Gujarat Digitises 20 High-Demand Citizen Services Under Sugam Initiative, Aiming For Faceless, Cashless, And Paperless Governance

Gandhinagar: Acting on the recommendations of the fifth report of the Gujarat Administrative Reforms Committee (GARC), the state government has digitised around 20 of the most sought-after citizen services across multiple departments.

Strong Digital Foundation

According to the GARC report, nearly 4% of services available under the Digital Gujarat platform have already been enabled for full end-to-end digital delivery. A large number of services are presently delivered through Jan Seva Kendras and e-Gram centres, reflecting the State’s strong service delivery framework while also offering substantial opportunity to further expand digital access and enhance citizen convenience.

The Digital Gujarat platform currently receives approximately 1.20 crore applications annually, demonstrating its widespread adoption among citizens. Notably, around 87 lakh applications are received annually under these twenty high-transaction citizen services, highlighting their critical role in routine citizen-government interactions.

Leadership Vision

Under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, the Sugam Digital Gujarat Initiative is being spearheaded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of Gujarat. The initiative aims to advance faceless, cashless, and paperless governance, ensuring that government services become more seamless, transparent, and accessible to citizens at their fingertips.

This initiative reflects the Gujarat government’s continued commitment to realising Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of a developed India, with technology-enabled and citizen-focused governance at its core.

Services Covered in Phase One

The first phase of the initiative covers 20 high-demand services from five major departments:

• Social Justice and Empowerment

• Revenue

• Legal

• Food and Civil Supplies

• Tribal Development

Citizens can access these services through the Digital Gujarat portal.

Social Justice and Empowerment Department (SJED):

• SEBC certificates (rural/urban)

• Non-Creamy Layer certificates (State and Central)

• SC certificates

• EWS certificates

• Income certificates (rural/urban)

Food and Civil Supplies Department (FCS):

• Addition or deletion of names in ration cards

• Corrections in ration cards

• Separate ration cards

• New ration cards

• Duplicate ration cards

*Revenue Department:*

• Requests for certified copies

Tribal Development Department:

• Scheduled Tribe (ST) caste certificates

Legal Department:

• Other Ready affidavits

Key Features and Benefits

Under Digital Gujarat, these 20 citizen-oriented services receive the highest number of applications. With services moving online, data entered once by citizens can be reused across multiple services. The government has simplified application forms by eliminating unnecessary document requirements and enabling digital verification.

Key digital features include:

• Aadhaar-based authentication

• API-driven online record verification

• DigiLocker integration

• eSign facility

• WhatsApp-based service delivery

• QR code-enabled certificates

• UPI-based online payments

These features collectively enhance ease of access, transparency, and service efficiency for citizens.

Future Roadmap

Under the Sugam Digital Gujarat Initiative, additional citizen services will be progressively brought under end-to-end digital delivery in a phased manner. The government also plans to undertake modern technology-driven projects such as:

• Covering more services under the ambit of Sugam Digital Gujarat Initiative

• Development of Gujarati language AI models

• Expanded digital integration across departments

Impact of Reforms

Faster Service Delivery:

Government Process Re-engineering (GPR) will reduce approval layers and significantly shorten processing time.

Greater Transparency:

Faceless services will enable transparent and real-time tracking of applications.

Cost and Time Savings:

Reduced dependency on physical visits will help citizens save both travel time and expenses.

Improved Data Accuracy:

API integration and Data Lake initiatives will enhance data reliability and minimise errors in certificates.