In a major step towards digital governance, the Gujarat government has moved around 20 high-demand citizen services completely online, making them faster, easier and more transparent for people across the state.
The reform comes after recommendations from the Gujarat Administrative Reforms Committee (GARC), with the initiative being implemented under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. The project is part of the larger “Sugam Digital Gujarat Initiative,” aimed at creating a faceless, paperless and cashless governance system.
Currently, the Digital Gujarat platform receives around 1.2 crore applications every year, showing its wide usage among citizens. Out of these, nearly 87 lakh applications are linked to the 20 key services that are now being fully digitised, highlighting their importance in daily public interactions with government offices.
Officials said that about 4% of all services on the platform are already available with complete end-to-end digital delivery, while many others are still being processed through Jan Seva Kendras and e-Gram centres. The government plans to gradually expand digital access further.
The first phase of this initiative covers services from five major departments—Social Justice and Empowerment, Revenue, Legal, Food and Civil Supplies, and Tribal Development. These include important services such as caste certificates (SC, ST, SEBC), income certificates, EWS certificates, non-creamy layer certificates, ration card services (new cards, corrections, additions and deletions), certified copies from the revenue department, and affidavits from the legal department.
One of the biggest advantages of the new system is that citizens will no longer need to submit the same information repeatedly. Data entered once can be reused across multiple services. The government has also simplified application forms by removing unnecessary documentation and enabling digital verification.
Several advanced digital features have been introduced to improve efficiency and user experience. These include Aadhaar-based authentication, API-based online verification of records, DigiLocker integration for document storage, eSign for digital signatures, QR code-enabled certificates, UPI-based payments, and even WhatsApp-based service updates.
Officials say these changes will significantly reduce processing time, cut down the need for physical visits to government offices, and improve transparency by allowing real-time tracking of applications. Citizens are expected to save both time and money, while the system will also reduce errors through better data integration.
Looking ahead, the Gujarat government plans to bring more services under the Sugam Digital Gujarat Initiative in phases. It is also working on developing Gujarati-language AI models and expanding digital integration across departments to strengthen governance further.
The move reflects the state’s broader push to align with Prime Minister Narendra Modi vision of a technology-driven, citizen-centric governance system, aiming to make public services accessible at the click of a button.
