How to Book a Visit to Rashtrapati Bhavan Online

With the number of Internet users in India shooting up, it was inevitable that the government follow suit and bring forms and applications online. To ensure that our readers are up-to-date on the different government functions that you can use online, we're testing out the different sites ourselves, to provide a detailed guide for you.
Today, you can file an RTI, apply for a passport, apply for a PAN card or download a copy of your Aadhaar card. But there's a lot more that can be done online - such as booking a visit to Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence of the President of India.
Rashtrapati Bhavan is one of the most famous heritage buildings in the country. The beautiful Mughal Gardens is also a part of the vast Rashtrapati Bhavan area. It's a popular tourist spot in New Delhi that's open to visitors from Friday to Sunday. Since this is a VIP area, entering isn't as simple as visiting most other heritage structures in the country. You will need to book a visit to the Rashtrapati Bhavan in advance, and you need to carry a valid photo identity card when you go there.
The process is simple though - just follow these steps.

1. Go the President's website.
2. Click on Click here for online booking.
3. Choose whether you're going in a group of up to 10 people or more than 10. The fee is Rs. 25 per person for up to 10 people or a fixed fee of Rs. 600 for a group of more than 10 people.
4. Fill in the date and time of your visit and the number of adults and children accompanying you. Note that you need to exclude yourself when filling in the number of people accompanying you.
5. Click Next.
6. Here you'll see a form where you will have to fill in your personal details and the names of the people accompanying you. You can choose any valid photo identity card for the trip, but the President's website states that Aadhaar cards will help you get an approval quickly.
7. Make sure that you enter all the details exactly as they are in your chosen identity documents in order to ensure smooth passage. When you've filled the form, click Submit.
8. The next page will state the date and time of your visit, along with the total amount charged.
9. Click Pay to complete the payment.
10. After you've paid the amount, you'll get a registration number via SMS or email. The President's office will then process your application and if it is approved, you'll get a confirmation message.
11. You can go visit the Rashtrapati Bhavan once you get a confirmation message.
12. If going to Delhi to visit the Rashtrapati Bhavan isn't possible, you can always take a virtual tour.

Have you ever visited the Rashtrapati Bhavan? If yes, how was your experience? Let us know via the comments below. For more tutorials, visit the How To section.

How to Submit PAN Card Application Online

Our government has never been more digitally savvy than it is today, and that means that there are many important government functions that can be carried out online. A month ago, the government even launched a website to let all of us track the attendance of central government employees, and to see if they were arriving to work on time. With so many government services going digital, we believe that it's important that our readers also know what can be done online, and how.
To start with, we're taking you through the process of applying for a PAN card. In India, most important financial transactions require you to have a PAN card - it is used when opening a bank account, filing tax returns, or for financial transactions above Rs. 50,000. Having one of these cards is pretty much essential if you're working and managing your own finances.
Applying for a PAN is simple, and you can fill the forms online, but you'll have to mail your documents to the Income Tax PAN services offices to finalise the process. Once you fill up the form on the site and send your papers, the application is processed and the card shipped directly to your residential address.
In case you get stuck and need more information, then the helpline number (18001801961) is a good resource - when we got stuck on some of the details of the application, we gave them a call and found the service extremely helpful.
Step one is to get copies of the different documents you need to submit on your application.
Documents Required
To submit the application, you need to upload several documents to the PAN Services Unit website. You will need to upload a proof of identity, address and date of birth, along with a scanned passport photograph. Start by making a scan of any one document per section, for each section below:
1. Proof of identity
A copy of any one of these documents is acceptable as ID proof for a PAN card:

• Aadhaar Card issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India
• Elector's photo identity card
• Driving licence
• Passport
• Ration card having photograph of the applicant
• Arms license
• Photo identity card issued by the Central Government or State Government or Public Sector Undertaking
• Pensioner card having photograph of the applicant
• Central Government Health Service Scheme Card or Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme photo card
• Certificate of identity in original signed by a Member of Parliament or Member of Legislative Assembly or Municipal Councillor or a Gazetted officer
• Bank certificate in original on letter head from the branch (along with name and stamp of the issuing officer) containing attested photograph and bank account number of the applicant

2. Address proofAlong with your photo ID, you'll also have to enclose an address proof in your application. Any of the following documents can be included with your form:

• Aadhaar Card issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India
• Elector's photo identity card
• Driving licence
• Passport
• Passport of the spouse
• Post office passbook having address of the applicant
• Latest property tax assessment order
• Domicile certificate issued by the government
• Allotment letter of accommodation issued by Central or State Government of not more than three years old
• Property registration
• Certificate of address in original signed by a Member of Parliament or Member of Legislative Assembly or Municipal Councillor or a Gazetted officer
• Employer certificate in original

