National e-Governance Reforms Conference Opens in Dharamshala

The two-day National Conference on e-Governance Reforms opened on 16 October 2026 at Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh. Organised by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, it brought together officials of the Central Government, States and Union Territories along with subject experts to discuss digital transformation and technology-led public service delivery.

Who spoke at the opening

• Smt. Nivedita Shukla Verma, Secretary, DARPG, delivered the welcome address
• Shri Kamlesh Kumar Pant, Chief Secretary, Himachal Pradesh
• Shri Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh
• Shri Puneet Yadav, Additional Secretary, DARPG, gave the vote of thanks

The Chief Minister said reforms must serve the welfare of beneficiaries and that modern technology can be a key tool for meeting future challenges, adding that his government wants quality services delivered closer to people's homes. He thanked Union Minister of State (Personnel) Dr Jitendra Singh and DARPG for bringing the conference to his State. The Secretary, DARPG, pointed to the nominations received for the National Awards for e-Governance and the Prime Minister's Awards as evidence of innovation in districts, States and ministries, and said the real task is to take a pilot that works in one place and make it work in many. The Chief Secretary explained how digital governance is cutting procedural hurdles and taking services to people's doorsteps.

Himachal Pradesh initiatives showcased

Day one put five State initiatives on display: Him Parivar, Sukhashraya, Vidya Samiksha Kendra, Green Himachal and the Rajiv Gandhi Van Samvardhan Yojna, covering health, social justice, education, environment and forest conservation.

National initiatives presented

Award-winning projects from across the country were presented to show how digital platforms, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies are being used in governance. These included AgriStack, e-Jagriti, the AI-enabled Clinical Decision Support System in the e-Sanjeevani telemedicine service, the Multi Hazard Early Warning Decision Support System, iGOT Karmayogi, eAarogya Dhamni, the District Court Case Management System, ICMR-MINDS, the India Hypertension Control Initiative and Digi Yatra.

What day two holds

The second day, on 17 October 2026, will take up cybersecurity, best practices in e-governance, replication of successful models, data analytics, and initiatives at the State, district and grassroots levels, before the valedictory session closes the conference.