New Delhi, Delhi, 9th of July, 2026 : The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), has been announced as the Global winner of the prestigious World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Prizes 2026 under Action Line C6 – Enabling Environment for its flagship project “Samriddh Gram: Integrated Phygital Service Delivery Model Enabled by BharatNet.” The initiative is in line with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of delivering integrated digital services to remote and rural areas of India. The award was presented during the WSIS Forum 2026 held in Geneva, recognising India’s innovative approach towards leveraging digital public infrastructure and telecom connectivity for inclusive rural development.
Instituted under the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) process led by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the WSIS Prizes are among the world’s most prestigious recognitions for projects harnessing Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to advance sustainable development. The WSIS Forum brings together governments, United Nations agencies, industry, academia, civil society and international organisations to promote people-centric, inclusive and development-oriented digital transformation.
Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, while sharing the achievement on his X account, described the recognition as “another feather in the cap for Bharat on the global stage.” He said the honour reflects global recognition of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of an inclusive Digital India, where the benefits of technology reach every citizen, including those in the remotest villages. Highlighting the transformative impact of the initiative, the Union Minister emphasized that, powered by BharatNet, Samriddh Gram converts connectivity into opportunity by delivering healthcare, education, digital banking and livelihood services through village-level Samriddhi Kendras. He further said the achievement reaffirms India’s global leadership in Digital Public Infrastructure and demonstrates that solutions developed for India’s unique needs can serve as scalable models for the world. Congratulating all stakeholders associated with the initiative, he described the recognition as a proud milestone in India’s digital transformation journey.
Samriddh Gram is an integrated rural digital transformation initiative of the Department of Telecommunications built on the BharatNet backbone. At the heart of the initiative are Samriddhi Kendras, established as one-stop village-level hubs delivering integrated phygital services by combining reliable telecom connectivity, digital platforms and assisted physical service delivery.
The Samriddh Gram initiative brings together a comprehensive range of citizen-centric services under one roof, spanning healthcare, education, agriculture, financial inclusion, skilling, e-Governance, and e-commerce. The Samriddh Gram Centre provides tele-consultation, diagnostic services through Health ATMs, and medicines through PM Jan Aushadhi Kendras; smart classrooms and AR/VR-based skill development; IoT-based soil testing, drone-enabled fertilizer and pesticide spraying, and mobile app-based smart irrigation solutions; CSC/e-Governance and Banking Correspondent services; e-commerce support for local products; FTTH and PM-WANI connectivity; CCTV-based village surveillance; and community-level digital facilitation, ensuring seamless access to essential services and promoting inclusive, technology-enabled rural development.
The project demonstrates how BharatNet and last-mile telecom infrastructure can transform beyond connectivity into measurable socio-economic outcomes for rural citizens through an integrated service delivery model supported by local facilitation and community participation.
The recognition underscores India’s success in creating an enabling environment for digital inclusion by combining robust telecom infrastructure with citizen-centric service delivery. It also highlights the transformative potential of BharatNet, one of the world’s largest rural broadband initiatives, which has made more than 2.17 lakh Gram Panchayats service-ready and online, enabling digital access and opportunities across rural India.
Samriddh Gram was selected as the Global Winner following a rigorous multi-stage evaluation process comprising project submission, international screening, global online voting, selection among the top five Champion Projects in its category, and final adjudication by the WSIS Expert Committee. During the global online voting phase, more than 2.2 million votes were cast worldwide across all nominated projects.
Among the eighteen award categories under the WSIS Prizes 2026, only two projects from India were selected as Champion Projects. Samriddh Gram subsequently emerged as the Global Winner in Action Line C6 – Enabling Environment, reflecting international recognition of India’s scalable and citizen-centric approach to rural digital transformation.
The project contributes to multiple Sustainable Development Goals by promoting access to healthcare, quality education, financial inclusion, livelihoods, innovation, reduced inequalities and digital empowerment. It also supports the objectives of the WSIS Action Line C6 by fostering an enabling policy and implementation environment for inclusive digital development.
The global recognition of Samriddh Gram reinforces India’s leadership in leveraging digital public infrastructure and telecommunications to bridge the digital divide and deliver meaningful socio-economic transformation in rural areas. It further showcases the country’s commitment to building an inclusive, resilient and digitally empowered society through innovative, scalable and community-centric models of service delivery.
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