India's GIGW 3.0 Is Here: The New Rules Every Government Digital Property Must Follow
GIGW 3.0 (May 2026) mandates WCAG 2.1 AA for all Indian government websites and apps. Here's what changed and what you need to do now.
India quietly updated one of its most important digital standards in May 2026. The Guidelines for Indian Government Websites and Apps — now in version 3.0, or GIGW 3.0 — is the mandatory framework governing every central government website, portal, web application, and mobile app. For developers, digital agencies, and vendors who build or maintain government digital properties, this is the new compliance baseline.
What's New in GIGW 3.0
The most significant changes in version 3.0 are threefold. First, the standard explicitly adopts WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the accessibility benchmark — a formal upgrade from earlier, more loosely defined requirements. Second, the scope has been expanded to cover mobile apps, not just websites (the full name is now 'Guidelines for Indian Government Websites and Apps'). Third, GIGW 3.0 adds cybersecurity as a formal pillar alongside quality, accessibility, and lifecycle management — developed jointly by NIC, STQC, and CERT-In.
Legal Weight You Cannot Ignore
GIGW 3.0 is incorporated into the Central Secretariat Manual of Office Procedure — meaning it isn't advisory guidance; it is official government procedure. The manual includes an explicit legal warning: government organisations can face legal action under national and international laws if their websites and apps are not accessible. The domestic legal basis cited is the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016, specifically Section 46 on accessibility of ICT.
If you build, maintain, or audit government websites in India, GIGW 3.0 is your new operating manual.
The STQC Certification Update
The STQC Directorate (under MeitY) issues a Certified Quality Website (CQW) mark to government entities that pass a formal evaluation. With GIGW 3.0, STQC has raised the bar: organisations applying for certification under the new version must now present an audit report conducted by an IAAP (International Association of Accessibility Professionals) certified auditor. This is a major change — only professionals holding recognised international credentials can produce the required documentation.
The S3WaaS Advantage
NIC's S3WaaS (Secure, Scalable and Sugamya Website as a Service) platform — which powers district portals, central departments, and Kendriya Vidyalayas — has GIGW-compliant templates baked in. Government bodies using S3WaaS inherit accessibility at the infrastructure layer. For departments still on custom builds, the compliance burden is higher — and the STQC certification pathway is the clearest route to demonstrating conformance.
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