Digital India program envisages transforming India into digital empowered society and knowledge economy. The Digital India vision provides the intensified impetus for further momentum and progress for e-Governance and would promote inclusive growth that covers electronic services, products, devices, manufacturing and job opportunities. Governance and Services on Demand is an important component in Digital India program and includes programs to offer Seamlessly integrated, Real Time online Services to Citizens with platforms enabled for electronic & cashless financial transactions. Ministries / Departments / States are being encouraged and supported to fully leverage the Common and Support ICT Infrastructure established by Government of India.

Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) has been tasked with evolving/ laying down standards and policy guidelines, provide technical and handholding support, undertake capacity building, R&D, etc. and further the Digital India vision. The aim is that all Government Departments/ Ministries/Agencies are in a position to collect and make payments in an electronic mode. DeitY envisions that multiple payments channels should be available to enable electronic transactions, ease of access and competitive transaction charges for users.

Department of Electronic and Information Technology (DeitY), Government of India envisages web-enabled anytime, anywhere access to information and services across the country, especially in rural and remote parts of India. DeitY further envisages common e-Governance infrastructure that will offer end-to-end transactional experience for a citizen, businesses as well as internal government functions which includes accessing various services through internet with payment gateway interface for online payments.

Apex Committee on Digital India under the Chairmanship of Cabinet Secretary has mandated a targeted approach to implement electronic payments and receipts across all Government Ministries and Departments.

In this regard, DeitY has prepared this framework, intended for all central and state ministries, departments and government agencies for expeditiously implementing appropriate mechanism to enable electronic payments and receipts.

The objective of this framework is to provide guidelines for departments to:

• Assess various services involving payments and receipts by types of services and level of electronic payment enablement
• Provide actionable instructions for universal adoption of electronic payment modes for each type of service through various payment channels.
• Provide information on engagement with various payment service providers.
• Provide details of the generic portal that DeitY is launching to host a repository of forms of departments for availing services with payment integration.

Draft Framework on Electronic Payments and Receipts for Government Departments

We invite your attention and comments on the Draft Framework by 18th December, 2015.