Cloud computing allows organisations to access computing resources — servers, storage, software, processing power — over the internet, without owning the physical hardware. Three deployment models matter for policy. A public cloud shares infrastructure across multiple users; a private cloud dedicates it to one organisation, offering tighter security; a hybrid cloud combines both. A municipal body might run its property-tax portal on a public cloud while keeping citizen records on a private one.
The service layer adds another dimension. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) lets organisations rent virtual servers and storage. Platform as a Service (PaaS) gives developers an environment to build and test applications without managing the underlying hardware. Software as a Service (SaaS) delivers ready-to-use applications, such as video-conferencing tools, where the provider handles maintenance. Serverless computing goes further, letting developers run specific tasks while the provider allocates resources automatically. These distinctions matter because government procurement decisions, data sensitivity classifications, and vendor empanelment criteria all map onto them.
The numbers explain the urgency. India's internet subscriber base reached 1,092.79 million in March 2026. Average wireless data consumption stood at 25.51 GB per subscriber per month, and total wireless data usage for 2025–26 reached 285,376 petabytes. That volume of data needs to be stored, processed, and protected. No on-premise model can scale to meet it cost-effectively across thousands of government departments and millions of private enterprises.
As of September 2026, India had empanelled 30 cloud service providers to serve this demand. Domestic players include Jio Platforms, Tata Consultancy Services, BSNL, RailTel, ITI, AdaniConneX, and Yotta Data Services. International providers — Google Cloud India, Microsoft Corporation India, Amazon Web Services India, and Oracle India among them — sit alongside them on the same empanelled list, which means government agencies can choose based on need rather than nationality, subject to data-sensitivity rules. Underpinning all of this is physical infrastructure: India's data centre capacity reached 1.57 GW as of August 2026 and is projected to grow to nearly 8 GW by 2030, a roughly five-fold expansion that reflects the scale of investment flowing into the sector.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has been the primary institutional driver. MeghRaj, launched in 2014, was India's first structured government cloud ecosystem, designed to accelerate e-governance and rationalise public ICT spending. MeghRaj 2.0 represents its second-generation evolution, extending the national cloud computing initiative to meet contemporary demands.
In March 2026, MeitY issued the Cloud Selection Framework, which gives ministries and departments structured guidance for choosing cloud infrastructure based on the sensitivity and criticality of the data involved. It moves procurement away from ad hoc decisions toward a risk-tiered model: sensitive data goes to more controlled environments, while less critical workloads can use public cloud options.
The workforce dimension is addressed through two complementary channels. The FutureSkills PRIME Programme, launched in 2021 as a joint initiative of MeitY and NASSCOM, promotes training in emerging technologies including cloud computing, AI, and data analytics. Its reach earned it third place globally in the European Commission's Pact for Skills Report 2024 for industry-focused technology training, an external validation that carries weight. The National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT) operates 56 centres, 750 affiliated institutes, and over 9,000 facilitation centres, training professionals in cloud computing, cybersecurity, AI, blockchain, and IoT. Together, these two channels address both the industry-facing skilling gap and the broader institutional training pipeline that a digitising economy requires.
With reference to India's cloud computing policy, which of the following correctly describes the purpose of the Cloud Selection Framework issued by MeitY in March 2026?
The FutureSkills PRIME Programme was recognised in the European Commission's Pact for Skills Report 2024. Which of the following correctly states its rank and the nature of its recognition?
As of September 2026, how many cloud service providers had been empanelled by India to serve government demand, and which of the following is listed among the domestic players on that empanelled list?
