Policy Update
Elenora Tu’u
Background:
The e-Government AppStore, established under the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) and Digital India, is hosted by the National Informatics Centre under MeitY. It serves as a centralized repository of reusable government applications, components, and web services, hosted on National Cloud Infrastructure to accelerate e-services delivery and optimize ICT spending.
NeGP: Its objectives include
- Rapid development and replications of successful apps across central state governments
- Avoiding replications and application development
- To ensure certified applications with standardized formats are easily accessible to government entities
NeGP:Functions and Features
The platform allows contributing entities (government/private) to upload applications (subject to multi-stage approval), which can then be searched, reviewed, rated and either invoked as Saas or downloaded for deployment. It hosts core components such as payment gateways, messaging modules, and MIS reporting tools for cross- use across departments.
Performance and Metrics:
While official data is limited, industry reports and platform history illuminate the scale.
At launch in 2013, the App store had a target of 76 live apps ;as of later reports it housed over 60apps across 26 sectors.
By 2014, mobile service platforms akin to the AppStore (NeGP) had enabled the launch of over 950 live government applications, marking early progress in the adoption of digital tools across ministries and departments. India’s digital transformation has since accelerated, with the e-TAAL platform recording approximately 6,456 crore e-transactions in 2020.
The e-District initiative has also seen widespread uptake, delivering over 2,299 services across all 33 States and Union Territories. As of mid-2024, the UMANG platform alone facilitated access to more than 2,077 services in 32 States and UTs, with an active user base exceeding 7.12 crore—highlighting the scale, reach, and reusability of India’s digital public infrastructure.
Case Study: Tamil Nadu’s Adoption of Vahan & Sarathi Via AppStore
In Tamil Nadu, RTO services such as vehicle registration (Vahan) and driving license issuance (Sarathi), which has been developed by NIC were hosted on e-Gov AppStore (NeGP) and are adopted statewide. The integration so far has enabled online citizen payments across all RTO offices. With direct positive outcome in reduced in person visits, paperwork and queue times. The service within the state saw widespread adoption soon after the launch and implementation, demonstrating effective reuse of a centrally developed app by a major state government.
Table 1. Comparative Insights across selected states:
| State | AppStore Adoption Reuse | Notable Apps Platform | Observations |
| Tamil Nadu | Full development of Vahan&Sarati via e-Gov AppStore | Vahan (Vehicle) and Sarathi (Driving licence) | Seamless delivery of transport services and digitized payments across all RTOs |
| Chandigarh | Leveraging UMANG -NIC stack consolidating 700 services on a unified app | Residency certificates, transport services and tax payments | Illustrates appstore contents reuse through UMANG based local apps. |
| Himachal pradesh | Pilot implementation of consent management systems and pollution board tools via appstore repository | Online Consent and Management Systems (OCMMS) | Highlights the reuse of NIC developed environment modules across multiple states. |
| Other states | Workshops held in UP,Sikkim, and HP to onboard Appstore usage | State level adoption events ,2015-16 | Early suggestions of outreach ,so far limited visible large scale adoption. |
Key comparative observations:
- Despite progress, some states (Chandigarh,TN) have aggressively reused applications, integrated with UMANG or local portals
- Effective reuse aligns with states that prioritized integration and citizen centric deployment
- Others remain in early adoption, show limited onboarding despite outreach workshops
Impact Assessment:
- Standardization and Interoperability: Ensure a centralized standard allows consistency across implementations,this include but not limited to from transport to environmental monitoring apps.
- Taking on Tamil Nadu as an example – reusing centrally developed apps, states avoid redundant R&D costs and shorten project timelines by using existing modules.
- Enhance broader Digital Public Infrastructure
Platforms such as e-Gov AppStore, Digilocker,Cowin, UMANG, Gem, and e-Office collectively serve millions of citizens across the nation, facilitating over 24,100 crore UPI transactions and almost 37 crore DigiLocker documents by mid 2024 according to reports.
NeGP Emerging Challenges and Issues:
- Poor User Experience & Governance Feedback Loops: According to a reddit report highlighting user stories, as well as developer forums report subpar UX,opaque feedback mechanisms, and bureaucratic inertia ,especially for requirement gathering and interface design.
- Stagnant App & Inventory Maintenance: Despite initial adoption was encouraging, many apps remain outdated or unused, several states yet to refresh or onboard newer solutions.
