Dhamtari Becomes First District in Country to Collect Property Tax via SAMARTH Portal

The Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh was the first district in India to collect property tax through an online platform (the SAMARTH Panchayat portal), marking a major milestone in rural digital governance. Introduced in the Sankara gram panchayat, Nagri block, the program allows locals to remit property tax via a UPI payment gateway, making it easier to pay taxes and reducing administrative bureaucracy. It was first rolled out with a virtual presence of senior officials, and this is seen as a possible booster to transparency and the financial stability of gram panchayats and is an example that other jurisdictions can use to start using technology in collecting taxes.

Dhamtari Creates History with SAMARTH Property Tax

• Digital Governance Push: The project will be in line with the government's vision of Digital India and open local governments, where people can go cashless at the gram panchayat level.
• Pilot Launch: The system was initially launched in Sankara Gram Panchayat, Nagri block and citizens were able to pay property tax through an online payment system based on UPI.
• Citizen Convenience, another advantage is that citizens are now able to pay property tax at the convenience of their homes instead of needing to visit the panchayat offices, thus saving on time and not placing an excessive burden on the administrative system.
• Financial Empowerment: Digital tax collection enhances revenue collections and financial independence of gram panchayats, which makes it possible to plan the development works at the local level better.
• Transparency & Accountability: Online records will mean that the payments of taxes are monitored in real time, thus reducing leakages and enhancing the trust of the people in the local institutions.
• Administrative Support: The program was well received by senior officials as a model of national implementation in the rural parts of India.
• Scalability: The SAMARTH portal will be extended to all the gram panchayats of the district and then adopted in other districts and states.
• Relevance in Exam: This unfolding is relevant to Polity, Governance, Digital India, Panchayati Raj and Current Affairs parts.

Economics PYQs on Tax

Conclusion 

The Dhamtari district's becoming the first district in the country to pay property tax using the SAMARTH portal is a giant stride toward realising digital governance. The project leads to greater openness, increases the revenues of panchayats, and establishes a powerful example of cashless and technologically-oriented local governance throughout India.