E-governance in India has emerged as a crucial tool to promote efficient, transparent, and participatory governance. Technological advancements have transformed the provision of public services in India, allowing citizens to conveniently access government services and information. The applications of e-governance in India are diverse and range from online portals for information dissemination to complex systems for financial management and citizen engagement. Applications of e-governance can be categorised into following heads-

How PM-KISAN is Revolutionizing Agricultural Support in India?

PM-KISAN Portal: The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) portal, developed by the National Informatics Centre, offers a comprehensive technological solution for the direct transfer of funds to the bank accounts of the farmers identified by the States/UTs. The various modes of registration facilities are available like bulk registrations through authenticated users’ login, self-registration at portal, through PM KISAN mobile App and through common service centre. The registered details are validated by integrating with external systems like UIDAI for Aadhar validation, NPCI for Aadhar seeding accounts and then transferring of cash benefits directly into the accounts of farmers through the integration with Public Finance Management System / Banking System. As of January 2023, there are 11.83 Crores farmers registered on the portal, and 11.60 Crores beneficiaries have received assistance.

Health and Family Welfare

• Aarogya Setu: Aarogya Setu is a mobile application launched by the Government of India on 2nd April 2020, to aid the COVID-19 efforts of the Government. The App operates using a contact tracing method, aiding the government in identifying, monitoring, and reducing the spread of COVID-19 throughout the nation. It has also supported the government’s COVID-19 initiatives by proactively informing app users about risks, best practices, and relevant advisories for controlling the virus’s spread. A very large citizen base in India does not have smartphones. To provide a platform for self- assessment and reaching out to the Government for help, India has created the AarogyaSetu IVRS (Interactive Voice Response System) for citizens with feature phones and landlines. It’s a missed call service and allows a citizen to give a missed call on 1921.

Education with National Achievement Survey and Vidyanjali

• National Achievement Survey (NAS): This is a representative nationwide large-scale evaluation of the learning outcomes of over 32 lakh students in more than 1.24 lakh government and private educational institutions. NIC has automated ICT intervention to create an outcome-based learning approach with a dashboard and reports for visualization of these surveys. The National Curriculum Framework (NCF) aims to develop an outcome-based learning framework for an inclusive educational environment. The NIC has actively contributed to the conceptualization and development of the Vidyanjali platform, which is designed for a volunteer program aimed at enhancing schools through community and private sector engagement in various services, activities, and material contributions. To date, 66500 schools have participated, with over 7500 volunteers involved.

Role of Jal Jeevan Mission in Rural Development

• Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM): The goal of Jal Jeevan Mission is to ensure that every rural household has access to a reliable supply of drinking water in adequate quantities and of prescribed quality, at affordable service delivery costs, thereby enhancing the quality of life in rural communities. Key ICT initiatives include:: 
  • JJM Integrated MIS: This system consolidates all data related to tap connections provided to households, Village Action Plans, District Action Plans, State Action Plans, details about Village Water & Sanitation Committees, scheme planning, physical and financial progress, completion statistics, and funding information. 
  • JJM Dashboard: This tool tracks all critical monitoring aspects, such as the number of functional household tap connections established, changes following the mission launch, the grievance redressal mechanism, real-time sensor-based monitoring, and funding availability. 
  • JJM Water Quality MIS: This system connects all operational laboratories in the country, allowing community members to easily find their nearest water testing lab and obtain digital results for private water tests, fostering trust in the public water supply department. 
  • JJM Mobile app: This app facilitates data collection for Paani Samiti, Gram Panchayats, and officials through mobile or laptop access. It gathers information related to financial collections, work progress, and maintenance of water pipes, water assets, and other water-related details at the village block level.

Consumer Affairs and Food & Public Distribution

• Targeted Public Distribution System: The “End-to-End Computerisation of Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) Operations” initiative was launched to modernize TPDS processes and enhance transparency in the distribution of heavily subsidized food grains nationwide. The System is operated under the shared responsibility of the Central and the State Governments. NIC is the Technical Partner for the key initiatives and outcomes of TPDS such as: 

• • Digitization of ration cards/ beneficiary database for correct identification of beneficiaries; removal of bogus cards and better targeting of food subsidies. 
  • Online allocation of food grains for system generated allocation orders to bring transparency in allocation of food grains, up to the Fair Price Shops (FPS) level.
  • Computerisation of Supply Chain Management for ensuring timely availability of food grains at all FPSs for delivery to the targeted beneficiaries and to check leakage/ diversion of food grains.
  • Online Grievance Redressal /Toll Free Helplines and Transparency Portals to introduce transparency and public accountability in the implementation of TPDS. All 23.6 crore ration cards covering about 80 crore beneficiaries under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in the country are completely digitized in all States/ UTs. 
  • Aadhaar seeding of about 93.1% ration cards and almost 90% beneficiaries at the national level has been achieved so far. 
  • Almost 4.98 Lakh (93.5%) of the total 5.33 Lakh FPSs in the country are automated by installing electronic Point of Sale (ePoS) devices.

Presently about 85% of allocated food grains to States/UTs are being distributed through biometrically/Aadhaar authenticated electronic transactions on a monthly basis. Further, due to technological interventions in TPDS operations, a total of more than 4.74 Crore bogus/ ineligible/ duplicate ration cards have been identified and weeded out by the States/UTs collectively during the period 2013- 2021.