INTRODUCTION Good governance is one of the key requirements of development. In India, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is the catalyzer to deliver good governance by improving the effectiveness and efficiency of government stake holders. In the recent years, the emerging technologies have helped the Government institutions to think out of the box in delivering the critical public services; improving transparency and accountability; fostering citizen's access to public and official information; enhancing citizens' participation in the public policy process; and improving inclusion and participation of all stakeholders in governance. The Web Ratna Awards, constituted by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, under the ambit of the National Portal of India, acknowledges exemplary initiatives/practices of various states/UTs in the realm of e-governance. Today, citizens can explore diverse services with a few clicks of mouse. A number of e-Governance initiatives have been undertaken by the State Governments and Central Ministries on a continuous basis to improve the delivery and accessibility of public services. THE EVENT AT A GLANCE Enthusiasm marked the second season of the Web Ratna Awards. It was held on 10th December, 2012 at Dr. D.S Kothari Auditorium, DRDO Bhawan, Dalhousie Road, New Delhi. Hon'ble Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Shri Kapil Sibal felicitated the winners. Hon’ble Ministers of State for Communications and Information Technology Shri Milind Deora and Dr. (Smt) Kruparani Killi were the guests of honour in the event. Shri J. Satyanarayana, Secretary, Department of Electronics & Information Technology (DeitY) and Dr. Y. K. Sharma, Director General, NIC also graced the event. With the penetration of Internet & availability of affordable means to access the World Wide Web, the government web space can now be accessed by citizens of India across the nation, be it Rural and Urban. This raises the expectation from Government websites and portals for higher accessibility and citizen centricity to facilitate INCLUSIVE ACCESS to government information & services. THE PROCESS The Web Ratna Secretariat got an excellent response to the call for nominations for six categories of Awards. All the nominations were evaluated based on scientifically formulated criterion. Specific evaluation criterions were devised for specific category by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi. Outcome of evaluation was then submitted to the Screening Committee. Nominations, shortlisted by screening committee were finally presented to the esteemed Jury comprising of senior members from the Government, Academia, Institutes and Organizations. The Jury finally selected the Platinum, Gold and Silver icons for each category. KEY QUOTES Web Ratna Awards by the National Informatics Centre, Department of Electronics & Information Technology would indeed go a long way to promote e-Governance initiatives and to harness the medium of World Wide Web for delivery of Government Information and Services. Shri Kapil Sibal, Minister of Communications and Information Technology These Awards are being conferred in different categories which touch upon different aspect of e-Governance right from the web presence to delivery of citizen services to public participation and innovation in use of technology. Shri Milind Deora, Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology I am happy to learn that the Web Ratna Awards acknowledge e-Governance initiatives across the country using the medium of web. I congratulate the Web Ratna 2012 Awardees for their exemplary initiatives. Dr. (Smt.) Killi Kruparani, Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology I complement NIC for the initiating Web Ratna Awards and organizing the Award ceremony. I congratulate all the winners of the Web Ratna Awards and wish them success. Shri J. Satyanarayana, Secretary, Department of Electronics & Information Technology I take this opportunity to congratulate all the winners of Web Ratna Awards 2012 for their innovative initiatives and wish them success in their future endeavours. Dr. Y. K. Sharma, Director General, National Informatics Centre We had overwhelming response to the call for nominations to Web Ratna Awards 2012, from all over the country. All the nominations were assessed based on scientifically formulated 3 stage evaluation process. Ms. Neeta Verma, Deputy Director General, National Informatics Centre WINNERS CITIZEN CENTRIC SERVICE VAHAN - Vehicle Registration & Permit System Krishi Maharatavahini Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan PUBLIC PARTICIPATION INITIATIVE Digital Diplomacy - Ministry of External Affairs Kerala Chief Minister's Office Bihar Public Grievance Redressal System OUTSTANDING CONTENT National Institute of Open Schooling AIR Portal for News Dissemination Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) INNOVATIVE USE OF TECHNOLOGY RITE e-Governance Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity (DAVP) Tripura Vision Centre (Tele-Ophthalmology) WINNERS COMPREHENSIVE WEB PRESENCE - MINISTRY/DEPARTMENT Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance Ministry of Panchayati Raj Ministry of Corporate Affairs COMPREHENSIVE WEB PRESENCE – STATE Government of Tamil Nadu Government of Maharashtra LAUNCH OF NEW AVATAR OF NATIONAL PORTAL OF INDIA The Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology, Dr. (Smt.) Killi Kruparani launched the revised version of the National Portal of India during the Web Ratna Awards function. The revised version of portal has new information architecture, look & feel and improved discoverability of information and services. RELEASE OF WEB RATNA AWARDS-2012 COMPENDIUM Web Ratna Awards-2012 compendium was released by Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology, Shri Milind Deora during the award ceremony on 10th December 2012 at DRDO Bhavan, New Delhi. LEGENDS: Platinum Award Gold Award Silver Award JURY Shri J. Satyanarayana, Secretary, DeitY Dr. B. K. Gairola, Mission Director (e-Gov) DeitY Shri Rajiv Gauba, Additional Secretary, DeitY Shri Arun Jha, Additional Secretary, DARPG Prof. (Dr. ) M. P. Gupta, Department of Management Studies, IIT Delhi Shri Pradeep Gupta, CMD, Cyber Media (India) Pvt. Ltd. Smt. Neeta Verma, Deputy Director General, NIC Smt. Rama Vedashree, Vice-President, NASSCOM