E-Governance and various models

What is E-Governance?

The “E” in E-Governance stands for ‘Electronic’. Thus, E-Governance is basically associated with carrying out the functions and achieving the results of governance through the utilization of what has today come to be known as ICT (Information and Communications Technology). It is the application of information and communication technologies (ICT) to transform the efficiency, effectiveness transparency and accountability of informational and transactional exchanges within government between government and government agencies of National, State, Municipal and Local levels citizen and businesses. It also empowers citizens through access and use of information.

E-Governance is not only meant for introducing or using technological tools. But it also strives to bring about a change in the mindset and work culture to integrate government processes to serve the citizens better. The interaction between a citizen and a government agency normally takes place in a government office. With emerging Information and Communication technologies it is possible to locate service centers closed to clients. In all the cases, public traditionally looks for information and services addressing his or her needs and in both cases quality relevance and efficiency are of paramount importance.

The emergence of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has provided means for faster and better communication efficient storage retrieval and processing of data and exchange and utilization of information to its users be they individuals, groups, businesses organizations or governments. With growing computerization and increasing internet connectivity this process has presently reached a stage where more and more users are motivated to modifying their ways of doing things in order to leverage the advantages provided by ICT.

With the increasing awareness among citizens about their rights and the resultant increase in expectations from the government to perform and deliver the whole paradigm of governance has changed. Government today is expected to be transparent in its dealings accountable for its activities and faster in its responses. This has made the use of ICT imperative in any agenda drawn towards achieving good governance.

Objectives of E-Governance

The Government’s network infrastructure must be aimed at solving the political economic and social problems of the state and provide:

• Realization of the right of citizens to access public government information;
• Making available to the public with objective and reliable information on the activities of public authorities which strengthens the credibility of the state and its politics;
• To increase and encourage people’s participation in the governance process.
• Interaction and ongoing dialogue with the citizens of the state and public institutions as well as the necessary level of public control over activities of state bodies and organizations;
• Integration of information resources and services of state and local governments to strengthen national information space;
• Improving public administration optimizing the structure of the state apparatus reducing the financial and material costs for its maintenance a gradual transfer of government services that have value in a system of government online services that meets the real needs of citizens and organizations;
• Effectively support the economic activities of public entities that are engaged in economic activities allowing them to effectively integrate into a national and global economic space;
• Interaction and cooperation with government authorities in other countries and international organizations.
• E-Governance improves the country’s information and communication technology and electronic media, with the aim of strengthening the country’s economy by keeping governments, people and businesses in tune with the modern world.
• One of its main objectives is to establish transparency and accountability in the governance process.
• To reduce government spending on information and services.

 Brief History of E-Governance

• The introduction of E-governance in India started in the late 60s and early 70s with an emphasis on computerization of applications for defence services, economic planning, national census, elections, tax collections etc.
• However, from the early 90s E-Governance has taken on a broader dimension using IT for wider sectoral applications with a policy emphasis on reaching out to rural areas and taking in greater inputs from NGOs and the private sector.
• While the emphasis was initially on automation and computerization the later forays began to encompass connectivity networking setting up systems for processing information and delivering services.
• The implementation of the National E-Governance Plan (NeGP) in May 2006 was with the vision of making all government services accessible to the common man in his/ her locality through common service delivery outlets to ensure efficiency transparency and reliability of such services at affordable costs.
• Initial Steps Taken
  • The establishment of the Department of Electronics in 1970 was the first major step towards E-Governance in India as it brought ‘information’ and its communication to focus.
  • National Informatics Centre (NIC) established in 1977, launched the District Information System program to computerize all district offices in the country
  • The main thrust for E-Governance was provided by the launching of NICNET in 1987 – the national satellite-based computer network.

Stages of E-Governance in India

• The rise of E-Governance has been one of the most striking developments of the web. As the Internet supported digital communities and assuming that they do indeed grow to incorporate individuals around the country (and globe). They present the national governments with a number of challenges and opportunities.
• Governments in democratic states are primarily a representative mechanism whereby the selected few debate and enact the legislation for and on behalf of the nation state’s citizens. There are several aspects to this that might prove to be important in the context of E-Governance.
• Global shifts towards increased deployment of IT by governments emerged in the nineties with the advent of the World Wide Web. The technology as well as E-Governance initiatives have come a long way since then. With the increase in Internet and mobile connections the citizens are learning to exploit their new mode of access in wide ranging ways.
• They have started expecting more and more information and services online from governments and corporate organizations to further their civic professional and personal lives thus, creating abundant evidence that the new “e-citizenship” is taking hold.
• The effective use of ICT services in the Government has greatly enhanced existing efficiencies driven down communication costs and increased transparency in the functioning of various departments.
• It has also given citizens an easy access to tangible benefits be it throug simple applications such as online form filling bill sourcing and payments or complex applications like distance education and tele-medicine.

