Samriddh Gram: Global Winner of WSIS 2026

Why in News?

Recently, the Department of Telecommunications' (DoT) flagship initiative, Samriddh Gram, has won the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Prizes 2026 under Action Line C6.

WSIS (World Summit on the Information Society)

• WSIS Forum 2026 – Held in Geneva
• WSIS Prizes – Honours information and communication technologies (ICTs) to advance sustainable development.
• Categories – 18 award categories; only 2 Indian projects were selected as Champion Projects.
• Global Winner – Samriddh Gram (Action Line C6 – Enabling Environment).
• It showcases India’s model of using digital public infrastructure + telecom connectivity for integrated rural service delivery.

Samriddh Gram

• Samriddh Gram – A flagship integrated rural digital transformation initiative built on the BharatNet network.
• Integration – Combines telecom infrastructure, local facilitation, and community participation to generate socio‑economic outcomes.
• Samriddhi Kendras – Village‑level one‑stop centres providing digital + assisted physical services.
• Services Delivered –
  • Healthcare – Teleconsultation, health ATMs, and PM Jan Aushadhi medicines.
  • Education – Smart classrooms, AR/VR skill development.
  • Agriculture – IoT soil testing, drone spraying, app‑based smart irrigation.
  • Financial inclusion – CSC services, banking correspondents, and digital banking.
  • E‑commerce – Support for local products.
  • Connectivity – FTTH, PM‑WANI Wi‑Fi, CCTV surveillance.

Quick Facts

Reference

DD India | WSIS