PM's website gets a facelift; it's one of the best ones out there

Even as Narendra Modi took oath as the 15th Prime Minister of India yesterday, the official website of the PM underwent a makeover. And we have to say, it is one of the best looking sites out there. The website is developed and hosted by the National Informatics Centre (have to give them some credit) and the content on the site is being managed by the PM's Office.

The best thing about the site is the lack of data on it (yup you read it right). Available in both Hindi and English, it has a no-nonsense user interface and does not overload the visitor with a lot of useless information. Through this website, you can get all the latest information about the PM's speeches, schedules, foreign visits and more. It is also a one-stop for getting information about the new initiatives undertaken by the Government of India.

The homepage has a banner with a picture of the PM, national flag, and the emblem of India displayed across it, and is divided into four sections including 'news updates', 'official statements', 'social media updates', and 'wish the Prime Minister'. While the first three and self-explanatory, the fourth section basically redirects to the personal website of the Prime Minister at Narendramodi.in.

In addition, there is a section that offers visitors a chance to know their PM- including his profile, governance track record, personal life story as well as information on the previous PM's of the country. Then there is a media gallery that provides images, videos, and live events- the latest one being the swearing-in ceremony of the PM and the Union Council of Ministers at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The website also has a message from the PM, which reads, "My dear fellow Indians and citizens of the world, Namaste. On 16th May 2014 the people of India gave their verdict. They delivered a mandate for development, good governance and stability. As we devote ourselves to take India's development journey to newer heights, we seek your support, blessings and active participation."

"I envision this website as a very important medium of direct communication between us. I am a firm believer in the power of technology and social media to communicate with people across the world. I hope this platform creates opportunities to listen, learn and share one's views," it further reads.

Detailed information about the Government including its Council of Ministers, Cabinet Secretariat, etc. is also available. Visitors can also directly interact with the PM via a feedback section, by providing details like the subject, name, residential address, email, and your queries/comments (maximum 1,000 characters).

Another thing that we liked about the site is that fact that it is not a dead one. What this basically means is that quick updates are happening on the site, indicating that there are people at the backend that are continuously working on the same. Apart from the swearing-in ceremony (that took place just yesterday evening), the site already has a message from the PM on the Gorakhdham rail accident.

And while some of the features of the site are not working as of now (like changing the display from sepia to night mode, or increasing/decreasing the font size), these are minor chinks that would/should be fixed going forward.

Also, many of you might be wondering why we did not hyperlink to the PM's website in the story (something that we normally always do). It is because according to the website's policies, we need to seek permission from NIC before doing the same.

"Prior permission is required before hyperlinks are directed from any website/portal to this site. Permission for the same, stating the nature of the content on the pages from where the link has to be given and the exact language of the Hyperlink should be obtained by sending a request to Name @nic.in," reads a message on the site.