e-Governance is understood as the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) at all the level of the Government in order to provide services to the citizens, interaction with business enterprises and communication and exchange of information between different agencies of the Government in a speedy, convenient efficient and transparent manner. Users can find detailed information about e-Governance, National Conference on e-Governance, GATI e-services, awards scheme, etc.

E-government can thus be defined as the use of ICTs to more effectively and efficiently deliver government services to citizens and businesses. It is the application of ICT in government operations, achieving public ends by digital means.  The underlying principle of e-government, supported by an effective e-governance institutional framework, is to improve the internal workings of the public sector by reducing financial costs and transaction times so as to better integrate work flows and processes and enable effective resource utilization across the various public sector agencies aiming for sustainable solutions. Through innovation and e-government, governments around the world can be more efficient, provide better services, respond to the demands of citizens for transparency and accountability, be more inclusive and thus restore the trust of citizens in their governments.

Types of e-Governance

• G2G – Government to Government
• G2C – Government to Citizen
• G2B – Government to Business
• G2E – Government to Employees

Benefits

• For residents, e government improves access to information and provides high-quality services. It also improves government efficiency, transparency, and accountability.
• Transparency and accountability have been improved.
• Governance’s reach has been widened.
• The use of ICT to governance, in conjunction with extensive business process reengineering, would result in the simplification of complex processes, as well as modifications to statutes and regulations.
• Citizens and government benefit from e governance because the increasing rise of communications technology and its usage in governance will help to bring government machinery to citizens’ doorsteps.
• Better government administration.
• Allows for a more conducive environment for economic development.
• Citizens will benefit from improved service delivery in the form of better access to information and high-quality services.

Some of the Initiatives

• The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has launched MCA21.The project’s goal is to provide companies registered under the Companies Act with electronic services. Allocation and change of name, incorporation, online payment of registration fees, change of registered office address, viewing of public records, and other associated services are among the online services available.
• e-Office- The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances launched it. By shifting to a “Less Paper Office,” the MMP intends to greatly improve the government’s operating efficiency.
• The National Centre of Geoinformatics (NCoG) has built a Geographic Information System (GIS) platform for sharing, collaboration, location-based analytics, and decision support for departments as part of this project.
• National e-Governance Plan (NeGP): It takes a comprehensive look at e-Government efforts across the country, bringing them together in an unified vision and goal. It was approved in 2006 and consists of 31 Mission Mode Projects, although it was eventually incorporated into the Digital India Program.
• DARPAN is an online tool that may be used to track and analyse the progress of the state’s essential and high-priority projects. It allows for real-time data on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of selected schemes/projects to be presented to top State Government and district administration officials.
• DigiLocker: It is a platform that allows citizens to securely store and share their documents with service providers that can access them immediately via the internet.
• The e-Hospital-Online Registration Framework (ORF) is a programme that allows people to schedule OPD appointments with government hospitals online. Patient care, laboratory services, and medical record administration are all included in this framework.
• MyGov: Its goal is to create a relationship between the government and citizens in order to achieve good governance.
• The National Scholarships Portal (NSP) is a centralised platform for students to apply for and receive scholarships from any scholarship scheme.
• PRAGATI (Proactive Governance And Timely Implementation) is an acronym that stands for “Proactive Governance And Timely Implementation.” Its goal was to establish a pro-active governance and timely implementation culture. It’s also a reliable solution for introducing e-transparency and e-accountability to important stakeholders through real-time presence and communication. It was first released in 2015.

Novel Measures that we can use to improve e-governance

• A smart city requires good data to inform decision-making. The only reliable way to get good data is to design ‘smart systems’ that generate such data by default.
• To ensure digitisation, we may use a combination of expectation-setting and incentives.
• To improve interoperability among e-governance tools, a hybrid strategy must be used, which will include a centralised method for document management, knowledge management, file management, and grievance management, among other things.
• Identifying and assessing the grassroots reality should be the starting point for e-governance activities in rural areas.
• The government should also concentrate on developing relevant, practical, distinct, and effective capacity-building processes for a variety of stakeholders, including bureaucrats, rural and urban populations, elected officials, and so on.
• Phased targets for adoption of the new tools, and ensure adequate technical support and education for employees during the transition.
• Cloud computing is also becoming a major force in improving the delivery of e-government services. Cloud computing is not only a cost-cutting tool, but it also aids in the development of new services, the improvement of education, and the creation of new employment and possibilities.
  • GI Meghraj Cloud is a positive step forward in the correct direction. The goal of this programme is to improve the delivery of e-services in the country while reducing government ICT costs.
• For countries like India, where individuals of many linguistic backgrounds participate, e-Government through regional languages is beneficial.

All the benefits we associate with e-governance — the ease of interaction, the gains in efficiency through both performance management and process reform, and the potential for data-driven preventive maintenance of infrastructure — hinge upon adoption of the system by local government employees and citizens themselves. In turn, adoption leads to the richer datasets that will bring various departments in a city to collaborate with each other — and indeed with non-governmental partners as well — to create a virtuous cycle of co-creation, learning, and efficiency. This is how smart cities emerge, not from the top down, but from organic collaboration between departments, employees, and citizens, who are simply looking to do their own jobs more effectively.

How to structure:

• Give a brief introduction of what e- government and e-governance is
• Give the benefits of e-government in strengthening in local governance
• Suggest new measures to digitise public service delivery in India – give examples
• Conclude

Reference:

1. https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/make-departments-smart-first/article36638729.ece