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WSIS Prize 2026 

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WSIS Prize 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  (category 6) for its  flagship project "Samriddh Gram: Integrated Phygital Service Delivery Model Enabled by BharatNet."  

  • The award was presented during the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2026 held in Geneva 
  • Among the eighteen award categories under the WSIS Prizes 2026, only two projects from India were selected as Champion Projects(out of total 90 champion projects ) namely Samriddh Gram(category 6) and School of Hope and Empowerment (S.H.E.) - TATA Commmunications (category 15 Cultural diversity and identity, linguistic diversity and local content).
  • Out of two, Samriddh Gram emerged as a Global Winner in Action Line C6 (enabling environment) category
  • Other project which was in champion category  is School of hope and empowerment(S.H.E.) which was launched in 2020 which employ a multistakeholder inclusive approach and utilises tools such as social media targeting and online plateform to transcend the boundries of geography and identify , inspire and educate underserved women in remote areas.  

 

What is Samriddh Gram?

Built on the BharatNet broadband backbone, Samriddh Gram is an initiative designed to turn digital connectivity into tangible opportunities for rural citizens. It operates through village-level hubs called Samriddhi Kendras, which offer a "phygital" (physical + digital) mix of essential services under one roof:

  • Healthcare: Tele-consultation, digital diagnostics via Health ATMs, and affordable medicines through PM Jan Aushadhi Kendras.

  • Education & Skilling: Smart classrooms and AR/VR-based skill development.

  • Agriculture: IoT-based soil testing, drone-enabled spraying, and smart irrigation apps.

  • Digital Connectivity & Safety: Fiber to the Home (FTTH) and PM-WANI public Wi-Fi, along with CCTV village surveillance.

  • Governance & Commerce: Banking Correspondent services, e-Governance access, and e-commerce platforms to market local products.