Digital revolution in remote tribal village: Maharashtra's Rohini becomes model gram panchayat
Dhule: In the quiet, remote tribal-majority village of Rohini, tucked away at the foothills of Satpura in Maharashtra's Dhule district, the rugged terrain stood as a barrier to basic services, but a silent digital revolution is transforming lives and bridging the gap.
"Using technology here for us was not an option, it was an opportunity," Chief Executive Officer of the Jila Parishad, Dhule, Vishal Narwade, said.
Mobile internet and e-governance applications have made essential services such as healthcare, education and finance increasingly accessible to residents while also empowering them through digital democracy at the grassroots level.
The gram panchayat was recently awarded the gold medal in a first-of-its-kind award for 'Grassroots level initiatives for deepening service delivery at gram panchayats or equivalent traditional local bodies' for its exemplary digital initiatives.
With the population scattered in hamlets, access to services was always a challenge.
The gram panchayat is now using information and communication technology not just to provide amenities and disseminate information but to also enable the locals to join Gram Sabha meetings virtually.
Narwade said while only 45% of the local tribals are literate according to the last census figures, digital literacy is at 100%.
"We informed the locals, held meetings of the Gram Sabha, made the locals aware, and convinced them that digital technology can help as they are struggling for physical connectivity.
"Education, health, Anganwadi - technology is being used everywhere to ensure delivery," Narwade told PTI.
"Any model will be successful only with local participation. We used government platforms and we developed a website through which one can access all services sitting at home," he said.
Narwade said a website was developed for the panchayat by a local youth, who has also taken the responsibility to maintain it.
"You will see a smartphone in everyone's hand. They already knew how to use smartphones, we just trained them how to use government and panchayat websites and apps to make their lives easier," he said.
"We ensured that they don't need to come physically to the Gram Panchayat for small things - like if they need any certificate - birth, death, or marriage certificate, they can get it online," he said.
Besides the local panchayat's website, government websites like the Meri Panchayat app, and digital platforms like e-Gram Swaraj, and Panchayat Nirnay App are among those being used.
Narwade said when the Gram Sabha meeting is called, those who cannot join the meeting physically can join it online, ensuring more people's participation in decision-making.
The journey was not easy though. In this remote area with hilly terrain, the internet was not always available.
The gram panchayat has seven hamlets with scattered population of 7200.
Deputy Sarpanch of the village Vasant Pawda said local demand for better internet connectivity grew louder, with some even suggesting boycott of elections at one point.
They reached out to telecom companies, and the government departments, eventually leading to telecom infrastructure seeing improvement.
Mobile phones are also being used to enable access to telemedicine facilities for locals.
"The population here is scattered and doctors can't go there every time. So the health workers here, ASHA and ANMs, visit local homes and they connect them to doctors," said Dr Rashtrapal Ahire, Medical Officer, PHC, Rohini.
If locals have an issue with mobile connectivity, the volunteers use their own mobile phones to connect them to the doctors, and also provide them medicines, he said.
Tele-medicine facilities are also available for cattle, who are tagged and their information digitised in a database making it easier to track the animal for vaccination and monitoring.
The village Anganwadi is also leveraging on government's platforms like the Poshan Tracker app, and a dashboard at the Anganwadi centre helps in monitoring progress.
Vasant Pawda, deputy sarpanch of the village, said they aim to become a global model for digital democracy at the grassroots level.
He said they aim to have a Single Digital Window for the village for all programmes and digital inclusion of every citizen.
"With scattered population, remote villages, and migrant worker population, access to services was an issue, which could be resolved due to internet. Now we aim to have one window through which all services and information can be accessed," Pawda said.
Rohini is a gram panchayat under Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, (PESA) with over 80% tribal population. It is located at the foothills of Satpura Hills at the interstate border of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, around 85 km away from the district headquarters. PTI>
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