The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) conferred the 29th National Awards for e-Governance (NAeG) 2026 on 2 July 2026 in Jaipur, Rajasthan, recognising 17 outstanding digital governance initiatives from across the country. Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh presented the awards across seven categories, with winners including central ministries, state governments, district administrations, and gram panchayats. The awards were given during the 29th National Conference on e-Governance (NCeG), held under the theme “Viksit Bharat 2047: AI-Enabled, Data-Driven and Secure Digital Governance”.
What Are the National Awards for e-Governance?
The National Awards for e-Governance (NAeG) are annual awards instituted by the DARPG, which operates under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. Launched in 2003, these awards recognise and promote excellence in implementing e-governance initiatives across central ministries, state governments, district administrations, and local bodies. The awards aim to encourage innovation, reward significant achievements, and foster the sharing of successful digital governance models that can be replicated across the country.
Over the years, more than 300 projects have been honoured under this scheme. The awards are presented each year during the National Conference on e-Governance (NCeG), a flagship annual forum jointly organised by the DARPG, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), and the host state government. The NCeG brings together policymakers, industry leaders, technology experts, and academics to deliberate on the future of digital governance in India.
The 29th National Conference on e-Governance
The 29th NCeG was held on 1 and 2 July 2026 at the Rajasthan International Centre (RIC) in Jaipur. The conference was inaugurated by Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma and featured six plenary sessions and six breakout sessions covering topics such as AI-based governance, quantum-driven digital transformation, voice-first solutions for bridging the digital divide, and AI for smart policing.
More than 2,700 delegates participated in the conference, including representatives from over 1,000 startups and more than 400 academic institutions. An exhibition showcased more than 40 digital governance initiatives and award-winning projects. NASSCOM and the Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur, served as knowledge partners for the event.
A key outcome of the conference was the adoption of the Jaipur Declaration on e-Governance 2026, which outlines policy directions for AI-enabled, data-driven, and secure digital governance in the country.
NAeG 2026: The Winners
A total of 17 projects were selected for the NAeG 2026 across seven award categories. The distribution included 10 Gold Awards, 6 Silver Awards, and 1 Jury Award. Gold award winners received a trophy, a certificate, and a cash incentive of Rs 10 lakh, while Silver award winners received Rs 5 lakh. The prize money is intended to be used for further implementation of the project or to bridge resource gaps in public welfare.
The seven categories for NAeG 2026 were:
| Category | Focus Area |
|---|---|
| I | Government Process Re-engineering by Use of Technology for Digital Transformation |
| II | Innovation by Use of AI and Other New Age Technologies for Citizen-Centric Services |
| III | Best e-Gov Practices/Innovation in Cyber Security |
| IV | District Level Initiatives in e-Governance |
| V | Grassroots Level Initiatives by Gram Panchayats for Deepening Service Delivery |
| VI | Replication and Scaling of Nationally Awarded and Mission-Mode e-Governance Projects |
| VII | Digital Transformation by Use of Data Analytics in Digital Platforms |
A notable feature of the 2026 edition was the dedicated Gram Panchayat category, introduced to recognise village-level digitisation efforts. Over 1.65 lakh gram panchayats from 30 states participated in the evaluation process, reflecting the growing digital footprint at the grassroots level.
Spotlight on Key Gold Award Initiatives
Agri Stack: Digital Foundation for Indian Agriculture
The Agri Stack platform, developed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, won the Gold Award under Category I for Government Process Re-engineering. Agri Stack is a centralised Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for the agriculture sector, launched in 2024 under the umbrella Digital Agriculture Mission. It is built on InDEA 2.0 (India Digital Ecosystem Architecture) standards for interoperability and security.
The platform consists of three foundational registries: the Farmers Registry, which assigns a unique Farmer ID linked to land records and demographic data; Geo-referenced Village Maps; and the Crop Sown Registry. These registries enable farmers to access cheaper credit, better quality inputs, localised advisory, and convenient market linkages. The government has set a target of generating 11 crore Farmer IDs by 2026-27. The platform is designed to function as a presence-less, paperless, and cashless service delivery system for the farming community.
ICMR-MINDS: AI-Powered Mental Healthcare
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) received a Gold Award under Category II for its ICMR-MINDS project. MINDS stands for Multistate Implementation Research Study on Integration of Screening and Management of Mental and Substance Use Disorders with other Non-Communicable Diseases.
At the heart of the initiative is an AI-enabled Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) that allows trained non-specialist frontline healthcare workers such as ASHA workers and primary care nurses to conduct standardised mental health screening, assessment, and follow-up care. The platform offers multilingual interfaces, offline functionality, role-based clinical guidance, and gamified features to sustain user engagement. It also provides real-time administrative dashboards for monitoring service delivery.
The programme is being implemented across seven states through seven collaborating institutions, including AIIMS Guwahati, AIIMS New Delhi, AIIMS Bhopal, AIIMS Bhubaneswar, PGIMER Chandigarh, St. John’s Medical College Bengaluru, and the Gujarat Institute of Mental Health, Ahmedabad. A key strength of the model is its structured referral and back-referral framework, which allows stable patients to receive follow-up care at their nearest health facility while specialists focus on complex cases. This reduces the burden on tertiary care centres and improves treatment adherence.
