The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) recently included map services in UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance) App. This move allows citizens to find and see the government facilities nearest to their location, including mandis and blood banks, on the most detailed and interactive maps of India at street and village level, developed by MapmyIndia company.
Overview of UMANG
UMANG mobile app is an all-in-one single, unified, secure, multi-channel, multi-lingual, multi-service mobile app, rolled out by the Government of India. It currently offers more than 2000 services and aims to expedite mobile governance in India. The app seeks to enhance the ‘Ease of Living’ for citizens by providing them with easy access to various Indian government services ranging from Healthcare, Finance, Education, Housing, Energy, Agriculture, Transport to even Utility and Employment and Skills.
Key Partnerships
Key partners of UMANG include Employee Provident Fund Organization, Direct Benefit Transfer scheme departments, Employee State Insurance Corporation, Ministries of Health, Education, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Staff Selection Commission (SSC). These partnerships have played a key role in making diverse services accessible via one platform.
Development and Recognition of UMANG
UMANG is a product of the National e-Governance Division (NeGD), Ministry of Electronics & IT and is part of the ‘Digital India’ initiative. It has received the ‘Best m-Government service’ award at the 6th World Government Summit held in Dubai, UAE in February 2018. This recognition brings to light the effectiveness of this platform in simplifying access to government services.
The International Version of UMANG
An international version of the app, ‘UMANG International’, was launched in 2020 to mark three years of UMANG. This version is made available in select countries including USA, UK, Canada, Australia, UAE, Netherlands, Singapore, New Zealand. It caters to Indian international students, NRIs and Indian tourists abroad, enabling them to avail Government of India services anytime. Additionally, it showcases ‘Indian Culture’ services available on UMANG, thereby generating interest among foreign tourists to visit India.
The Integration of Map Services
The recent integration of map services into UMANG enables citizens to visually locate nearest government facilities such as mandis and blood banks on the most interactive and detailed maps of India at street and village level. These maps have been developed by MapmyIndia company, a leading provider of digital maps and location-based services. This feature is particularly useful for citizens seeking to physically access these facilities.