The Mizoram government and State Bank of India (SBI) on Tuesday signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enable Village Councils to collect Own Source Revenue (OSR) through digital payments using the SAMARTH portal and payment gateway.

 

The agreement was signed in the presence of Rural Development and Administration Minister Prof Lalnilawma at the Minister’s Office Chamber here. RD&AD Director Lalngura Tlau signed on behalf of the state government, while SBI Deputy General Manager Manish Uppal signed for the bank.

 

Speaking on the occasion, Lalnilawma said Mizoram is the first state in the Northeast and the third in the country to sign such an agreement with SBI on SAMARTH.

 

He said the initiative would strengthen grassroots governance by enabling Village Councils to collect taxes and other revenues digitally, while ensuring greater transparency and ease of payment.

 

The minister said that strengthening OSR was crucial to making Village Councils financially self-reliant and promoting rural development.

 

Village Councils with better OSR performance would also be eligible for performance grants under the 16th Finance Commission, he said.

 

Under the Mizoram Village Council Act, 2025, Village Councils can collect various taxes and other revenues from residents.

 

The new payment gateway will allow residents to make such payments online, with transactions recorded and available for monitoring through the SAMARTH portal, officials said. 

 

Lalnilawma said that the initiative would encourage healthy competition among Village Councils to improve revenue generation and contribute to the objectives of Viksit Bharat 2047.