eChapters

Introduction 
Digital governance in India has made remarkable strides over the past two decades, transitioning from isolated digitisation projects to an integrated, citizen-centric governance ecosystem. Enabled by policy reforms, technological innovation, and infrastructural development, digital governance has become a cornerstone of the country’s public service delivery, transparency, and accountability. However, the ambitious expansion of digital governance has also encountered systemic and structural challenges that continue to hinder its full realisation. These challenges are not merely technological but are deeply embedded in socio-political, administrative, and economic contexts that define the Indian public administration landscape. While the progress has been notable, the sustainability and inclusiveness of digital governance remain contingent on the country’s ability to address these entrenched constraints. Despite substantial advances, several persistent challenges threaten the transformative potential of digital governance in India. Chief among them is the digital divide across rural-urban, gender, economic, and social lines, which inhibits equitable access to digital services. According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5, 2019–21), internet usage in rural areas remains alarmingly low, with only 33% of women and 57% of men reporting regular access. Infrastructural constraints, human resource limitations, weak system interoperability, cyber-security threats, and concerns about data protection and digital rights compound these disparities. The post-2015 period has witnessed transformative initiatives under the Digital India Programme, including the proliferation of platforms such as Aadhaar, DigiLocker, Unified Payments Interface (UPI), and MyGov, among others (MeitY, 2022). While these developments have significantly enhanced service accessibility and administrative efficiency, they have simultaneously revealed critical gaps in digital infrastructure, policy coherence, data governance, and institutional capacities. For instance, the rural-urban digital divide, disparities

Introduction 
India’s digital governance journey represents a transformative reimagining of public administration in the 21st century. The integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) into governance structures has enabled a paradigmatic shift from hierarchical, rigid, and often exclusionary bureaucratic systems to more responsive, transparent, participatory, and citizen-centric governance mechanisms (Bhatnagar, 2004; Madon, 2009; Singh, 2013; Rao et al., 2020). This shift aligns with global trends in public administration, where digitalization is seen as a means to enhance state capacity, citizen engagement, and administrative efficiency. India’s progress in this domain is evidenced by its improved performance in international indices. For instance, the United Nations E-Government Development Index (EGDI) 2022 places India 105th out of 193 countries, with notable improvements in the Online Services Index (OSI) and Human Capital Index (HCI), making it one of South Asia’s top digital governance performers despite a recalibrated drop in global ranking (UN DESA, 2022). In the Network Readiness Index (NRI) 2023, India stood at 65th among 134 countries, reflecting advancements in digital infrastructure, skills, and public digital platforms like Aadhaar and UPI (Portulans Institute, 2023). However, challenges persist, as highlighted by the ND-GAIN Index, which underscores India’s vulnerability due to digital inequality and climate-sensitive infrastructure (Notre Dame Global Adaptation Initiative, 2023). These performance indicators reflect a dual narrative: India is at the forefront of digital public innovation, yet its trajectory remains marred by barriers to inclusivity, last-mile service delivery, and institutional adaptability. The conceptual framework of digital governance in India encompasses key principles and mechanisms that collectively aim to bridge these gaps and foster a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. Digital governance extends beyond mere e-Governance or ICT deployment; it refers to the strategic, integrated use of digital tools to transform governance models, improve service delivery, enhance transparency, and facilitate citizen

