The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) has issued guidelines for the 23rd National Awards for e-Governance (NAeG) 2026, inviting applications from government bodies, local institutions, startups, academic institutions and research organisations.
According to the notification, nominations can be submitted through the web portal www.nceg.gov.in between September 1 and October 15, 2025. The awards aim to recognise and promote excellence in the implementation of e-Governance initiatives across the country.
The 2026 edition will confer 16 awards — 10 Gold and six Silver — across seven categories:
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Government process re-engineering by use of technology for digital transformation
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Innovation by use of AI and other new-age technologies for citizen-centric services
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Best e-governance practices or innovation in cyber security
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District-level initiatives in e-Governance
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Grassroots-level initiatives by gram panchayats or equivalent traditional local bodies for deepening or widening service delivery
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Replication and scaling of nationally awarded and mission-mode e-Governance projects by states, union territories or districts
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Digital transformation by use of data analytics in digital platforms by central ministries, states or union territories
DARPG said projects eligible for consideration must have been launched between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2025, and be fully commissioned and operational as of August 1, 2025.
Each Gold Award will carry a trophy, a certificate and an incentive of ₹10 lakh, while each Silver Award will include a trophy, a certificate and an incentive of ₹5 lakh. The financial incentives are to be used for project or programme implementation or for bridging resource gaps in public welfare initiatives, the department said.
The National Awards for e-Governance, instituted in 2003, are presented annually during the National Conference on e-Governance. Past editions have recognised projects ranging from digitisation of land records and online grievance redressal systems to AI-enabled public health monitoring.
Officials said the awards help states and departments adopt successful models from other regions, thereby improving the reach and efficiency of government services.
