e-SWATHU 2.0 Receives SKOCH Silver Award for Digital Transformation in Rural Governance

The e-SWATHU 2.0 project of the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department (RDPR), Government of Karnataka, has been honoured with the prestigious SKOCH Silver Award in the Rural Development category, recognising its contribution to digital transformation and improved delivery of rural property-related services. The award was received on 26 September 2026 on behalf of the entire e-SWATHU project team by Shri K. Vishwanath, State Informatics Officer, NIC, Dr. Girish Dilip Badole, IAS, Director (e-Governance) , RDPR and Shri A Suresh Babu, HOD, Scientist-F, representing the collective efforts of the e-SWATHU team.

e-SWATHU, introduced by the Government of Karnataka as a digital platform for rural property and Khatha management, has played an important role in bringing greater transparency,efficiency and standardisation to property-related services in Gram Panchayats . Over the years, the application has evolved continuously in response to changing administrative requirements, changing policies citizen expectations and the growing scale of digital governance in the State.

e-SWATHU 2.0 represents the next phase of this journey.The initiative focuses on modernising and strengthening the existing platform while retaining the rich business knowledge and field level experience accumulated over more than a decade of implementation. The objective is not merely to upgrade the technology, but to create a more robust,scalable, maintainable and citizen-centric platform for the future.

The project brings together improvements across application architecture, workflow management, data management, reporting, monitoring and service delivery. It aims to provide government functionaries with better visibility of applications and transactions while enabling more effective monitoring of processes at different administrative levels .The initiative also places emphasis on analytics and Management Information Systems (MIS), enabling decision-makers to access meaningful information for monitoring performance, identifying bottlenecks and improving service delivery.

One of the key strengths of e-SWATHU 2.0 is the integration of technology, process reengineering and institutional experience. The project has involved close coordination between NIC, RDPR officials and field-level stakeholders to understand existing processes, identify operational challenges and progressively improve the system. Such collaboration has been instrumental in transforming the platform from a transactional application into a broader digital governance ecosystem supporting rural property administration.

The recognition by SKOCH is particularly significant as it acknowledges the collective contribution of the teams involved in conceptualisation, development, implementation, maintenance, field support and continuous improvement of e-SWATHU. The award is therefore not only a recognition of a technology platform, but also of the sustained efforts of officers, NIC technical teams, RDPR officials, field functionaries and other stakeholders who have contributed to the project’s evolution.

The SKOCH Silver Award received on 26 September 2026 serves as an important milestone in the e-SWATHU journey. It provides encouragement to the project team to continue strengthening the platform and to explore newer technologies and data-driven approaches for improving rural governance.

The success of e-SWATHU 2.0 demonstrates how long-term collaboration between government departments and technology teams can transform a large-scale public service platform. As Karnataka continues to expand its digital governance initiatives, e-SWATHU 2.0 stands as an example of how technology, institutional knowledge and continuous innovation can come together to create sustainable solutions for citizens and government administration.

The award belongs to the entire e-SWATHU family whose collective efforts over the years have contributed to this achievement. NIC eSWATHU Team, Ms Tarini, Shri A Suresh Babu, Shri K Vishwanath, DDG & SIO, Shri M Ravi Shankar, Shri Hanumantha Raju