MeitY invites stakeholder comments on NODE consultation

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), in collaboration with other departments, has released a whitepaper on the national open digital ecosystems (NODE), as part of building inter-operable digital platforms for service delivery.

The ministry has invited stakeholder comments on the report, titled Strategy for NODE Consultation Paper, by March 31.

The consultation paper addresses non-technological aspects of digital governance, including governance for the platforms, institutional accountability, regulatory frameworks, personal data privacy, security and risk management, talent management and sustainable financing. 

“The next step towards improving the lives of Indian citizens in a transformative way is to build robust NODE, i.e. open and secure digital delivery platforms, anchored by transparent governance mechanisms, which enable a community of partners to unlock innovative solutions to transform societal outcomes,” the document made public by MeitY said.

The statement, inviting submissions, said that MeitY was looking to realise the full potential of open digital ecosystems to create impact across sectors. The ministry says that with the new ‘GovTech 3.0’ approach, ministries and state governments will be able to build multiple NODEs, including Health NODE, Agriculture NODE and State Service Delivery NODE. It lists Unified Payment Interface (UPI) and Goods and Services Tax Networks (GSTN) as examples of the approach. 

The government has sought feedback on innovative financing models to build the NODEs, as well as risks and vulnerabilities related to data privacy and use.