Bhavnagar: Ghangli village of Shihore taluka here has a population of only four thousand residents. However, Mr. Jayeshbhai Parghi, a Village Commuter Entrepreneur (VCE) working at the village panchayat office, has facilitated business transactions worth Rs. 13 Crores last year and over Rs. 2.5 Crores this year through the E-Gram platform.

Due to the absence of a bank in Ghangli village, residents visit the e-gram center daily to conduct their banking transactions. Mr Jayeshbhai has been serving as a VCE for years, earning recognition for his outstanding performance by being awarded the ‘Best V.C.E’ title from the State Government last year. He was honoured with an award and received an e-bike as a prize.

Mr Jayeshbhai Parghi explains that the Gram Panchayat office provides various Business to Citizen (B2C) services, including mobile recharge, bill payments, insurance, money transfers, Aadhaar services, and more. Additionally, they offer services like Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AEPS) for workers in the nearby GIDC area who need to withdraw their salaries or send money to their relatives.

Under Government to Citizen (G2C) services, Ghangli Gram Panchayat’s e-gram center provides 7/12 or 8A land records, birth and death records, RTO forms, online recruitment forms, PAN cards, Ayushman cards, Aadhaar cards, election cards, and applications related to senior citizen benefits, widow certificates, income certificates, and ration cards. These services are accessible through the digital service setu, saving applicants the time and expense of travelling to the Taluka headquarters.

The implementation of the E-Gram Vishwagram scheme has played a crucial role in promoting financial inclusion and bringing online government services to rural areas. It has facilitated the availability of taluka-level services at the village level, benefitting the local community. DeshGujarat