Abstract The "Digital Entrepreneur Scheme" announced by the Government of Uttar Pradesh in the Budget 2026-27 is a significant initiative to institutionalize the rural digital economy. The announcement by the Chief Minister during the Budget 2026-27 discussion in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on February 20, 2026, marks an important moment in the history of rural digital economy. Under this scheme, nearly eight thousand Nyaya Panchayats across the state will select digital entrepreneurs, with 50% women, who will be provided interest-free loans up to ₹10 lakh. Additionally, provisions like optical fiber-based digital infrastructure, establishment of a “Women Entrepreneur Product Marketing Center” for marketing products linked to women’s self-help groups, and coordination with the Agricultural Export Promotion Mission give this scheme the form of an integrated rural development model. The present study is a conceptual and policy analysis examining the scheme's structure and potential impacts through the theoretical frameworks of digital entrepreneurship, innovation theory, decentralized governance, and women empowerment. The study reveals that this scheme is not merely an employment generation program but a long-term effort to build a digital ecosystem at the Nyaya Panchayat level, which can give new direction to rural economy, gender equality, and digital inclusion. If effective training, monitoring, and transparent implementation are ensured, this model can become an example of decentralized digital entrepreneurship governance in India.
VISHWAKARMA et al. (Sun,) studied this question.