India's Panchayat Minister Unveils AtmaNirbhar Panchayat Program and Samarth Portal

On July 27, Union Minister for Panchayati Raj Rajiv Ranjan Singh launched the AtmaNirbhar Panchayat program and the Samarth Panchayat portal from New Delhi. The initiative aims to strengthen the financial autonomy of village and block panchayats and to equip them with digital tools for better governance and rural development. The government plans to develop 350 income‑generating projects over four years, with public‑private partnerships, CSR funds, and bank financing. The Samarth portal will enable panchayats to manage their own revenue streams, including taxpayer registration, demand letters, online payments, and real‑time monitoring. States such as Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh have already linked to the portal, and a model “Revenue from Own Sources” framework was released to guide states and union territories.