Ever since Internet made its foray into the world of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), the concept of good governance has assumed a whole new dimension coupled with an increased awareness and desire amongst citizens and other stake holders to have a much more enriching and convenient interaction with their government. Considering the global position enjoyed by India when it comes to progress in the field of Information Technology, the Indian Government has been amongst the front-runners in its initiatives towards adoption of best practices and integrated delivery of information and services to achieve ICT led development in the Country. A recent example of such a vision turning into reality is the launch of ‘india.gov.in’, the National Portal of the Country.
€| Genesis An important dimension of good governance is the anytime, anywhere delivery of government services. These services are often provided through a number of different departments working in different sectors of development. This implies that citizens have to visit a large number of websites for different services. Sometimes, one also has to visit multiple websites to avail a single service. Different websites are following different Technology standards, Design Layouts, navigation architecture etc. Accordingly, it results in a lot of inconvenience at the citizens’ end and requires a lot of learning on their part to avail these services, thus defeating the very purpose of the various initiatives. For making such information and services accessible in a convenient manner, the requirement normally is one-stop source for all the government information and services. A ‘National Portal’ of the country can be an ideal platform to facilitate the above. Besides providing in-depth information about the Country and its various facets for a wide range of target audience including the citizens, business persons and Indians living overseas, a National Portal can act as a gateway to a variety of information and services being provided by different government departments. Whether a citizen has to pay utility bills or needs an access to the information on welfare schemes in different sectors, obtain licenses/certificates, apply for some business permits or even file tax returns online, a National Portal could be the answer. Studies reveal that all across the world, the concept of having a single unified interface has proved beneficial as compared to having multiple websites of different departments simply because it saves the citizen from the hassles of searching across a large number of sites, with diverse design and navigation patterns in order to look for the desired information or service.
€| Background The seed for the vision to set-up a National Portal of India was laid out in the 15-point National E-Governance Plan (NEGP) announced by the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India. Under the Plan, which has a comprehensive agenda to make e-Governance effective at all spheres to ensure efficiency, transparency, and accountability at the Government-Citizen interface, the National Portal Project was accorded the Mission Mode Status. The responsibility of developing the Portal was given to National Informatics Centre, considering its vast experience of already having developed and hosted thousands of Indian government websites.
€| Highlights The National Portal caters to a wide range of target audience and stake holders right from common citizens, government departments and corporate sector to NRIs, national and international media and general public across the world.
The information in the Portal has been well classified into distinct modules which are also interlinked at relevant places to provide the visitor with a holistic view and an easy navigation experience. The main sections of the Portal include…
• Citizens Useful information and links for Citizens of India on issues vital to their day to day living such as Health, Education, Employment, Housing, Travel & Tourism, Law & Order, Banking & Insurance and Taxes.
The Launch of ‘india.gov.in’ The National Portal was formally launched and dedicated to the Nation by Thiru. Dayanidhi Maran, Hon’ble Union Minister of Communications & IT at a function held at Le Meridian, New Delhi on November 10th. The function was presided over by Sh. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Hon’ble Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission. In his inaugural address, the Hon’ble Minister expressed a lot of appreciation for the Project. DG NIC welcomed the gathering which included several dignitaries and gave a brief introduction of the Project. The keynote address was provided by Sh. Brijesh Kumar, Secretary (DIT) who has been a constant guiding force behind the Project. The demonstration of the Portal was given by Ms. Neeta Verma, STD (NIC). Dr. B K Gairola, DDG (NIC) presented the Vote of Thanks.
• Business Meant for those currently involved in Business or those wishing to start and grow a business in the Country. Information and links is provided on useful topics such as how to set up a business, incentives offered by the Government, doing business abroad, laws & legislations etc.
• Overseas A section meant both for Indian Diaspora living abroad and foreigners visiting/living in India. Here one can find Information on NRIs/PIOs, Visiting India, Studying in India, Embassies & Consulates and Travel Advisory.
• Government This module provides information about the Indian Constitution, the Parliament, Who’s Who in Indian Government, Government Policies and Schemes. There is also a special section on Government Employees focusing on their information needs.
• Know India A section to visit if one wishes to know about India’s profile, its unique culture & heritage, National Identity Symbols, States/UTs/ Districts. There is also a special section exclusively for the Kids to enrich their minds with the various facets of the Country.
• Sectors Useful information and links about the various sectors of the Indian Economy, such as Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Communications, Defence.
• How do I ? Quick access to a variety of citizen services across sectors being provided by the Government…right from obtaining a birth certificate to applying for a Passport. In addition, the services which are being provided online either partially or completely are prominently highlighted.
• Maps A section featuring various geographical and thematic maps of India, presented in a visually attractive manner.
• Forms A repository of important Application Forms required for availing various services and facilities provided by the Government. There is an easy search facility to locate the desired forms.
• Government Tenders/Government Policies Sections providing information about the various tenders as well as policies issued by the various departments in the Government.
• India-Greetings A facility to send personalised greetings featuring photographs on the myriad, colourful aspects of India.
In addition, other useful information on the Portal includes access to Government web directory, telephone directories of all States/ UTs in India, Database of NGOs operating in the Country, facility to search for STD/ISD/ PIN Codes, quick links to Documents and Reports published by the Government, latest national/international news and government press releases, web casts of prestigious national/international events etc.
Salient Features • Single Window Access to information on the needs of the citizens and other stakeholders ranging from Health, education, housing, employment, travel, law & order, finances…. • Online access to citizen services right from obtaining licenses & certificates to filing tax returns, from applying for a passport/visa to getting the name included in electoral rolls…and from registering a company to booking a train ticket on the net …. • Comprehensive, accurate and up-to-date content with a citizen-orientation rather than a government’s perspective • Easy to use navigation built upon the established principles of human centered design and usability. • Personalization/Customization of the content based on the user’s individual profile and preferences • State-of-the-art tools and technologies at the backend in a world class hosting environment ensuring a fast and secure 24*7 access
€| A Collaborative Endeavour By providing a unified interface and acting as a logical front-end to the e-government initiatives, the edict of the National Portal is to facilitate the foundation of a healthy relationship between the Government and the citizens through the collaborative efforts of various Ministries and Departments. The Portal has been developed as an extensive repository enumerating significant information about the Country, concomitantly introducing citizens with all the services available for them at every level and relating to every department of the Government. The content in the Portal is the result of a joint effort by the various Government Departments, both at the Central and State level, the various divisions and units of NIC spread all across the Country as well as the National Portal Team in Web Services Group at NIC Headquarters. National Portal Co-ordinators have been appointed in the Ministries/Departments of Government of India as well as all State/UT Governments who shall spearhead further efforts of enhancing the scope and coverage of the Portal.
€| Overwhelming Response Ever since the launch, ‘india.gov.in’ has received an overwhelming response, both in terms of the visitor traffic on the Portal as well as the feedback received from people from every corner of the world. The preliminary reports suggest over 16 million hits in the first twenty days of the launch with more than 4500 people already having signed up as registered users of the Portal interested in receiving personalized updates. A large number of feedback mails and suggestions are being received daily…just an indication of how people have accepted the National Portal with open arms and are actively contributing to its further improvement through constructive suggestions.
€| Just a humble beginning…. The first version of the Portal contains only a limited content and is just a small beginning. The aim is to continually evolve it further both in terms of coverage and scope of information as well as introduction of technology features. An active cooperation from the various departments of Central and State Government as well as regular feedback from the visitors is extremely important for continuous enhancement of the Portal and for it to achieve its intended objectives in the true National spirit.