Govt seeks ideas to push AI-driven e-governance

As the government looks to scale up AI-backed face authentication across its offices and deepen penetration of e-services delivery to citizens, it is closely looking at how AI can be deployed in future models of e-governance with experts proposing a range of solutions from diagnosis of cataracts to crop diseases besides an Aadhar 2.0 and treating the family as a governance unit.

The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) recently brainstormed with nearly 15 domain experts from EY to PwC to stay in step with sweeping technology shifts and plan future public service delivery models using AI.

PWC, for instance, has submitted the case of rising cataracts in the country and how diagnosis can be timely, simplified and made cost effective through a smartphone app that can be used for both self-diagnosis and by volunteers on a door-to-door basis.


For farmers, a similar ‘automated grain quality assessment’ is recommended to speed up procurement besides using an AI-powered app to identify crop pests and diseases, and offer personalised farming advice based on climatic conditions, available subsidies, better farming practices and demand-supply trajectory.

PwC has also advocated a generative AI-based WhatsApp conversational assist service for citizen engagement, given India’s WhatsApp user base of 487.5 million.

KPMG has pitched using generative AI to ensure personalised attention in local languages to students based on previous academic records and test scores to address learning gaps, failure rates and access to accurate learning material.

Similarly, the use of AI for real time monitoring of road construction, sewage and utility mapping as well as vehicle violation detection are cited as potential areas of application. The experts have also suggested augmented reality-based guided tours to boost the potential of India’s tourist places.

Deloitte, meanwhile, has strongly pitched using genAI to make automated drawing up of Request for Proposals (RFPs), contracts, statement of work, legislations as well as summarising governmental or policy documents for citizens.

It also says that AI can help check bias in feedback on policy making and if only a particular section/sections are amplifying a viewpoint to influence policy decisions.

A ’Virtual Public Servant’ has been mooted as well- for a personalised citizen engagement in a natural language and by culling information from myriads of government sources across departments.

“The idea was basically that the government stays updated on technology advancement. We may not always have that expertise in house, hence the need to consult domain experts especially given the demand and need to scale up. For instance, just in the last eight months, over 6,000 eservices have been brought in. We need to saturate this space. Hence the need for face authentication for service delivery, Chat Gpt and e services- issues discussed with experts,” said V. Srinivas, secretary, DARPG.

Deploying AI for advancing tech security landscape, cross border collaboration, data assessment for defence and security decisions are also among the suggestions besides personalised patient-focused health solutions.

Primus, on the other hand, has advocated moving the focus to benefit management for the family unit rather than just the individual and backing it through Aadhar 2.0 as well certified use of data for privacy checks.

EY has suggested tapping advancements in Natural Language Processing to make grievance redressal mechanisms in multiple languages, backed with audio visual elements to make it more inclusive and improve service quality and design.