The Ministry of Panchayati Raj is about to roll out ‘PANCHAM’—a digital chatbot built to make life easier for village panchayats across India. Think of PANCHAM as a digital buddy for panchayat representatives. It connects them to schemes, official data, and real-time updates, all through WhatsApp, and it speaks 22 Indian languages. The goal? Smarter decisions and stronger governance, right from the grassroots.
So, what exactly is PANCHAM?
It’s the government’s new way of closing the information gap at the panchayat level. The Ministry of Panchayati Raj put this together to help elected representatives and rural officials get what they need, fast. Technology is finally reaching India’s villages, and Pancham steps in to make finding government info and running daily panchayat work a whole lot easier.
Who really benefits here?
Over 30 lakh elected reps and panchayat staff across India—sarpanches, ward members, and all the people who usually have to hunt for accurate info about schemes and policies. For the first time, there’s a single digital tool made just for panchayats, linking them straight to government systems and people who actually make decisions.
Here’s how it works:
Panchayat reps just use WhatsApp. No fancy tech skills needed. As long as their mobile number is linked to the e-Gram Swaraj portal, they’re good. They scan a QR code to get started, and after that, Pancham feeds them updates, answers questions, and offers guidance on everything related to panchayat work and government schemes.
Languages supported by PANCHAM?
And it’s not just in Hindi or English—Pancham talks in 22 Indian languages. So whether someone’s from Tamil Nadu or Assam, they can understand and use the chatbot. That knocks down a big barrier for a lot of people.
Another big plus:
- PANCHAM is not a one-way street. Officials can send feedback, ask questions, and flag local problems directly to the ministry.
- These issues could be solved faster, and decisions could be made easily with better input from the ground up.
- With PANCHAM, the government can push out advisories, urgent messages, and real-time updates straight to panchayat reps.
