Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai announced on 2 July 2026 that the state is operating Atal Digital Service Centres across its gram panchayats, with 6,000 village panchayats now offering digital certificates and other services from a single location. The Chief Minister also said cooperative societies are being expanded across the state to ensure timely supply of fertilisers, seeds, and agricultural inputs to farmers.

Context

In his post, CM Sai stated — 'प्रदेश की पंचायतों में हम अटल डिजिटल सेवा केन्द्र संचालित कर रहे हैं' ('We are operating Atal Digital Service Centres in the panchayats of the state') — and noted that citizens can now obtain income certificates, caste certificates, and residence certificates at a single point. The centres are named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, continuing a pattern of BJP-led state governments branding e-governance infrastructure after the late leader.

The announcement covers two distinct governance tracks: digital service delivery to rural citizens, and cooperative-led agricultural input supply. Both are being pursued simultaneously under the current state administration.

Policy Backdrop

The Atal Digital Service Centre initiative sits within the broader Digital India programme launched by the central government in 2015, which aimed to extend common service centres and e-governance infrastructure to every gram panchayat in the country. Chhattisgarh had earlier implemented Common Service Centre and e-Panchayat initiatives from around 2010 under the National e-Governance Plan.

The state's push to expand cooperative societies follows a pattern visible across BJP-governed states, where agricultural cooperatives are used to improve last-mile delivery of inputs and reduce farmers' dependence on private traders. The central government has also reinforced this approach through the Ministry of Cooperation, established in 2021.

Stakeholders and Impact

Chhattisgarh has a large rural and tribal population, making last-mile access to government services a persistent administrative challenge. The consolidation of multiple certificate services — income, caste, and residence — at a single panchayat-level centre reduces the need for citizens to travel to block or district headquarters, which can be significant in remote and forested areas of the state.

For the farming community, the expansion of cooperative societies is intended to address the recurring problem of delayed or inadequate supply of fertilisers and seeds during critical agricultural seasons. Timely access to inputs directly affects sowing decisions and eventual crop yields, making cooperative reach a practical concern for rural livelihoods.

What's Next

The state government's stated goal appears to be saturation coverage — extending Atal Digital Service Centres to all gram panchayats beyond the current 6,000. Budget allocations for further cooperative expansion and any targets for new cooperative society registrations will be indicators of how far the programme scales in the coming months. Progress on both fronts is likely to feature in the state's governance reporting ahead of the next assembly session.