You can also use one of the following documents, if it is less than three months old:

• Electricity bill
• Landline telephone or broadband connection bill
• Water bill
• Consumer gas connection card or book or piped gas bill
• Bank account statement
• Depository account statement
• Credit card statement

3. Proof of date of birthA copy of any one of these documents should suffice as proof of date of birth:

• Birth Certificate issued by the Municipal Authority or any office authorised to issue Birth and Death Certificate by the Registrar of Birth and Deaths or the Indian Consulate as defined in clause (d) of sub-section (1) of section 2 of the Citizenship Act, 1955 (57 of 1955)
• Pension payment order
• Marriage certificate issued by Registrar of Marriages
• Matriculation certificate
• Passport
• Driving licence
• Domicile certificate issued by the government
• Affidavit sworn before a magistrate stating the date of birth

4. PhotographsYou will need two recent passport sized photographs for the PAN card application.
How to apply
Once you have scans of all these documents ready, simply do the following:

1. Go to this page on the NSDL website.
2. Scroll to the bottom and select Individual in the Apply for a new PAN Card drop down menu. Click on Select.
3. Now you can start filling the form. In case you have any doubts, visit this page for form filling guidelines.
4. The first field is AO Code, which you can look up here. You can also call the Income Tax department helpline at 18001801961 to find out about your AO code.
5. The other fields like name, gender, address, etc. are pretty self-explanatory, but remember to select the correct documents you will be submitting along with the application, from the drop-down window in point 15 on the form.
6. Once you've filled in all the details, select a payment method at the end of the form. The PAN card application fee is Rs. 105, but additional bank charges may apply depending on the payment method. If you want the PAN card sent outside India, the fee is Rs. 971. You can pay via demand draft, cheque, credit/debit card or net banking.
7. Click Submit when done.
8. Review all the details in your form. Make sure all spellings are correct and enter the captcha code, then click Confirm.
9. Now you'll see a page with payment terms and conditions. Note down the transaction number at the top of the page and click Agree.
10. Complete the payment.
11. You'll now see an acknowledgement form. This has a unique 15-digit acknowledgement number. Print this page.
12. Paste the two photographs on the printout of the acknowledgement (in the space provided).
13. Sign within the box on the acknowledgement form.
14. Put this form in an envelope with the cheque or DD (if you haven't paid online), and the required documents mentioned earlier.
15. On the envelope, write APPLICATION FOR PAN - ____. Fill in the blank with your unique 15-digit acknowledgement number.
16. Post it to NSDL at Income Tax PAN Services Unit, NSDL e-Governance Infrastructure Limited, 5th floor, Mantri Sterling, Plot No. 341, Survey No. 997/8, Model Colony, Near Deep Bungalow Chowk, Pune - 411016.
17. Your application must reach NSDL within 15 days from the date of online application. They'll send the PAN card to your address after processing the application. You can call 02027218080 to check the status of your application.

Visit our How To section for more tutorials.

Government Employees at Work and on Time? The Website is Live

Announced just a few weeks ago, the Indian government's new online biometric attendance system is now online, with nearly 50,000 employees attendance across 147 government organisations (at the time of writing) including the Cabinet Secretariat, and other government bodies like the Central Vigilance Commission and the Planning Commission.
On the website the attendance of employees can be tracked online - this serves as a centralised management system for the government, but it should also increase transparency as anyone can access the site for a broad overview.
On the site, you can see the attendance activity over time, the number of registered employees and the number of employees present today. You can even see the number of active devices, and clicking on any of these tabs takes you to a spreadsheet where you can see a breakdown of the information.
In this way, for example, you can see that the Ministry of External Affairs has 195 devices, and at the time of writing, 159 are active. You can see that eight out of 34 biometric terminals are currently inactive, and that 1,358 MEA employees have marked their attendance today. Click the detail button on the right, and you can see the breakup between the Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan, South Block and Patiala House offices of the MEA. Clicking detail on this page shows you the device ID, the type of device (tablet or desktop) and even which gate the employee entered the building from.
Further details include the name of the employee, designation, division and the exact time the employee arrived for duty. You can even use the search function on the dashboard to find an individual employee - and his or her email id. That's an incredibly detailed system, and you can use the export button to download the data on your screen to an Excel sheet as well.
The website shows a dashboard you can track this information, but this goes beyond just transparency. Government employees will be able to mark their attendance at any Central Office, which is also useful for tracking movement. This is done using biometric reading devices in the offices, and uses the Aadhaar to verify the data. Each government organisation has to enrol itself for the system to work, and on the dashboard, you can see that of the 49,141 employees registered so far, 32,487 have been verified.
As noted in the FAQ section of the website, the system relies on network connectivity at all times, and for this reason, the government will be ensuring Wi-Fi connectivity on NICNET, and SIM-based connectivity for employees using tablets.

