Government Acknowledges High Cost of Application Maintenance, Seeks Optimization.
In a candid acknowledgment of rising digital infrastructure expenses, the Indian government has flagged the high cost of application maintenance across various ministries and public service platforms, initiating a series of measures aimed at optimizing resources without compromising service quality. This move comes as the volume of government apps has grown significantly under the Digital India mission, many of which require continuous updates, security patches, and technical support to remain operational and secure.
According to internal assessments by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the cumulative costs associated with backend upkeep, server management, third-party licensing, and legacy system support have begun to outpace initial development budgets. Apps serving core functions in healthcare, education, agriculture, and citizen services—such as DigiLocker, Umang, and ABHA—now demand sustained technical interventions to handle growing user loads, regulatory compliance, and cybersecurity challenges.
To address this, the government is actively exploring consolidation strategies, including the integration of redundant functionalities across platforms, standardization of tech stacks, and migration to scalable cloud-based architectures. Officials are also considering outcome-based vendor contracts that link payments to measurable performance and uptime metrics, rather than flat maintenance fees.
MeitY has directed state-level IT departments to conduct audits of underutilized or outdated applications and recommend retirement or revamp strategies. Simultaneously, there is growing emphasis on building apps using low-code/no-code platforms, enabling faster iterations and lower dependency on specialized technical teams.
In parallel, capacity-building programs are being rolled out to train in-house developers and IT staff in modern DevOps practices, agile maintenance, and cost-efficient monitoring solutions.
This pragmatic approach reflects the government’s commitment to ensuring sustainable digital public infrastructure. By optimizing application maintenance, authorities aim to free up resources for innovation while ensuring that citizens continue to receive reliable, secure, and high-quality digital services.
