The India Portal (india.gov.in) is a Mission Mode Project under integrated services category of the National e-Governance Projects (NeGP) to bring in a Single-Window-access to Government information and services. Ever since its launch on 10 November 2005, National Portal of India has been increasing in popularity, catering to a wide range of stakeholders, from citizens to government and from businesses to Indian Diaspora. It is a gateway to over 7000 Indian Government websites and has a rich repository of Forms, Documents, Services, Acts, Rules, Schemes, Web Links etc. The main objectives of the India Portal are: n To establish a single point source of information related to any Government under Indian Constitution, be it the Ministries and Departments of Central Government, State/UT Governments, Districts, Panchayats or even organizations and affiliates, for the benefit of the citizens, businesses and other target audience n To facilitate launch/ implementation of various e-Governance initiatives by the Government n To emerge as a comprehensive one-stop-source of Government information and service delivery through a unified interface n To define the standards for publishing the information and electronic delivery of Government information and services n To establish a platform for participation by public in the process of governance The new version of the portal was formally launched and dedicated to the nation by Dr. (Smt.) Kruparani Killi, the Honourable Minister of State for Communications & Information Technology, Government of India at a public function on 10 December, 2012. National Portal aims to enhance interaction between government and citizens and to act as integral part of the overall mission of good governance. The portal has nation-wide content coverage and a world-wide reach for its target audience and stakeholders namely citizens, Ministries, departments, offices, State or UT Governments, Judicial Institutions etc. FEATURES OF NATIONAL PORTAL V2 The National Portal V2 comes with unique features and technology to facilitate improvement in speed of service delivery, enhancement in quality and to provide convenient single-window access to all information and services. Some of these features are:
- NEW INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
India.gov.in has been successfully operational since May 2005. Based on experience of the past years and guided by the feedback of the users, the information architecture of the new version has been totally overhauled to make it easier for accessing the information. The revamped portal provides comprehensive as well as accurate information which has been well classified into distinct modules. The main sections of the portal include: n Topics – This section gives access to information on various subjects such as Agriculture, Defence, Industries, Commerce, Infrastructure, Health and Family Welfare, Education, Governance and Administration etc. n How Do I? – This section provides access to a variety of Government services such as obtaining a birth certificate, applying for a passport, lodging a complaint, booking for hotels, trains, buses etc or seeking any other information. n My Government - This module provides information about the Indian Constitution, the Parliament, Who’s who in the Indian Government and information about Government policies and schemes. There is a website directory to search for Government websites. n People Groups – Highlights the content for the Rural Indians, Students, Job seekers, Government Employees, Differently Abled, Kids, Senior Citizens etc. n e-Governance – Here one can get information about the Central, State and Integrated Mission Mode Projects etc. n India at a Glance - Visit this section to know about India, its unique culture and heritage, people and lifestyle, National Identity Symbols and States, Union Territories, Districts etc. Apart from this, there are spotlights, newsletter, banners, new updates, webcast, to highlight recent events and issues. In addition, one can also browse the most viewed section to know what others are looking for in the portal.
- METADATA BASED
The portal features metadata repository that enhances discoverability and can be shared with other government portals who desire to use it. A smarter search option is also given so that the relevant information can be accessed easily and quickly by the citizens. The user has the option of searching the whole portal or performing a search within any of the specific sections of the portal.
- INFORMATION WITHOUT BARRIERS
A number of accessibility features have been incorporated in the National Portal so that it conforms to internationally accepted standards and best practices, to ensure that all citizens have equal access to the information and services provided here. The portal is compatible with various assistive technologies like Screen Readers. Support to these technologies will be constantly enhanced over time.
- USER PARTICIPATION
Recognizing the fact that citizen engagement is an essential element in its evolution, the National Portal features enhanced user participation modes. Apart from the general feedback on the portal, the users can participate in enhancing the quality of content of the portal by n Rating each block of information on the portal. This feedback will motivate the user departments to make the information more citizen-centric n Submitting comments or alternate URLs for each section of the portal n Suggesting appropriate tags to enhance the search functionality Finally, if the user fails to find the relevant information that he was looking for, the option ‘Could not find what you were looking for?’ ensures that it is made available on the next visit.
- NEW LOOK
New look of the portal is based on the philosophy of a clean understandable and clutter free interface so that users can focus on what they are looking for.
- OPEN SOURCE TECHNOLOGY
NPI V2 is built on Open Source Technology featuring a robust content management system with a multi-stage workflow to ensure the quality of content that is put up on the portal. Different sections of the portal have role-based access so that the content owners can update information at their end, thus ensuring currency of content. Both English and Hindi versions are maintained through the same CMS interface ensuring that they are always in sync. CONCLUSION The new version of the National Portal has been developed with enhanced features keeping in mind the change in user expectations and technology trends. As evolution is a continuous process these enhancements are a launching pad for better and more efficient features that will be added in the near future.