GENERAL STUDIES II

GOVERNANCE
4. E-GOVERNANCE
E-governance is the application of ICT to the processes of government
functioning for good governance. In other worlds, e-governance is the public
sector’s use of ICTs with the aim to improve information and service delivery,
encourage citizen participation in decision-making and make government more
accountable, transparent and efficient. E-governance goes far beyond mere
computerization of separate back office operations. It implies fundamental changes in
government operations; new set of responsibilities for legislature, executive, judiciary
and citizens.
According to the Comptroller and Auditor General, UK, “E-governance means
providing public access to information via the internet by government
departments and their agencies.” So in essence, e-governance is the application
of ICT in government functioning to bring in SMART governance implying; simple,
moral, accountable, responsive and transparent governance.
 SIMPLE - meaning simplification of rules, regulations and processes of
government through the use of ICT and thereby providing for a user-friendly
government.
 MORAL - connoting emergence of an entirely new system of ethical values in the
political and administrative machinery. Technological interventions improve the
efficiency of anticorruption agencies, police, judiciary, etc.
 ACCOUNTABLE - facilitating design, development and implementation of
effective Management Information System and performance measurement
mechanisms and thereby ensuring accountability of public service functionaries.
 RESPONSIVE - streamlining processes to speed up service delivery; make
system more responsive.
 TRANSPARENT - bringing information hitherto confined in government documents
to the public domain and making processes and functions transparent, which
in turn would bring equity and rule of law in responses of the administrative
agencies.
SMART governance, thus, helps in:
 Improving the internal organizational processes of governments;
 Providing better information and service delivery;
 Increasing government’s transparency in order to reduce corruption;
 Reinforcing political credibility and accountability; and
 Promoting democratic practices through public participation and
consultation.
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 characterized with e-mail
system and information and data-transfer technologies in the form of website;

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 Service and financial transactions- is online services and financial transaction
leading to web based self-services;
 Integration (both vertical and horizontal)- in this stage the government would
attempt inter and intra-governmental integration; and
 Political participation- this stage means online voting, online public forums and
opinion surveys for more direct and wider interaction with the government.

MODELS OF E-GOVERNANCE
Five important models of e-governance have been identified. This can be used as
a guide in designing e-government initiatives depending on the local situation and
governance activities that are expected to be performed. These models are:
THE BROADCASTING MODEL
The model is based on dissemination/broadcasting of useful governance
information, which is in the public domain into the wider public domain with ICT and
convergent media. The strength of the model rests upon the fact that a more
informed citizenry is better able to judge the functioning of existing governance
mechanisms and make an informed opinion about them. Consequently, they
become more empowered to exercise their rights and responsibilities.
Widespread application of the model corrects ‘information failure situations’ by
providing people with the relevant information relating to the governance sphere to
make informed opinion and impact governance processes.
Examples: Displaying governmental laws and legislations online. Making available
information such as governmental plans, budgets, expenditures, and performance
reports online.
THE CRITICAL FLOW MODEL
The model is based on disseminating/channelling information of critical value to
the targeted audience or into the wider public domain with ICT and convergent
media. The strength of this model is that ICT makes the concept of ‘distance’
and ‘time’ redundant when information is hosted on a digital network, and this
could be used advantageously by instantly transferring the critical information to
its strategic user group located anywhere or by making it freely available in the
wider public domain.
Examples: Wikileaks, Making available corruption related data about a particular
Ministry / Division/ Officials online to its electoral constituency or to the concerned
regulatory body.
THE COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS MODEL
This model is highly significant model for developing countries and can be used
for empowering people. Essentially, the model continuously assimilates best
practices in the areas of governance and then uses them as benchmarks to
evaluate other governance practices. It then uses the result to advocate positive
changes or it influence ‘public’ opinion on these governance practices. The
comparison could be made over a time scale to get a snapshot of the past and present
situation or could be used to compare the effectiveness of an intervention by
comparing two similar situations. The strength of this model lie in the infinite

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capacity of digital networks to store varied information and retrieve and transmit
it instantly across all geographical and hierarchical barriers.
Examples: To learn from past policies and actions and derive lessons for future policy-
making.
THE INTERACTIVE-SERVICE MODEL
It opens avenues for direct participation of individuals in governance processes
and brings in greater objectivity and transparency in decision-making
processes through ICT. Fundamentally, ICT has the potential to bring in every
individual in a digital network and enable interactive (two-way) flows of information
among them. Under this model, the various services offered by the Government
become directly available to its citizens in an interactive manner. It does so by
opening up an interactive Government to Citizen to Government (G2C2G) channel in
various aspects of governance, such as election of government officials (e-ballots);
redressing online of specific grievances, sharing of concerns and providing expertise;
opinion polls on various issues; etc.
Examples: Establishing interactive communication channels with key policy-makers
and members of Planning Commissions.