Introduction 
India’s digital transformation over the past decade has emerged as a defining feature of its governance and developmental strategy, propelled by the ambitious Digital India initiative launched in 2015 by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). With a vision to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy, the initiative seeks to harness the power of information and communication technologies (ICT) to make governance inclusive, efficient, transparent, and responsive. Digital India marks a paradigm shift in how public administration operates, embedding technology at the core of policy delivery, citizen engagement, and institutional coordination across sectors and tiers of government. Creating a robust and scalable digital infrastructure is at the heart of this transformation. Major projects like BharatNet aim to connect 2.5 lakh Gram Panchayats via high-speed optical fiber, of which over 1.5 lakh were connected by 2020. Simultaneously, establishing more than 3.7 lakh Common Service Centres (CSCs) has extended digital service delivery to rural and remote areas. These CSCs function as inclusive access points, offering health, education, agriculture, banking, and public utilities services in a culturally and linguistically localized format, catalyzing rural digital entrepreneurship and last-mile inclusion. India’s approach to digital governance extends beyond infrastructure to encompass citizen-centric digital services and platform-based public service delivery models. Platforms such as UMANG, eHospital, BHIMUPI, DigiLocker, eCourts, Tele-Law, and eWay Bills have simplified citizen interaction with the state, enhancing the ease of living and improving administrative efficiency. The Government eMarketplace (GeM) has transformed public procurement by making it more transparent, efficient, and accessible for small businesses and start-ups. The Jan Dhan–Aadhaar–Mobile (JAM) trinity has revolutionized welfare delivery by facilitating Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT) into verified bank accounts, eliminating intermediaries, and saving over ?1.7 lakh crore by 2020.

Introduction 
Digital infrastructure has emerged as the foundational pillar for transforming governance systems in the 21st century, particularly in developing countries like India that aspire to harness digital technologies for inclusive growth and efficient public service delivery. Defined broadly, digital infrastructure encompasses the integrated ecosystem of hardware, software, connectivity networks, data centers, cloud platforms, and institutional frameworks that enable the generation, storage, transmission, and utilization of digital information (Verdecchia, Lago, & de Vries, 2022; Clark, Marin, Ardic Alper, & Galicia Rabadan, 2025). In the context of governance, such infrastructure provides the critical backbone for digital public goods, service delivery platforms, and real-time decision-making systems. India’s strategic thrust towards digitalization since the early 2000s, and particularly after the launch of the Digital India programme in 2015, reflects an ambitious attempt to leverage digital infrastructure not merely as a technological upgrade but as an instrument of governance reform, economic empowerment, and social equity (Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, n.d.-a). Digital infrastructure forms the bedrock of contemporary digital governance, unlocking scalable, secure, and inclusive public service delivery in India. It comprises high-speed broadband networks, State Data Centres, identity platforms, cloud systems, and institutional linkages essential for capturing, processing, storing, and transmitting data across government and citizen-facing services (Aapti Institute, 2024). Since the launch of the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) in 2006, India’s efforts have focused on strategic infrastructure investments like State Wide Area Networks (SWANs), State Data Centres (SDCs), and Common Services Centres (CSCs) to decentralize digital access across states and districts (Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, n.d.-a). Building on the foundation laid by the National e-Governance Plan, the Digital India Mission—initiated in December 2015—elevated infrastructure development to a national policy priority by integrating platforms such as

Paperless to Paperless Libraries

Ancient Gurus in ancient Gurukulas used to impart knowledge to their pupils through oral teaching. The Gurus themselves were treasure troves of knowledge, without the need to refer to hard and soft copies, and online resources. How interesting it is to note we are right now in a nostalgic phase, that takes us back to those ages, when disciples were taught, learned and accumulated oceans of knowledge through oral and moving libraries, which were in the form of their revered Gurus. It is truly fascinating how history has flair to repeat itself. The long-driven transition from paperless back to paperless, that is, from oral instruction through palm leaves through copper plates through virtual paper through electronic to digital libraries is as arduous as it is fascinating. Hence the million dollars question … where to from here – Digital Library, whither thou goest?

Inroduction

In the present I.T. (Information Technology) environment a number of libraries are being converted into digital libraries as the advantages of being a digital library is now well understood by every one. Over the years information has been produced digitally and libraries have become major providers of information in digital format. The information managers should have knowledge of computer, networking, internet and digital resources, etc to manage these resources and provide access to end users.