Pillars of E-Governance

• People
• Process
• Technology
• Resources

E-Governance: Interactions and Applications

These initiatives are discussed under the following categories:

1. Government to Citizen (G2C) initiatives.
2. Government to Business (G2B) initiatives.
3. Government to Government (G2G) initiatives.
4. Government to Employee (G2E) initiatives.

Government to Citizen (G2C) Initiatives

The E-Governance scenario in India has come a long way since computers were first introduced. The focus now is on extending the reach of governance to have a major impact on the people at large. A large number of initiatives have been taken in this category by the Union and the State Governments. Some of these are described in the following paragraphs.

• Computerisation of Land Records:

  • It ensured that landowners get computerized copies of ownership crop and tenancy and for transparency and speedy dispute resolution.

• Bhoomi Project Karnataka:

  • It is a self-sustainable project for the computerized delivery of 20 million rural land records to 6.7 million farmers in the State of Karnataka. As land records were not open for public scrutiny in the traditional system it resulted in manipulation and favouritism.

• Gyandoot (Madhya Pradesh):

  • It was started with the twin objective of providing relevant information to the rural population and acting as an interface between the district administration and the people. The basic idea behind this project was to establish and foster a technologically innovative initiative which is owned and operated by the community itself. The services offered through the Gyandoot network include Daily agricultural commodity rates (mandi bhav), income certificate, caste certificate, public grievance redressal, etc.

• Lokvani Project in Uttar Pradesh:

  • Lokvaniis apublic-private partnership with an objective to provide a single window self sustainable E-Governance solution with regard to handling of grievances land record maintenance and providing a mixture of essential services.

• Project FRIENDS in Kerala:

  • FRIENDS (Fast, Reliable, Instant, Efficient Network for the Disbursement of Services) is a Single Window Facility providing citizens the means to pay taxes and other financial dues to the State Government.

• E-Mitra Project in Rajasthan:

  • This initiative builds upon the experiences gained through the Lok Mitra and Jan Mitra pilot projects launched in 2002. While Lok Mitra was centred in the city of Jaipur. Jan Mitra was piloted in Jhalawar district to provide information and services under one roof to urban and rural populations. E-Mitra is an integration of the two projects.

• Revenue Administration through Computerized Energy (RACE) Billing Project, Bihar:

  • The Patna Electric Supply Undertaking (PESU) which is one of the seven area boards of the Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB) caters to the energy requirements of the Patna Urban Area. The entire billing and payment process was manual and anomalies in the system were resulting in harassment to the consumers and loss of revenue to the Board. To address these problems it was decided by the BSEB to take the assistance of ICT in providing value added and consumer-friendly service to the clients.

• Admission to Professional Colleges – Common Entrance Test (CET):

  • With the rapid growth in the demand as well as supply of professional education the process of admission to these institutions became a major challenge in the early 1990s. Recourse was then taken to ICT to make the process of admission transparent and objective. Use of ICT in the admission process has helped in making the admission process totally transparent fair and objective. Consequently, most of the institutions have now switched over to similar ICT based admission process.

Government to Business (G2B) initiatives

G2B initiatives encompass all activities of government which impinge upon business organizations. These include registrations under different statutes. Licenses under different laws and exchange of information between government and business. The objective of bringing these activities under E-Governance is to provide a congenial legal environment to business expedite various processes and provide relevant information to business.

• E-Procurement Project in Andhra Pradesh:

• Prior to the introduction of an e-Procurement system in Andhra Pradesh procurement in Government departments was done through a manual tendering process. The manual tender system suffered from various deficiencies, including discrimination, cartel formation, delays, lack of transparency etc. It reduces the time and cost of doing business for both vendors and government.

• MCA 21:

  • The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has implemented the MCA 21 Mission Mode Project under the National E-Governance Plan. The project aims at providing easy and secure online access to all registry related services provided by the Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs to corporates and other stakeholders at any time and in a manner that best suits them.