E-GOVERNMENT vs. E-GOVERNANCE

The terms “government” and “governance” are currently in widespread use,
sometimes interchangeably. It is important to develop a distinction between the two.
Government is an institutional superstructure that society uses to translate
politics into policies and legislation. Governance is the outcome of the
interaction of government, the public service, and citizens throughout the
political process, policy development, program design, and service delivery.
Governments are specialised institutions that contribute to governance.
Representative governments seek and receive citizen support, but they also need the
active cooperation of their public servants. Governance is the outcome of politics,
policies, and programs.
GOVERNMENT GOVERNANCE
Superstructure Functionality
Decision Processes
Rules Goals
Roles Performance
Implementation Coordination
Outputs Outcomes
E-GOVERNMENT E-GOVERNANCE
Electronic service delivery Electronic consultation
Electronic workflow Electronic controllership
Electronic voting Electronic engagement
Electronic productivity Networked societal guidance
The primary delivery models of e-Governance can be divided into:
 Government-to-Citizen of Government-to-customer (G2C)
 Government-to-Business (G2B)
 Government-to-Government (G2G)
 Government-to-Employees (G2E)
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 POTENTIAL OF E-GOVERNANCE
ICT applications have a great impact upon the structures of public administrative
systems. Technological advancements facilitate the administrative systems by
enabling administrative development and effective service delivery.

ADMINISTRATIVE DEVELOPMENT
Administrative reforms, often, have focused on procedural details and restructuring of
systems and processes of government organisations. The basic objective of these
reforms is to enhance capacities of the systems. ICTs can be used and are being
used now to give further impetus to the process. They help in the following manners:
1. AUTOMATION OF ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESSES
A truly e-governed system would require minimal human intervention and would
rather be system driven. While initially the solutions that were offered were quite
primitive with poor information layout, inadequate navigation provisions, occasional
disruption in services, periodic outdated content and little or no ‘back office’
support.
However, technological advancements and increased pressure from citizenry have
prompted improvements in these areas. Now administrative departments are
computerized and connected through network. Software has been built and
designed around government departments ensuring efficiency in operations. The
departments have launched individual websites carrying information of their
respective departments. This has enabled online carrying of operations and file
movements. Budgeting, accounting, data flow, etc. has become easy. This has
increased the efficiency of office operations and processes and has reduced
unnecessary delays.
2. PAPER WORK REDUCTION
An immediate impact of automation would be on the paperwork. Paperwork is
reduced to a greater extent with communication being enabled via electronic
route and storage and retrieval of information in the electronic form. All this
has led to emergence of ‘less paper office’. This concept is defined as an office
situation where all the information (file and mail) amongst various functionaries is
distributed online.
Less paper office is the implementation of effective electronic communication
processes that enable elimination of reproductive works and unnecessary papers.
The concept is where files and mails (information) are transmitted over wires to
small computers at each employee’s desk. Office work, such as, file movements,
notings, etc, is computerized and documentation, report preparation, databases
are now maintained in computers. Due to interconnectivity through LAN, transfer
of information and files take place online, thus reducing the physical
movements and consumption and storage of huge piles of paper.
3. QUALITY OF SERVICES
ICT helps governments to deliver services to the citizens with greater
accountability, responsiveness and sensitivity. Quality of services improves,
as now the people are able to get services efficiently and instantaneously. As
volumes of transactions and information can be electronically handled and
delivered over a wider area through the net and web, qualitative services

