Q.Describe the various e-Governance initiatives taken in India to bring public services online.

India has pursued e-Governance through a broad national effort, best remembered by the categories of services rather than individual scheme names.

India has launched a wide programme of e-Governance to bring public services online, guided over the years by national plans for electronic service delivery and, more recently, by the government's broad Digital India programme, whose aim is to deliver government services to citizens electronically and to strengthen digital infrastructure and literacy across the country. The main kinds of initiatives are described below (exact scheme names change over time as services are added and upgraded).

1. Citizen-service portals and mobile applications. Single-window websites and apps bring many departments' services together at one electronic point, so a citizen can access several services without visiting each office separately.
2. Online tax and financial services. The electronic filing of income tax returns and the online registration, filing and payment of Goods and Services Tax (GST) let individuals and businesses meet their obligations from home.
3. Digital document storage. An electronic 'locker' lets citizens keep and share official documents — certificates, licences, mark-sheets — securely online, removing the need to carry physical copies.
4. A unique digital identity system. Each resident is given a verifiable identity number, used to authenticate citizens for many services and to deliver benefits directly to them.
5. Common service centres. Local electronic access points, especially in rural and remote areas, help citizens who lack their own internet to obtain online services with assistance.
6. Government e-marketplace and e-procurement / e-tendering. Government departments buy goods and services online, and invite and process tenders electronically, in an open and competitive way (a G2B application).
7. Sector-specific portals. Dedicated online systems handle passports, railway reservation, land and property records, electricity and other utility bills, pensions, and public grievances. …

Trying to memorise a long list of exact scheme names (which change over time) instead of the categories. Remember the TYPES of initiative (citizen portal, online tax filing, document locker, digital identity, common s …