I&B Ministry
Efficient digital transition; MyGov.in pockets citizen engagement award
NEW DELHI: MyGov website has won the Platinum Award for the Most Innovative Citizen Engagement while the Online Management, Monitoring and Accounting System (OMMAS) for Pradhan Mantri Gram SadakYojana (PMGSY) won the Gold Award.
The Silver Award was won by Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation. The Jury Choice was given to IT Initiatives of SimhasthKumbh, Ujjain.
Communications and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad presented the first “Digital India Awards” as part of the Government’s ambitious programme of “Digital India” on its axiom of “Minimum Government and Maximum Governance”.
The awards are for those who facilitate the Government’s efforts to promote and uphold the use of World Wide Web for enhancing efficiency and transparency of Government Machinery and encouraging its speedy transition towards Digital India.
The first edition of the awards was organized by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) under the ambit of India Portal (http://india.gov.in).
Digital innovation along with E-Governance initiatives of Government Ministries and Departments across India were evaluated under various categories. Three awards Platinum, Gold and Silver were presented in each category to the winners shortlisted from the nominations received under each category.
The categories included Exemplary Online Service, Open Data Champion, Most Innovative Citizen Engagement, Outstanding Digital Initiative by Local body, Best Mobile App, Web Ratna – Ministry/ Department, Web Ratna – State/ UT, Web Ratna-District.
In the Outstanding Digital Initiative by Local Body Platinum Award was bagged by Surat Municipal Corporation, followed by Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation and Web and Mobile based Integrated Complaint Logging and Resolution Tracking System – Madurai Corporation winning the Gold and Silver award respectively.
The Jury Choice was given e-NagarSewaUP – Electronic Workflow based Reform for ULBs in Uttar Pradesh.
In the Exemplary Online Service Category Platinum Award was bagged by VYAS- VarnijYakar Automation System for Department of Commercial Taxes, Uttar Pradesh, followed by E-permit, Commercial tax department, Gujarat and One Stop Clearance System, Punjab Bureau of Investment Promotion winning the Gold and Silver award respectively.
In the Open Data Champion Category Platinum Award was won by Office of the Registrar General, India. The Health and Family Welfare and Directorate of Marketing & Inspection won the Gold Award. The Silver award was bagged by the Rajya Sabha and National Crime Records Bureau.
For Best Mobile App, Citizen Cop Mobile App Chattisgarh won the Platinum Award. Mid-Day Meal Mobile App, Himachal Pradesh won the Gold Award. The Silver Award was won by GARV – GrameenVidyutikaran App Ministry of Power.
For Web Ratna – Ministry / Department category, the Platinum was bagged by Human Resource Development Ministry, Gold by Health & Family Welfare Ministry, and Silver by External Affairs Ministry.
For Web Ratna – State/ UT category the Platinum award has been won by Rajasthan followed by Tamil Nadu and Haryana in the Gold and Silver section respectively. For Web Ratna – District category the Platinum award has been won by Website of Collectorate, North Goa, followed by e-Governance friendly website & Initiatives of District Kupwara, J&K and district administration Udham Singh Nagar website, Uttarakhand in the Gold and Silver section respectively.
A Compendium for Digital India Awards 2016 was also released on this occasion. A comprehensive government services portal was also launched by the Shri P. P. Chaudhary on this occasion.
Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology P P Chaudhary; Electronics & Information Technology|(MeitY) Secretary Aruna Sundarrajan, Principal Scientific Advisor R Chidambaram; MeitY Additional Secretary Ajay Kumar, NIC DG Neeta Verma, and Senior officials from (MeitY), NIC, state and Central Senior dignitaries were also present.
Digital India Awards plays a major role in recognizing the noteworthy and sustainable initiatives in the realm of e-Governance for better delivery of information and services. At the same time Digital India Awards have re-established itself as an important platform to disseminate information about such path breaking initiatives, encouraging others to customize and replicate the successful solutions. The Awards through its unique initiative has contributed to the overall increase in quality and quantity of web presence of various government departments across the country. Most importantly, it has created an atmosphere for further innovation in the web based services sphere promoting and encouraging Government Departments/Ministries and States to come out with their best.
I&B Ministry
Prasar Bharati sets EPG standards for DD Free Dish platform
New specs define 7-day guide, LCN mapping, and device compatibility.
MUMBAI: Your TV guide just got a backstage pass structured, scheduled, and far more in sync. Prasar Bharati has released detailed technical specifications for Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) services on DD Free Dish, laying down a standardised framework for how channels and programme information are organised and delivered. At the core of the update is a defined EPG data structure, covering genre-based categorisation, scheduling formats, and Logical Channel Numbering (LCN). The aim is simple: make navigation less guesswork and more guided experience across the platform’s over 40 million households.
The specifications also introduce a seven-day programme guide window for each channel, alongside clear rules for channel grouping and LCN mapping effectively deciding not just what you watch, but how easily you find it.
On the technical front, the document outlines requirements for Program Specific Information (PSI) and Service Information (SI), including descriptor usage across tables such as PAT, BAT and NIT. It further details service lists and network linkage parameters, giving OEMs and developers a clearer blueprint for integration.
Importantly, the framework is designed to work seamlessly with television sets equipped with in-built satellite tuners, enabling users to access DD Free Dish directly without additional hardware, an incremental but meaningful step towards simplifying access.
The platform will continue to operate on GSAT-15 transponders, using MPEG-4 compression and DVB-S2 transmission standards, ensuring continuity even as the interface evolves.
While largely technical, the move signals a broader push towards standardisation and user-friendly discovery in India’s free-to-air ecosystem because sometimes, the real upgrade isn’t what’s on screen, but how easily you get there.
