ARC Report on E-Governance (Summary)

e-Governance or ‘electronic governance’ is basically the application of Information and Communications Technology to the processes of Government functioning in order to bring about ‘Simple, Moral, Accountable, Responsive and Transparent’ (SMART) governance. This would generally involve the use of ICTs by government agencies for any or all of the following reasons: (a) Exchange of information with citizens, businesses or other government departments (b) Speedier and more efficient delivery of public services (c) Improving internal efficiency (d) Reducing costs / increasing revenue (e) Re-structuring of administrative processes and (f) Improving quality of services.

Stages of e-Governance:-

The Indian experience demonstrates that the onset of e-Governance proceeded through the following phases:-

a) Computerisation :-  The use of computers in the government offices 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 :- creation of web pages of different departments having organisational structures, contact details of officials and vision and statements of the respective government entities.

d) On-line interactivity :- 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, ICT is used to restructure the governmental processes involved in the functioning of government entities, 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.  The primary purpose is to make government, citizen-friendly through 24x7 access.

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) – 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:-

e-Governance is about reform in governance, facilitated by the creative use of ICT. It is expected that this would lead to:-

a) Better access to information and quality services for citizens:- timely and reliable information, one point access to services.

b) Simplicity, efficiency and accountability in the government:- simplification of complicated processes, weeding out of redundant processes, simplification in structures and changes in statutes and regulations,  enhanced decision making abilities and increased efficiency across government--- leading to more accountable government, which in-turn will result in more productive and efficient administration in all sectors of governance.

c) Expanded reach of governance:-  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

Recognising the increasing importance of electronics, the Government of India established the Department of Electronics in 1970. The subsequent establishment of the National Informatics Centre (NIC) in 1977 was the first major step towards e-Governance in India as it brought ‘information’ and its communication in focus. However, the main thrust for e-Governance was provided by the launching of NICNET in 1987 – the national satellite-based computer network. This was followed by the launch of the District Information System of the National Informatics Centre (DISNIC) programme to computerize all district offices in the country for which free hardware and software was offered to the State Governments. NICNET was extended via the State capitals to all district headquarters by 1990.

A National Task Force on Information Technology and Software Development was constituted in May 1998. While recognising Information Technology as a frontier area of knowledge per se, it focused on utilizing it as an enabling tool for assimilating and processing all other spheres of knowledge. It recommended the launching of an ‘Operation Knowledge’ aimed at universalizing computer literacy and spreading the use of computers and IT in education. In 1999, the Union Ministry of Information Technology was created. By 2000, a 12-point minimum agenda for e-Governance was identified by Government of India for implementation in all the Union Government Ministries/Departments. The agenda undertaken included LAN, training, pay roll accounting and use of software for day-to-day operation, web page creation of departments and ministeries, web enabled grievance redressal mechanism, digitalization of all circulars, rules and regulations, development of Hindi version of the content of the web, development of package by each department of ministeries for e-service delivery etc.

Tax administration departments both at the Union and State levels were among the first to use ICT to improve their internal working. ICT was used to have better reporting systems, preventing leakages and faster processing of returns.

Examples of some e-governance initiatives in India:-

1) Bhoomi Project in Karnataka : Online Delivery of Land Records

Bhoomi is a self-sustainable e-Governance project for the computerized delivery of 20 million rural land records to 6.7 million farmers through 177 Government-owned kiosks in the State of Karnataka. It was felt that rural land records are central conduits to delivering better IT-enabled services to citizens because they contain multiple data elements: ownership, tenancy, loans, nature of title, irrigation details, crops grown etc. In addition to providing the proof of title to the land, this land record is used by the farmer for a variety of purposes: from documenting crop loans and legal actions, to securing scholarships for schoolchildren. These records were hitherto maintained manually by 9,000 village officials. Through this project, computerised kiosks are currently offering farmers two critical services - procurement of land records and requests for changes to the land title. About 20 million records are now being legally maintained in the digital format. To ensure the authenticity of data management, a biometric finger authentication system has been used for the first time in an e-Governance project in India. To make the project self-sustaining and expandable, Bhoomi levies user charges.

2)  Gyandoot (Madhya Pradesh)

Gyandoot is an Intranet-based Government to Citizen (G2C) service delivery initiative. It was initiated in the Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh in January 2000 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. Initially, computers were installed in twenty village Panchayat centres and connected to the District Rural Development Authority in Dhar town. These were called Soochanalayas which were operated by local rural youth selected for this purpose (called Soochaks). No fixed salary or stipend was paid to them. Later, 15 more Soochanalayas were opened as private enterprise. The Soochanalayas are connected to the Intranet through dial-up lines. The services offered through the Gyandoot network include

i. Daily agricultural commodity rates (mandi bhav)

ii. Income certificate

iii. Domicile certificate

iv. Caste certificate

v. Public grievance redressal

vi. Rural Hindi email

vii. BPL family list

viii. Rural Hindi newspaper.

