Bridging Digital Divide: A Study on the UMANG Platform and Its Impact on E-Governance

This paper discusses the role of the UMANG platform in achieving the goal of addressing the digital divide in Indian e-governance. The UMANG platform aggregates nearly 2000 services across sectors—health, education, and finance—onto a singular mobile-first platform for which it strives to make accessible, transparent, and efficient. Under the Digital India initiative, the UMANG platform was launched in 2017. Despite rapid digitalisation in India, especially in cities, its rural pockets lag significantly in terms of internet usage penetration, marking only 37.3% in rural areas, respectively. The present research looks into how the same platform is trying to reduce that gap by providing services in 22 Indian languages [1], Assisted Mode for those without proper digital literacy, and real-time updates in the furtherance of tracking services. Citizen engagement in the right direction, UMANG has streamlined interactions, minimised bureaucratic delays, and created transparency. Problems, however, are still seated there like limited digital literacy, security of data, and resistance from some government departments. Finally, the study concludes that with continuous integration enhancements in digital security and wider citizen participation, UMANG can transform governance in India, paving the way towards realising the vision of Digital India.