A portal for progress?

The government launched the Digital India programme in July last year aiming to transform the entire ecosystem of public services through the use of information technology. According to the programme’s official website, the vision is to ‘transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.’ The pharmaceutical sector followed suit with the launch of…

Friends network gasping for breath

Hamstrung by the shortage of staff, lack of budgetary support, declining public patronage and stiff competition from other e-governance services, the network of Friends Janasevana Kendras is struggling to stay afloat, even as the government remains indecisive on the recommendation of an Assembly committee to phase out the citizen service centres. Started in 2000 as…

Trends 2016: Digitization, a top priority

The robust growth of India’s information technology industry is attributed to a multitude of factors including growing middle class, rising disposable income and various government initiatives such as broadband connectivity to villages, rural electrification and e-governance programs. The government’s “Digital India” program aims to reach every citizen’s home and office. To increase technology penetration across…

Cracking the development code

In a first of its kind e-governance initiative, Rajasthan has created a pioneering IT infrastructure to create a state wide network to deliver citizen services and e-governance initiatives. Christened RajNET—this network will cover all 9,894 gram panchayats, 183 municipal areas along with all district and block headquarters. This is first of its kind network in…