Smart cities may be Prime Minister Narendra Modi's latest mantra but a remote non-decrepit, insurgency-ravaged village in Assam along Indo- Bhutan border has earned the distinction of being northeast's first smart village. Barsimaluguri, about 11 km from the Indo-Bhutan border, in Baksa district has been turned into a model smart village with hundred per cent toilets, solar power and pure drinking water, following an initiative taken by a few individuals under the aegis of Nanda Talukdar Foundation (NTF). There are more than 20,000 villages in Assam with numerous government schemes being implemented but none has been transformed into a smart village.

"Earlier, we were spending more than Rs 300 on medicines due to illness caused by water-borne diseases and so making a payment of only Rs 120 to lead a disease-free life was more than welcome," says Choudhury.

Following the establishment of the water treatment plant, the next step was to set up toilets as most households practised open defecation. "The target was to set up hundred toilets within a year and the task was not easy, particularly during the monsoon but we did manage to complete it at a cost of Rs 16,000 each," Project Coordinator Surajit Dutta says.

The highlight of the project was, however, providing solar power to homes as well as for street lightning, literally bringing a ray of light for the villagers, he says. Solar Home kits were provided to hundred households and the Rajasthan Electronics and Instruments Limited helped with technical assistance is setting up these panels.

The Solar Home kits consist of a battery, solar panel, transformer, three LED lights and one fan. Another key area which the project has emphasised on is skill development with several training programmes conducted for weaving, cutting and tailoring along with basic computer courses where ideas were discussed with trainees to maximise their skills and turn it into revenue streams, Dutta says.