Union Minister launches Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme, SAMARTH Panchayat Portal and releases Model OSR Rules
Union Minister of Panchayati Raj launched the Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme and SAMARTH Panchayat Portal and released Model OSR Rules to strengthen Panchayat finances through bankable projects and digital OSR management.
- OSR means revenue that Gram Panchayats and other Panchayati Raj Institutions generate and collect themselves, such as property tax, user charges, and fees.
- SAMARTH aims to improve OSR collection by managing the OSR process digitally—taxpayer registration, demand notices, online payments, and monitoring.
- Model OSR Rules are a suggested legal-and-administrative template for States and Union Territories to create a transparent and uniform system to assess and collect Panchayat revenues.
- Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme finances bankable projects using routes such as Public Private Partnerships, Corporate Social Responsibility support, convergence with other schemes, and bank finance.
What happened: Union Minister launches three OSR-focused Panchayat initiatives
The Union Minister of Panchayati Raj and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, launched the Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme and the SAMARTH Panchayat Portal, and released Model OSR (Own Source of Revenue) Rules for Panchayati Raj Institutions. The launch event was held at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi, with key officials including Prof. S. P. Singh Baghel (Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj) and Shri Vivek Bharadwaj (Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj).
As part of the event, the Ministry also presented a Trophy and Certificate for the Gold Award under the National Awards for e-Governance (NAeG) 2026. The award was for the Ministry’s Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI) – Data Driven Governance for Viksit Bharat.
UPSC can frame this as a governance and public finance question: how OSR (own revenues) of Panchayati Raj Institutions can be strengthened through rules (Model OSR Rules) and technology (SAMARTH portal), with a pipeline of bankable projects (Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme).
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