Digital Governance

• •Source: DH*

Subject: Governance

Context: India’s draft amendments to the IT Rules, 2021 have reignited debate in February 2026 over how to effectively curb deepfakes and synthetically generated content.

• The discussion has now shifted from platform takedowns to the urgent need for content provenance, mandating traceable digital tags or watermarks on all AI-generated media.

About Digital Governance:

What it is?

• Digital governance is the application of digital technologies (like AI, blockchain, and cloud computing) and constitutional principles (like transparency, accountability, and the rule of law) to transform public administration.

• It is not just about digitizing paperwork; it is a fundamental shift in how the state, market, and citizens interact to ensure services are fast, inclusive, and future-ready.

Data & Facts on Digital Governance:

• Economic Impact: The digital economy contributed 13.42% to India’s national income in 2024–25 and is projected to reach nearly one-fifth of the GDP by 2030.

• Infrastructure Reach: As of 2025, over 97% of Indian villages are covered by mobile connectivity, with 4.74 lakh 5G towers installed across 99.6% of districts.

• Digital Identity: 142 crore Aadhaar IDs have been generated as of April 2025, forming the backbone of the world’s largest biometric-based service delivery system.

• Fast Payments: India is a global leader in real-time payments; UPI processed ₹24.03 lakh crore via 18.39 billion transactions in June 2025 alone.

• e-Governance Scale: The DigiLocker platform reached 53.92 crore users by mid-2025, significantly reducing physical paperwork for essential services.

Need for Digital Governance in India:

• Ensuring Democratic Integrity: AI-generated deepfakes can skew public discourse and incite unrest during elections.

E.g. During the 2025 state elections, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) had to intervene when fabricated videos of political figures were used to incite communal tension.

• Combating Gendered Cyber-Abuse: Synthetic media is disproportionately used for non-consensual sexual content targeting women.

E.g. In 2025, the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal saw a sharp rise in deepfake-related complaints, with over 90% of global deepfakes being pornographic, a trend reflected in India.

• Financial Security & Fraud Prevention: Deepfakes and synthetic identities are being used for direct monetization through banking fraud.

E.g. Reports from early 2026 show that one in five biometric fraud attempts in India now involve animated selfies or face swaps designed to bypass remote KYC systems.

• Inclusive Service Delivery: Breaking language barriers is essential for a multilingual population to access their rights.

E.g. The BHASHINI platform now supports 35+ languages, enabling pilgrims at the Maha Kumbh 2025 to navigate the event using AI voice-assistants in their own dialects.

• Administrative Efficiency & Accountability: Digital tools reduce leakages and middleman corruption in welfare schemes.

E.g. The Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system saved crores by eliminating ghost beneficiaries in PM-KISAN and other social sector schemes throughout 2025.

Challenges Associated with Digital Governance:

• Algorithmic Opacity: Automated decisions in welfare or policing often lack transparency, making it hard for citizens to appeal.

E.g. In January 2026, concerns were raised over black-box AI systems used for predictive policing that could potentially entrench social biases.

• Surveillance & Privacy Erosion: Constant monitoring through biometrics and facial recognition can create a chilling effect on free speech.

E.g. The 2026 Digital Constitutionalism debate was sparked by fears that excessive data collection under new security apps could lead to state overreach.

• The Digital & Literacy Divide: Structural inequality arises when those without high-speed internet or digital skills are excluded from essential services.

E.g. Despite 5G expansion, rural pockets in 2025 still faced technological exclusion where elderly citizens struggled with biometric-only ration distributions.

• Concentration of Power: A few Big-Tech platforms now act as quasi-sovereign powers, regulating speech and economic access without democratic oversight.

E.g. The Digital Competition Bill, 2024–25 was proposed specifically to curb the dominance of tech giants over the Indian app ecosystem.

• High Infrastructure & Maintenance Costs: Constantly updating systems to stay ahead of cybercriminals is an expensive, perpetual cycle.

E.g. The National Cyber Security Strategy aims to cut cybercrime by 50% by 2026, but requires massive investments in state-of-the-art forensic labs.

Ethical Principles Associated:

• Accountability (*Dharma*): Every AI-assisted decision must trace back to a responsible human decision-maker.

• Justice (*Nyaya*): Systems must be fair, explainable, and respect India’s diversity in language and culture.

• Transparency: Citizens have the right to know when they are interacting with synthetic media or an algorithm.

• Decisional Autonomy: Technology should empower individuals to make informed choices, not manipulate their perceptions through deepfakes.

Way Ahead:

• Designate a Lead Regulator: Create an autonomous AI/Digital regulator to unify fragmented oversight across MeitY and other ministries.

• Implement ‘CrediMark’: Mandatory persistent digital tags for all synthetic content (provenance) that cannot be easily stripped.

• Risk-Tiered Obligations: Stricter duties for high-impact zones like elections, government comms, and financial markets.

• Regulatory Sandboxes: Allow startups to test advanced watermarking and detection tools under supervision to foster safe-innovation.

• Public Awareness & Infrastructure: Launch national media-forensics labs and large-scale digital literacy campaigns to help citizens identify synthetic content.

Conclusion:

India’s journey toward Viksit Bharat 2047 relies on a digital governance model that balances rapid innovation with constitutional guardrails. By moving from platform moderation to systemic integrity through provenance and lead regulation, India can ensure that technology remains a tool for human dignity rather than an instrument of deception. This layered vision for 2026 positions India as a global leader in responsible AI and trusted digital infrastructure.

Q. e-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. (Answer in 250 words)