We can take lessons from apps like Aarogya Setu highlighting the importance of transparency and open -source approaches ,yet many AppStore apps lack clear review,auditing or public code access.
- Uneven State level Uptake: It’s also certain that states vary widely in reuse implementation strategy: We can see from case study and table above where Tamil Nadu and Chandigarh actively reuse,while outreach in others,e.g. UP,Sikkim have seen limited follow through.
Way Forward: Recommendations
- UX & Governance Reforms
- Institutionalize usability audits and citizen testing.
- Ensure transparent feedback and issue resolution pipelines.
- Dynamic App Inventory Management
- Flag deprecated apps and automate version tracking.
- Mandate periodic review and version updates.
- Formal Security and Open Source Practices
- Open-source repositories for public scrutiny and reuse.
- Publish policy on security certifications and code transparency.
- Stronger Institutional Coordination
- Link e-Gov AppStore with DigiLocker,UMANG,ServicePlus,e-Office etc to ensure seamless access.
- State Capacity Building & Incentives
- Regular capacity building workshops, technical outreach and conditional funding tied to reuse metrics
- Measuring Impacts
- Report key metrics ,reuse cases, user satisfaction, downloads cost avoidance.
India’s NeGP represents a powerful tool to operationalize cost effective, standardization digital governance across states. Exemplifying Tamil Nadu’s reuse of Transport apps and Chandigarh’s integration under UMANG illustrate potential success. To achieve and fulfill this promise, ensuring sustained governance, UX emphasis, open-source practices, performance tracking, and deeper state level integration are essential.
References:
1. Times of India. (n.d.). Chandigarh administration to soon launch app for all services. Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/chandigarh-administration-to-soon-launch-app-for-all-services/articleshow
2. Times of India. (2024, February 9). Chandigarh administration to soon launch app for all services. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/chandigarh-administration-to-soon-launch-app-for-all-services/articleshow/121542107.cms
3. IndiaFilings. (n.d.). eGov App Store. IndiaFilings. https://www.indiafilings.com/learn/egov-app-store/
4. National Informatics Centre. (n.d.). About e-Gov AppStore. Government of India. https://www.apps.gov.in/content/about-e-gov-app-store
5. Communications Today. (2021, December 31). Year-end review 2021: Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). https://www.communicationstoday.co.in/year-end-review-2021-ministry-of-electronics-and-information-technology-meity/
6. World Trade Scanner. (2024, December). MeitY Year End Review 2024 – Part 2. http://worldtradescanner.com/MEITY%20Year%20End%20Review%202024%20-%20Part-2.htm
7. TechCircle. (2013, May 31). Government launches e-Gov App Store. https://www.techcircle.in/2013/05/31/government-launches-e-gov-app-store/
8. UX4G. (n.d.). Case studies. Government of India. https://www.ux4g.gov.in/case-studies/case-studies.php
9. Reddit user u/icine8. (n.d.). Chandigarh administration digitizing services. https://www.reddit.com/r/india/comments/icine8/
10. Reddit user u/greub8. (n.d.). Discussion on e-Gov adoption in India . Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/india/comments/greub8/
11. Reddit user u/1i2b598. (n.d.). Hyderabad government service app feedback. Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/hyderabad/comments/1i2b598/
Communications Today. (2021). Year end review 2021: Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). Communications Today. https://www.communicationstoday.co.in/year-end-review-2021-ministry-of-electronics-and-information-technology-meity/
World Trade Scanner. (2024). MEITY year end review 2024 – Part 2. https://worldtradescanner.com/MEITY%20Year%20End%20Review%202024%20-%20Part-2.htm
Government of India. (n.d.). Latest news. apps.gov.in. https://apps.gov.in/latest-news
The Times of India. (2024, March 5). Chandigarh administration to soon launch app for all services. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/chandigarh-administration-to-soon-launch-app-for-all-services/articleshow/121542107.cms
About the contributor:
Elenora Tu’u is an undergraduate student specializing in Politics and Public Policy at P P Savani University, Gujarat. This article is published as part of her course work with IMPRI – Impact and Policy Research Institute.
Acknowledgement:
The author sincerely thanks Ms. Aasthaba Jadeja and the IMPRI team for their valuable support.
Disclaimer:
All views expressed in the article belong solely to the author and not necessarily to the organisation.
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