Jaipur, July 2 -- Chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma on Wednesday said technology should go beyond being a tool of convenience and become a key instrument for social inclusion and public welfare, ensuring that the benefits of digital governance reach the last citizen. Addressing the inaugural session of the 29th National e-Governance Conference at the Rajasthan International Centre (RIC) in Jaipur, Sharma said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has transformed governance through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), ensuring that welfare benefits are transferred directly into beneficiaries' bank accounts while eliminating middlemen through the Jan Dhan-Aadhaar-Mobile framework. He added that initiatives such as Digital India have made technology a catalyst for economic growth. Highlighting Rajasthan's digital governance initiatives, Sharma said the Rajasthan Sampark grievance redressal platform has become an effective mechanism for addressing public complaints, with 250-300k grievances being resolved every month within stipulated timelines. He said he personally monitors and disposes of complaints received on the portal. Sharma said the state has implemented the Rajasthan AI-ML Policy 2026, laying the foundation for the use of artificial intelligence in governance, education, healthcare, agriculture and industry. He said the AVGC and XR Policy has created new opportunities for youth in animation, gaming, visual effects and digital technologies, while the government has also launched an AI and Quantum Computing Mission. Sharma said Rajasthan is rapidly emerging as one of India's leading startup destinations. "Over the past two years, the number of startups in the state has increased from around 4,000 to more than 8,500. During the same period, startup investments have risen from Rs.250 crore to Rs.1,000 crore, while employment generated by startups has more than doubled from 22,000 to over 47,000," he said. To promote innovation, the state has established nine incubation centres and 65 launchpads, while iStart programme has connected thousands of young entrepreneurs with mentorship and financial assistance, he said, adding that over 79,000 e-Mitra kiosks are now providing more than 900 government services, significantly improving access to public services. During the event, Sharma launched several new digital governance initiatives, including the Rajasthan Language Model Training Hackathon, the Smart Rajasthan Project for automated citizen service delivery, the Rajasthan Innovation Challenge, and the e-Mitra WhatsApp Service. He also released the Digital Rajasthan Coffee Table Book....