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 become possible in least time, in least cost, in least difficulty and in greater
convenience. By ensuring online redressal of grievances, the accountability
of officials is ensured. They have become sensitive to the issues affecting
people. Monitoring by way of video teleconferencing has further facilitates central
monitoring, reporting and face to face communication that has assured effective
service delivery by the officials.
4. ELIMINATION OF HIERARCHY
ICT has reduced procedural delays caused by hierarchical processes in the
organization. Through intranet and LAN, it has become possible to send
information and data across various levels in the organization at the same
time. Computerization and communication patterns facilitated by ICT have
increased efficiency and have led to the involvement of all levels in decision-
making.
5. CHANGE IN ADMINISTRATIVE CULTURE
Bureaucratic structures have been plagued by characteristics aptly described by
Victor Thompson as ‘bureau-pathology’. From the days of New Public
Administration, efforts have been made to find ways to deal with the pathological
or dysfunctional aspects of bureaucratic behavior and to make delivery of public
services effective and efficient. With e-governance, public actions coming under
public glare would certainly induce norms and values of accountability,
openness, integrity, fairness, equity, responsibility and justice in the
administrative culture. Rather, administration would become efficient and
responsive.
EFFECTIVE SERVICE DELIVERY
ICTs play an important role in effectively delivering services to the people. ICTs
ensure:
1. TRANSPARENCY
Transparency is achieved by dissemination and publication of information on
the web. This provides easy access to information and subsequently makes the
system publicly accountable. Also as web enables free flow of information, it can
be easily accessed by all without any discrimination.
2. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
The deployment of ICTs reduces the transaction costs, which makes services
cheaper. For example, rural areas suffer on account of lack of information
regarding markets, products, agriculture, health, education, weather, etc., and of
all this could be accessed online which would lead to better and more opportunities
and thereby prosperity in these areas.
3. 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.
Web enabled participation will counter the discriminatory factors affecting our
societal behavior.
4. ENVIRONMENTAL BONUSES
Paperless office: Proponents of e-government argue that online government
services would lessen the need for hard copy forms. Due to recent pressures from

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 environmentalist groups, the media, and the public, some governments and
organisations have turned to the Internet to reduce this paper use.

E-GOVERNANCE CHALLENGES
All implementers and drivers of e-governance initiatives agree that the biggest
challenge of deploying e-governance is not technology but change
management. Change management is important not only in terms of cultural change
but also in terms of changing operations and processes workflow that the automated
environment will introduce.
It’s important to educate people at all levels about the benefits of technology.
The various benefits and advantages of enabling e-governance in the system should
be communicated clearly. It is important to explain to people that the introduction of
IT will not take away existing jobs but will make them easier, and if less manpower is
required for operations the staff can be re-deployed elsewhere with no threat to their
career growth path.
The key challenges with electronic governance are not technology or internet
issues but organizational issues like:
 Redefining rules and procedures
 Information transparency
 Infrastructure, Skill and awareness
 Interdepartmental collaboration
 Tendency to resist the change in work culture
Other obstacles are geographical distances, lack of trained human resources, and
lack of ICT penetration in remote areas. For instance, a good e-governance
application will not benefit anybody in remote areas if there is no supporting
infrastructure such as electricity, computers and connectivity.
The other set of challenges lie in extending the reach of e-governance services to
70% of India population that lives in villages. These include:
 LACK OF INTEGRATED SERVICES
Most of the e-Governance Services being offered by state or central governments
are not integrated. This can mainly be attributed to lack of communication
between different Departments. So the information that resides with one
department has no or very little meaning to some other department of
Government.
 LACK OF KEY PERSONS
E-Governance projects lack key persons, not only from technological aspect, but
from other aspects as well
 DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
A challenge due to the diversity of the country. It enforces need to do governance
(upto certain level), in local languages. Ensuring e-Governance in local
language is a big task to achieve.
There are many considerations and potential implications of implementing and,
designing e-government, including disintermediation of the government and its
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 citizens, impacts on economic, social, and political factors, and disturbances to the
status quo in these areas.
SUGGESTIONS
In order to harness the benefits of ICTs maximally, we need to develop sufficient and
adequate infrastructure, provide sufficient capital and investment, enable easy and
wider accessibility and generate ample and skilful human resources. These are some
of the immediate and pertinent challenges to effective implementation of ICT and e-
governance. These are:
1. INFRASTRUCTURE
The foundation of e-governance is based on the reach of telecommunication
services to the so far un-served areas. To develop telecommunication,
infrastructure is to be created so that the end-user is able to access the services
promptly and effectively.
2. CAPITAL
A high rate of investment in IT capital and a supportive environment is
necessary to achieve digital economy. In view of the resource crunch with the
government, there is need to generate resources from the market and private
sector. Public-private partnership may be beneficial in this regard, as the
private sector can participate and contribute with capital and expertise support.
3. ACCESS
At present more than 75 percent of internet users in India are in urban India.
Internet has still to reach the rural and disadvantaged sections. However,
efforts are being made to expand ICT connectivity into rural areas through
involvement of Gram Panchayats. NIC has developed comprehensive web-based
software for Panchayati raj and rural applications, which is being implemented in
some states. With most of the panchayats getting computerized, accessibility
to various services has become easy.
4. UTILITY OF INFORMATION
There is a need to provide information, which is useful. The content of the
information should be such that it should be interesting, beneficial and appealing
to the people. In this regard, Government of India and some of the state
governments have prepared a vision document for e-governance keeping in
mind the needs of the citizens. Though Citizen’s Charters of many departments
are available on the net, further publicity of such facilities is required to enable the
public to access the necessary information.
5. HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Despite the ascending growth rate observed in employment in IT sector, there is
lack of quality manpower. There exists a demand and supply gap in the IT
manpower market. India apparently needs to have more technical institutes to
impart education and training to build a pool of human resources in the field.
6. CAPACITY BUILDING
Service delivery will be effective if there is a trained manpower. Though computer
training is being imparted to all the basic public functionaries, except in few cases,
an effective use of ICT is yet to be-seen. Moreover, there is an immediate need
to launch a nationwide ‘Train the Teachers Programme’ (3T Programme).