1. Introduction

Over the years, the library and information environment has seen remarkable changes in its collection, organization and services due to impact of Information Communication Technology (ICT). One of the most significant benefits which libraries have acquired with the help of ICT during past two decades is the Institutional Repositories (IR). IR has changed the image and importance of academic libraries in preserving the institutional knowledge to a great extend. "With the rapid development of Information Communication Technology (ICT), many new services have been introduced in libraries to satisfy the need of users in a better way. Institutional Repository is a type of information service which involves collection, organization, preservation and dissemination of digital scholarly materials such as theses, dissertations, technical reports, journal articles and teaching materials.

Introduction

In the last decade, digitalization has transformed every aspect of life and society, changing almost every area of our day-to day lives. Not just that; the rate of change that is happening is astonishing and only going to accelerate further. From the way, we work and communicate to how we organize our lives, digital tools and technologies are everywhere including the veterinary sector. Veterinarians are recognizing the need to depart “the analog island” and increasingly willing to embrace digital solutions. Undoubtedly, digitalization is crucial when it comes to boosting efficiency and quality in veterinary medicine and delivery of animal healthcare to masses across various geographies and resource poor setups. Uniquely these digital tools helps vets also to focus on the needs of patients and animal owners.

Introduction

The past few years have been characterized by changes in every walk of life and libraries are no exceptions. Certainly there have been profound changes in the ways we approach and manage libraries and provide basic library services such as bibliographic control, document delivery, presentation, and physical facilities for reading.  The evolution of traditional interlibrary loan services into a full range of document delivery services, new avenues for document acquisions and delivery from traditional methods to “high tech” with the most efficient pathway defined by the user within desired cost and time parameters have set new standard for library resources and services management.

1. Introduction

Disasters are events that occur over a period and cause widespread destruction, suffering, or distress to everything they affect (Oxford English Dictionary, n.d.). The impact of a disaster may be confined to specific areas or widespread and could last for an extended duration, often requiring assistance from external sources to address the aftermath (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies [IFRC], n.d.). These events can arise from naturally occurring phenomena, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, or floods, as well as man-made occurrences, including industrial accidents (e.g., accidental toxic spills or nuclear power plant events) or acts of terrorism (e.g., bombing or poisoning) (United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction [UNDRR], n.d.). Disasters typically result in significant harm to infrastructure, loss of life, displacement of people, and severe economic consequences.

The main purpose of this lecture note is to provide basic information on patent drafting skills and train applicants for drafting a patent in clear and concise manner.

We will see the components of Complete Specification through the following Case studey (1) of a solar water heater. The figures are provided below for reference and better understanding.

Agricultural drones have emerged as important tools for precision farming, crop surveillance, and field-level data acquisition. This chapter introduces drones as aerial intelligence platforms capable of collecting high-resolution spatial and spectral information about crops, soil, and environmental conditions. It discusses drone architecture, sensing technologies, remote sensing, crop monitoring workflows, and crop health assessment. Artificial intelligence and machine learning enable efficient analysis of aerial imagery for disease detection, irrigation management, precision spraying, crop stress assessment, and yield prediction. The chapter also examines autonomous drones, drone swarms, IoT integration, edge computing, and digital twins. Operational limitations, regulatory considerations, data management, and sustainability implications are also addressed.

Abstract

Drug design is a complex computational process that involves studying the structural and physicochemical properties of biological moieties in order to identify new chemical or biochemical substances that can be used as drugs with specific pharmacological properties. The drug discovery pipeline is a crucial aspect of drug design that requires a detailed understanding of the various phases involved. In this chapter, we discuss the fundamental principles and phases of drug design. Additionally, we delve into the concept of docking, a critical step in the drug discovery process that involves predicting the orientation and affinity of a ligand binding to a protein target. The use of computational tools and techniques in drug design has revolutionized the field and is essential for the development of safe and effective drugs.

ABSTRACT

Agriculture is an important sector of economy that ensures food security of the nation. About 58 per cent of the Indian population is engaged in Agriculture and planners are concerned to increase agriculture productivity. The National Knowledge Commission has also looked into various problems of this sector and made some recommendations from the knowledge perspective. This paper includes review of existing plans and programs for improvement of knowledge accessibility to Indian farmers. Article also discusses how the Information Communication Technology (ICT) applications, especially, the hand held devices like mobile phones can improve knowledge accessibility in the agriculture sector and describes how the ongoing programs of mobile telephony are helping Indian farmers.

