2020 · GS Paper 2 · Q8 · 10 marks
The emergence of Fourth Industrial Revolution (Digital Revolution) has initiated e-Governance as an integral part of government. Discuss.
In short
The Fourth Industrial Revolution has made e-governance integral to the Indian state, which now identifies, pays, monitors and serves citizens through digital platforms. Aadhaar and UPI, which processed 1,789 crore transactions in April 2025, carry welfare directly, though the digital divide and privacy risks remain.
Model answer
Ghissu Editorial · Verified 4 Oct 2026 · 273 words
Identity and payments
Aadhaar covers over 130 crore people (MeitY, 2024-25) and UPI processed 1,789 crore transactions in April 2025 (NITI Aayog, 2025), so DBT pays beneficiaries without intermediaries.
Frontier technology
SVAMITVA (2020) maps rural homes with drones, faceless tax assessment (2020) allots cases by algorithm, and Bhashini brings AI translation to services.
Connected platforms
PRAGATI reviews stalled projects with States over live dashboards, and UMANG offers about 2,300 services in 23 languages (PIB, 2025), making the phone the main counter of government.
Digital divide
NFHS-5 (2019-21) found only 33.3% of women had ever used the internet against 57.1% of men.
Privacy and exclusion
Puttaswamy (2017) made privacy a fundamental right, the AIIMS ransomware attack (2022) exposed weak security, and biometric failures in Jharkhand's PDS denied rations to genuine cardholders.
Process lag
The 2nd ARC (2008) warned that digitising unreformed processes only digitises red tape, so technology without re-engineering adds little.
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This chapter in the exam
e-Governance — Applications, Models, Successes, Limitations and Potential6 questions
Asked in 6 of 14 sittings since 2013
- 2025e-governance projects have a built-in bias towards technology and back-end integration than user-centric designs. Examine.
- 2024e-governance is not just about the routine application of digital technology in service delivery process. It is as much about multifarious interactions for ensuring transparency and accountability. In this context evaluate the role of the Interactive Service Model of e-governance.
All 6 questions, sorted by sub-topic, with model answers and practice.
Question from the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination 2020 paper. Answer written by Ghissu's engine and checked against our editorial standards. Found an error? Tell us and we correct it within 48 hours.