article 243G.
Reason (R): Article 243G empowers state legislatures to endow Panchayats with powers to function as institutions of self-government, which requires administrative capacity including digital tools for service delivery and accountability.
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