India's Samriddh Gram Project Wins WSIS Prize 2026 for Rural Digital Transformation

11 July 2026National

The Department of Telecommunications' (DoT) flagship 'Samriddh Gram' initiative was declared the global winner of the WSIS Prizes 2026 under Action Line C6 - Enabling Environment, at the WSIS Forum 2026 in Geneva. The WSIS (World Summit on the Information Society) Prizes are instituted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) to honour ICT projects advancing sustainable development. Built on the BharatNet network, Samriddh Gram delivers integrated 'phygital' services (healthcare, education, agriculture, finance, e-governance, e-commerce) through village-level Samriddhi Kendras. Union Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia hailed the recognition. Over 2.2 million global votes were cast across nominated WSIS projects.

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WSIS = World Summit on the Information Society; Prizes led by ITU | ITU HQ: Geneva | Samriddh Gram built on BharatNet via Samriddhi Kendras | Communications Minister: Jyotiraditya Scindia

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DoT's Samriddh Gram (BharatNet-based) won the WSIS Prize 2026 (Action Line C6 - Enabling Environment) at the WSIS Forum, Geneva.

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