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 This should be done at all levels including schools and colleges. A combination
of physical and virtual training also needs to be imparted.
7. CHANGING THE MINDSET OF GOVERNMENT FUNCTIONARIES
To accept the change there is a need to change the mindset of service
providers and receivers. The government functionaries need to be made aware
that they are there to serve the clients as per the policies and programmes and
that technological advancement is only a facilitator to solutions of problems faced
by people and not a solution in itself. To change the mindset of the service
providers there is a need to impart orientation and training programmes to
them.
8. LANGUAGE
Success of e-government also depends on communication with the people
in their local languages. Currently, the most widely used language is English for
e-government. But given the Indian social conditions, unless we develop interfaces
in vernacular languages, it would remain out of reach of many people who are not
capable of accessing these services in English. In this context, it is essential that
a clear strategy be formulated to provide access to local level databases
maintained in regional and local languages as well as to use appropriate interfaces
to aggregate such data. However, it may be mentioned here that organisations
like Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) has developed
multilingual software for the purpose.
9. STANDARDIZATION IN DATA ENCODING
Once multiple access points maintained in various languages at various levels are
established, there is a need to update them in conformity with similar standards
for data encoding - an application logic for a common horizontal application and
data dictionary. This is also important for finding aggregates in the national context.
10. GRIEVANCE REDRESSAL MECHANISMS
The mechanism planned for various functions need to make provision for
grievance redressal as well. Interactive platforms on the internet may speed
up the process and may be useful in this regard. The ‘BMC-Praja Foundations’
joint initiative of the Online Complaint Management System (OCMS) is perhaps
the world’s first in citizen-government partnership for solving public grievances in
municipal services. It uses IT as a tool to bring in efficiency and effectiveness into
the system. Central Vigilance Commission has also provides such a platform for
people to register their complaints, against corrupt officials, such sporadic
instances need to be made broad-based and effective, though it may be conceded
that more and more public service agencies are now providing or contemplating
such facilities.
11. CYBER LAWS
The government needs to enact appropriate laws, especially those, which
are necessary to enable transactions over the internet. Safety concerns
regarding use of credit cards or other modes of payment stops the customers from
using such facilities. The Mahanagar Telephone Nagar Limited, Delhi for example
has provided the online facility for payment of telephone bills, but not even one
percent of its consumers are making use of this provision. Hence, security has to
be ensured for generating confidence in the system.

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 PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTIONS
1. E-governance is not only about utilization of the power of new technology, but also
much about critical importance of the ‘use value’ of information. Explain.
(2018)

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