NEW DELHI, July 2026 — Union Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh launched the Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme, the SAMARTH Panchayat Portal, and a set of Model Own Source of Revenue Rules at Krishi Bhawan, aimed at making village-level governance bodies more financially self-reliant.
The programme is meant to help Gram Panchayats and Block Panchayats identify local assets, such as markets, ponds or community property, and turn them into steady revenue-generating projects rather than relying solely on grants from higher levels of government. The SAMARTH portal is described as India's first unified digital platform for managing panchayat revenue end-to-end, while the Model OSR Rules give states and union territories a common template for how panchayats can assess and collect property tax, user charges and other local fees.
The initiative is pitched as part of the broader Viksit Bharat @2047 vision, which places financial autonomy of local governance bodies as one pillar of long-term development planning.
For polity and governance sections, aspirants should note the ministry involved (Panchayati Raj), the portal's name, and the broader push toward "Own Source of Revenue" as a recurring theme in local government reform.