Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the fifth edition of the Global Conference on Cyber Space (GCCS) in New Delhi, launched a new mobile app — UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance) on Thursday, which will allow citizens to access government services on a single platform.
PM Modi wrote on Twitter about launching UMANG app, which will provide citizen services.
At the Global Conference on Cyber Space, launched the UMANG Mobile App, which will provide various citizen-centric services. @gccsofficial #GCCS2017 pic.twitter.com/djzSwegZOB
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 23, 2017
Indian citizen can download UMANG app by giving missed call on 9718397183 and also access it on ‘www.umang.gov.in‘. The UMANG app is developed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) and National e-Governance Division (NeGD).
The app supports 13 Indian languages and provides digital payment facility for utility and other services, according to media reports.
The UMANG app was earlier, slated to be released in December last year.
Law & Justice, Information Technology Minister of India, Ravi Shankar Prasad, shared a message on Twitter, saying that the app cab be used for “payment of various utility bills”.
Apart from more than 150 government services, you can use #Umang for payment of various utility bills as well. Please download Umang and share your feedback with us. To download click https://t.co/O3E0NhoPBe pic.twitter.com/rtPxizG6ns
— Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) November 22, 2017
The services live on the app include Aadhaar, DigiLocker, Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) among others. The UMANG app will provide access to over 1,200 services of various government organisations in states and at the Centre as well as utility payments.
Using the app, citizens will be able to access Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) services, apply for a new permanent account number (PAN), and those looking for jobs can register themselves under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana.
More than 162 services from 33 departments and four states are already live on it. The app is available on Android, iOS and Windows phones.
During the conference, PM Modi said it was of utmost importance to make sure that vulnerable sections of society do not fall prey to cyber criminals.
“Nations must also take responsibility to ensure that the digital space does not become a playground for the dark forces of terrorism and radicalisation,” PM Modi said after inaugurating the two-day conference.
“We need to ensure that vulnerable sections of our society do not fall prey to the evil designs of cyber criminals. Alertness towards cyber-security concerns should become a way of life,” he added.
“The global community needs to approach the issue of cyber-security with confidence, as much as with resolve. Cyber-space technologies must remain an enabler for our people,” he added.
The theme of the conference this year is Cyber4All: A Secure and Inclusive Cyberspace for Sustainable Development.
(With agency inputs)