Recently, the Telecom Centres of Excellence (TCoE) has signed agreements with leading implementation partners to roll out the Samriddh Gram Phygital Services Pilot  project.

About Samriddh Gram Phygital Services Pilot Project
The Samriddh Gram Phygital Services Pilot Project is a major initiative by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Government of India, aimed at bridging the rural digital divide and transforming villages through the seamless integration of physical and digital services.
The term "Phygital" is a portmanteau of Physical + Digital, highlighting the project's core strategy of combining on-ground human presence with robust digital infrastructure.
1. Key Objectives and Implementing Body

• Primary Objective: To demonstrate a scalable, sustainable, and replicable model for delivering citizen-centric services in rural areas, thereby increasing the utilization of the BharatNet broadband infrastructure.
• Vision: To empower rural citizens with access to essential services and opportunities, making the "Digital India" vision a reality at the grassroots level.
• Nodal Agency: The project is executed by the Telecom Centres of Excellence (TCoE), India, under the guidance of the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Ministry of Communications.
• Funding: The initiative is supported by the Telecom Technology Development Fund (TTDF).

2. Implementation Strategy
The pilot project is designed to run for a duration of two years in selected villages across India:

• Pilot Locations: The project is being implemented in three villages:
  • Ari & Umri in Madhya Pradesh
  • Narakoduru in Andhra Pradesh
  • Chaurawala in Uttar Pradesh
• The Hub: Samriddhi Kendra: Each pilot village will host a Samriddhi Kendra, which serves as an integrated, centralized "phygital" service hub. These centers are the physical touchpoints where trained personnel assist citizens in accessing digital services.
• Connectivity Backbone: The project leverages and strengthens the existing BharatNet Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) connectivity by deploying a Village Area Network and public Wi-Fi hotspots (PM-WANI) to ensure last-mile access.

3. Comprehensive Suite of Services
The Samriddhi Kendras are tasked with delivering an integrated suite of services across crucial sectors of rural life:

Sector	Services Offered (Phygital Model)
Education & Skilling	Smart Classrooms (equipped with AR/VR for immersive learning), digital skilling programs, and vocational courses aligned with government platforms (like Diksha, Swayam).
Agriculture	Smart Agriculture Solutions (e.g., IoT-based soil testing, smart pump controls), drone support for crop monitoring, and access to agri-services apps (like e-NAM).
Healthcare	Teleconsultations (connecting citizens with doctors/specialists), Health ATMs/Kiosks for basic diagnostics, and emergency care.
e-Governance	Assisted Access to citizen services, online applications for government schemes, documentation support, and grievance redressal.
E-Commerce & Finance	Financial Inclusion (digital banking, payments), and E-Commerce integration by onboarding local entrepreneurs onto digital marketplaces like the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC).

The ultimate goal of the pilot is to refine the operational model and ensure its financial and operational sustainability so it can be replicated and scaled nationwide after the initial two-year support period.

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