3) Lokvani Project in Uttar Pradesh

Lokvani is a public-private partnership project at Sitapur District in Uttar Pradesh which was initiated in November, 2004. Its objective is 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. As 88 per cent of the District population resides in villages and the literacy rate is only 38 per cent, the programme had to be designed in a way which was user-friendly and within the reach of the people both geographically as well as socially. To achieve this, the programme format uses the local language, Hindi, and is spread throughout the district to a chain of 109 Lokvani Kiosk Centres. These Kiosks have been established by licensing the already existing cyber cafes. The services offered by Lokvani are:

a. Availability of land records (khataunis) on the internet

b. Online registration, disposal and monitoring of public grievances

c. Information of various Government schemes

d. Online availability of prescribed Government forms

e. Online status of Arms License applications

f. GPF Account details of Basic Education teachers

g. Details of work done under MPLAD/Vidhayak Nidhi

h. Details of allotment of funds to Gram Sabhas under different development    schemes

i. Details of allotment of food grains to Kotedars (fair price shops)

j. Other useful information of public interest.

National e-Governance Plan

The National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) has been formulated by the Department of Information Technology (DIT) and Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DAR&PG). The Union Government approved the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP), comprising of 27 Mission Mode Projects (MMPs) and 10 components on May 18, 2006. The NeGP aims at improving delivery of Government services to citizens and businesses with the following vision:

“Make all Government services accessible to the common man in his locality, through common service delivery outlets and ensure efficiency, transparency & reliability of such services at affordable costs to realise the basic needs of the common man.”

Implementation Strategy, Approach and Methodology of NeGP:-

Implementation of e-Governance is a highly complex process requiring provisioning of hardware & software, networking, process re-engineering and change management. Based on lessons learnt from the past and the experience from successful e-Governance applications, the approach and methodology adopted for NeGP contains the following elements:

i. Common Support Infrastructure: NeGP implementation involves setting up of common and support IT infrastructure such as: State Wide Area Networks (SWANs), State Data Centres (SDCs), Common Services Centres (CSCs) and Electronic Service Delivery Gateways.

ii. Governance: Suitable arrangements for monitoring and coordinating the implementation of NeGP under the direction of the competent authorities have also been substantially put in place. The programme also involves evolving/ laying down standards and policy guidelines, providing technical support, undertaking capacity building, R&D, etc. DEITY is required to adequately strengthen itself and various institutions like NIC, STQC, CDAC, NISG, etc. to play these roles effectively.

iii. Centralised Initiative, Decentralised Implementation: e-Governance is being promoted through a centralised initiative to the extent necessary to ensure citizen-centric orientation, to realise the objective of inter-operability of various e-Governance applications and to ensure optimal utilisation of ICT infrastructure and resources while allowing for a decentralised implementation model. It also aims at identifying successful projects and replicating them with required customisation wherever needed.

iv. Public-Private Partnerships (PPP): PPP model is to be adopted wherever feasible to enlarge the resource pool without compromising on the security aspects.

v. Integrative Elements: Adoption of unique identification codes for citizens, businesses and property is to be promoted to facilitate integration and avoid ambiguity.

vi. Programme Approach at the National and State levels: For implementation of the NeGP, various Union Ministries/Departments and State Governments are involved. Considering the multiplicity of agencies involved and the need for overall aggregation and integration at the national level, NeGP is being implemented as a programme, with well-defined roles and responsibilities of each agency involved. For facilitating this, appropriate programme management structures have also been put in place.

vii. Facilitator role of DEITY: DEITY is the facilitator and catalyst for the implementation of NeGP by various Ministries and State Governments and also provides technical assistance. It serves as a secretariat to the Apex Committee and assists it in managing the programme. In addition, DEITY is also implementing pilot/ infrastructure/ technical/ special projects and support components. DARPG’s responsibility is towards Government Process Re-engineering and Change Management, which are desired to be realised across all government departments. Planning Commission and Ministry of Finance allocate funds for NeGP through Plan and Non-plan budgetary provisions and lay down appropriate procedures in this regard.

viii. Ownership of Ministries: Under the NeGP, various MMPs are owned and spearheaded by the concerned line Ministries. In case there are any ongoing projects which fall in the MMP category, they would be suitably enhanced to align them with the objectives of NeGP. For major projects like Bharat Nirman, Rural Employment Guarantee Schemes, etc. the line ministries concerned are advised to make use of e-Governance as also automation techniques from the inception stage. States have been given the flexibility to identify a few additional state-specific projects, which are relevant for the economic development of the State.

