Parliament Question: e-Governance Services in Mumbai

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4138 TO BE ANSWERED ON: 12.08.2026 E-GOVERNANCE SERVICES IN MUMBAI 4138. PROF. VARSHA EKNATH GAIKWAD: Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has reviewed the implementation of Digital India initiatives and e- Governance services in Mumbai during the last three years and if so, the details thereof; (b) the details of projects undertaken for strengthening digital public infrastructure, online citizen services, cybersecurity, cloud-based governance systems and digital inclusion in Mumbai; (c) whether the Government has assessed challenges relating to digital accessibility, cyber threats, data security and digital literacy among citizens and institutions in Mumbai; and (d) the measures taken or proposed to be taken by the Government to improve digital governance, strengthen cybersecurity, enhance citizen-centric digital services and promote secure digital transformation across Mumbai? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA) (a) to (d): In line with Hon’ble Prime Minister's vision to democratise technology and empower citizens, the Government of India had launched the Digital India programme in July, 2015. At its core, the programme promotes three interconnected goals: strengthening digital infrastructure, delivering government services digitally, and empowering citizens through digital literacy and employment. The Government regularly reviews the implementation, reach, and performance of Digital India initiatives and e-Governance services through periodic review meetings, inter-ministerial consultations, monitoring dashboards, third-party impact assessments, and meetings, conferences, and workshops with States and Union Territories (UTs), particularly with their Information Technology (IT) Departments. The Government has successfully implemented foundational digital public infrastructure (DPI), Digital platforms and e-Governance services at population scale for identity (Aadhaar), for payment (UPI), for data exchange (DigiLocker and API Setu), etc. These have been a transformative force in India's socio-economic development, significantly enhancing financial inclusion, digital inclusion, governance and economic growth. Digital accessibility and citizen-centric service delivery are promoted through adoption of open standards, interoperability frameworks, multilingual interfaces (BHASHINI), mobile-first platforms and continuous improvement in the design and delivery of digital services. The Government has undertaken several initiatives to strengthen Digital Public Infrastructure, improve online citizen service delivery, enhance cybersecurity, promote cloud-based governance and foster digital inclusion. These include, inter alia: Digital Connectivity: Digital India has contributed to the rapid expansion of internet access, through initiatives such as BharatNet, which aims to provide high-speed internet to rural and remote areas. As a result, there has been a substantial increase in internet accessibility and usage across the country, and internet penetration in India has grown in the last decade.● Internet subscribers jumped from 25.15 crore in March 2014 to 109.27 crore in March, 2026. Of these, more than 12.7 crore internet subscribers are in the state of Maharashtra including Mumbai. ● Expansion of broadband connectivity through BharatNet to Gram Panchayats and rural institutions. As of June 2026, a total of 2.21 lakh Gram Panchayats (GPs) have been made service-ready under the BharatNet Project across the country. BharatNet Point of Presence (PoPs) at 80,472 GPs are operational including 739 GPs operational in the state of Maharashtra. ● As on 30.06.2026, a total of 24,784 mobile towers have been commissioned across the country under the Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN)-funded Mobile Connectivity Scheme. Of these, 2,821 mobile towers have been commissioned in the state of Maharashtra. Services delivery through Digital Public Infrastructure & Digital Platforms: Affordable data, assisted digital access points, and interoperable public platforms are enabling citizens to access welfare schemes, make digital payments, pursue online education, and participate in governance. Data costs have plummeted from Rs. 269 per GB in 2014 to roughly Rs. 8-10 per GB in 2025-26, making India one of the world's cheapest data markets. ● Aadhaar created a trusted biometric identity platform for secure and instant digital authentication. Over 1.44+ billion Aadhaar numbers have been generated. In Maharashtra, over 13 crore Aadhaar have been generated. ● Unified Payments Interface (UPI): UPI has empowered millions of individuals and small businesses in rural and remote areas to make fast, secure and low-cost digital payments, significantly advancing financial inclusion. UPI serves more than 55.49 crore individuals, 6.5 crore merchants, and connects 731 banks on one platform, making it the world’s largest digital payment system. UPI powers 85% of India’s digital payments and nearly 50% of global real-time digital payments. State/UT-wise UPI statistics are available at https://www.npci.org.in/product/ecosystem- statistics/upi. ● Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT) - Through Aadhaar-linked DBT, cash benefits from various welfare schemes (318 Schemes of 56 Ministries) are directly transferred into beneficiaries' bank accounts. Over Rs. 52 lakh crore has been transferred through DBT nationwide. ● DigiLocker provides citizens with anytime access to authentic digital documents issued by original issuers. The platform has over 71.66 crore registered users, with more than 936.03 crore documents issued by 2,822 onboarded issuers. More than 4.46 Cr Aadhaar enabled registrations have taken place in the state of Maharashtra to avail DigiLocker services. ● Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance (UMANG) provides citizens with a single mobile platform to access government services. The platform offers 2,575 services for individuals, including 61 services from the state of Maharashtra. ● MeghRaj (GI Cloud): Government of India's cloud computing initiative for efficient, secure and cost-effective delivery of e-Governance services. Cloud services of twenty-eight (28) Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) have been empanelled. Presently, 34,542 Virtual Machines are running on the GI Cloud, and more than 2,357 Government Departments are utilizing the GI Cloud to host their applications. ● e-Sanjeevani facilitates quick and easy access to doctors and medical specialists directly from your smartphone. The platform has served over 48 crore patients across the country. ● eSign facilitated legally valid digital signatures and approvals, enabling seamless execution of government