The National Informatics Centre (NIC), Odisha, achieved a significant milestone by winning two prestigious awards at the 6th Digital Transformation Summit & Awards, held on 16 January 2026 at Hotel EROS, Nehru Palace, New Delhi, in recognition of its outstanding contributions to digital governance, innovation, and citizen-centric service delivery.

Award for DEPMOS – Digital Initiative for Ensuring Rural Connectivity and Digital Services Award

NIC Odisha received the “Digital Initiative for Ensuring Rural Connectivity and Digital Services Award” for the Directorate of Export Promotion and Marketing Online Services (DEPMOS) project. The award acknowledges NIC’s role in transforming governance through innovative use of digital technologies.

DEPMOS is an e-Governance initiative of the Government of Odisha, developed and implemented by NIC to digitise and streamline services of the Directorate of Export Promotion and Marketing (DEPM) under the MSME Department. This project aims to support Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) by automating crucial processes such as registration, rate contracts, and inspections. As a result, DEPMOS has significantly improved service delivery, reduced turnaround times, and enhanced transparency in government procurement and marketing for MSMEs in Odisha.

The award was presented by Sardaar R. P. Singh, National Secretary and National Spokesperson, BJP and Shri Kailashnath Adhikari, Managing Director, Governance Now, during the award ceremony, and was received by Shri Mohammed Mojibullah Khan, Director (IT), NIC Odisha, Shri Sudhansu Kumar Mahapatra, Deputy Director (IT), NIC Odisha, and Shri Sanjay Kumar Mishra, Director, EP&M, Odisha.

Award for iDetect – Best Use of Biometric Technology for Identity, Authentication and Facial Recognition System

In another major achievement, the NIC Odisha Transport Division was conferred the Governance Now 6th Digital Transformation Summit & Awards under the category “Best Use of Biometric Technology for Identity, Authentication and Facial Recognition System” for its flagship project “iDetect: AI-Powered Face Authentication and Proctoring System.”
Developed in-house by NIC Odisha Transport Division, iDetect is a cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence–based solution that enables secure, fraud-resistant, and completely visit-less digital examinations. Seamlessly integrated with the Sarathi platform for Learner’s Licence (LL) services, the system uses advanced AI technologies such as face authentication, liveness detection, spoof detection, and continuous AI-based proctoring to prevent impersonation, proxy attendance, and digital malpractice.

Between October 2024 and September 2025, iDetect supported over 3.11 lakh Learner’s Licence examinations nationwide and conducted more than 6.11 lakh AI-based face authentication checks. Currently, AI-based face authentication through iDetect is implemented in 22 States and Union Territories, while full-fledged AI-enabled proctoring is operational in 8 States.

This award was received by Shri Prasanta Kumar Nayak, Scientist-F (Senior Director-IT), NIC Odisha highlighting NIC Odisha Transport Division’s pioneering role in leveraging Artificial Intelligence for secured identity verification and transparent public service delivery.

Commitment to Digital Governance Excellence

These dual recognitions underscore NIC Odisha’s commitment to innovation, efficiency, transparency, and inclusivity in governance. Through initiatives like DEPMOS and iDetect, NIC Odisha continues to set new benchmarks in technology-driven governance, significantly contributing to the Digital India mission and strengthening the Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) ecosystem.