After BHIM, PM Modi launches UMANG app for government services

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday launched a new mobile app - UMANG (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance) which will allow citizens to access government services on a single platform.

The services live on the app include Aadhaar, DigiLocker, Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) among others.

The UMANG app is expected to 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.

The app is available on Android, iOS and Windows phones.

The PM also inaugurated the Global Conference on Cyber Space on Thursday where he made a strong pitch for information sharing and coordination among nations to prevent cyber space becoming a playground of terrorism. "Surely, we can walk the fine balance between privacy and openness on the one hand and national security on the other. The differences between global and open systems, and nation-specific legal requirements can be overcome," he explained.

He said the quest for an open and accessible Internet often leads to vulnerabilities like cyber attacks, and a major focus area should be training of well-equipped professionals to counter cyber threats.

Stories of hacking and defacement of websites are the tip of an iceberg. They suggest that cyber attacks are a significant threat, especially in the democratic world. We need to ensure that vulnerable sections of our society do not fall prey to the evil designs of cyber criminals, he said.