Digital India Awards

Background

With the initiation of the Digital India Programme in 2015 by the Government of India, the emphasis on awards grew drastically. The original name of the prize was the Web Ratan Award, which was launched in 2010. It was renamed to Digital India Award in 2015, which indicated a transformation from a simple web-based service to end-to-end digital governance that utilizes cutting-edge technologies to enhance public service delivery, inclusiveness, and transparency. The award will drive innovation in the direction of the vision of a Digitally Empowered India, where technology acts as an equaliser, with particular emphasis on the underserved and marginalized segment

The global objective of the awards is to create a culture of digital innovation within public institutions and promote scalable models that can be replicated across different types of governance. Digital India Awards is also an identifiable platform and policy feedback system, showcasing successful innovations that lead towards citizen-centric governance.

Functioning

The Digital India Awards function as a key institutional mechanism to identify, assess, and reward the outstanding digital initiatives undertaken by various levels of government across India. DIA is instituted by the Ministry of Electronics and Technology (MeitY) and is administered by the National Portal of India. It is intended to foster innovation in digital governance while advancing openness, diversity, and citizen empowerment. 

Nomination and Selection Process

The National Award Portal and the National Portal of India usually post the open call for nominations. Applications are accepted from government agencies, ministries, state government, district administrations, and occasionally even start-ups. The nominations fall under award categories that are well-defined, including Digital Empowerment of Citizens, Ease of Doing Business, etc., focusing on a particular dimension of digital governance.

Applicants are required to submit detailed documentation:

• Project Summary
• Objectives
• Methodology
• Impact and Outcomes
• Stakeholder Engagements
• Scalability and Replicability potential
• Innovation 

Assessment Procedure

MeitY and a committee of academics, technocrats, senior government officials, and experts in digital governance oversee the evaluation process. The committee evaluates the initiatives that are submitted using predefined criteria:

• Use of Technology
• Innovation
• Citizen-Centricity
• Inclusivessness
• Outcomes
• Sustainability
• Potential for replication

 A multi-stage screening process is followed before the finalists are shortlisted.

Presentation of Awards 

As a sign of high-level recognition, the awards are given out in a national ceremony. Winners are given Platinum, Gold, and Silver awards depending on their rank within the category. The awards were moved to the Rashtriya Puraskar Portal for the 2022 edition, bringing it into line with other national award programs and enhancing the nomination and selection process accessibility and transparency.

Recognition and Follow Up

While the award offers prestige and validation, its functioning currently lacks a robust post-award support mechanism. Additionally, there is no annual impact evaluation report that monitors whether the initiatives that have been awarded have been replicated or up-scaled elsewhere.

Institutional Objective

The DIA is essentially a system of performance initiatives that encourages government organisations to use cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), big data, cloud computing, mobile apps, and Geographic information systems (GIS)  to improve the delivery of public services. The award creates a peer learning system across departments and states, reinforcing the objective of Digital India.

Challenges

Even though the Digital India Awards have applauded innovation, there are a few limitations that are preventing its goal from being achieved. The limited involvement of local government, including municipal bodies and panchayati raj institutions a major drawback. Lack of infrastructure. Insufficient technical skills and a lack of awareness of such platforms. There is a lack of grassroots representation in the awards because many local bodies lack the staff and resources necessary to develop, implement, and even nominate creative digital solutions. Lack of follow-up procedures to assess the effectiveness and scalability of initiatives that have been recognised. Numerous platforms that receive awards are praised once but do not receive ongoing oversight, funding, or integration to reach new markets. Additionally, the case studies, best practices, and policy lessons learned from these awards are not widely documented or shared.

Finally, there is an urgent need to better integrate award platforms like Aadhaar, DigiLocker, UMANG, and India Stack with India’s larger digital ecosystem. Without a proper system, many operations operate in silos, limiting their reach, efficiency, and long-term sustainability.

Performance

The seventh edition of the DIA was held in 2022, which showcased strong national participation and increased momentum in India’s digital governance effort. 22 projects were awarded across 7 categories. The awards were handed over by the President of India to the winners, which was the first time in the history of DIA. There was integration with the Rashtriya Puraskar Portal to streamline the nomination process.

Selected Awardees in 2022

Impact

The DIA undoubtedly has a positive impact on governance by providing innovative practices, fostering a culture of digital excellence, and encouraging replication of successful models across states. Public services like Duare Sarkar and ICEGATE have transformed how businesses and people access government services, with speed, transparency, and accountability. Portals like e-Shram and e-NAM have empowered millions by integrating them into a formal digital system. Other platforms have similarly made a healthy impact on governance. 

Way Forward 

To enhance the capacity building for local bodies, target programs should be started to train smaller departments and panchayats. To foster innovation, a dedicated category for public-private tech partnerships should be introduced.  There should be a mandate Post- Award impact evaluation to assess real-world outcomes and improvements. To strengthen data infrastructure, real-time updates and open access should be feasible for all public platforms

Conclusion

The Government of India’s persistent effort to incorporate digital innovation into the core of public governance is shown by the Digital India Awards. The awards encourage broader adoption of inclusive, scalable, and citizen-friendly technologies by honoring outstanding digital initiatives at all levels- Central, State, and Grassroots. The DIA has become an important policy tool for bolstering the vision of a knowledge economy and a digitally empowered society in post-pandemic India, where digital access and delivery have become crucial for public services. From state programs like Duare Sarkar to platforms like e-NAM and Mine Mintra, the success stories recognised by this award demonstrate the potential of e-governance in improving lives and increasing transparency. The significance of identifying digital innovation will only increase India’s transition to a future influenced by AI, dta analytics, IoT, and cloud computing. Therefore, the Digital India Award is a roadmap for using technology to achieve inclusive and sustainable development and an incentive for public institutions to innovate wisely.

References

1. National Portal of India. (2022). Digital India Awards Portal (Rashtriya Puraskar). Retrieved from
   https://awards.gov.in/
2. Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare. (2023). e-NAM: One Nation One Market. Retrieved from
   https://www.enam.gov.in/web/
3. Ministry of Electronics and IT. (2022). Annual Report 2021-22. Retrieved from
   https://www.meity.gov.in/writereaddata/files/Annual_Report_2021-22.pdf
4. India Stack. (n.d.). Public digital infrastructure for India. Retrieved from
   https://www.indiastack.org/
5. National Informatics Centre (NIC). (2022). e-Vivechna App – MP State Government. Retrieved from
   https://mpedistrict.gov.in/evivechna
6. Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India.(2019)

Digital India Awards | Legislative Department | India

About the Author

Srikkoni Basu is a post-graduate student in Development Studies from Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University, Delhi, and an intern at IMPRI, with fieldwork experience in SEVA, Kolkata, in the Gender, Self-Help Groups, Education, Policy, and Livelihood sectors.

Acknowledgement: The author extends his sincere gratitude to the IMPRI team and Ms. Aasthaba Jadeja for her invaluable guidance throughout the process.

Disclaimer: All views expressed in the article belong solely to the author and not necessarily to the organisation.

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