Government may launch eGreetings portal tomorrow

NEW DELHI: The government is likely to launch a website tomorrow, through which a user can send electronic greeting cards, under its 'Digital India' initiative.

The eGreetings portal aims to encourage people to increase the use of Internet by sending greetings to their friends and family on various occasions through the portal.

"The portal aims to promote sending eGreetings to colleagues and friends. It allows a user to select a greeting for various occasions and send it to friends and family," sources said.

The portal will be launched by Communication and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad tomorrow, they added.

To encourage citizen's participation, the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DEITY) will also start a campaign asking users of 'MyGov' site to contribute to the design bouquet of eGreetings.

Selected designs will become a part of the portal - www.egreetings.india.gov.in.

"The portal will also allow a user to select a quote of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which can be sent as part of the greeting," they said.

To send a greeting, a user needs to be a registered user of the government's email service or MyGov platform or the India Gov platform, sources added.

The Digital India initiative, under which the government will spend Rs 500 crore this fiscal, aims to bridge the divide between digital haves and have-nots.

The programme will ensure broadband connectivity at village level, improved access to services through IT-enabled platforms, greater transparency in government processes and increased indigenous production of IT hardware and software for exports and improved domestic availability.