How to Download a Copy of Your Aadhaar Card

If you've misplaced your Aadhaar card, don't panic because you can easily download a fresh copy. It needs you to know your Aadhaar number, but you can easily look that up online.
The unique 12-digit government identification is not compulsory to have, but it serves as an identity proof on most forms that you'll fill, and some government agencies also require the Aadhaar these days. It is issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India on behalf of the Indian government.
The good thing about Aadhaar is that unlike some other identity cards, its digital copy, downloaded from the UIDAI website, is as valid as the original card. So whether you've misplaced your card and need a new one, or just wanted to get a digital copy of the card to submit with a form online, the official website has you covered.
Enrolling for Aadhaar is free and so is the process to obtain a digital duplicate; just follow the steps below and you're done.
(Also see:How to Submit PAN Card Application Online)
Getting your UID number
To download a copy of the Aadhaar card, you need to know your UID number or your Enrolment ID. If you've gotten your Aadhaar already, then it's generally a good idea to note down the number somewhere. If you've misplaced the Aadhaar, then look for the enrolment form to check your Enrolment ID. In case you don't have either, then you need to look this number up first. Here's what you need to do:

1. Go to the UIDAI website.
2. Make sure that Aadhaar No (UID) is selected from the two options near the top of the screen.
3. Type in your full name, as printed on the Aadhaar card.
4. Type either the email address or phone number that you used to register for Aadhaar.
5. Enter the characters you see in the image above Enter the Security Code.
6. Click Get OTP.
7. A one-time password will be sent to your email address or phone number, whichever you entered in the form. Enter this password in the form next to Enter OTP.
8. Click Verify OTP.
9. Now you'll receive your Aadhaar number on via SMS or email.

Getting your Aadhaar card
Once you have the UID number, you can use it to download a copy of your Aadhaar card. This part is also simple:

1. Head to the e-Aadhaar page on the UIDAI website.
2. Select Aadhaar next to I have.
3. Enter your Aadhaar number, full name and the PIN code of your residential address.
4. Key in the characters in the image in the field Enter above Image Text.
5. Click Get One Time Password.
6. This one-time password will be sent to your phone number if you click Confirm in the pop-up. Alternatively, you may click Cancel and have it sent to your email address.
7. Enter the password you received into the form next to Enter OTP.
8. Click Validate & Download.

Now your Aadhaar card will be downloaded in a password-protected PDF file. The password is the simply the PIN code of your residential address. You can now print this file, and it is a fully valid Aadhaar card. Let us know if this tutorial helped via the comments. For more tutorials, head to our How To section.

How to File an RTI Application Online

With more and more Indians connecting to the Internet, it's no surprise that many of our government agencies are also going online. Because of this it's easier than ever to do things like apply for a passport or get a copy of your Aadhaar card. Since these digital services are new, people don't always know how to make use of them, but we're here to help. This week, we're going to show you how to file a Right to Information (RTI) application online.
The Right to Information Act 2005 makes it mandatory for the Indian government to issue a timely response to citizens' requests for information in the public domain. Filing an RTI application is a very simple process unlike most other requests to the government. You can easily file an RTI application online, but you need to know a few details to do so.
For one thing, you can't file an RTI application for certain kinds of information such as matters concerning national security or if the data you seek could compromise someone's safety or privacy. You can find the full list of information you can't request here. The Right to Information is powerful, and these restrictions are in place to ensure that it isn't misused.
The other important thing about filing an RTI plea online is that you need to submit it to the correct authorities. There are different RTI authorities for Central and state governments, and you will have to send your query to the correct department as well. RTI applications for State Authorities will be rejected, but according to the website, if your application is sent to the wrong Public authority in the Central government, it can be transferred to the correct authority by the nodal officer. The full government guide to RTI is available here.
The following steps will tell you how to file an RTI plea online in just few minutes This guide focuses on sending an RTI application to Central government bodies. Not all state government bodies let you file an RTI application online yet - on most of the state's sites, you can just download the forms.
Here's how to file the application with the Central Government.
1. Go to the RTI website and click on Submit Request. Alternatively, click to go to the RTI application page, here.
2. Check I have read and understood the above guidelines and click Submit.
You can now begin filling in the form for submitting an RTI application. Pick the correct Ministry and department and fill in your contact details. You have to enter your email id to complete the application, but if you want SMS alerts about the status of your application, then you can also enter your mobile phone number.
If you don't know the public authority to file your application with, use the search bar on top - it will help choose the ministry/ department and public authority.
3. You have to fill the entire form - so for example, even if you are not below the poverty line, you need to choose the correct option from the drop down menu. Click the menu, and select No (or Yes, if applicable - this waives the fee for submitting the plea).
4. Next to Text for RTI Request application, you can write your RTI request. This form limits you to 3,000 characters.
5. If your request exceeds 3,000 characters, or if you need to submit documents to support the application, click Choose File next to Supporting document. You can upload a pdf file up to 1MB in size with your plea.
6. Enter the characters in the image next to Enter security code.
7. Click Submit.
8. The fee for submitting an RTI application is Rs. 10. You can pay that via credit/debit card or net banking on the next page.
9. Once you've paid, you will be shown an acknowledgement with a unique registration number for your RTI plea. This will be sent to you via SMS and email as well.
10. You can check the status of your RTI application on this page.
Have you ever filed an RTI plea online? Tell us about your experience via the comments. For more tutorials, visit our How To section.

