Maharashtra to Develop 3,500 Smart & Intelligent Villages in First Phase

In a major step towards its Viksit Maharashtra 2047 vision and trillion-dollar economy target by 2030, the Maharashtra government has announced plans to develop at least ten Smart and Intelligent Villages in every taluka.

Nearly 3,500 villages will be transformed in the first phase, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced. The initiative is being implemented by the Government of Maharashtra and Nagpur District Administration in collaboration with the Voice of Indian Communication Technology Enterprises (VOICE) and 24 Indian companies.

As part of the programme, Satanwari has become India’s first Smart and Intelligent Village, equipped with modern technology-based services, the government said in a release.

Calling it a revolutionary step to deliver all essential facilities through technology, the CM highlighted that after the successful implementation of the BharatNet project nationwide, Maharashtra advanced further with its MahaNet project. Now, with the support of Indian tech firms, villagers will gain access to 18 modern services, including telemedicine-based healthcare, AI-enabled smart education, smart irrigation, drone-based pesticide and fertiliser spraying, banking services on wheels, and digital surveillance.