'Visakhapatnam Declaration' roadmap for India’s digital transformation: Centre

Visakhapatnam, Sep 23 (PTI) A national conference co-hosted by the Centre concluded here on Tuesday with the adoption of the “Visakhapatnam Declaration" aimed at charting the roadmap for the country's digital transformation.

The declaration also underlined the need to extend digital governance to regions facing connectivity challenges, particularly the North-East and Ladakh, by enhancing coverage of mandatory e-Services under the NeSDA (National e-Governance Services Delivery Assessment) framework.

It called for a whole-of-government approach to strengthen civil services with digital competencies and agile, data-driven frameworks, a statement issued by the Union Personnel Ministry said.

It proposed scaling up artificial intelligence-driven platforms like Digital India BHASHINI and Digi Yatra to deliver multilingual, real-time, and sector-specific citizen services with a focus on ethical and transparent adoption of AI.

"The declaration also committed to accelerating the rollout of the National Agri Stack to provide farmers with better access to credit, advisories, and markets while encouraging climate-smart and sustainable farming practices," the statement said.

The 28th National Conference on e-Governance (NCeG), co-hosted by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), and the government of Andhra Pradesh, concluded in with the adoption of the “Visakhapatnam Declaration”, it said.

The two-day conference outlined a forward-looking strategy to advance India’s e-governance agenda.

At the valedictory session, V Srinivas, Secretary DARPG, lauded the government of Andhra Pradesh for successfully hosting the conference outside the state capital after many years, terming it one of the most substantive e-governance gatherings in recent times.

He highlighted the wide participation from 18 ministries, states and Union territories, and congratulated the winners of the national e-governance awards 2025.

Centered on the theme “Viksit Bharat: Civil Service and Digital Transformation”, the conference reaffirmed the national vision of “Viksit Bharat 2047” and the principle of “minimum government, maximum governance”.

Delegates stressed that emerging technologies including artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain, Geographic Information System, Internet of Things and data analytics must serve as enablers of transparent, sustainable, and citizen-focused governance.

Ensuring cybersecurity, digital trust, and resilience in safeguarding critical infrastructure was highlighted as a national priority, the statement said.

Robust measures, including zero-trust architecture, post-quantum security, and AI-enabled monitoring systems, were identified as essential to building cyber resilience across sectors such as transport, defence, and citizen service platforms, it said.

"The Visakhapatnam Declaration sets the tone for India’s digital governance strategy over the coming years, with an emphasis on inclusivity, security, and innovation to empower citizens and strengthen service delivery," the statement added. PTI AKV NB