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Build each preview from a reviewed scheme record, not from whatever a remote page happens to return. Show the scheme name, responsible department, a short description, the destination URL, and when your team last checked the entry. You can enhance the card with page metadata or a screenshot, but neither should replace editorial verification or a direct link to the responsible department.

India’s Guidelines for Indian Government Websites and Apps (GIGW) 3.0 address quality, accessibility, usability, and security; they do not prescribe a preview-card format or require a particular metadata protocol. Treat the card design and fetching method below as implementation choices informed by that guidance. GIGW introduction GIGW guidelines

What a useful scheme preview should contain

Use the card to help a reader decide whether a link is relevant and identify who is responsible for it. Keep the official destination prominent and make clear when the directory—not the government department—wrote the summary.

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  • Scheme name: use the name your editors have verified.
  • Responsible department or organization: show it when known; do not infer ownership from a domain name alone.
  • Short description: write a concise, plain-language summary and review it against the department’s information.
  • Destination: provide a meaningful link whose text or accessible name describes where it leads.
  • Last checked: record when an editor verified the listing, so readers can judge freshness.

This is a practical design recommendation, not a GIGW-mandated set of fields. GIGW calls for relevant page metadata, meaningful link text, and important pages that identify their owner and provide basic navigation and contact information. GIGW guidance

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The Integrated Government Online Directory describes itself as the official directory of Indian Government websites. It also cautions that linked sites may not comply with GIGW and advises readers to verify information with the relevant department. A directory card should therefore identify both the destination and the responsible body, and should not make the directory itself appear to be the official scheme source. iGOD description iGOD website policies

Choose a preview generation approach

Use reviewed records as the source of truth

For a directory of government scheme links, an editor-maintained record is the most dependable foundation. Store the scheme name, owning department, official destination URL, editor-written summary, and last-checked date. Render that record even if the destination blocks automated requests, has incomplete metadata, or is temporarily unavailable. A failed preview fetch is not evidence that a scheme has ended.

Use destination metadata as a supplement

If you retrieve a page title or description, treat it as untrusted input and as a suggestion for editorial review—not as verified scheme information. Pages can omit metadata, return generic titles, or change without notice. GIGW calls for relevant metadata in page HTML read by search engines, but the guidance reviewed does not prescribe Open Graph tags or a specific preview-fetching protocol. GIGW guidance

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Use screenshots only as visual context

A screenshot can show the appearance of a destination, but it cannot establish that the page is official, current, or accurate. Keep the verified department, summary, and direct destination link readable without the image. Do not execute the destination’s scripts in your own preview-generation service merely to create a card.

Build and render a directory entry

1. Review the destination before publishing

  1. Find the official destination through the relevant department or a trusted government directory where possible.
  2. Verify the responsible body and scheme details against the department’s information.
  3. Record the destination URL, editor-written summary, and date checked. Recheck entries on a schedule appropriate to your directory and whenever readers report a problem.
  4. Check the destination’s own linking terms. GIGW’s linking terms apply to links to GIGW itself; they do not automatically govern every government site. GIGW link policy

2. Store the card data explicitly

A simple record might look like this. The values are illustrative, not a real scheme listing:

{
  "schemeName": "Example scheme name",
  "department": "Verified responsible department",
  "summary": "Editor-written description checked against the department source.",
  "url": "https://department.example.gov.in/scheme",
  "lastChecked": "2026-10-03"
}

Validate URLs and dates when records are saved. Keep the editor-written summary separate from fetched page metadata so an automated refresh cannot silently overwrite reviewed content.

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3. Render accessible, clearly labeled cards

Use a real anchor with descriptive link text, a visible external-site cue, and text that remains understandable without an image or visual styling. Escape text before inserting it into HTML. For example:

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<article class="scheme-card">
  <h2>Example scheme name</h2>
  <p>Responsible department: Verified responsible department</p>
  <p>Editor-written description checked against the department source.</p>
  <p>Directory listing last checked: 3 October 2026</p>
  <a href="https://department.example.gov.in/scheme"
     rel="noopener noreferrer">
    Visit the official scheme page at the responsible department
    <span aria-hidden="true">(external site)</span>
  </a>
</article>

Use the “official” wording only when your review supports it. If you cannot establish that, use neutral language such as “Visit the destination website.” GIGW specifically emphasizes meaningful link text and accessibility; the card markup is an implementation example, not a prescribed template. GIGW guidance

Fetch page metadata without trusting the remote page

Server-side preview fetching creates a security boundary: a user-supplied URL can cause your server to request destinations you did not intend, and redirects can change where a request goes. Restrict outbound requests and redirects, set response-size and time limits, and do not run destination scripts. These are general engineering safeguards; the GIGW pages cited here do not specify a metadata-fetching protocol.

