CHANDIGARH: Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of promoting the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), a former sarpanch of Bibipur village in Jind district has launched a campaign titled 'AI Friendly Panchayat'. The initiative aims to leverage AI to improve governance, transparency, and accountability in rural areas.
The campaign launched recently, seeks to create awareness about the benefits of AI-powered panchayats and encourage village councils to adopt technology for better governance.
Jaglan, who transformed his native village Bibipur into a model village through innovative initiatives, said, “Every gram panchayat has to make a Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) to receive its funds from the government. This proposal must be uploaded online to access these funds. However, as the Panchayat Secretary is responsible for submitting the GPDP proposal, it often lacks details and clarity due to workload, leading to panchayats not receiving the proper funds they require. By using AI, this issue can be resolved.”
He further added, “Not only that, but under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), gram panchayats can also receive funds. Yet, many times, they do not receive these funds as the panchayats have to submit proposals online. Due to their inability to do so, they are deprived of these funds under CSR initiatives of the companies.”
Jaglan pointed out that AI can also help in branding panchayats, which is increasingly needed in the current scenario. “Social media is a powerful tool, but panchayats are unable to utilise it effectively due to a lack of awareness. Moreover, many panchayats are unable to apply for national awards as the forms have to be uploaded online. They lack the skills to fill out these forms, as earlier, the forms were submitted manually,” he claimed.
Jaglan firmly believes that AI-powered panchayats can bring about revolutionary changes in rural governance. “I am confident that AI-powered panchayats will improve the quality of life for rural citizens and make village councils more accountable and transparent,” he said.
He further claimed that the campaign has received support from various stakeholders, including the Haryana government, which has expressed its commitment to promoting e-governance and digital literacy in rural areas.
As part of the campaign, Jaglan has been conducting workshops and training sessions for panchayat members and officials to educate them about the benefits of AI-powered governance. “In the last three months, I have trained sarpanches, panches, panchayat members, and panchayat secretaries from 120 panchayats across several states, including 27 from Haryana, on how to use AI in panchayat administration and its advantages,” he said.
Jaglan added, “When we conducted training sessions for sarpanches, most of them admitted they had never sent an e-mail to concerned officials as they did not know what to write. Therefore, we trained them on how to use AI to draft emails and send them.”
Jaglan’s campaign has set the stage for transforming rural governance by integrating AI, offering hope for more transparent and efficient administration in the future.