Code for GovTech (C4GT)
Building digital public goods for India. Technology meets civic impact.
Program Overview
What Makes C4GT Unique
| Aspect | C4GT | Other Programs |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Civic tech, government projects | General open source |
| Impact | Millions of Indian citizens | Variable |
| Eligibility | India-specific | Global |
| Domain | Healthcare, education, governance | Tech-focused |
| Mentorship | Government + tech leaders | Tech maintainers |
Project Categories
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ C4GT PROJECT DOMAINS │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Healthcare (ABDM) ████████████ 30% │
│ Education (DIKSHA) ██████████ 25% │
│ Financial Inclusion ████████ 20% │
│ Urban Governance ████ 10% │
│ Agriculture ████ 10% │
│ Other DPI ██ 5% │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘Example Projects
- ABDM (Ayushman Bharat) - Healthcare data exchange
- DIKSHA - Education platform for teachers
- Sunbird - Building blocks for digital governance
- Beckn Protocol - Decentralized commerce
- DIGIT - Urban governance platform
Timeline
Why Participate in C4GT
Impact at Scale
Your code affects real people:
- Healthcare: Improve patient data exchange across hospitals
- Education: Help millions of students access quality content
- Governance: Make citizen services more efficient
- Inclusion: Bridge digital divide
Career Opportunities
Network
Connect with:
- Government technology leaders
- Policy makers
- Civic tech ecosystem
- Social impact organizations
Application Process
Research Phase (Feb-Mar)
- Understand Digital Public Infrastructure concepts
- Browse project repositories on GitHub
- Join community forums (Discord/Telegram)
- Study India Stack and DPI
Contribution Phase (Mar-Apr)
- Make 2-3 contributions to target projects
- Understand the civic impact of the project
- Discuss project ideas with mentors
- Clarify doubts about implementation
Proposal Writing (Mid-Apr)
- Focus on impact and accessibility
- Show understanding of government context
- Include realistic technical approach
- Address scalability and security
Selection (Late Apr)
- Mentor evaluations based on contributions
- Interview/presentation may be required
- Results announced with assigned mentors
Proposal Template
Section 1: Understanding the Problem
## Problem Statement
### Current State
[What is the current situation? What pain points exist?]
### Who is Affected
- **Primary Users**: [Citizens, government officials, etc.]
- **Scale**: [How many people impacted]
- **Context**: [Urban/rural, language barriers, digital literacy]
### Why This Matters
[Social impact, efficiency gains, cost savings, accessibility]Section 2: Proposed Solution
## Technical Solution
### Approach
[High-level technical approach]
### Architecture
[Diagrams showing how components interact]
### Key Features
1. **[Feature 1]**: Implementation details
2. **[Feature 2]**: Implementation details
### Accessibility Considerations
- Multi-language support
- Low-bandwidth optimization
- Mobile-first design
- Offline capabilities
### Security & Privacy
[How you'll handle sensitive government/citizen data]Section 3: Implementation Plan
## Timeline (10 weeks)
### Week 1-2: Foundation
- Set up development environment
- Study existing codebase thoroughly
- Design detailed technical spec
- Get mentor approval on approach
### Week 3-5: Core Development
- Implement [Feature A]
- Unit and integration tests
- Accessibility testing
- **Milestone**: [Deliverable 1]
[Continue for all milestones...]
### Week 9-10: Finalization
- Documentation for government users
- Deployment guides
- Training materials
- Demo videoWhat Mentors Look For
| Criteria | Weight | Evaluation |
|---|---|---|
| Understanding of Impact | 30% | Do you grasp the civic context? |
| Technical Skills | 25% | Can you build robust, scalable solutions? |
| Prior Contributions | 25% | Have you contributed to the project? |
| Accessibility Focus | 10% | Do you design for all users? |
| Communication | 10% | Can you explain technical work to non-technical stakeholders? |
Special Considerations for GovTech
⚠️
Different from Commercial Tech
Government projects require:
- Security First: Handling sensitive citizen data
- Accessibility: Support for multiple languages, low bandwidth
- Documentation: Clear guides for government officials
- Compliance: Following government IT policies and standards
- Scale: Millions of users, not thousands
Technical Challenges
┌───────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ GOVTECH UNIQUE CHALLENGES │
├───────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Scale (100M+ users) ████████████ │
│ Multi-language support ██████████ │
│ Low bandwidth optimization ████████ │
│ Legacy system integration ████████ │
│ Regulatory compliance ██████ │
│ Offline-first design ████ │
│ │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────┘During the Program
Weekly Expectations
- Code commits with clear documentation
- Weekly sync with mentor and government stakeholders
- Blog updates on progress and learnings
- Accessibility testing for all features
- Security reviews with government IT teams
Evaluation Milestones
| Milestone | Timeline | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| Midterm | Week 5-6 | 50% features complete, documented |
| Final | Week 10-11 | 90%+ complete, deployed to staging |
| Demo Day | Week 12 | Public presentation of work |
Impact Measurement
Unlike typical open source, C4GT measures real-world impact:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ SUCCESS METRICS │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Code Quality ✓ Merged & deployed │
│ Accessibility ✓ WCAG compliance │
│ Documentation ✓ User guides ready │
│ Performance ✓ Load tested │
│ Security ✓ Audit passed │
│ Real-world usage ✓ Citizen feedback │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘Post-Program Opportunities
DPI Ecosystem
The Digital Public Infrastructure space is growing:
Career Path
Learning Resources
C4GT Reality: This is about impact, not just code. Your work will be used by millions. Expect government processes, security reviews, and stakeholder management. Hugely rewarding for those who want their code to matter.