In a way, Mahatma Gandhi conceptualized smart villages. A champion of participatory democracy and grassroots development, he believed that making villages self-contained and sustainable was the first step towards empowering India.
Seven decades after independence, India is nowhere close to realizing Gandhi’s vision of empowered villages. However, an example of Harisal, a small village in India that has been turned into a smart village, is glaring.
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