•REFERENCE- 11th Report of Second
Administrative Reforms Commission
E-
GOVERNANCE •Barkha Dubey
• e-Governance (Electronic Governance) is associated with
carrying out the functions and achieving the results of
governance through the utilization of ICT (Information and
Communications Technology). ICT facilitates efficient storing
and retrieval of data, instantaneous transmission of
information, processing information and data faster than the
earlier manual systems, speeding up governmental processes,
taking decisions expeditiously and judiciously, increasing
transparency and enforcing accountability.
• The revolution in Information and communications
WHAT IS E- Technology (IcT) has brought a whole new agenda
for governance into the realm of possibility. e-
GOVERNANCE?
Governance comprises decisional processes and
the use of IcT for wider participation of citizens in
public affairs. citizens are participants in e-
Governance. The purpose of implementing e-
Governance is to improve governance processes
and outcomes with a view to improving the
delivery of public services to citizens.
• e-Governance is in essence, the application of
Information and communications Technology to
government functioning in order to create ‘Simple,
Moral, Accountable, Responsive and Transparent’1
(SMART) governance.
• According to the World bank,
“E-Governance refers to the use by government agencies of information technologies (such
as Wide Area Networks, the Internet, and mobile computing) that have the ability to transform
relations with citizens, businesses, and other arms of government. These technologies can
serve a variety of different ends: better delivery of government services to citizens, improved
interactions with business and industry, citizen empowerment through access to information,
or more efficient government management. The resulting benefits can be less corruption,
increased transparency, greater convenience, revenue growth, and/ or cost reductions.”
• The council of Europe has taken e-Governance to mean:
“the use of electronic technologies in three areas of public action:
- relations between the public authorities and civil society
- functioning of the public authorities at all stages of the democratic process (electronic
democracy)
- the provision of public services (electronic public services)”
STAGES OF E-GOVERNANCE
In the case of India, with the liberalization of the economy from the early 1990s onwards,
there has been a convergence in the availability of cutting edge technologies and
opportunities in the field of e-Governance. Generally speaking, the Indian experience
demonstrates that the onset of e-Governance proceeded through the following phases:
(a) Computerisation: In the first phase, with the availability of personal computers, a
large number of Government offices got equipped with computers. The use of computers
began with word processing, quickly followed by data processing.
(b) Networking: In this phase, some units of a few government organizations got
connected through a hub leading to sharing of information and flow of data between
different government entities.
(c) On-line presence: With increasing internet connectivity, a need was felt for
maintaining a presence on the web. This resulted in maintenance of websites by
government departments and other entities. Generally, these web-pages/ web-sites
contained information about the organizational structure, contact details, reports and
publications, objectives and vision statements of the respective government entities.
(d) On-line interactivity: A natural consequence of on-line presence was opening up of
communication channels between government entities and the citizens, civil society
organizations etc. The main aim at this stage was to minimize the scope of personal
interface with government entities by providing downloadable Forms, Instructions, Acts,
Rules etc. In some cases, this has already led to on-line submission of Forms. Most
citizen-government transactions have the potential of being put on e-Governance mode.
TYPES OF INTERACTIONS IN E-GOVERNANCE
E-Governance facilitates interaction between different stake holders in governance. These
interactions may be described as follows:
• G2G (Government to Government) – In this case, Information and communications
Technology is used not only to restructure the governmental processes involved in the
functioning of government entities but also to increase the flow of information and
services within and between different entities. This kind of interaction is only within the
sphere of government and can be both horizontal i.e. between different government
agencies as well as between different functional areas within an organisation, or vertical
i.e. between national, provincial and local government agencies as well as between
different levels within an organisation. The primary objective is to increase efficiency,
performance and output.
• G2C (Government to Citizens) – In this case, an interface is created between the
government and citizens which enables the citizens to benefit from efficient delivery of a
large range of public services. This expands the availability and accessibility of public
services on the one hand and improves the quality of services on the other. It gives
citizens the choice of when to interact with the government (e.g. 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week), from where to interact with the government (e.g. service centre, unattended kiosk
or from one’s home/workplace) and how to interact with the government (e.g. through
internet, fax, telephone, email, face-to-face, etc). The primary purpose is to make
government, citizen-friendly.
Cont….
• G2B (Government to Business) – Here, e-Governance tools are used to aid
the business community – providers of goods and services – to seamlessly
interact with the government. The objective is to cut red tape, save time,
reduce operational costs and to create a more transparent business
environment when dealing with the government. The G2b initiatives can be
transactional, such as in licensing, permits, procurement and revenue
collection. They can also be promotional and facilitative, such as in trade,
tourism and investment. These measures help to provide a congenial
environment to businesses to enable them to perform more efficiently.
• G2E (Government to Employees) – Government is by far the biggest
employer and like any organisation, it has to interact with its employees on a
regular basis. This interaction is a two-way process between the organisation
and the employee. Use of IcT tools helps in making these interactions fast
and efficient on the one hand and increase satisfaction levels of employees
on the other.
