Maharashtra Embarks On Journey Towards Smart And Intelligent Villages

CM Devendra Fadnavis Launches India’s First Smart Village At Satanwari, Plans 3,500 More

Nagpur, Sept 1 – Taking a decisive step towards modernising rural India with cutting-edge technology, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the country’s first Smart and Intelligent Village at Satanwari in Nagpur district.

The village is equipped with 18 technology-driven services including smart irrigation, drone-based pesticide and fertilizer spraying, fishery management, health and education support, mobile banking, and intelligent surveillance systems. What makes this initiative unique is its emphasis on indigenous technology and Indian companies, in line with the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Fadnavis declared that this is not an isolated experiment but a statewide mission. In the first phase, 10 villages in every taluka – around 3,500 in total – will be transformed into smart and intelligent villages. The Chief Minister stressed that this initiative will change the face of rural Maharashtra and mark a significant milestone in India’s march towards the centenary of independence.

The initiative builds upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BharatNet project, which seeks to connect villages across India with broadband internet. Maharashtra successfully implemented the first phase of BharatNet in 2019 and has launched its own MahaNet programme to expand digital connectivity.

Highlighting Maharashtra’s history of pioneering reforms such as employment guarantee schemes, women’s reservation, and the Right to Information, Fadnavis noted that the state is once again setting a national precedent with this village transformation drive.

The project has been developed with support from the Voice of Indian Communication Technology Enterprises (VoICE), an association of domestic technology companies working with the Union Ministry of Telecommunications. Together, they aim to demonstrate how technology can bring prosperity, efficiency, and empowerment to India’s villages.

This ambitious effort reflects Maharashtra’s commitment to combining artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, and rural empowerment to ensure that the state’s villages are not just surviving but thriving in the 21st century.