Advanced International Journal for Research

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Volume 7 Issue 3
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Digitalization of Panchayats and the Future of Rural Governance in West Bengal

Author(s) Mr. SANO MURMU
Country India
Abstract Abstract
The computerization of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) is a pivotal moment of change in the history of rural governance in West Bengal, whereby the decentralized institutions have traditionally been the basis of participatory democracy. This paper questions the transformative nature of digital governance systems, especially the incorporation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in planning, financial management as well as service delivery at grassroots. The paper places digitalization in more general arguments on decentralization, state capacity, and governance innovation, by analysing prominent projects like the e-Panchayat Mission Mode Project and state-level digital platforms. The analysis shows that the digital interventions have greatly led to transparency in the administration, minimized information asymmetry, and real time monitoring of development programme which has contributed to the strengthening of accountability mechanisms among Panchayats. Moreover, the appearance of data-driven governance models allowed the more rational and evidence-based decision-making process. The study also anticipates, however, ongoing structural limitations, such as the digital divide, infrastructural shortcomings, uneven digital literacy, and threats of techno-bureaucratic marginalization, which might only unwittingly reproduce current socio-economic disparities. This paper states that although digitalization promises to change the current state of rural governance in a more effective, transparent, and citizen-oriented form, the sustainability of the long-term digitalization process will require the successful integration of technological innovation with the institutional capacity building and the inclusion of the policy design. Finally, the digital transformation in the rural governance of West Bengal will be determined by how far it is entrenched within the parameters of normative governance of digital decentralisation and social equity.
Keywords Keywords: Digital Governance, PRIs, ICTs, e-Panchayat, Digitalization, Decentralisation, Data-Driven Governance, Marginalization, Digital Divide, Transparency.
Field Arts
Published In Volume 7, Issue 3, May-June 2026
Published On 2026-05-12
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