NIC: March Of The Behemoth

National Informatics Centre (NIC) has been effectively providing technology solutions to support government initiatives since the last four decades. In an exclusive interview with Express Computer, Dr Neeta Verma, Director General, NIC, speaks about embracing new technologies to deliver citizen services better

- Vishwas Dass

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been giving a major thrust to Digital India since 2014 and NIC has played an instrumental role in executing some of the key IT projects. Could you please share some of the biggest achievements of NIC in the last five years?

NIC has been closely associated with the government in different aspects of governance. Besides establishing a nationwide state-of-the-art ICT infrastructure for governance, NIC has also built a large number of digital solutions to support the government at various levels, from the Centre to the states, to the district administration. Under the Digital India program, “inclusion” has been the key consideration of any initiative. Over the last five years, the IT ecosystem in the country has also expanded manifold and we now have an enhanced penetration of the network, therefore the last-mile delivery of government services has become a reality. There are also a number of IT solutions where not only the services are provided online but the benefits are also directly transferred to the citizens. Developments in technology has also provided an enhanced user experience to the citizens.

NIC is in a unique position to deliver ICT services to executive, judiciary and legislative institutions in the country. In the recent past, a large number of government initiatives such as Swacch Bharat Mission, e-Way Bill, MyGov, e-Hospital, fertilizer distribution, etc., have been completely managed using digital platforms, from concept to commission. Our services are creating a perfect interaction of the government with citizens, government employees and businesses. Look at services such as e-Hospital that has connected patients, doctors and hospitals on a digital platform, thereby ensuring efficient delivery of services.