IT Minister advocates for technology-driven governance platform for improving local administration

Minister for Information Technology and Digital Services Palanivel Thiaga Rajan on Saturday advocated for a technology-driven governance platform that utilises integrated data to establish the institutional memory and administrative continuity currently missing from the system of municipal administration.

Speaking at the India Civic Summit 2026 organised by the Oorvani Foundation here on Saturday, the Minister said: “The notion of a life with dignity should be the basis for social equity, and citizens must not have to struggle for basic needs like drinking water, toilets, or hygiene.”

Stressing the need to overcome systemic failures, he said: “Rapid urbanisation has led to a model where politicians announce first and plan later, resulting in large-scale projects where execution is a complete failure.”

Giving an overview of a model that prioritises automated inclusion for vulnerable populations and the expansion of friction-free, decentralised services, such as digital health checks and e-service centres, to minimise the need for physical government interactions, he said: “Better societies lead to better economies.”

Giving the keynote address on ‘Reclaiming citizens’ right to the city’, Tikender Panwar, Urbanist and Former Deputy Mayor of Shimla, underscored that Indian cities are increasingly exclusionary, driven by extractive models of development that weaken democratic participation and reduce public services from rights to commodities. He argued that real decentralisation must go beyond administrative reform to empower people directly. Citing Kerala’s newly approved urban policy, he highlighted innovations such as city cabinets, citizen, worker and business councils, neighbourhood-level planning, youth representation, and digital town halls, all aimed at reclaiming the right to the city through participatory, bottom-up governance.

Lakshmi Narasimhan, CEO, Banyan Academy of Leadership in Mental Health, noted that “Urban governance can be the most powerful form of hope infrastructure, when people across the city, including those at the margins, can believe that their aspirations matter, their participation counts, and the city recognises them not as populations to be managed, but as active citizens.” 

Civic activist Kamakshi Paati was present at the event, along with Oorvani Foundation trustees Ashwin Mahesh, Meenakshi Ramesh, and Meera K.  Pratiksha Deolekar, Praja, V R Vachana – Janaagraha, Subham Chattopadhyay – eGov foundation, Poornima Jayaraj – CAG and Kayalvizhi Jayakumar – GCC Councillor participated in a plenary panel on Inside the city government: How tech, data and processes come together, which discussed how India’s city governments function, and processes help in transforming governance to better serve citizens. 

The participants at the event sought to promote citizen participation in shaping urban governance. The summit provided a platform to facilitate dialogues and activities that inspire citizen-led climate and civic action. It brought together active citizens, communities, civil society organisations, researchers, urban experts, and decision-makers to explore solutions that could make our cities more liveable, sustainable and equitable. There was also a special spotlight on community initiatives and stories from the ground.

Through a day-long event of curated talks, panels, workshops and interactive events, attendees explored the critical role of citizens in transforming urban governance and showcased the power of citizen agency in addressing India’s urban challenges. The various sessions explored how data, technology and processes can enable better urban governance, tools for hands-on civic engagement, inclusive city planning and governance and best practices to bridge the gap between institutions and citizens.