The rural development ministry on Tuesday joined hands with IIT-Delhi for leveraging the use of geospatial technology and artificial intelligence to monitor assets under the MGNREGA.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Amit Kataria, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) and Manabendra Saharia of IIT Delhi, the ministry said in a statement.

This MoU centres around the project ‘BhuPRAHARI’, an initiative aimed at leveraging ground and space-based geospatial technologies along with artificial intelligence to monitor and manage assets under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), the ministry said.

Betterment of rural development processes

This collaboration is a commitment to harnessing the power of technology for the betterment of rural development processes, it said.

The project will be executed by the HydroSense lab led by Saharia, according to the statement.

The MoU was signed in the presence of IIT-Delhi Director Rangan Banerjee and MoRD Secretary Shailesh Kumar Singh, it said.

During the signing ceremony, officials from MoRD and IIT-Delhi underscored the importance of this partnership in enhancing the operational efficiency and transparency of MGNREGA projects.

“The integration of cutting-edge technologies is expected to modernise the way rural development projects are planned, monitored, and executed, ensuring accountability, and optimizing resource allocation,” the MoRD said in the statement.

MGNREGA projects

“The MoU marks the beginning of a collaborative effort to explore and apply technological solutions to the challenges faced by rural communities. Through this partnership, IIT-Delhi and MoRD are setting a precedent for how academic institutions and government bodies can work together to foster innovation and drive socio-economic progress,” it added.

The ‘BhuPRAHARI’ project is set to commence with immediate effect, with both parties eager to translate this vision into reality, the statement added.