NEW DELHI: Noting that Information Communication Technology (ICT) is the tool of development and progress, which is the very ethos and purpose of e-Governance, Communications and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “The thrust of good governance is on creating and sustaining an ecosystem which fosters strong and equitable development.”

In a message on Digital India at the start of the e-Governance week, Prasad said, “The foundation of a strong, prosperous nation is built on the quality of governance that it provides to its citizens. The recent rapid advances in ICT have made e-Govemance a very potent tool for ushering in an era of good governance.”

He added that "Citizen-First" is the mantra, motto and guiding principle. “We are committed to bridge the digital gap between the 'haves' and 'havenots'," he said.

“With this vision in mind, we bunched the "Digital India" Programme that will create a strong communication and IT infrastructure for enabling e-services like e-banking, e-Commerce, e-education, e-governance, e-entertainment, e-health etc. across the country to give a new fillip to the inclusive growth of Indian economy,” he added.

Good Governance is the key to a nation's progress, he said adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had emphasised "Minimum Government, Maximum Governance" on more than one occasion, which can help in easy, effective and economical governance.