How to Apply for Indian Passport Online

As more and more Indians go online, our government services are following suit. A lot of things that used to be extremely difficult and inconvenient are now just a matter of a few clicks. To help our readers make the most of the new services that are now available, we will regularly update guides for using different government websites. The new sites make it easy for anyone to file an RTI, apply for a PAN card or download a copy of their Aadhaar card. Digital governance has made applying for things easier than ever, and nowhere is this more true than in applying for a passport.
Just the thought of applying for a passport in India is enough to induce a headache. Many people still sweat over minor details such as how to fill the form and which documents are needed. Many people still hire agents and getting the process completed for a fee because no one wants to waste hours at government offices, running from one department to another in order to get basic things done. If you are one of these people, stop furrowing your brows and relax. It's easy to apply for a passport online. The process is long and you'll still have to go to the passport office, but you definitely won't need an agent to get the job done as long as you follow these steps.

1. Go to the Passport Seva website.
2. Click Register Now in the box titled Apply.
3. Now fill the form to create an account on the Passport Seva website. You need to select the passport office of the city you're living in now, not your native place. Also make sure that you enter the name exactly as it appears in your other documents to avoid any problems with your application. The rest of the form is pretty straightforward - it's just like signing up for any other website..
4. Click Register when done.
5. Now that you've created your account, return to the Passport Seva website.
6. Click the green Login button.
7. Enter your email address and click Continue.
8. Key in your email, password and the characters in the image. Click Login.
9. Click Apply for Fresh Passport/Reissue of Passport.
10. You can either download the form, fill it and upload it back to the website, or just fill the details online. We recommend that you fill the details online to save time.
    In case you want to download the form anyway, click Click here to download the soft copy of the form, in the first subheading on the page titled Alternative 1.
11. If you want to fill the form online, click on Click here to fill the application form online under Alternative 2. We suggest you choose this option as it is the easiest way to apply for your passport.
12. On the next page, you'll have to choose between a Fresh passport or Re-issue, a Normal or Tatkal passport, 38 pages or 60 pages. Make the selections as per your requirements, and click Next page.
13. You have to enter your personal information on the next page, and once again, the information you fill should match your other documents. If you have any doubts, you can refer to this official instruction booklet. Once you're done, click Submit Application at the bottom right.
14. After you've filled the form, return to the webpage mentioned in step 9.
15. Click View Saved/Submitted Applications.
16. You'll see the application you just submitted. Click the radio button next to it and click Pay and Schedule Appointment.
17. Select Online Payment and click Next.
    A list of Passport Seva Kendras from your city will appear on screen along with the date and time of the earliest available appointment.
18. Select one of these from the drop-down menu next to PSK Location.
19. Enter the characters in the image next to and click Next.
20. Click Pay and Book Appointment.
21. This will now take you to the payment gateway. Complete your payment and you'll be redirected to the Passport Seva website.
22. Now you'll see a page titled Appointment Confirmation with all the details of your appointment at the Passport Seva Kendra (PSK).
23. Click Print Application Receipt. The next page will show a detailed view of the application - again, click on Print Application Receipt.
24. On the next page you'll see a preview of the receipt. Once again, click Print Application Receipt to finally take a printout of the appointment confirmation.
25. You will need a print of this receipt to enter the PSK.

Now all you need to do is go to the PSK at the time mentioned in the receipt. Based on our experience, if you have all the required documents, your PSK visit shouldn't take more than two hours. You'll get your passport after police verification is complete. In the meantime, you can check the status of your application here. To track your application status:

1. Go to the website here.
2. Choose Passport from the drop down menu, and type in your case number (which the PSK gives you) and your date of birth, and click on Track Status to see the status of your application.

Have you applied for a passport online? If yes, how was your experience? Let us know via the comments. For more tutorials, visit our How To section.