GIS to Drive Smarter Rural Development in Haryana: HIRD Director Dr Chauhan
₹4,700 crore earmarked for rural development over five years; focus on better planning, transparency and monitoring
Girish Saini
Sep 21, 2026 09:45
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Nilokheri, September 21, 2026: Dr Virender Singh Chauhan, Director of Haryana Institute of Rural Development (HIRD) said modern technology can transform rural development by making planning, implementation and monitoring more efficient and transparent.
He was speaking at the inaugural session of a two-day training programme on the “Role of Geographic Information System (GIS) in Rural Development and VB-G RAM G” at HIRD.
Dr Chauhan said nearly ₹4,700 crore would be spent in Haryana under the scheme over the next five years, offering a major opportunity to strengthen rural infrastructure. He urged officials to ensure effective utilisation of funds and plan projects according to local needs.
He said the list of permissible works under the scheme had been expanded from 318 to 375, with 57 new works added in June. Officials, he added, must understand the provisions and prioritise eligible and essential works.
Highlighting the role of GIS, Dr Chauhan said it could enable systematic mapping of development projects, data analysis, monitoring of works and identification of priorities.
Programme coordinator Kamaldeep Sangwan said participants were being trained in GIS-based mapping, data analysis and practical aspects of monitoring development works. Sushil Mehta, Sandeep Kumar, Gurbinder Singh and other officials, employees and trainees attended the programme.