Panchayat Advancement Index: Data-Driven Development
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj won a Gold Award under Category VII for the Panchayat Advancement Index (PAI), a multi-domain and multi-sectoral data analytics platform that measures the performance of gram panchayats across India. The PAI assesses panchayats on nine key themes aligned with the Localised Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs):
| Theme | Focus Area |
|---|---|
| 1 | Poverty-free and livelihood-oriented Panchayat |
| 2 | Healthy Panchayat |
| 3 | Child-friendly Panchayat |
| 4 | Water-sufficient Panchayat |
| 5 | Clean and green Panchayat |
| 6 | Self-reliant infrastructure-oriented Panchayat |
| 7 | Socially just and socially secured Panchayat |
| 8 | Panchayat with good governance |
| 9 | Women-friendly Panchayat |
Under PAI 2.0, the latest version for FY 2023-24, over 2.6 lakh gram panchayats were assessed using 150 indicators, with a participation rate of 97.30%. Panchayats are classified into five categories: Achiever (90+), Front Runner (75-90), Performer (60-75), Aspirant (40-60), and Beginner (below 40). The index enables evidence-based planning and promotes healthy competition among panchayats.
Kadepur Gram Panchayat: Blockchain at the Grassroots
Kadepur Gram Panchayat in Sangli district, Maharashtra, received a Gold Award under Category V for its pioneering digital governance model. This village panchayat delivers more than 1,355 services online to over 4,300 beneficiaries through a completely paperless administration system.
What sets Kadepur apart is its use of cutting-edge technologies. The panchayat has integrated eight AI-enabled administrative applications, blockchain-based record management, and GIS-based property mapping. It became the first gram panchayat in the country to formally adopt policies on emerging technologies including Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, and Robotics.
Other Notable Gold Initiatives
Several other initiatives across diverse domains were recognised with Gold Awards. The e-Jagriti platform by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs won for unifying four legacy consumer grievance systems into a single AI-enabled digital interface, allowing citizens to file complaints, track cases, and attend hearings online. Since its launch in January 2025, the platform has processed over 2.29 lakh cases with a disposal rate of 90.75%.
The Mahakumbh 2025 Digital Initiative by the Prayagraj Mela Authority was recognised for deploying large-scale e-governance solutions during the world’s largest religious gathering. The AI-enabled Clinical Decision Support System integrated into the eSanjeevani telemedicine platform by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare received a Gold Award for enhancing remote healthcare delivery.
In cybersecurity, Gold Awards went to the Bank of Baroda for its Integrated Cyber Security Framework for a Resilient Digital Banking Ecosystem, the Space Applications Centre (ISRO), Ahmedabad, for a security product for threat intelligence distribution and DNS filtering, and the Urban Development and Housing Department of Madhya Pradesh for its E Nagar Palika with Cyber Security project. The Blood Bag Traceability Portal by the Kerala Development and Innovation Strategic Council (K-DISC) and the District Court Case Management System (DCMS) by the High Court of Kerala also received Gold Awards. E-Aarogya Dhamni, a digital healthcare transformation initiative by the Health Department of Zilla Parishad Nandurbar in Maharashtra, and Pune 360 by the Pune Municipal Commission were other Gold winners. Bijoy Nagar Gram Panchayat in West Tripura received a Silver Award for its citizen-centric digital governance model.
The Jury Award: Survey of India’s CORS Network
The prestigious Jury Award was presented to the Survey of India for its project titled “Real-Time Precise Positioning Services through CORS Network”. The Survey of India, established in 1767 and headquartered in Dehradun, is the country’s oldest scientific department and the national survey and mapping organisation under the Department of Science and Technology.
The CORS (Continuously Operating Reference Stations) Network is a infrastructure of permanently installed GNSS reference stations that continuously stream raw satellite observations to a central server. The network provides real-time positioning services with an accuracy of up to plus or minus 3 centimetres through RTK (Real-Time Kinematic) and NRTK (Network RTK) techniques. It also offers DGNSS services for decimeter-level accuracy and online data processing of static observations.
The CORS network has wide applications in surveying, mapping, infrastructure development, land administration, disaster management, and various geospatial initiatives. At present, the network is operational in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, with expansion underway in Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. The project represents a significant leap in making high-precision geospatial data accessible as a public utility.
Significance of the 2026 Edition
The 29th edition of the National Awards for e-Governance marks several important milestones. The introduction of a dedicated Gram Panchayat category signals the government’s commitment to taking digital governance to the last mile. The overwhelming participation of over 1.65 lakh gram panchayats from 30 states demonstrates that digital transformation is no longer confined to urban centres or state capitals.
The theme of the conference, “Viksit Bharat 2047: AI-Enabled, Data-Driven and Secure Digital Governance”, reflects the government’s vision of building a technologically advanced governance framework by the centenary of India’s independence. The winners across categories show that AI, blockchain, data analytics, and cybersecurity are no longer experimental technologies but are now being deployed at scale in routine government operations.
The awards also highlight the expanding scope of e-governance from simple computerisation of records to complex AI-driven decision support systems and real-time geospatial services. From a mental health screening tool operating in seven states to a blockchain-secured village panchayat in Maharashtra, the 2026 winners represent the breadth and depth of India’s digital governance ecosystem.
Key Takeaways
- The 29th National Awards for e-Governance (NAeG) 2026 were conferred on 2 July 2026 in Jaipur, Rajasthan, recognising 17 projects with 10 Gold, 6 Silver, and 1 Jury Award.
- The awards are instituted annually by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, and have been presented since 2003.
- Gold award winners receive Rs 10 lakh and Silver award winners receive Rs 5 lakh as cash incentives, to be used for project implementation or bridging resource gaps in public welfare.
- The Jury Award was presented to the Survey of India for its Real-Time Precise Positioning Services through the CORS Network, which provides positioning accuracy of up to plus or minus 3 centimetres.
- A dedicated Gram Panchayat category was introduced in the 2026 edition, with over 1.65 lakh gram panchayats from 30 states participating in the evaluation.
- The Jaipur Declaration on e-Governance 2026 was adopted during the conference, outlining policy directions for AI-enabled, data-driven, and secure digital governance aligned with the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.
