Kapil Sibal launches e-governance application store

New Delhi: In a major step towards curbing the inefficiencies plaguing the functioning of the government in terms of providing services online to its citizens, IT and Telecom minister, Kapil Sibal launched an e-governance application store today.

This appstore will allow citizens to receive information in an efficient and a much-simplified manner. It is hosted by the DeitY and has been designed and developed by the NIC.

The appstore will start with 20 apps, of which 'roughly half' will be directly accessible to the public (g2c). The number is expected to rise to 100 within three years.

They are categorized into 'runnable' and 'downloadable' apps in which citizens can directly use all he runnable apps but maybe restricted in using the downloadable apps.

The 'government to government' (g2g) apps can be open to the public if it is made runnable by the concerned department.

The criteria for the applications included a 'citizen-centric focus' with high transactional value in which private players are allowed to host. Broadly the downloading of apps is categorized into 'freely-downloadable apps', 'downloadable with cost apps' and 'restricted apps', which can only be used by the government and the judiciary.

""Within three months, policies based on the usage of these applications will be formed', Sibal said.

The features provided in the appstore site include sharing of applications, search for applications, basic information about an application when selected, user feedback and rating of an application, downloading of an application after authentication of user and a 'two level approval process' for contributing applications.

This appstore will be a part of the GI Cloud and its mechanisms will provide for a complete ecosystem in which applications developed by the Centre, States and private players will feature in the appstore with the inclusion of aspects such as funding and contract management.

The concept of the functioning of this 'e-Gov appstore' was summed up by Kapil Sibal as 'What Apple provides its customers, the Government of India is providing its citizens.'