Uttar Pradesh, 04 Nov 2026: Nasscom Foundation, ISRA supported by Cisco’s India Cash Grant Program convened a State-Level Consultation titled “Access to Empowerment: Strengthening Digital Inclusion and E-Governance for Tribal and Marginalized Communities” in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Organized under the Access to Empowerment – E-Governance initiative, the consultation aims to strengthen digital inclusion and improve access to digital public services and social security schemes for underserved communities across the state.
The consultation provided a collaborative platform for stakeholders to examine Uttar Pradesh’s existing e-governance ecosystem and explore strategies to address digital access barriers faced by Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs), rural populations, women, youth and other marginalized communities. Discussions focused on key challenges related to digital literacy, awareness of government services, access to essential documentation, connectivity, and last-mile service delivery. Participants also emphasized the need for stronger collaboration across government, civil society, and local communities to ensure underserved citizens can easily access digital services and entitlements.
This vision for community-wide digital enablement is shared by Cisco, which serves as a key partner in this initiative. Reflecting on this collaboration, Harish Krishnan, Managing Director and Chief Policy Officer, Cisco South and Southeast Asia, stated, “Cisco is committed to amplifying the impact of government-led digital empowerment initiatives. Our continued partnership with NASSCOM Foundation under this e-Governance program is a reflection of that commitment, extending essential services to citizens across India's aspirational blocks to truly power inclusive growth.”
The discussions highlighted the potential of digital technologies to facilitate access to government services, entitlements and social protection schemes. Stakeholders underscored the importance of strengthening community-level digital capabilities, expanding awareness and outreach efforts, and fostering greater convergence among government agencies, civil society organizations and knowledge institutions to promote equitable access to digital services.
Speaking on the occasion, Jyoti Sharma, CEO, Nasscom Foundation said, “ Distance, limited connectivity, language, documentation, and a lack of familiarity with digital systems can make it difficult for Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups to access services and entitlements that are meant for them. This is where Nasscom Foundation's work on digital literacy and e-governance access comes in. With the support of Cisco through its CSR initiative, and in partnership with ISRA, we are working in the aspirational blocks to strengthen digital awareness, build digital literacy, and help PVTG communities access government services and schemes.And roundtables like this one in Lucknow is how we make sure that the programme responds to the realities of the people it is meant to serve. "
Virjesh Upadhyay, Chairperson, DTNBWED, Ministry of Labour and Employment, said " We need to work towards a design that makes PVTGs the fulcrum of all our schemes and programmes. We also need to analyse the effect of schemes. Schemes have definitely been made, but what is their effect at the ground level? Some aspects of the design of these schemes need to improve. The government has typical designs, but we need to see whether these designs have reached the ground. If schemes do not reach the beneficiaries, then there is no use for such schemes.”
A key outcome of the consultation was the emphasis on strengthening interdepartmental convergence at the block and village levels through closer coordination among the Panchayat and Labour Departments, Gram Pradhans, and grassroots-level workers to improve service delivery and access to government schemes. Participants recommended integrating awareness of labour rights, farmers’ welfare initiatives, and social security schemes into existing community outreach programmes. The discussion also highlighted the need to move beyond basic documentation and card generation towards enabling beneficiaries to leverage their existing documents to access eligible government entitlements, including support for correcting records and updating information. Additionally, participants emphasised expanding digital literacy initiatives, particularly among tribal communities and residents of aspirational blocks, while promoting holistic digital inclusion through stronger collaboration among development organisations, government stakeholders and CSR partners.
Representatives from government departments, academic institutions and civil society organizations are expected to deliberate on the need for sustained multi-stakeholder partnerships to address systemic barriers and enhance access to social security schemes through digital platforms. The consultation will also explore approaches to citizen awareness, community mobilization and capacity building to strengthen engagement with digital governance systems.
The consultation is expected to conclude with recommendations for advancing inclusive digital transformation across Uttar Pradesh through stronger collaboration, knowledge sharing and evidence-based policy recommendations. The insights and recommendations emerging from the consultation will be consolidated into a proceedings report and shared with relevant stakeholders to inform future action and support the state’s efforts towards digital empowerment and social inclusion.