New Delhi: Union Minister of Communications and Development of North-Eastern Region,Jyotiraditya M. Scindia will inaugurate the Samriddhi Kendra, an Integrated Phygital (Physical + Digital) Service Centre, at Umri village in Guna district, Madhya Pradesh on 14th March, under the Samriddh Gram Phygital Services Pilot Initiative of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).
The Union Minister will also review demonstrations of key services; interact with local beneficiaries, inaugurate a health check-up and cataract awareness initiative. He will also address a public gathering on the occasion.
The initiative seeks to demonstrate how the high-speed digital infrastructure created under BharatNet, one of the world’s largest rural broadband programmes, can be leveraged to deliver integrated citizen services at the village level.
The Samriddh Gram Pilot in Umri Village showcases how integrated services can drive socio-economic development in rural areas through the Samriddh Kendra, a one-stop hub located in the Panchayat Bhawan. This center offers a range of services across multiple sectors: Education and Skill Development, Agriculture, Health and Telemedicine, e-Governance, Financial Inclusion and e-Commerce, Connectivity and Digital Access and Surveillance and Safety.
The Umri is part of a broader pilot initiative which includes two more villages Narakoduru in Guntur district (AP), and Chaurawala in Muzaffarnagar district (UP), representing different demographic profiles – each Samriddhi Kendra serving several surrounding villages within a 5 km radius.
The initiative is being implemented by the Department of Telecommunications with the support of the Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF) as the field operations and community mobilisation partner.
The Samriddh Gram Phygital Services Pilot is expected to provide important learnings on how integrated service delivery models can be developed using BharatNet connectivity.
The initiative aims to serve as a replicable moSamriddhi Kendradel for strengthening rural digital service ecosystems through convergence of connectivity, service delivery platforms and community participation.
