e-governance-eg

CONTEXT

A two-day national conference on e-governance will get underway at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC). There is a need for conversations around the topics and technologies that would shape digital governance with digital innovation set to play an important part for governance in the next decade. The conference would serve as a forum for discussion on some of these technologies

E-GOVERNANCE

  • E governance or electronic governance is basically the application of information and communication Technology to the processor of government functioning in order to bring about SMART governance
    • 'SMART' Governance: simple, moral, accountable, responsive and transparent
  • According to the World bank e-government refers to the use of information technologies like wide area networks, internet and mobile computing by government agencies which have the ability to transform relations with citizens, businesses and other arms of the government
  • The revolution in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has brought a whole new agenda for governance into the realm of possibility. 
  • E-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.
  • The goals of e-Governance are:
    • Better service delivery to citizens
    • Ushering in transparency and accountability
    • Empowering people through information
    • Improved efficiency within Governments
    • Improve interface with business and industry

Stages of e governance

  • Government to government (G2G): ICT is used not only to restructure the government and processes but also to increase the flow of information and services within and between the different entities of government
    • It can be at both horizontal and vertical levels with the primary objective to increase efficiency, performance and output
  • Government to citizens (G2C): it expands the accessibility and availability of public services on one hand and improving the quality of services on other, thereby enabling choice maximisation for citizens
  • Government to business (G2B): major objective is to save time, reduce operational cost, cut red-tapism and to create a more accountable and transparent business environment
  • Government employees (G2E): the interactions can be made fast and efficient by the use of ICT tools and it also increases the satisfaction levels of employees

CORE PRINCIPLES OF E-GOVERNANCE

  • Clarity of purpose: Technology should be adopted for solving an existing problem and not merely for demonstrating the capability of an existing technology
  • Environment building: the implementation of e-governance would require the support at all levels and change in the mindset of all stakeholders
    • There is a need for creation of an environment, where the perceived threat to the entrenched interests is removed and resistance to change is address by dealing with the actual grievances
  • Integral part of reforms in governance: e governance cannot be separated from governance as a whole and needs to be an integral part of the governance structure
  • Monitoring and evaluation: evaluation of impact of initiatives should be carried out through independent agencies defined against the specific parameters, it helps in early detection of problems thereby facilitating prompt corrective actions.

BENEFITS OF E-GOVERNANCE FOR CITIZENS

  • Better service delivery: e-governance can help in insurance the reach of government services directly at the doorstep of the citizens
  • Cost and time effectiveness: storing data over cloud and sending communications over the internet not only saves time and cost but has also proven to be a more secure way of managing large amounts of public data
  • Ensuring transparency: e-governance initiatives ensure that transparency is maintained between Government and citizens
  • Accountability: e government makes government more accountable and answerable to citizens leaving little room for doubts or misinterpretation
    • It improves citizen government relationship by building trust between them

BEST PRACTICE

  • Lessons from Singapore:Singapore has ‘SINGAPORE ONE’, an e-Governance suite that offers very comprehensive services to its citizens. 
    • Once a child is born, the database keeps track of this child during its primary and secondary school days, graduation degree, employment, marriage, housing loans, passport, business etc

CHALLENGES

  • Low literacy: low level of literacy is a major obstacle for implementation of e-governance projects
  • Lack of accessibility: e-governance aims for efficiency and effectiveness of government services, but it can be achieved only if services are available to 100% of citizens
  • Lack of integrated services: most of state and centre government services are not integrated, lack of coordination among government departments is also a major issue
  • Lack of awareness: most of the Indian population is not aware about benefits of e-governance services
  • Privacy & security: a major obstacle in e-governance initiatives is the privacy and security of individual's personal data

WAY FORWARD

  • Compatible environment:Building a congenial environment is sine-qua-non for successful implementation of e-governance initiatives
  • Small and simple: The basic approach in case of e-governance projects should be to focus on- 'keep it small and simple' principle
  • Citizen centric:The priority of e-governance projects should be based on the needs and demands of citizens
  • Capacity building: capacity building efforts must be taken for both organisational capacity and also for professional and skill upgradation of individuals associated with the implementation of e-governance projects

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