Page 17 - GIGW2

Guidelines

for Indian Government Apps & Websites

Introduction

1.1

Background

India’s digital penetration has increased tremendously in past few years. Internet on
mobile phones, websites and mobile apps are becoming widely used media for delivery of
services across the country. Realising this, the Indian Government has also laid emphasis
on delivery of services through various online channels. As of today, there are more than
8000 Government websites in India and hundreds of official mobile apps. A close look
at these websites and apps reveal that most of the important government entities have
already established their presence on the internet.

However, these websites and apps follow different Technology Standards, Design
Layouts, Navigation Architecture, or, in simple terms, different look and feel as well as
functionality. This invariably requires a common citizen to familiarize himself/herself
with the functionality of each individual website which results in a lot of inconvenience,
thus defeating the very purpose of these websites and apps.

The need for standardisation and uniformity in websites and apps belonging to the
government cannot be stressed enough in today’s scenario. These standards and
guidelines make the Indian Government websites Usable, User-Centric and Universally
Accessible. Additionally, they bring uniformity in the quality of content and help in the
incorporation of state of the art technologies in the delivery of information and services,
and reinforce government’s commitment to enhance the level of citizen interaction
through application of internet and mobile technologies. The first version of GIGW was
launched in 2009. This version was successfully adopted by many government websites.
However, keeping in view the significant advances in technology and usage trends, a
revised version of the guidelines has been formulated to maintain relevance with the
dynamic times and to ensure that the benefits reach all citizens of the country. The new
version of the guidelines are an outcome of feedback and consultations with industry,
society, government departments and diligent reference to evolving standards set by
International bodies like W3C. It is suggested that the Indian Government website and
apps adhere to the common minimum standards which have been derived, in the form
of guidelines discussed in this document, as prerequisites to fulfill its primary objective of
being a citizen centric source of information & service delivery.

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