The Ministry of Panchayati Raj has prepared a proposal titled the Intra-Village Road Coding and Grading System, aimed at giving every road within villages a standardized identity. Under the proposed system, village roads will be classified into three categories: Main Road, Cross Road, and Other Road. Every street will receive an official name and a permanent identification code, replacing informal descriptions based on nearby landmarks.
As part of the initiative, signboards carrying the official road name and a Quick Response Code will be installed along village roads. Scanning the code with a mobile phone will allow users to access complete information about the road through the Gram Manchitra application, including its official name, maintenance history, and route details.
The government believes the reform is necessary because the absence of standardized road names creates major difficulties during emergencies such as medical crises and fire incidents. According to Panchayati Raj Secretary Vivek Bharadwaj, villages also require a proper identification system in the era of smartphones so that emergency services, postal staff, government officials, and delivery personnel can reach the correct locations without confusion.
The proposal is also intended to strengthen transparency in the use of public funds. Officials have noted that the same village road has often appeared under different names in government records, creating opportunities for manipulation. In some cases, funds were allegedly approved multiple times for the same road because of inconsistent documentation. The introduction of unique road codes is expected to establish a clear record of funding allocated for each road and the development work carried out, reducing the scope for irregularities.
During the initial phase, the scheme will be implemented in villages covered under the SVAMITVA Scheme. Drone surveys have already been completed in approximately 330,000 villages across the country under the programme, providing the foundation for the proposed digital mapping system.
India has nearly 600,000 inhabited villages, and the government plans to gradually expand the initiative until every village is integrated into the new road coding and digital identification system. Once fully implemented, the project is expected to improve navigation, strengthen emergency response, enhance governance, and bring greater accountability to rural infrastructure management through a standardized digital mapping framework.
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