Reports & IndicesImportant2025-06-19

DARPG Releases 26th NeSDA Way Forward Report

In News

What Happened

In June 2025, the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) published the 26th edition of the National e-Governance Service Delivery Assessment (NeSDA) Way Forward report. The assessment tracks e-service delivery across India, noting that 22,478 e-services are now active across States and Union Territories. Additionally, nine states reached 100 percent saturation in providing mandatory e-services to their citizens.

Why It Matters

This report demonstrates India's rapid progress in digital governance and citizen service accessibility. By shifting from fragmented departmental websites to unified digital platforms, the government is reducing bureaucratic bottlenecks and enhancing ease of living.

Background

History & Context

The NeSDA framework was formulated by DARPG in 2019 to benchmark the delivery of e-services by States, UTs, and Central Ministries. While the main NeSDA rankings are biennial, DARPG began publishing monthly 'Way Forward' reports in April 2023 to ensure continuous monitoring. This collaborative approach pushes states to saturate the 59 mandatory e-services and adopt unified service delivery portals.

What Changed

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E-Service Volume: BEFORE, there were 11,614 e-services reported nationally in April 2023; NOW, a total of 22,478 e-services are offered across States and UTs as of the 26th report in June 2025.
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Mandatory Service Saturation: BEFORE, saturation of mandatory e-services was at 48 percent in NeSDA 2019; NOW, saturation levels have steadily grown, with nine states achieving 100 percent compliance in June 2025.
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Service Portals: BEFORE, citizens had to navigate multiple fragmented departmental websites to access local services; NOW, multiple states use Single Window Unified Service Delivery Portals (like Sewa Setu in Assam and Seva Sindhu in Karnataka) to provide their services.

Prelims Angle

NCERT Connection

This event connects directly to the Class 11 Political Science (Indian Constitution at Work) chapter on 'Local Governments', specifically regarding governance and decentralization. The expansion of e-services, particularly the fact that the 'Local Governance and Utility Services' sector has the largest share of online services, illustrates how technology is being used to empower local administration and improve public service delivery at the grassroots level.

Practice Questions

Q1

Correct Statement(s)

Which of the following statements is/are correct regarding the National e-Governance Service Delivery Assessment (NeSDA)? 1. NeSDA was formulated by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to benchmark e-service delivery across states. 2. The 'NeSDA Way Forward' reports track the adoption of unified service portals and the saturation of mandatory e-services on a monthly basis.

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