metro india news  I amaravati

In a significant step towards financial transparency and accountability in local governance, the Andhra Pradesh government rolls out the Swarna Panchayat app, a digital platform designed to streamline tax payments and track every rupee that flows into and out of the state’s gram panchayats.

With over 13,344 gram panchayats spread across Andhra Pradesh, the government believes the app will plug long-standing gaps in revenue collection, prevent leakages, and ensure that funds are spent exclusively on village development.

For decades, rural taxes such as house tax, property-related levies, and drinking water cess were often collected irregularly, with little accountability. In some cases, funds either went unrecorded or were misappropriated. The new coalition government has sought to curb such practices by mandating digital transactions through the app.

“Every single rupee, whether collected as tax from households or allocated by the state and central governments, will now be digitally recorded. This eliminates the scope for diversion or manipulation of panchayat funds,” said Panchayati Raj Commissioner V.R. Krishna Teja.

The Swarna Panchayat app allows villagers to pay their taxes directly from their homes through digital transactions, removing the need for cash payments. The funds are instantly credited to the panchayat’s official account. Residents can log in to the app to check their pending dues and history of payments, or verify whether their contributions have been credited to government accounts, and can also access detailed records of how the collected funds are being spent.

Government officials believe that making financial records accessible to citizens will not only increase confidence in local governance but also boost tax compliance. “Earlier, villagers were hesitant to pay taxes because they never knew where the money went. Now, with the app, they can see how their contributions are directly used for road repairs, water supply, or other developmental activities. This system ensures that both taxpayers and authorities can monitor inflows and expenditures with complete transparency.

From now on, no development work in villages can be funded without leaving a digital footprint,” noted Commissioner Krishna Teja. The state government has announced that from this month, all financial operations of panchayats will mandatorily be routed through the Swarna Panchayat software. Cash collections will be phased out completely. Speaking to Metro India, Revenue Minister, Anagani Satya Prasad said, “Digital governance in rural administration is no longer a distant dream.

Andhra Pradesh is setting a benchmark by ensuring that village-level funds are handled with the same accountability as state finances.” The government expects the initiative to curb corruption, improve fund utilization, and empower villagers with greater oversight. By making both revenue and expenditure transparent, the Swarna Panchayat app could become a model for other states seeking to strengthen rural governance through technology.