This article is based on the Editorial "Enhancing Governance the Digital Way" that appeared in The Hindu on January 07, 2025.
READ THIS ARTICLE ON e-GOVERNANCE FOR BACKGROUND AND BROADER CONTEXT: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/e-governance
India’s journey towards digital governance has transformed citizen services while enhancing government employees' capabilities. The efficiency of public service delivery is directly related to the skills and competencies of the workforce and despite significant progress, there is still a need for further improvements. Capacity building in digital governance refers to equipping government employees and service providers with skills to engage effectively in a digital environment.
Digital governance refers to carrying out governance process in a digital way to deliver digital services. Digital governance is also known as electronic governance, internet governance, online governance, transformational governance, and connected governance.
Pillars of E-Governance |
Key Considerations |
|
Process |
Simplicity, Efficiency, Citizen-Centricity, Sustainability, Cost-Effectiveness |
|
People |
Vision, Leadership, Commitment, Competency, Change |
|
Technology |
Architecture, Open Standards, Reliability, Scalability, Security |
|
Resources |
Holistic, Efficient, Service-Oriented, Sustained, Adequate |
Source: Second Administrative Reforms Commission, Eleventh Report: Promoting e-Governance, the SMART Way Forward, December 2008.
Chanakya's governance principles have had a profound influence on South Asia's governance systems. His Arthashastra, with insights into statecraft, economic policy and leadership, continues to shape public administration and governance ethics today.
Key initiatives include iGOT Karmayogi, a platform for continuous training in digital technologies and data analytics and the e-Office initiative, which digitizes workflows and enhances efficiency. Additionally, the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) is streamlining procurement processes, making them more transparent and accessible.
Digital Governance in India: Key InitiativesCommon Services Centres (CSCs): Common Services Centres operate in rural areas through Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs) and offer more than 400 digital services. Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance (UMANG): The UMANG application allows citizens to access over 1,570 government services and approximately 22,000 payment services for bills through a mobile platform. e-District Mission Mode Project (MMP): The e-District Mission Mode Project provides e-services, including certificates, pensions, electoral services and services from various departments like Commercial Tax, Agriculture and Labor. DigiLocker: DigiLocker facilitates the paperless availability of public documents and is currently used by over 11.7 crore people. More than 532 crore certificates are stored in this digital document vault, with records provided by 2,167 issuer organizations. Unified Payment Interface (UPI): UPI, integrated with 330 banks, processes over 586 crore monthly transactions. MyGov: MyGov is a citizen engagement platform with more than 2.48 crore active users, fostering participatory governance. MeriPehchaan: Introduced in 2022, MeriPehchaan is a National Single Sign-on platform, offering citizens convenient access to government portals. Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT): Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) covers 315 schemes across 53 ministries, offering Aadhaar-enabled direct benefit transfer. Over Rs. 24.3 lakh crore has been disbursed through the DBT platform. Diksha: Diksha is a nationwide educational platform that supports students and teachers in achieving learning goals. It offers 7,633 courses and has recorded over 15 crore enrolments. Digital Initiatives for the Welfare of FarmersNational Agriculture Market (e-NAM): The Government of India launched the e-NAM Scheme to create an online transparent competitive bidding system aimed at providing remunerative prices for farmers' produce. Over 1.73 crore farmers and 2.26 lakh traders have registered on the e-NAM platform. Additionally, 1000 mandis from 18 States and 3 UTs have been integrated into the platform. M-KISAN – mKisan Portal: The mKisan Portal facilitates the delivery of crop-related advisories to farmers via SMS. More than 5.13 crore farmers are registered, and over 2,462 crore mobile-based advisories have been sent to assist farmers in their agricultural activities. One Stop Window-Farmers Portal: The Farmers Portal provides a one-stop platform for disseminating information on various agricultural matters such as seed varieties, storage godowns, pests and plant diseases, best agricultural practices, watershed management and mandi details. Soil Health Card: The Soil Health Card initiative provides vital soil-related information to aid farmers in their farming activities. Over 22 crore soil health cards have been distributed to farmers. Mobile-Based Advisory System for Agriculture & Horticulture (M4AGRI): The M4AGRI system is a mobile-based advisory platform implemented in North-East States like Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, Meghalaya, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh, offering specialized agricultural and horticultural guidance. Government Initiatives in Data Governance for Socio-Economic DevelopmentOpen Government Data: The Open Government Data platform has been developed to facilitate data sharing and encourage innovation over non-personal data. The platform has published more than 5.65 lakh datasets across 12,800+ catalogues, enabling 93.5 lakh downloads. API Setu: To streamline data exchange between systems, the API Setu platform has been developed. The platform offers over 2100 APIs and is used by 1000+ organizations. National Data Governance Framework Policy: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has drafted the National Data Governance Framework Policy, aimed at realizing India’s digital government vision. This policy seeks to maximize the efficiency of data-led governance, improve public service delivery, and catalyze data-based research and innovation |
Despite the advancements, challenges such as resistance to change among some employees, the lack of incentives, the digital divide in rural areas and concerns over cybersecurity pose barriers to fully realizing the potential of digital governance.
The government must address the digital divide, particularly in rural regions, by improving access to high-speed Internet and digital tools. Additionally, cybersecurity training is crucial to protect sensitive data and ensure secure digital governance systems.
Given the rapid pace of digital innovation, continuous learning and upskilling are essential for government employees to remain proficient in their roles. Capacity-building programmes must evolve dynamically to meet emerging challenges and advancements in digital governance tools.
The success of digital governance in India depends on robust infrastructure, targeted training and a dynamic workforce. By ensuring that every employee, regardless of rank or location, is equipped with the necessary digital skills, India can create a transparent, accountable and inclusive governance model that sets a global benchmark.
Digital governance enhances efficiency, transparency and service delivery in governance. Our initiatives such as UPI and Co-Win show how technology can improve lives and bridge gaps. With plans to expand digital services by 2047, India is using technology in governance so that it can empower people and boost development. By learning from global examples like Estonia and Singapore India continues to refine its digital strategies for a better future.
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