PUSHED TO THE MARGIN
* Only one Muslim among 29 Deputy DGs
* Six Muslims among 130 heads of divisions
* There are 57 Muslims as State Informatics Officers
* Among the District Informatics Officers, there are 40 Muslims
THE number of Muslims working as technical experts, scientists, and specialists at the National Informatics Centre (NIC) across the country stands at 106 out of a total of 2,433, as of mid-2025. There is only one Muslim among the 29 Deputy Director-Generals at NIC, according to a new book by Mohammed Abdul Mannan, At the Bottom of the Ladder: State of the Indian Muslims – https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0GF1Q9R25. The book quantifies Muslim presence in 150 key organisations, including Union ministries, departments, and organisations.
The NIC provides Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure across the world’s most populous country to support e-governance services and various initiatives. To design, develop, and implement multiple initiatives and programmes, it operates state-level centres in 36 states and Union Territories (UTs), along with 758 district centres.
The ICT infrastructure, comprising NICNET, NKN, LAN, Mini Data Centre, Video Conference Studios, messaging service, and Webcast facilities, is its key constituent. The NIC’s district centres play diverse roles, right from executing various projects under e-governance and Digital India initiatives to ICT-driven technical support, to consultancy to various departments in the districts across the country.
A part of the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the technology partner of the Union government was set up in 1976 to provide technology-driven solutions to the Union government and different states. The NIC has been instrumental in adopting and providing ICT and e-governance support to the Union government. Its mandate is to design and develop IT systems for the government and provide ICT infrastructure to it.
The prime builder of e-government and e-governance applications up to the grassroots level, NIC has its ICT network, NICNET. It has emerged as a promoter of digital opportunities for sustainable development and spearheads informatics-led development by implementing ICT applications in social and public administration and facilitates electronic delivery of services to the government (G2G), business (G2B), citizen (G2C), and government employee (G2E).
The NIC has institutional linkages with all the Union Ministries/Departments, 37 state governments/Union Territories, and about 720+ district administrations of India. It develops applications for the Digital India mission, like Digi Locker, MyGov, and e-Way Bill. The organisation maintains a network of National Data Centres hosting critical government data and applications, thus ensuring robust and secure data management.
The NIC will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year. The national organisation is focused on expanding its role in e-governance and digital transformation by leveraging emerging technologies like AI, ML, Blockchain, and Data Analytics. It aims to build a smarter, data-driven, and more citizen-friendly governance framework through enhancing its digital platforms and on-ground services to better connect citizens with the government.
Its state-of-the-art IT infrastructure includes National Knowledge Network, National Data Centres, National Cloud, Video Conferencing, Email and Messaging Services, Command and Control Centre, Multi-layered GIS-based Platform, Domain Registration, and Webcast. Its national data centre utilises 370+ Applications with 1,080+ Virtual Servers on Mini Clouds.
NIC has established an extensive ICT infrastructure with a satellite-based network at more than 3,000 locations. None of the 39 heads of the groups at the NIC is a Muslim, as is the case with the Mail and Messaging Division’s 10. The Data Exchange (DE) Informatics has one Muslim among eight officials. The e-government Procurement System (APSS, GPSS, and Web Technology Divisions has 18 officials and experts, without the presence of a Muslim.
The Cyber and Information Security Analytics and Cyber and Information Security Management Divisions have 22 officials, including two Muslims. The eService Delivery and Transformation Division has one Muslim among its five officials. There are no Muslims among 39 officials and experts at the Divisions for Geo-Spatial Technology and Services, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Informatics Division, Urban Development and CPWD Informatics, CPO and Mission and Foreigners Registration and Tracking (FRT) Units of the IVFRT Team.
Data Analytics (DA) Informatics Division has no Muslims among its six officials, as is the case with three at Electronics Human Resource Management System. There are no Muslims among 75 officials at nine Divisions for Data Centre Non-IT Infrastructure, Cyber and Information Security Governance, Ministry of Heavy Industries Informatics, Ministry of Minority Affairs Informatics, Cabinet Secretariat Informatics, PMO Informatics, President’s Secretariat Informatics, Vice-President’s Secretariat Informatics, and Video Conferencing Technologies and Services.
There are no Muslims among the 12-member Procurement Section. Among 130 heads of the divisions, six are Muslims, including Dr Naeem Ahmed (DIPAM), Informatics and Public Enterprises, Mohammed Sibli Siraj (Library Informatics), and Diwan Humayun Khan (Bhawans and Network Audit). No Muslim is among the 12 heads of Data Centres and Focus Centres. There is one Muslim among the nine heads of Centres of Excellence. One is a Muslim among 37 State Co-ordinators; 57 Muslims among 1,387 State Informatics Officers, and 40 among 828 District Informatics Officers. There are no Muslims among 92 officials in India’s youngest state, Telangana.
To read and obtain more data, please visit:
At the Bottom of the Ladder: State of the Indian Muslims – https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0GF1Q9R25