Problems and suggestions to improve NeGP in India:-

✔     e-Governance in India does not yet have a separate enabling legal framework. The Information Technology Act, 2000 was enacted to provide legal recognition for transactions carried out through electronic data interchange and other means of electronic communication which involve the use of non-paper based methods of communication and storage of information, facilitating the electronic filing of documents with government agencies. However, the scope of NeGP is very wide covering almost all aspects of governance - right from delivery of services and provision of information to business process re-engineering within the different levels of government and its institutions. Thus, its task is of mammoth proportion. It would therefore be advisable if such a gigantic task is implemented, monitored and regulated through a legal framework so that its vision becomes a reality.

✔     Therefore, a legal framework for e-governance should be devised and 2^nd ARC is of the view that following points should be taken into consideration while devising it:-

i. Definition of e-Governance, its objectives and role in the Indian context;

ii. Parliamentary oversight mechanism;

iii. Mechanism for co-ordination between government organizations at Union and      State levels;

iv. Role, functions and responsibilities of government organizations with regard to e-Governance initiatives, especially business process re-engineering;

v. Financial arrangements;

vi. Specifying the requirements of a strategic control framework for e-Government projects dealing with the statutory and sovereign functions of government;

vii. Framework for digital security and data protection; and

viii. Responsibility for selection and adoption of standards and interoperability framework.

✔     This legislation should have an overarching framework and be able to provide flexibility to organizations.

Knowledge Management

A successful e-Governance intervention requires a holistic approach as it encompasses domain knowledge, process reform management, resources management, project management and change management. In each one of these, Knowledge Management (KM) is an important component. Knowledge Management (KM), is defined as “a discipline that promotes an integrated approach to identifying, capturing, evaluating, retrieving and sharing enterprise information assets.”  Knowledge Management is a process that, continuously and systematically,

transfers knowledge from individuals and teams, who generate them, to the brain of the organisation for the benefit of the entire organisation. It is the systematic, explicit, and deliberate building, renewal, and application of knowledge to maximize an enterprise’s knowledge-related effectiveness and returns from its knowledge assets. The steps of a KM process can be summarized as:-

•          Knowledge creation

•          Knowledge capture

•          Knowledge application

•          Knowledge impact measurement

The typical phases to be followed in building a Knowledge Management system are:-

Phase I – Undertake Knowledge Audit: This phase answers the questions like who collects what information? Why is it collected? Is it collected in time? Is collected knowledge put to any use? Is there a better way of collecting knowledge? Is required information being collected?

Phase II – Create Knowledge: Phase II helps in taking stock of existing knowledge and assessing knowledge needs of the organization. Determine who will create what information, when and in what format? Use knowledge management (KM) tools for knowledge creation.

Phase III – Capture Knowledge: Phase III deals with the transformation of tacit knowledge into storable explicit knowledge. It deals with activities like recording one-to-one conversations, recording a brainstorming session, recording minutes of meetings and other proceedings. It also deals with recording success profile of individual e-government champions.

Phase IV – Store Knowledge: This phase of the KM cycle deals with organizing knowledge into codifiable and non-codifiable categories. Use of electronic media for knowledge storage should be encouraged. Opening a knowledge centre in the ministry/department implementing an e-Government project is a good practice. The knowledge centre should Identify and use “best practices” in knowledge storage and should disseminate the same to the intended audience.

Phase V – Use Knowledge: Knowledge captured and stored should be made accessible to all concerned personnel. A culture of knowledge sharing should be promoted within the organization. Setting up knowledge distribution and knowledge sharing mechanisms within the organization will help the KM cause. Providing knowledge inputs to policy makers and monitoring knowledge use will help in taking mid-course correction measures.

Phase VI – Review Knowledge: The phase deals with the scanning of the horizon to anticipate knowledge needs of a ministry/department. Review the existing stock and flow of knowledge. Make use of simple but effective knowledge indicators. Involve stakeholders in knowledge review. The project implementers should constantly ask the question: has knowledge led to better decision making and/or higher productivity?

A number of KM tools and techniques exist for e-governance. These include:-

a. After Action Reviews (AARs):-  assessment of project after the completion and professional discussion about the results and applied methods to get information about what happened and why.

b. Communities of Practice (COPs): - “CoPs are small groups of people who have worked together over a period of time and, through extensive communication, have developed a common sense of purpose and desire to share work related knowledge and experience’’.

c. Knowledge Audit: - A systematic process to identify an organisation’s knowledge needs, resources and flows, as a basis for understanding where and how knowledge can add value. It also involves a comparison of performance against pre-set standards.

d. Knowledge Plan (Based on knowledge strategy)

e. Exit Interviews (Capturing knowledge of departing employees)

f. Sharing Best Practices (Identifying, capturing in one part of organisation and

sharing with all others)

g. Knowledge Centres (Connecting people, information, databases)

h. Knowledge Harvesting:-  It basically involves capturing knowledge of “experts” and making it available to others.

i. Peer Assists:-  It generally amounts to learning from experience of others (individuals from different organisations) before undertaking an activity or project.

Recommendation

Union and State Governments should take proactive measures for establishing Knowledge Management systems as a pivotal step for administrative reforms in general and e-Governance in particular.