  • Allowlist destinations where practical. Prefer reviewed government domains over accepting arbitrary URLs from users.
  • Validate every redirect. Apply the same destination rules to each redirect target; do not validate only the initial URL.
  • Block internal and special-use addresses. Resolve hostnames and reject loopback, private, link-local, and other non-public IP ranges. Recheck after redirects and account for DNS rebinding risks.
  • Bound the work. Set connection and total timeouts, cap response bytes, and accept only expected HTML content types.
  • Parse without executing. Read the HTML as data; do not load it in a browser with scripts enabled for the purpose of extracting a title or description.
  • Escape output. Treat titles and descriptions as untrusted text when rendering, and do not insert raw metadata HTML.

When a fetch is blocked, malformed, too large, or times out, keep the reviewed record and its direct link available. Display the editor’s last-checked date; do not label the scheme closed or unavailable solely because automated retrieval failed.

Handle screenshots, logos, and linking policies carefully

Do not assume that a screenshot or banner implies government approval of your directory. Follow the destination’s own linking policy when it has one. GIGW’s own link page says prior permission is not required to link to GIGW, bars framing, requests a new browser window, and permits its banners for promotion without implying government endorsement. Its banner dimensions and instructions concern GIGW assets only; they are not a universal specification for scheme cards or other sites. GIGW link policy

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Make your directory’s role plain: it summarizes and links to destinations; the responsible department remains the source for scheme details. Avoid framing destination pages inside your site. Provide a direct route to the source and check that external links remain usable.

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Or skip the browser setup

If you want a visual screenshot for a card without configuring a browser, ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server. One GET request returns an image or PDF; screenshots can supplement your reviewed directory record but do not verify who owns a scheme or whether its information is current. Learn about ScreenshotNeo. The API accepts parameters used by other screenshot APIs, which can make switching easier. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation.

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curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://department.example.gov.in/scheme -o shot.webp

ScreenshotNeo removes cookie banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; each of those steps can be turned off. Bot checks and CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits are not billed, and the response reports the page verdict and billing status in headers. Its MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf for AI agents. The Free plan includes 1,000 shots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots. Sign up for 1,000 free screenshots a month with no card.

Troubleshoot common preview problems

  • The destination has no useful title or description: keep the editor-written summary and verified scheme name; metadata is optional input, not the card’s source of truth.
  • The fetcher times out or gets blocked: show the stable reviewed record and its last-checked date. Do not infer that the scheme has closed.
  • A redirect points somewhere unexpected: reject it unless the new destination passes the same domain and address checks as the original URL; ask an editor to review the changed destination.
  • The screenshot contains a consent banner or popup: for ScreenshotNeo captures, the relevant removal steps can be disabled individually; for any screenshot workflow, do not interpret a visual capture as proof of official status.
  • A card is unclear to keyboard or screen-reader users: ensure the link has meaningful text, the destination cue is available as text, and the card’s important information is not conveyed only by an image.

Security and production readiness

GIGW says a government website, web application, portal, or mobile app should have security audit clearance before production hosting. It does not define the specific controls for a third-party directory’s remote preview fetcher; apply suitable security review to your own implementation and follow the applicable requirements for your organization and deployment. GIGW security guidance GIGW 3.0 was formulated jointly with STQC and CERT-In, and its cybersecurity chapter was formulated by CERT-In. GIGW introduction

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does GIGW require Open Graph tags or a specific preview-card design?

No such requirement is established by the cited GIGW guidance. It discusses relevant metadata, meaningful links, accessibility, ownership, and other website practices, not a prescribed card format or Open Graph protocol.

If a government destination cannot be fetched, should the directory hide the scheme?

Not on that basis alone. Keep the reviewed listing and its direct source link, show when it was last checked, and have an editor verify the destination.

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