The Guidelines for Indian Government Websites and Apps (GIGW 3.0) set the standard every central and state government website, portal and mobile app is expected to meet. They were developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) with inputs from CERT-In and STQC, and are published at guidelines.india.gov.in. This overview is for officers commissioning a website or app, and for vendors building one. Always check the official guidelines for the exact requirements.
What GIGW 3.0 covers
- Quality and content — accurate, current, well-organised information with clear ownership.
- Accessibility — usable by people with disabilities, in line with WCAG 2.1 Level AA and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.
- Security — guidance from CERT-In for websites, portals, web applications and mobile apps.
- Lifecycle management — policies and processes for maintaining the site over time.
- Mobile apps — GIGW 3.0 extends the guidelines to government apps, not only websites.
Accessibility in practice
- Every image has meaningful alternative text; decorative images are hidden from screen readers.
- Everything works with a keyboard, with a visible focus indicator.
- Text contrast of at least 4.5:1 for normal text.
- Pages remain usable when text is enlarged to 200%.
- Forms have visible labels and clear error messages.
- Documents (PDFs) are accessible, or an accessible alternative is provided.
Security essentials
- HTTPS on every page, with secure headers.
- Protection against common attacks (the OWASP Top 10).
- A security audit by a CERT-In empanelled auditor before launch, with all findings fixed.
- Role-based access for content editors, audit logs and regular backups.
- Hosting on infrastructure approved for government use, such as NIC, a State Data Centre or a MeitY-empanelled cloud.
Content and policies
- Bilingual content as required by official language policy — commonly Hindi and English, plus the state language for state sites.
- Standard pages: about, contact, feedback, help, sitemap, terms and policies (copyright, hyperlinking, privacy).
- A content contribution, moderation and approval policy, so every page has an owner.
- Visible "last updated" information and removal of outdated content.
Quality certification
The guidelines form the basis of the Website Quality Certification by the STQC Directorate, which reviews documentation (including a Website Quality Manual) and tests the site itself. Plan for certification from the first day of the project — retrofitting accessibility and policies at the end is slow and costly.
A checklist for your next project
- Name a content owner and an approval process before design starts.
- Ask the vendor to design and test against WCAG 2.1 AA, and to show you their test reports.
- Budget time for the security audit and fixes before go-live.
- Decide where it will be hosted, and confirm data stays in India.
- Require documentation, training and source code handover in the contract.
- Include annual maintenance, with response times, in the tender.
Infovion Technologies builds GIGW 3.0 aligned websites, portals, dashboards and apps for government bodies. See our government capabilities.
Sources: Guidelines for Indian Government Websites and Apps; W3C WCAG 2.1.
