Pancha Tantra Online System is an innovative ICT based intervention aimed at improving the functioning of gram panchayats in the state of Karnataka through an automated process of accounting and budgeting of rural expenditures.

The effective delivery of services of most gram panchayats was previously greatly affected by poor accounting and maintenance of rural expenditures. Under the 2007 amendments to the Panchayat Raj Act 1993, the state government enforced the new Karnataka Panchayat Raj Rules. The amendment made it mandatory for all gram panchayats to follow a Double Entry Accounting System which most gram panchayats were ill equipped to understand and implement effectively.

In response to these challenges, the state government introduced the Pancha Tantra web based application to assist the gram panchayats. It has enabled all gram panchayats in Karnataka to enter and monitor all activities at the village level in a more efficient, accountable and transparent way.

The Pancha Tantra system has several unique built in features that make the application user friendly and citizen centric. Moreover, it ensures effective monitoring of gram panchayats through a workflow system that ensures all the procedures and processes prescribed by the system are fulfilled in a timely and transparent manner. The information generated by the system can be accessed by the public and the government in real time.

In all, the Pancha Tantra Online System has been designed to facilitate greater accountability and transparency in local governance. In view of its contributions in the field of governance through ICT-based solutions, it has been awarded the National e-Governance Gold Award 2010.

This case study was published in April 2012.

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