The National e-Governance Division (NeGD), operating under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), felicitated Gujarat, Karnataka, Keralam, Nagaland, and Rajasthan on May 11, 2026, for their exceptional contributions to integrating state government services with DigiLocker. The felicitation took place at the National Consultative Workshop on Strengthening Cyber Security Frameworks for State Data held in New Delhi to promote a secure, paperless, and citizen-centric administrative ecosystem. This recognition highlights the rapid scaling of India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and underscores the growing importance of securing state-level digital databases.
DigiLocker Integration: Honoured States and Achievements
The five felicitated states demonstrated outstanding results in onboarding public services onto DigiLocker, expanding user bases, and introducing innovative use cases. The specific milestones achieved by each state are detailed below.
Karnataka: Digitization Leader with Highest User Base
Karnataka emerged as a frontrunner by achieving 73% integration of its government e-services with DigiLocker. The state boasts the highest number of DigiLocker accounts in the country, exceeding 2.7 crore users. A key highlight of Karnataka’s integration was the digitization of nearly 3 crore electricity bill records across all five of its electricity distribution companies (Discoms), enabling citizens to access utility bills securely.
Rajasthan: Synergy with Jan Aadhaar Ecosystem
Rajasthan was recognized for its integration of the state’s Jan Aadhaar Family Register with DigiLocker, benefiting over 7.5 crore citizens. The state also accelerated the digital transformation of utility services by integrating electricity bills and other essential public utility records directly into the DigiLocker locker database, easing administrative burdens.
Gujarat: Onboarding Services and Inclusive Transportation
Gujarat successfully integrated 65% of its government services with DigiLocker, directly benefiting more than 1.92 crore citizens. In a unique step toward social inclusion, the state government enabled the digital issuance of Disability Certificates through the platform, allowing differently-abled citizens to claim free state bus travel without carrying physical proof.
Keralam: Rapid Scale-Up and Citizen Reach
Keralam demonstrated high operational efficiency by onboarding more than 117 government services within a single span of seven days. This rapid scaling has allowed the state to actively serve over 1.15 crore registered users, making public documents instantly accessible and verifiable.
Nagaland: The “Digital Rising State” of the Northeast
Nagaland was awarded special recognition as a Digital Rising State for its swift digital transition. Within just one month, the state government integrated over 32 services using both issuer and requestor models, facilitating rapid adoption of paperless governance across the northeastern region.
| State | Key Achievement | Quantified Metric / Beneficiaries |
|---|---|---|
| Karnataka | Highest e-service integration and user base | 73% e-services integrated; 2.7 crore users; 3 crore electricity records |
| Rajasthan | Jan Aadhaar Register integration | Benefited over 7.5 crore citizens |
| Gujarat | High e-service integration and inclusive public transport | 65% e-services integrated; 1.92 crore citizens; Digital Disability Certificates |
| Keralam | Rapid onboarding of public services | 117 services onboarded in 7 days; 1.15 crore registered users |
| Nagaland | Swift regional digital transformation | 32 services in 1 month; “Digital Rising State” title |
The Workshop: Cybersecurity and Data Integrity for States
The felicitation was a core event during the National Consultative Workshop on Strengthening Cyber Security Frameworks for State Data. This workshop represents the second stage of a four-stage departmental summit initiative. The origin of this initiative traces back to instructions issued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the 5th National Conference of Chief Secretaries, where he emphasized the critical need to secure state-managed databases holding sensitive citizen records.
Strict Mandates for State Governments
During the workshop, MeitY outlined a set of four mandatory cybersecurity foundational requirements that all states and union territories must implement. These requirements ensure that state-level cybersecurity integrates seamlessly with the national security infrastructure:
- Cybersecurity Policy: Each state and union territory must formally notify a comprehensive, dedicated cybersecurity policy.
- State CISO: States must appoint an empowered State-level Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) to lead safety strategies.
- State SOC: States are required to establish an operational State Security Operations Centre (SOC) that interfaces directly with the national cyber defense infrastructure.
- Cyber Crisis Management Plan: Every administration must deploy and regularly audit a localized Cyber Crisis Management Plan (CCMP) to handle potential emergency scenarios.
Transitioning to DPDP Act, 2023 Statutory Compliance
A major focal point of the workshop was the upcoming enforcement of the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023. With the DPDP Rules notified in November 2025, the central government has set a strict timeline. Full statutory compliance becomes mandatory by May 13, 2027, following an 18-month transition phase.
Under this landmark legislation, cybersecurity is no longer treated merely as an administrative best practice. It has been transformed into a statutory compliance obligation for all state government departments handling citizen personal data. Failure to secure data fiduciaries can attract substantial statutory penalties, driving the urgent implementation of Zero Trust Architecture and “Secure-by-Design” protocols across state databases.
Nodal Agencies and the Digital Public Infrastructure
To fully appreciate the significance of this felicitation, it is essential to understand the roles of the institutional agencies driving India’s digital public infrastructure.
National e-Governance Division (NeGD)
The National e-Governance Division (NeGD) was established in 2009 to support MeitY in implementing and managing the National e-Governance Plan. It acts as an independent business division under the Digital India Corporation (DIC), which is a Section 8 not-for-profit company under MeitY. NeGD plays a vital role in providing program management, technical consulting, and capacity-building support to both central and state government departments for digital governance projects.
Digital India Corporation (DIC)
The Digital India Corporation (DIC), formerly known as Media Lab Asia, was set up by the government to foster innovation and develop IT-based solutions for the common citizen. Operating under MeitY, DIC guides the overall vision of the Digital India programme, coordinating with various departments and industry partners to roll out scalable digital products.
DigiLocker: A DPI Cornerstone
Launched formally on July 1, 2015, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, DigiLocker is a core component of India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). It is designed to provide citizens with a secure, cloud-based platform for the storage, sharing, and verification of official documents and certificates.
The platform’s legal validity was established in February 2017 when the central government amended the Information Technology Act, 2000 (specifically under the Digital Locker Rules, 2016), granting documents issued through DigiLocker the exact same legal status as physical original documents.
By mid-2025, the platform reached a monumental user base of over 53.9 crore (539.2 million) registered users and facilitated more than 943 crore (9.43 billion) document issuances, establishing itself as one of the largest digital document ecosystems in the world.
Key Takeaways
- The National e-Governance Division felicitated five states, namely Karnataka, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Keralam, and Nagaland, on May 11, 2026, for their outstanding DigiLocker integration.
- The felicitation took place in New Delhi during the National Consultative Workshop on Strengthening Cybersecurity Frameworks for State Data, which represents the second stage of a four-stage national summit initiative.
- The National e-Governance Division (NeGD), established in 2009, is an independent business division under the Digital India Corporation, a Section 8 not-for-profit company under MeitY.
- DigiLocker was formally launched on July 1, 2015, as a flagship platform under the Digital India programme.
- Documents shared through DigiLocker were granted the same legal status as physical original documents in February 2017 under the Information Technology Act, 2000.
- State government databases are transitioning to full statutory compliance under the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023, with a final enforcement deadline of May 13, 2027.
