Thanks to the huge digital drive that the Indian Government has taken, India has many digital successes. One huge success is the Passport Seva project, which is one of the best examples in how digital technologies can truly transform the life of the common citizen.
To recognize the untiring and humble efforts of the CTOs or CIOs who have played a vital role in the success of scalable tech platforms, Express Computer, an IT business magazine from the Indian Express Group, created the Digital Icon Award.
The Digital Icon Award is given to individuals who have using technology raised the bar for efficiency in delivery of e-governance services. Passport Seva, in our view, is a perfect example of digital transformation and has helped in reimagining the process of how e-governance services can be delivered.
Recognizing Mr Golok Kumar Simli’s (Chief of Technology, Passport Seva, Ministry of External Affairs) superlative efforts in establishing Passport Seva as a premier platform for providing Indian citizens with the best customer experience in getting and renewing their passports with the help of emerging technologies, Express Computer conferred the ‘Digital Icon’ Award to him.
This award was given to Golok Kumar Simli at the premier e-governance platform, Technology Sabha in Jaipur. The award was conferred to Golok Kumar Simli by Prakash Kumar, CEO, GSTN and Srikanth RP, Editor, Express Computer.
An industry icon, Golok holds a B.E. in Computer Sc. & Engineering degree. He has over 26 years of rich experience in ICT Projects out of which more than 12 years have been in the Government Domain especially in the area of e-Governance, Digital Transformation, Mission Mode Projects of Government of India under the National e-Governance Plan. In the past, Golok has worked as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for an e-governance Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) meant for providing Government Services to the citizens and business community. His core area of strength include: GPR/BPR, core ICT infrastructure, Mission Mode Projects under NeGP (National e- Governance Plan of India), Government Data Centers for secure & centralized information sharing, Mobility & Cloud Technology, Data Analytics, Information Risk Assessment and Mitigation, Exercising Strategic Control in PPP projects and Strategizing and implementation of Enterprise Security. Other roles undertaken by him include Capacity Building and Change Management by leveraging Information and Communication Technology. His keen interests are emerging technologies such as RPA, MI, Blockchain, Analytics, Cloud, IoT and Cyber Security and practicing them in leveraging such technologies for the benefit of masses as a whole.
His contribution to eGovernance and Digital Transformation has been widely recognized and he has been bestowed upon many prestigious awards including National Award for eGovernance – 2014-15, Gold Award, for Outstanding Performance in Citizen -Centric Service Delivery.