EasyGov wins Nandan Nilekani-backed BuildOnIndiaStack contest

Startups

EasyGov, a cloud-based self-service startup for availing Government welfare schemes has won the first ever venture pitch competition organized by software think tank iSpirit, for app developers leveraging the 'India Stack' API.

Infosys Chairman Nandan Nilekani-backed 'IndiaStack' is the largest application programming interface (API) in the world supported by an open API policy by the Government of India.

“IndiaStack was being used mainly for Fintech. It, however, has vaster potential. It needs to be extended to education, health care and skill development amongst others. The #BuildOnIndiaStack contest was organized to embark upon this journey and interact with entrepreneurs who serve the un-served and underserved,” said former Unique ID Authority of India Chairman Nandan Nilekani, who is now returning to the company co-founded by him – Infosys at an event in Bangalore.

The winning startups will get a mentorship session with former Nilekani and a combined cash prize of Rs 8 lakh along with mentoring and pitching support.

New Delhi-based startup EasyGov beat more than 180 other entries that saw 12 companies being shortlisted for the finale.

Firms such as Omdiyar Network and Unitus Impact Fund also supported #BuildOnIndiaStack initiative.

EasyGov, which has helped over 13,000 beneficiaries apply and receive benefits from over 10,000 government schemes till now, got additional funding of Rs 3 lakh just for topping the venture pitch competition.

“There is about 45 percent gap between implementation and disbursal of govt-backed welfare schemes. The Aadhaar stack can completely eliminate the delivery requirement for these schemes,” Amit Shukla, founder of EasyGov said.

Shukla, who has advised the government of Japan and the Middle East among others for a decade in matters of last-mile delivery challenges, says he sat on the idea for long.

“This wouldn’t have been possible without the IndiaStack. There is an ecosystem with other apps in the social service sector, which makes things easier,” Shukla said.

He now wants to release a white label version of the mobile-based platform that will allow government agencies and authorities to go paperless using EasyGov as an IT service.

Currently, EasyGov works on an online-offline model. A beneficiary can apply for a scheme online for a fee on the platform, which is then sent offline to the concerned authority for approval.

“When we started, we had submitted over 200,000 scholarship applications for students in a remote village in UP. For a month we didn’t get any response. We had to write to the CM and after one more month the applications started moving,” Shukla says.

He also understood that without government’s partnership the model will fall flat. Shukla is now looking at partnering with government agencies and authorities to streamline the process of policy update, application process, and approval.

EasyGov leverages other India Stack applications such as eSign, Unified Payments Interface, Digi Locker, Bharat Interface for Money, the Goods and Services Tax Network and eKYC to smoothen the process of disbursing welfare schemes for the government.

According to the organisers, the part of the objective to organise the first venture pitch competition under India Stack is to identify gaps and providing strategic business needs.

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