Computers take on an increasingly important role in today’s world. In this regard, their utility as tools for imparting high quality professional knowledge to veterinarians is much needed. e-learning covers a wide set of applications and processes, including computer-based learning, web-based learning, virtual classrooms, and digital collaboration. The delivery of content could be via electronic media, including the internet, intranets, extranets, satellite broadcast, audio/video tape, TV and CD-ROM. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the form of on-line teaching, face-to face video-cases and video-performances has recently been applied in the veterinary profession all over the world. ‘m-learning’ is the new buzz word almost indicating learning “anywhere” using mobile phones and Bluetooth or WiFi technologies. However, in the veterinary profession, connectivity is an issue as high quality network service is lacking in most remote areas. Some other terms frequently interchanged with e-learning are online learning, online education, distance education, distance learning, technology-based training, web-based training and even computer-based training (generally thought of as learning from a CD-ROM). e-learning is a broad term used to describe learning done at a computer.

ABSTRACT

Information is basic element in any development activity. It is useful only if it is available, if the users have access to it, in the appropriate form and language. Information in the field of agriculture, to benefit farmers, has to be tailored to local agro-ecological and socio-economic conditions backed up by relevant input supply services and public policies. The impact of information revolution with its powerful information and communication technologies are making the whole universe into a small global village enabling easy access and faster sharing of knowledge among the world communities. Information Communication Technologies have great prospect and wide scope for disseminating information to the people in remote areas with great accuracy and with no loss or distortion of any information. ICTs can empower rural communities and give them ‘a voice’ that permits them to contribute to the development process.

ABSTRACT

India’s North-East is predominantly hill agriculture based and endowed with rich natural resources for the development. The average rainfall in the region is the highest in the country. However, low agricultural productivity and food in-security are largely prevalent in the North- East India. Lack of adequate information on advanced farm technologies, market intelligence and rural development schemes led to the income poverty in the region. The limited technical manpower, lack of transport and communication facilities, inadequate financial support to the technology transfer and less infrastructure facility creates huge technological gap among  rural tribal farming community.

Early identification of crop diseases enables timely management interventions and can reduce losses in agricultural production. This chapter investigates the use of artificial intelligence and sensor data for detecting crop diseases at an early stage. It introduces the fundamentals of crop disease detection and reviews AI techniques applicable to agricultural monitoring. Sensor technologies provide continuous information about crop and environmental conditions, while AI models analyze these data to identify disease-related patterns. The chapter presents an AI- and sensor-based framework, including implementation and experimental procedures, followed by performance analysis. Challenges and limitations are examined, together with future research directions aimed at improving accuracy, reliability and real-time disease monitoring.

Plant diseases significantly reduce crop productivity, quality, and economic returns, making early and accurate detection essential for effective crop protection. This chapter examines the application of machine learning and computer vision for identifying diseases at an early stage. It discusses agricultural image acquisition using RGB, hyperspectral, and sensor-based technologies, followed by image preprocessing, segmentation, feature extraction, and classification. Machine learning algorithms such as support vector machines, random forests, and convolutional neural networks are considered for disease recognition. The chapter also explores the integration of AI with IoT and mobile technologies and presents practical applications while addressing challenges involving datasets, environmental variability, model generalization, and computational requirements.

Introduction
The economic transformation through information technology (IT) has emerged as one of the most influential drivers of modern economic development across the globe. In the 21st century, IT has catalyzed sweeping changes in industrial processes, global markets, and the overall economic structure, impacting everything from productivity to business models, labor markets, and governmental policy. The proliferation of IT has led to profound shifts in economic paradigms, influencing sectors ranging from agriculture and manufacturing to services and finance. The integration of IT into these various domains has spurred growth by fostering innovation, reducing inefficiencies, improving resource management, and creating new opportunities for economic development.