The World Bank defines e-governance as the use by government agencies of information technologies that can transform relations with citizens, businesses, and other arms of government.
E-governance Projects
Government to Citizen (G2C) – UMANG, DigiLocker
Government to Business (G2B) – MCA21, GSTN, GeM Portal
Government to Government (G2G) – PRAGATI, e-Office
Government to Employee (G2E) – SPARROW, iGOT-Karmayogi
Built-in Bias Towards Technology and Back-End Integration
Infrastructure-Centric Approach: Focus on servers, networks, and databases rather than citizen interface.
Neglect of ease of access for end-users. Eg- complexity in GSTN and MCA 21 portals.
Exclusion Errors: Aadhaar authentication failures lead to denial of benefits. Eg- Jharkhand PDS (2017) saw 10-15% exclusion (NITI Aayog).
Technology Outpacing Capacity: Rapid adoption of AI, blockchain, and analytics without adequate digital literacy or institutional capacity at the local level.
Lack of User-Centric Designs
Language and Accessibility Barriers: Most portals available only in English, excluding non-English users.
Complex Interfaces and Poorly designed websites discourage participation. Eg- multiple logins and verification steps.
Digital Divide and Exclusion: Only 43% of rural households have internet (NFHS-5, 2021).
Most systems lack built-in feedback loops or grievance redressal.
Absence of Design Thinking: Systems designed from administrative, not citizen, perspective
One-Size-Fits-All Approach: Uniform design ignores regional, gender, and social diversity, affecting inclusivity.
However, there are few Achievements
UMANG App: Unified access to 2,300+ government services in 23 languages
MyGov Platform: Enables citizen consultation and idea crowdsourcing.
Jan Soochna Portal (Rajasthan): Promotes proactive disclosure of welfare data.
eSanjeevani Telemedicine Platform: Over 18 crore consultations, with simple, accessible interface for rural users.
BHASHINI: Supports 35+ Indian languages, breaking language barriers and enhancing inclusivity.
PMGDISHA: Over 6.3 crore citizens trained in digital literacy.
Way Forward
Adopt Design Thinking: Involve citizens in service design and usability testing.
Local Language Interfaces: Scale BHASHINI integration across all digital services.
Social Audits and Human Interface: Combine digital governance with local institutions for last-mile trust.
Strengthen Digital Infrastructure: Accelerate BharatNet Phase-II to connect all Gram Panchayats
India must move toward âTechnology with Inclusionâ – ensuring no beneficiary is left behind.
Civil Society Organisations