Technology in Governance

Technology in Governance is a concept in India, formally known as e-Governance or Digital Governance, which involves the application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to government functioning. The goal is to achieve SMART governance, which stands for Simple, Moral, Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent. The initial foundation was laid with the establishment of the Department of Electronics in 1970 and the National Informatics Centre (NIC) in 1977. The main impetus for e-governance came with the launch of NICNET, the national satellite-based computer network, in 1987. This evolution aimed to solve the problem of inefficient service delivery and lack of transparency by moving beyond mere computerization. The core mechanism is the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP), which the Government of India approved in May 2006. The NeGP's vision is to "Make all Public Services accessible to the common man in his locality". It works by implementing Mission Mode Projects (MMPs), initially 27 in number, and establishing core infrastructure like State Wide Area Networks (SWANs) and Common Service Centers (CSCs). The concept connects directly to the larger Digital India Mission, launched in 2015. The NeGP was redefined with the launch of e-Kranti (Electronic delivery of services) as an essential pillar of Digital India, marking a shift towards an interconnected digital ecosystem, sometimes called NeGP 2.0. Related platforms that enable this governance include Aadhaar (2010) and the UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance) app.