Government to Government (G2G) Initiatives

Within the government system there is large scale processing of information and decision making. G2G initiatives help in making the internal government processes more efficient. Many a time G2C and G2B processes necessitate the improvements in G2G processes.

• Khajane Project in Karnataka:

  • It is a comprehensive online treasury computerization project of the
    Government of Karnataka to track every activity right from the approval of the State Budget to the point of rendering accounts to the government. The project aimed to get rid of the issue in the manual system in the treasury.

• Smart Gov (Andhra Pradesh):

  • Smart Gov has been developed to streamline operations enhance efficiency through workflow automation and knowledge management for implementation in the Andhra Pradesh government. The solution automates the functioning of all levels of Government entities and provides a well defined mechanism for transforming the “hard copy environment” to a “digital environment”.

G2E (Government to Employees)

The initiative is a two-way interactive process between the organisation and the employee. E-governance helps in making these interactions fast and efficient in addition to increasing the satisfaction levels of employees. It involves giving and taking of information regarding diverse work assignments as may come from time to time evolution of performance management policy for personnel training and development of employees and career advice. The G2E model is a blend of providing information and services by the government organization to their employees to enable communication and learning.

• E-Postal Ballot:

  • The government issued a notification through which a certain section of electorate can cast their vote electronically. The benefit of postal ballots has been extended to the members of armed forces and supplementary forces and certain government employees deployed in remote/inaccessible areas and those posted abroad. All of these must have registered with electoral authorities as registered voters. It may later be extended to special voters and those in preventive detention.

C2G (Citizens to Government)

The Citizen-to-Government (C2G) model of e-governance in India enables two-way communication between citizens and the government through online platforms like websites, apps, and social media. This empowers citizens to provide feedback, participate in policymaking, access information, file complaints, and resolve issues digitally. The C2G model enhances transparency, accountability and responsiveness of governance by encouraging citizen participation, information access, feedback, and inclusive delivery of e-services. However, overcoming the digital divide by making online services accessible to all citizens remains a key challenge. Overall, the C2G model promotes good governance practices like transparency, accountability, and active citizen involvement in the democratic process for an efficient and citizen-centric administration.

In India, the Citizen-to-Government (C2G) model of E-Governance is a crucial aspect of digital governance, aiming to enhance citizen engagement and interaction with government agencies. Here are some examples of C2G initiatives in India:

• Aadhar Card:

  • The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) initiated the Aadhar project, enabling citizens to obtain a unique 12-digit identification number. Citizens can apply for Aadhar cards online, making it a notable C2G service.

• Income Tax Filing: 

  • The Income Tax Department of India offers an online portal where citizens can file their income tax returns, check their tax status, and receive refunds. This service simplifies tax compliance for citizens.

• Digital Locker: 

  • The Digital Locker System allows Indian citizens to store and share their documents and certificates digitally. This C2G service promotes secure and easy access to personal documents.

• E-Grievance Portals: 

  • Various states in India have established e-grievance portals where citizens can file complaints or grievances related to government services. These platforms enable citizens to voice their concerns and seek resolutions.

• Online Bill Payment: 

  • Many government agencies, such as electricity boards and municipal corporations, offer online payment options for bills and taxes. Citizens can pay bills, taxes, and fees conveniently from their homes.

• E-Scholarships: 

  • Several states in India have implemented e-Scholarship portals where students can apply for scholarships online. This C2G initiative streamlines the application process and ensures transparency in the disbursement of scholarships.

• E-Passports: 

  • The Ministry of External Affairs has introduced an online passport application system, simplifying the process of obtaining passports. Citizens can apply, track their applications, and schedule appointments through this portal.

• MyGov: 

  • MyGov is a citizen engagement platform that encourages citizens to participate in governance by providing suggestions, feedback, and participating in discussions on various government initiatives and policies.

These C2G initiatives in India demonstrate how technology has been harnessed to make government services more accessible, efficient, and citizen-centric. They empower citizens to interact with government agencies, access services, and voice their opinions and concerns conveniently through digital platforms.

NEGP 2.0 or E-Kranti

The electronic delivery of public services in India has got a major boost as the government embarked on the National E-Governance Plan (NeGP) 2.0, also referred to as e-Kranti. The NeGP 2.0 is a part of the government’s broader Digital India initiative and aims to scale up and boost E-governance initiatives across the country.

It was approved in 2015 with the vision of “Transforming E-Governance for Transforming Governance”. There are 44 Mission Mode Projects under e-Kranti, which are at various stages of implementation.

