RRP 2021 – Governance Ready Reckoner
6. MINIMUM GOVERNMENT AND MAXIMUM GOVERNANCE
Minimum government and maximum governance means a shift from the state
being the only provider of resources, to the effective participation of the other non-
state actors in nation building. It also means reducing and streamlining the
government machinery to make it lean and effective.
A citizen friendly and accountable administration is the focus of such system.
The Government is trying to shift from government to governance
Objective - People should not be just receiver of government policies but they
should be the real driving force.
Simplification and rationalization of the existing rules and introduction of
information technology to make governance more efficient and effective.
Merits
Reduced burden on the public exchequer.
More efficiency, as both the public and private sector take up roles they are the most
competent it.
Enhancing participation of the profit and non-profit sectors to provide both choice
and inclusion.
Ensuring citizen is at the centre of all decisions.
Efforts Taken
Minimum Government
Withdrawal from non-essential sectors(e.g.-divestment),encouragement to FDI
easing of approval and clearances(e.g.-single window clearance) and opening up
of hitherto government monopolies(e.g.-oil and gas exploration and production)
replacement of Planning commission with NITI Ayog having only advisory and
think-tank role
encouragement to PPP by government (E.g.- In road construction and public utilities)
enhanced focus on ease of doing business (E.g.- Tax breaks, better infrastructure,
SEZ and manufacturing zones)
Maximum Governance
Adoption of transparency, objectivity and accountability in service delivery (E.g.-
through egovernance)
Inclusion of citizen charter, grievance redressal and Sevottam model in government
functioning
JAM-DBT trinity for subsidy, scholarship, pensions and schemes (E.g. Ujwala
Yojana) to maximise benefits to the people
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RRP 2021 – Governance Ready Reckoner
7. E-GOVERNANCE
E-Governance refers to carrying out the functions and achieving the results of governance
through the utilization of ICT (Information and Communications Technology).
Stages of E Governance
Simple information dissemination (one-way communication)- is considered as the
most basic form, as it is used for merely disseminating information
Two-way communication (request and response)- is characterised with e-mail
system and information and data-transfer technologies in the form of website
Service and financial transactions- is online services and financial transactions
leading to web based self-services
Integration (both vertical and horizontal)- in this stage the government would
attempt inter and intra-governmental integration
Political participation- this stage means online voting, online public forums and
opinion surveys for more direct and wider interaction with the government.
Goals
(a) Better service delivery to citizens
(b) Ushering in transparency and accountability
(c) Empowering people through information
(d) Improved efficiency within Governments
(e) Improve interface with business and industry.
Pillars of E Governance
• People
• Process
• Technology
• Resources
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RRP 2021 – Governance Ready Reckoner
Significance
Automation of Administrative Processes
Paper Work Reduction
Quality of Services
Elimination of Hierarchy
Change in Administrative Culture
Transparency by dissemination and publication of information on the web.
Economic Development: The deployment of ICTs reduces the transaction costs,
which makes services cheaper.
Social Development: The access to information empowers the citizens. Informed
citizenry can participate and voice their concerns, which can be accommodated in
the programme/ project formulation, implementation, monitoring and service
delivery.
Strategic Information System: ICTs effectively enable putting such strategic
information systems in place.
Drawbacks in Implementation of Information Technology Based Program
Low Digital Literacy
Poor Internet connection
Cyber Security issues
Weather and geographical problems
Language barrier
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RRP 2021 – Governance Ready Reckoner
Mistakes and errors caused by the technology during the implementation: Not being
able to recognise the biometrics of beneficiaries while distribution of PDS, Pensions
etc.
Lack of Proper Infrastructure facilities
Non-Inclusive nature of technology
Way Forward
Building a congenial environment
Identification of e-Governance Projects and Prioritisation
Capacity Building and Creating Awareness
Protecting Critical Information Infrastructure Assets
Periodic independent evaluation of the information available
Impetus should be provided to increase rate of literacy in India.
Creating awareness about the usage of Information Technology.
Making people aware of the facilities offered by the e-government
Government websites must be made user friendly.
Providing Internet access to all through public terminals as a part of Government
Universal access effort.
Government should provide the measures so that the users can trust the technology
provided to them.
Impetus to provide inclusive technology.
Bilingual information on E-governance Application.
Good Practice
Hyderabad has become the first city in the country to make available its transport
data for public use. It is country‘s first data portal publishing datasets on bus
stops, bus routes, metro routes, metro stations, schedules, fares, and frequency of
public transit services.
Open Datasets are important for technologists and researchers to create
applications that are needed for social good. In the age of analytics, machine
learning and artificial intelligence, such open data sets can help create all kinds of
applications that make the most optimum use of public resources.
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