The Yogi Government in Uttar Pradesh has prepared an action plan to convert all the rural areas into 'smart' villages in order to ensure that the benefits of the welfare schemes are provided to even the last person in the society. Uttar Pradesh is consistently on the path of development and its rural population is an integral part of this growth trajectory.

The Chief Minister has planned to make all the Panchayat Bhawans digital. This will not only link the distant regions to the mainstream society but will also ensure effective and transparent implementation of the welfare schemes of the government at the grassroots level, thereby benefiting the needy.

With this, every information related to the government and the administration will also be provided to the rural populace with just a click. According to the government spokesmen, "Youth will be the major gainer as the digital connectivity as this is always required by this age group — whether access to study material or the search of a suitable job."

The Uttar Pradesh government will be linking Gram Panchayats with an 'optical fiber network' to provide broadband internet services in the coming days. The project has been undertaken under the National Broadband Mission to digitalize every village in the country.

The state government has already linked more than 31,149 Gram Panchayats with optical fiber networks and is working on providing internet connectivity to all the villages soon. About 70 percent of the population of Uttar Pradesh resides in rural areas. There are about 2,498 Panchayat Bhawans in the state out of which 206 are multipurpose ones.

The government said that the vision of the program is centered on three key areas: digital infrastructure as a utility to every citizen — digital identity, mobile phone, and bank account, safe and secure cyberspace; governance and services on-demand — services available in real-time on online and mobile platform, making financial transactions electronic and cashless, and digital empowerment of citizens — all documents, certificates available on the cloud.

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Under the Digital Village Scheme, the government offers such facilities as a mini bank, mini ATM, hotel booking, and mobile and DTH recharge in the villages. Apart from this, both birth and death certificates will also be made and provided digitally. With this, the farmers of the village will also get all the information regarding the weather conditions immediately.

E-Pathshalas will also be set up at the Panchayat Bhawan where the farmers will also be taught about all the cultivation techniques through digital means. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has prioritized radical digitalization to induce economic inclusiveness through a host of initiatives.(IANS/JC)