Lok Sabha Question No. 2864 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-10
Subject: Rural Digital Literacy
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Shri Imran Masood

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2864 ANSWERED ON 10/03/2026

## RURAL DIGITAL LITERACY

## 2864. Shri Imran Masood:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  an  impact  study  of  rural  digital literacy and  egovernance  initiatives  has  been  prepared,  if  so,  the  details thereof;
- (b) whether  the  grievance  redressal  system  has  become  more transparent, if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether digital records been made mandatory at the Panchayat level, if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether comparative performance report is available; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor, State-
- wise?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI KAMLESH PASWAN)

(a): Department of Rural Development has undertaken a 'National Impact  Assessment  and  Monitoring  System  for  MGNREGA  Ponds using  Geospatial  Technologies  and  Artificial  Intelligence',  named BhuPRAHARI.  The  study  was  carried  out  with  the  objective  of assessing  the  impact  and  monitoring  the  performance  of  ponds created under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee  Act  (MGNREGA)  using  advanced  technologies  such  as Geospatial analytics and Artificial Intelligence. The impact assessment study was conducted by Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi), and a detailed report of the findings was submitted to the Department of Rural Development in May 2025.

Besides, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology carried out the impact analysis of the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta  Abhiyan  (PMGDISHA)  scheme  with  the  help  of  three

agencies  namely  the  Indian  Institute  of  Technology  (IIT)  Delhi, Council for Social Development (CSD) and Indian Institute of Public Administration  (IIPA).  The  latest  impact  assessment  study  of  the PMGDISHA  scheme  was  conducted  by  IIPA.  The  PMGDISHA  was initiated  to  reach  digital  literacy  in  6  crore  rural  households  (one person  per  household)  nationwide.  The  analyses  concluded  that training provided under PMGDISHA has had a significant impact on the adoption of Information & Communication Technology (ICT) and other forms of digital media. It benefited its participants by enabling their access to a wide range of information and services for various purposes, helping to reduce the overall digital divide in the country.

- (b): The grievance redressal system under the programmes of the Department of Rural Development (DoRD) has been strengthened in recent years with a view to enhancing transparency, accountability and timely resolution of complaints.

Every  scheme  of  DoRD  like  MGNREGA,  PMAY-G,  NSAP  and others  has  its  own  grievance  redressal  system  for  users  and beneficiaries. In addition to these, several other digital platforms are available to handle grievances related to rural development schemes, such  as  RuralOne,  Meri  Sadak,  Janmanrega  and  so  on,  which different facilitate monitoring and  resolution of  complaints at administrative levels.

Further, citizens can also lodge grievances through the Centralized Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS),  an  online  platform  of  the  Government  of  India.  This portal enables beneficiaries and stakeholders to submit complaints related to programmes and services of DoRD and track the status of their grievances in a transparent and time-bound manner.

- (c): The  Government  has  taken  several  steps  to  promote  and strengthen  digital  record-keeping  at  the  Panchayat  level  under various programmes of the DoRD.

Under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), records relating to job cards, muster rolls, works, wage  payments  and  assets  are  maintained  electronically  through NREGASoft  and  related  applications.  The  platforms  also  capture granular details up to the individual worker and asset level, enabling better monitoring and accountability.

Under  Pradhan  Mantri  Awaas  Yojana  -  Gramin  (PMAY-G), beneficiary details, sanction orders, fund releases and progress of

houses are maintained digitally through AwaasSoft and AwaasApp. These systems capture scheme-related data at the beneficiary level, ensuring transparency and facilitating real-time tracking of implementation.

Further,  digital  systems  and  mobile  applications  such  as Janmanrega  are  also  used  to  facilitate  real-time  data  capture, monitoring and grievance redressal at the Panchayat and field levels.

(d) & (e): The  DoRD  launched  BhuPRAHARI  to  assess  MGNREGA ponds  using  Geospatial  technology  and  Artificial  Intelligence.  The Pradhan  Mantri  Gramin  Digital  Saksharta  Abhiyan  (PMGDISHA), implemented by CSC e-Governance Services India Limited under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, aimed to provide digital literacy to 6 crore rural households. Impact assessments of PMGDISHA  were  conducted  by  IIT  Delhi,  CSD  and  IIPA,  which indicated  significant  improvement  in  ICT  adoption  and  access  to digital  services,  helping  reduce  the  digital  divide.  The  scheme successfully trained 6.39 crore individuals through 4.39 lakh Common Service Centres across 2.52 lakh Gram Panchayats before concluding on 31 March 2024. The State/UT wise status is given at Annexure -I.

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## Annexure referred to in reply to parts (d) & (e) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question 2864 dated 10.03.2026

## States/UTs-wise status under the PMGDISHA Scheme

| Sl. No.   | State Name                           | Enrolled Candidates   | Trained Candidates   |
|-----------|--------------------------------------|-----------------------|----------------------|
| 1.        | Andaman and Nicobar Islands          | 5,564                 | 2,931                |
| 2.        | Andhra Pradesh                       | 23,01,731             | 19,17,452            |
| 3.        | Arunachal Pradesh                    | 14,949                | 11,615               |
| 4.        | Assam                                | 27,21,585             | 23,60,195            |
| 5.        | Bihar                                | 82,40,606             | 74,12,740            |
| 6.        | Chhattisgarh                         | 24,86,455             | 21,37,064            |
| 7         | Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu | 20,522                | 18,029               |
| 8.        | Goa                                  | 58,569                | 53,784               |
| 9.        | Gujarat                              | 30,31,310             | 26,83,286            |
| 10.       | Haryana                              | 18,57,815             | 15,77,109            |
| 11.       | Himachal Pradesh                     | 6,61,922              | 5,32,976             |
| 12.       | Jammu and Kashmir                    | 8,70,451              | 7,06,991             |
| 13.       | Jharkhand                            | 27,52,731             | 22,86,356            |
| 14.       | Karnataka                            | 29,64,726             | 24,40,957            |
| 15.       | Kerala                               | 1,77,165              | 1,18,132             |
| 16.       | Ladakh                               | 24,785                | 22,122               |
| 17.       | Lakshadweep                          | 142                   | 35                   |
| 18.       | Madhya Pradesh                       | 56,92,467             | 50,69,449            |
| 19.       | Maharashtra                          | 61,23,970             | 53,23,817            |
| 20.       | Manipur                              | 28,397                | 18,286               |
| 21.       | Meghalaya                            | 1,52,783              | 1,06,063             |
| 22.       | Mizoram                              | 30,317                | 23,125               |
| 23.       | Nagaland                             | 11,990                | 8,968                |
| 24.       | Odisha                               | 36,16,441             | 30,86,143            |
| 25.       | Puducherry                           | 22,079                | 15,801               |
| 26.       | Punjab                               | 17,46,448             | 15,14,820            |
| 27.       | Rajasthan                            | 45,06,184             | 39,70,690            |
| 28.       | Sikkim                               | 27,035                | 23,122               |
| 29.       | Tamil Nadu                           | 17,04,537             | 14,07,880            |
| 30.       | Telangana                            | 14,56,226             | 12,10,448            |
| 31.       | Tripura                              | 3,25,000              | 2,64,186             |
| 32. Uttar | Pradesh                              | 1,63,14,369           | 1,45,48,273          |
| 33.       | Uttarakhand                          | 7,85,978              | 6,73,306             |
| 34.       | West Bengal                          | 28,36,714             | 23,95,565            |
|           | Total                                | 7,35,71,965           | 6,39,41,718          |

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