Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has congratulated the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for its flagship Samriddh Gram project winning the Global WSIS Prize 2026 under Action Line C6 – Enabling Environment. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) announced the project, officially named Samriddh Gram: Integrated Phygital Service Delivery Model Enabled by BharatNet, as the global winner after a rigorous multi-stage evaluation process that included global online voting and final expert adjudication.
Global Recognition for Rural Digital Transformation
According to the Ministry of Communications, more than 2.2 million votes were cast globally across all nominated categories during the voting phase. The Samriddh Gram project first secured a place among the top five Champion Projects in its category before winning the final adjudication. This achievement underscores India's leadership in leveraging digital infrastructure for rural development.
The initiative establishes village-level Samriddhi Kendras as one-stop hubs that utilize the BharatNet fibre backbone to deliver integrated services covering healthcare, education, agriculture, financial inclusion, skilling, and e-governance directly to rural communities. The model combines digital platforms with physical service delivery to ensure local accessibility and impact.
Minister's Remarks on the Achievement
Union Minister Scindia shared the achievement on his X account, describing the international honour as "another feather in the cap for Bharat on the global stage." He congratulated the Department of Telecommunications, field teams, and local communities for their collective efforts in securing this milestone. "Samriddh Gram is not merely about providing internet connectivity. It is about converting digital connectivity into meaningful services and real opportunities for rural communities," Scindia said.
He emphasized that the honour reflects global recognition of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of an inclusive Digital India, where the benefits of technology reach every citizen, including those in the remotest villages. "By leveraging BharatNet fibre connectivity, the project brings together healthcare, education, agriculture, digital banking, e-Governance, skilling and livelihood services through village-level Samriddhi Kendras," the Minister added.
Impact and Future Commitment
The Ministry stated that the project demonstrates how telecom infrastructure evolves beyond basic connectivity into measurable socio-economic transformation. The multi-stage selection process involved international screening, where Samriddh Gram first secured a place among the top five Champion Projects in its category before final adjudication. "Solutions developed in India, for India's diverse and complex realities, can serve as scalable models for the world," the Union Minister said.
"This recognition reinforces our commitment to leveraging telecommunications and Digital Public Infrastructure to bridge the digital divide and deliver meaningful socio-economic transformation across rural India," Scindia said. The Ministry of Communications reaffirmed its commitment to expanding these citizen-centric digital initiatives to support the empowerment of rural villages.