It will help in moving all government-to-citizen transactions in the education, health, banking and public services sectors onto online platforms to digitally empower citizens of all strata. Based on the experience with NeGP and also on the forgoing analysis, the principles have been formulated to guide the design and implementation of the e-Kranti Program.

Objectives

1. To redefine NEGP with transformational and outcome oriented E-Governance initiatives.
2. To enhance the portfolio of citizen centric services.
3. To ensure optimum usage of core Information & Communication Technology (ICT)
4. To promote rapid replication and integration of E-Governance applications.
5. To leverage emerging technologies.
6. To make use of more agile implementation models.

Key Principles

• Transformation and not Translation:

  • All project proposals in e-Kranti must involve a substantial transformation in the quality, quantity and manner of delivery of services and significant enhancement in productivity and competitiveness.

• Integrated Services and not Individual Services:

  • A common middle ware and integration of the back end processes and processing systems are required to facilitate integrated service delivery to citizens.

• Government Process Re-engineering (GPR):

  • To mandate GPR as the essential first step in all new MMPs (Mission mode projects) without which a project may not be sanctioned.

• ICT Infrastructure on Demand:

  • Government departments should be provided with ICT infrastructures, such as connectivity, cloud and mobile platform on demand. In this regard, National Information Infrastructure (Nil), which is at an advanced stage of project formulation, would be fast-tracked by Deit (Department of Information and Technology).

• Cloud by Default:

  • The flexibility, agility and cost effectiveness offered by cloud technologies would be fully leveraged while designing and hosting applications. Government Cloud shall be the default cloud for Government Departments.

• Mobile First:

  • All applications are designed/redesigned to enable delivery of services through mobile.

• Fast Tracking Approvals:

  • To establish a fast – track approval mechanism for MMPs, once the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of a project is approved by the Competent Authority, empowered committees may be constituted with delegated powers to take all subsequent decisions.

• Mandating Standards and Protocols:

  • Use of E-Governance standards and protocols as notified by DeitY be mandated in all E-governance projects.

• Language Localization:

  • It is imperative that all information and services in e-Governance projects are available in Indian languages as well.

• National GIS (Geo-Spatial Information System):

  • NGIS to be leveraged as a platform and as a service in E-Governance projects.

• Security and Electronic Data Preservation:

  • All online applications and e-services adhere to prescribed security measures including cyber security. The National Cyber Security Policy 2013 notified by DeitY must be followed.

The approach and methodology of e-Kranti are fully aligned with the Digital India programme. The programme management structure approved for Digital India programme would be used for monitoring the implementation of e-Kranti and also for providing a forum to ascertain views of all stakeholders, overseeing implementation, resolving inter-Ministerial issues and ensuring speedy sanction of projects.

Implementation

• Nil 2.0:

  • National Information Infrastructure 2.0 will consolidate and integrate the currently available and proposed network infrastructure, such as the National Knowledge Network, the State Wide Area Network and the National Optical Fibre Network.

• PayGov India:

  • This is an online national payment gateway for citizens to pay fees for availing any government services.

• MeghRaj:

  • The Government of India’s cloud will enable departments and agencies at the central and state levels to leverage cloud computing for the effective delivery of e-services.

• E-Gov App Store:

  • Using this, a large number of successful and time-tested applications can be hosted for immediate adoption by departments and agencies.

• Mobile Seva:

• The Mobile Seva platform is aimed at mainstreaming mobile governance in the country. Mobile Seva provides all possible mobile-based channels for service delivery, including SMS, unstructured supplementary service data, interactive voice response systems and mobile applications. It now aims to provide location-based and cell-based services.

• E-Pramaan:

  • It is a framework for the e-authentication of users who access online services through the web or mobile phones. It fully incorporates and uses the Aadhaar authentication mechanism provided by the Unique Identification Authority of India.

• E-Governance standards:

  • Open standards offer innovative solutions that can fix one particular challenge faced by government departments the high licensing costs associated with the acquisition and deployment of ICT.

• Language localisation:

  • All e-Kranti governance applications will be developed in constitutionally recognised Indian languages to improve their uptake.

• E-Taal 2.0:

  • This will be an enhanced version of e-Taal and incorporate additional features such as business intelligence tools, an e-services directory, a local language interface, a weighted average system for various services, a geographical orientation to service delivery points, and a comparative analysis of states and e-services in terms of e-transactions.

• Social Media:

  • Recognising the power of social media, the government has notified a policy on its use by government departments and agencies.