processes, administrative functions, and business transactions in a paperless and contactless environment. Total 150.57 Cr. e-Sign issued by all e-Sign Service Providers (ESPs), including 18.33 Cr. e-Signs issued in the state of Maharashtra. ● Common Services Centres – CSCs are offering government and business services in digital mode enhancing last-mile connectivity in rural areas through Village Level Entrepreneurs (VLEs). Over 800 services are being delivered through CSCs. As on May 2026, 5.01 lakh CSCs are functional across the country (in rural and urban areas), out of which 3.91 lakh CSCs are functional at the Gram Panchayat level (rural). In the state of Maharashtra, 47,648 CSCs are currently functional (rural + urban) including 876 CSCs in Mumbai.In addition to the above, the Government of Maharashtra has significantly strengthened the State's digital infrastructure through the implementation of MahaNet - Bharatnet for broadband connectivity to Gram Panchayats, State Wide Area Network (SWAN) connecting Government offices up to the Block/Tahasil level, enhancement of the Maharashtra State Data Centre (SDC), and augmentation of mobile connectivity in underserved and remote areas in coordination with the Government of India under various initiatives of the Digital India Programme. Further, the Government of Maharashtra has implemented other citizen-centric e-Governance platforms to provide seamless online access to government services across the State, including Mumbai. These include Aaple Sarkar unified service portal, MahaDBT 2.0, Maharashtra eOffice, Maha AI, Aaple Sarkar Grievances Redressal Portal, Maharashtra Industry, Trade and Investment Facilitation (MAITRI), Legal Case Management System, etc for efficient, transparent, and paperless governance. Digital Literacy & Skill Building: India’s digital transformation goes beyond mere access; it focuses on empowering people and institutions to use technology effectively, driving inclusive growth, strengthening digital governance, and enabling citizens across the nation. These include: ● Promotion of digital literacy through the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA). A total of 53 lakh candidates trained from the state of Maharashtra. The scheme was concluded on 31.03.2024. ● FutureSkills Prime provides skilling, reskilling, and upskilling in emerging technologies. Under the programme, so far, more than 34+ lakh candidates have registered on the portal, out of which there have been 23+ lakh candidates enrolled/trained in various courses. ● National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) provides digital literacy and skill development courses, including ACC and CCC, through 56 Centres and a network of over 9,000 partner institutes across the country. 31.92 Lakh+ candidates have been trained by NIELIT across the country, including 1.2 Lakh+ candidates from the state of Maharashtra during the last three financial years. ● NIELIT Digital University (NDU) Platform: The platform delivers online and blended skill-based industry-aligned courses in emerging technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing etc. So far 2.75 lakh+ candidates have registered under the NIELIT Digital University Platform. Cyber Security measures: The policies of the Government are aimed at ensuring an Open, Safe and Trusted and Accountable Internet for its users. Government has taken several legal, technical, and administrative policy measures for addressing cyber security challenges in the country which, inter alia, includes: (i) National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC) under the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) to ensure coordination amongst different agencies. (ii) Under the provisions of section 70B of the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) is designated as the national agency for responding to cyber security incidents. (iii) National Cyber Coordination Centre (NCCC) implemented by the CERT-In serves as the control room to scan cyberspace in the country and detect cyber security threats. NCCC facilitates coordination among different agencies by sharing with them the metadata from cyberspace for taking actions to mitigate cyber security threats. (iv) Cyber Swachhta Kendra (CSK) is a citizen-centric service provided by CERT-In, which extends the vision of Swachh Bharat to the Cyber Space. Cyber Swachhta Kendra helps to detect malicious programs and provides free tools to remove the same, and also provides cyber security tips and best practices for citizens and organisations. (v) The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has created the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) to deal with cybercrimes in a coordinated and effective manner. (vi) Under the provisions of section 70A of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, the Government has established National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre (NCIIPC) for protection of critical information infrastructure in the country.(vii) The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology conducts programmes to generate information security awareness. Awareness material in the form of handbooks, short videos, posters, brochures, cartoon stories for children, advisories, etc. on various aspects of cyber hygiene & cyber security including deepfakes are disseminated through portals such as www.staysafeonline.in,www.infosecawareness.in and www.csk.gov.in. Data Protection: The Government has taken several steps to strengthen the framework for data protection in the country which, inter alia, includes: ● The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (“Act”) establishes a comprehensive framework governing the processing of digital personal data in a manner that recognises both the right of individuals to protect their personal data and the need to process such personal data for lawful purposes. ● Under the Act, personal data may be processed only for a lawful purpose and either on the basis of the consent of the Data Principal or for certain legitimate uses. Consent is required to be free, specific, informed, unconditional and unambiguous, and must be accompanied or preceded by a notice describing the personal data to be collected and the purpose of its processing. ● The Act, and the Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025 (“Rules”) notified on 13th November, 2025 provide a timeline for phased implementation of its provisions over an eighteen-month transition period, including the establishment of the Data Protection Board. Through the enactment of the Act and the notification of the Rules, the Government has established a comprehensive and citizen-centric framework to ensure the protection of digital personal data and to promote responsible use of data in India’s digital ecosystem. *******