The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) has released the 33rd edition of the NeSDA (National e-Services Delivery Assessment) “Way Forward” report for January 2026, presenting a comprehensive snapshot of digital public service delivery across States and Union Territories. The findings indicate steady expansion in e-governance, with significant progress in saturation of mandatory services and the consolidation of unified service portals.
What Is NeSDA and Why It Matters?
Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) conducts the National e-Services Delivery Assessment (NeSDA) to evaluate and benchmark the effectiveness of online public service delivery.
NeSDA serves multiple objectives:
- Tracking digital service expansion across sectors.
- Assessing quality, accessibility, and integration of e-services.
- Encouraging competitive federalism among States/UTs.
- Identifying best practices in governance.
The January 2026 edition focuses on saturation of mandatory services, portal integration, and municipal-level digital transformation.
Key Numbers: Expansion of e-Services
The report records 24,563 e-services across States and UTs. Of these:
- 8,846 services relate to Local Governance and Utility Services — the highest among sectors.
- 473 new e-services were added since the previous report.
- 1,735 out of 2,124 mandatory e-services are available nationwide.
This translates to over 81% saturation of the 59 mandatory services identified for each State/UT.
States Achieving Full or Near-Full Saturation
Thirteen States have achieved 100% saturation of the 59 mandatory e-services, including Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.
Additionally, eight States/UTs — such as Maharashtra, Jammu & Kashmir, West Bengal and Telangana — have crossed the 90% saturation mark.
This pattern reflects increasing convergence in digital governance standards across regions, though disparities remain in service depth and backend integration.
Unified Service Delivery Portals and Best Practices
Several States/UTs have operationalised fully integrated portals delivering 100% of services through a single interface:
- Sewa Setu (Assam)
- e-UNNAT (Jammu & Kashmir)
- Seva Sindhu (Karnataka)
- Odisha One (Odisha)
- MP e-Service (Madhya Pradesh)
- Apuni Sarkar (Uttarakhand)
- e-Sevanam (Kerala)
Over 90% service coverage has also been achieved through portals like e-District Chandigarh, e-District Delhi, Saral Haryana and e-Mitra Rajasthan.
At the Central level, platforms such as Bhavishya (pension tracking system) and ICEGATE (customs and trade facilitation portal) have been highlighted as models of comprehensive digital delivery.
Municipal Governance and Citizen-Centric Reforms
Recognising that most citizen–state interactions occur at the municipal level, the report dedicates a chapter to city-level digital transformation. Municipal portals from Vijayawada and Telangana have been cited as examples of improved grievance redressal, service tracking, and payment integration.
This focus aligns with urban governance reforms under the Smart Cities Mission and Digital India framework, where service standardisation and transparency are key objectives.
AAKLAN Parameters and Assessment Framework
The report presents insights based on AAKLAN assessment parameters, which evaluate:
- Accessibility and ease of navigation.
- Service integration and backend readiness.
- Citizen interface quality.
- Transparency and grievance redress mechanisms.
The shift from mere availability of services to quality of service delivery reflects the maturing phase of India’s e-governance ecosystem.
Broader Governance Significance
The NeSDA findings underline three structural shifts in Indian governance:
- Digital Saturation: Rapid increase in online availability of essential services.
- Competitive Federalism: States benchmarking against each other in governance innovation.
- Unified Platforms: Movement towards single-window citizen interfaces.
However, challenges persist in ensuring last-mile digital access, cybersecurity safeguards, multilingual support, and data privacy.
What to Note for Prelims?
- NeSDA — National e-Services Delivery Assessment conducted by DARPG.
- 59 mandatory e-services benchmark for States/UTs.
- 24,563 total e-services reported in January 2026.
- Bhavishya and ICEGATE — examples of Central Government digital platforms.
- Unified Service Delivery Portals — single-window digital governance systems.
What to Note for Mains?
- Role of e-governance in improving transparency and accountability.
- Digital divide and challenges in last-mile connectivity.
- Competitive federalism in public administration reforms.
- Municipal-level digital transformation and urban governance.
- Balancing efficiency with data protection and citizen privacy.