Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has won the prestigious Digital Transformation Award 2025, instituted by Central Banking, London. The recognition highlights RBI’s efforts in implementing digital initiatives that have transformed internal and external processes by reducing paper-based submissions.
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Key Digital Initiatives: Pravaah and Sarthi
According to a press statement by Central Banking, two major initiatives—Pravaah and Sarthi—played a pivotal role in RBI’s digital transformation journey.
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Sarthi: Streamlining Internal Workflows
- Launched in January 2023, Sarthi (which means ‘charioteer’ in Hindi) has digitized all of RBI’s internal workflows.
- The system allows employees to securely store and share documents, improving record management and data analysis through advanced reports and dashboards.
Pravaah: Enabling External Digital Submissions
- Introduced in May 2024, Pravaah (which means ‘smooth flow’ in Hindi) has created a digital platform for external users to submit regulatory applications to RBI.
- The submitted documents are seamlessly integrated into the Sarthi database, ensuring digital processing, cybersecurity, and tracking across RBI offices.
Successful Adoption and Implementation
The successful implementation of Sarthi was made possible due to a structured support system put in place by the RBI IT team:
- A collaborative process was undertaken to understand staff needs before building the system.
- Senior nodal officers were appointed in each department to champion the upgrade.
- The Sarthi Pathshala (meaning ‘school’) provided online training, supplemented by extensive in-person training sessions.
- Sarthi Mitras (‘friends’) were designated in every RBI office to assist colleagues with system-related queries.
RBI’s Reaction to the Award
The RBI announced its achievement in a post on X (formerly Twitter):
“RBI was awarded and recognized for its initiatives, including Pravaah and Sarthi systems, that have been developed by an in-house developer team. The awards committee noted how these digital initiatives have reduced the use of paper-based submissions, thus transforming RBI’s internal and external processes.”