Benefits of E- Governance
• Better access to information and quality services for citizens: IcT would make
available timely and reliable information on various aspects of governance. In
the initial phase, information would be made available with respect to simple
aspects of governance such as forms, laws, rules, procedures etc later
extending to detailed information including reports (including performance
reports), public database, decision making processes etc. As regards services,
there would be an immediate impact in terms of savings in time, effort and
money, resulting from online and one-point accessibility of public services
backed up by automation of back end processes. The ultimate objective of e-
Governance is to reach out to citizens by adopting a life-cycle approach i.e.
providing public services to citizens which would be required right from birth
to death.
• Simplicity, efficiency and accountability in the government: Application of IcT
to governance combined with detailed business process reengineering would
lead to simplification of complicated processes, weeding out of redundant
processes, simplification in structures and changes in statutes and regulations.
The end result would be simplification of the functioning of government,
enhanced decision making abilities and increased efficiency across
government – all contributing to an overall environment of a more accountable
government machinery. This, in turn, would result in enhanced productivity
Cont…
• Expanded reach of governance: Rapid growth of communications technology and its
adoption in governance would help in bringing government machinery to the doorsteps
of the citizens. Expansion of telephone network, rapid strides in mobile telephony,
spread of internet and strengthening of other communications infrastructure would
facilitate delivery of a large number of services provided by the government. This
enhancement of the reach of government – both spatial and demographic – would also
enable better participation of citizens in the process of governance.
E- Governance Initiatives in India
• NeGP- National E Governance Plan (NeGP) was approved in the cabinet in 2006 with a vision
locality, through common service delivery outlets and to ensure efficiency, transparency &
reliability of such services at affordable costs to realise the basic needs of the common man”.
The approach of NeGP was based on: (i) Centralised Planning - Decentralised Implementation,
(ii)BPR: Pre-decided Service levels - Identified Services, and (iii) Services to Common Man at
‘doorstep’.
• E-Kranti- approved in March 2015 , ”Transforming e-Governance for Transforming
Governance". The Mission of e-Kranti is to ensure a Government wide transformation by
delivering all Government services electronically to citizens through integrated and
interoperable systems via multiple modes, while ensuring efficiency, transparency and
reliability of such services at affordable costs. Subsequently, 13 new MMPs were added into e-
Kranti portfolio in 2014.
Cont…
• To address the challenges concerned, the Government envisaged e-Kranti i.e. “NeGP 2.0” based on the following
objectives:
• To redefine NeGP with transformational and impact making e-Governance initiatives
• To enhance the portfolio of citizen centric services
• To ensure optimum usage of core infrastructure
• To promote rapid replication and integration of eGov applications
• To leverage emerging technologies
• To make use of more agile implementation models
Digital India Mission-The ambitious Digital India programme launched in July, 2015 is centered on three key areas,
namely Infrastructure as Utility to Every Citizen, Governance and Services on Demand and Digital Empowerment of
Citizens. The ‘Digital India’ programme is envisaged to be coordinated by DeitY and implemented by the entire
Government.
The nine components of Digital India are namely Broadband Highways, Universal Access to Mobile Connectivity,
Public Internet Access Programme, e- Governance: Reforming Government through Technology, e-Kranti - Electronic
Delivery of Services, Information for All, Electronics Manufacturing, IT for Jobs and Early Harvest Programmes. Each
of these components is a complex programme in itself and cut across multiple Government Ministries and
Departments.
Some of the key initiatives taken under Digital India include:
• Common Services Centres (CSC) 2.0: More than 2.06 lakh CSCs are operational. CSCs given license by RBI
under Bharat Bill Payment
• e-Districts: Launched in 621 Districts and providing more than 900 e- Services.
• State Wide Area Network (SWAN): Operational in 34 States / UTs.
• Electronic Transaction Aggregation & Analysis Layer (e-TAAL): Integrated with 3051 eServices. More than
62.67 Cr eTransactions
• delivered per month.
• BharatNet (NOFN): Optical fibre reached in more than 50,700 Gram Panchayats.
• Digital Literacy: 94 lakh people enrolled, out of which 68 lakh trained.
• Public Hotspots: 2504 wi-fi hotspots commissioned at 1227 locations.
• Digital Locker: More than 20 lakh users have uploaded more than 23 lakh documents.
Other initiatives…
1.Aadhaar: Aadhaar is a biometric-based unique identification number issued to Indian
residents by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). Aadhaar has been
integrated into various government services and welfare schemes to facilitate
authentication and enable direct benefit transfer (DBT) to eligible beneficiaries.
2.Digital Locker (DigiLocker): DigiLocker is an online platform provided by the Government
of India that enables citizens to store and access their digital documents and certificates in
a secure manner. It eliminates the need for physical documents and promotes paperless
governance by facilitating the sharing and verification of documents electronically.
3.e-Procurement: Several state governments in India have implemented e-procurement
portals to streamline the procurement process, increase transparency, and reduce
corruption in government procurement. These portals enable online bidding, tendering, and
award of contracts, making the procurement process more efficient and accountable.
4.e-Courts: The e-Courts Mission Mode Project aims to computerize the functioning of Indian
courts and provide e-services to litigants, advocates, and judicial officers. It includes
initiatives such as Case Information Systems (CIS), e-filing, e-payment of court fees, and
online access to case status and judgments, thereby improving access to justice and judicial
efficiency.
