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Drishti Online Platform: The Madhya Pradesh government has taken a significant step towards making the financial systems of Panchayats more transparent and accountable. Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav has launched the ‘Drishti Online Platform,’ which will enable the financial auditing of Panchayats to be conducted entirely digitally. This system will make information regarding the income and expenditure of the state's 23,011 Gram Panchayats available online, thereby making the audit process faster and easier. Additionally, a payment gateway facility has been introduced on the ‘Panchayat Darpan’ portal. This will allow citizens to pay Panchayat-related bills from the comfort of their homes and receive online receipts.

What is the ‘Drishti Online Platform’?
‘Drishti’ is a digital audit platform developed by the Directorate of Panchayati Raj with technical support from the National Informatics Centre (NIC). The platform aims to make Panchayat financial records available online to bring transparency and speed to the audit process. Auditors will no longer need to visit a Panchayat physically to inspect records; instead, they will be able to examine the income, expenditure, payments, and financial documents of the respective Panchayat from their offices or homes.

How will it work?
Financial data of the Panchayats will be available in digital format on the Drishti platform. By logging in, auditors will be able to online-examine records of income and expenditure, payment-related documents, financial transactions, grant utilization, and expenses incurred under various schemes. This will make the audit process significantly faster and more organized compared to the past.

What are the benefits for Panchayats?
The biggest advantage of this platform is that audit reports can be prepared on time. Currently, audits often remain pending due to staff shortages or delays in gathering documents. The new system will facilitate the following:

Time savings; secure records; faster audit pace; easier monitoring of financial irregularities; and increased accountability.
Why is this system important for 23,000 Panchayats?
There are 23,011 Gram Panchayats in Madhya Pradesh. Timely auditing of Panchayats is mandatory to receive grants from the Central Finance Commission. Monitoring such a vast network presents a significant challenge. The Drishti platform will address this challenge and enable large-scale auditing even with limited resources.

What changes will the payment gateway on Panchayat Darpan bring?
Along with the Drishti platform, a payment gateway facility has also been introduced on the Panchayat Darpan portal. Under this system:

Panchayats will be able to generate bills online; citizens can make payments from the comfort of their homes; online receipts will be issued instantly; records will be automatically logged in the system; and the need for repeated visits to offices will be reduced.
Rural citizens will directly benefit from this.

Emphasis on transparency and good governance
The objective of the new system is not merely to provide digital facilities but also to make the financial management of Panchayats more transparent. The Panchayat Minister states that if records for all Panchayats are available online and in real-time, the likelihood of irregularities will decrease, and the utilization of government funds can be monitored more effectively.

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