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STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION
OF E-GOVERNANCE IN INDIA
Dr. Niti Sinha1, Ms Ruchi Lal
2
1IMS Law College, Noida, U.P, India.
2 IMS Law College, Noida, U.P, India.
“Technology made large populations possible; large populations now make technology
indispensable.”
-Joseph Wood Krutch
ABSTRACT
E-Governance is the application of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to improve the
activities of government agencies. Today, across the world governments are using several e communication
strategies to effectively administer the public and private activities of which India is one of them. However, the
e-readiness index of India is found to be low in comparison to other countries. In fact there are various
challenges for the implementation of e-government in India. These challenges are low literacy, low per capita
income, lack of legal and technical infrastructure, and limited financial resource amongst others.
The purpose of this paper is to examine the challenges encountered in e-governance in India and to highlight
the various gaps which hinder the implementation thereof. Thereafter, with the support of secondary data and
by reviewing the existing literature, the paper will identify the various strategies that can be adopted for having
an effective e- governance framework in India. At last findings related to strategies to make e-governance
effective will be stated and conclusion will be drawn.
Keywords: Information and Communication Technology, E-Governance and E- Governance
Strategy
I. INTRODUCTION
The concept of e-government came into being with the advent of government websites in late 1990s. It is
commonly defined as use of information technology as a means of sharing data, administering services and
negotiating with general public, corporate sector and other organs of the government as well. i E-governance is
not just confined to usage of information and communication technology (ICT) in superintending governance or
delivery of services via internet or digital access to public services; rather it involves participation of public.ii In
other words, e-governance involves ICTs, through internet, to deliver effective and efficient government
services to citizens, businesses and government agencies. E-Governance is not just limited to the public sector
only but also includes the management and administration of policies and procedures in private sector as well. It
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creates the new interface for citizens to interact with government. It also provides the choice of place from
where they want to avail government services. Hence, e-governance is participation of public in government
service delivery system to increase the efficiency, accountability, transparency, convenience and value addition
in service delivery by interacting with government through electronic platform. It can not only improve
accountability, transparency and efficiency of government processes, but also facilitate sustainable and inclusive
growth. E-governance also provides a machinery of direct delivery of public services to the marginal segments
of the society in the remotest corners of the country, without having to deal with intermediaries.iii
II. CHALLENGES OF E-GOVERNANCE IMPLEMENTATION IN INDIA
In the words of Kiran Bedi “a government with no paper but information directly in the hands of people is
creating a real democracy in India.”iv However, e- governance cannot be effectively functional is absolute
institutional isolation. The concept can flourish only in a congenial environment accompanied with a series of
influencing factorsv namely, resonant political support, focused and staunch modus operandi by all government
departments, apart from vigorous and constructive participation by general public. Additionally, effective
working of e-governance necessitates having in place a dynamic institutional and physical infrastructure for
making accessible e-governance initiatives to all the remote regions of the country, apart from continuously
working towards evolving a scenario wherein adoption of information and communication technology becomes
a norm for all. Consequently, apart from the technical and infrastructure requisites, triumph of e-Governance
initiatives necessitates capacity building and creating awareness both within government and amongst general
public.vi
Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, a visionary in the arena of e-Governance, had appropriately narrated the underlying
challenge facing the country in the implementation thereof:
“E-Governance has to be citizen-friendly. Delivery of services to citizens is considered a primary function of
the government. In a democratic nation of over one billion people like India, e-Governance should enable
seamless access to information and seamless flow of information across the state and central government in the
federal set up. No country has so far implemented an e-Governance system for one billion people. It is a big
challenge before us.”vii
But in developing countries like India, where literacy level is very low and most of the population being below
poverty line it is extremely difficult for the government to provide its services to such citizens through
internet. There are a number of e-Governance projects running today but most of the e-governance projects fail
to sustain in long run due to a large number of obstacles in implementation of e-Governance in India. Some of
the primary challenges area discussed below:
2.1 Low literacy
One of the primary issues in implementing e-governance is to have its perceived usefulness amongst the people.
In contrast to the developed countries, the literacy rate in the developing countries like India is much lower.
Therefore, it becomes enormously difficult to create awareness regarding effectiveness of electronic governance
amongst uneducated general public.viii
Also, illiterate people are unable to access the e-governance services;
hence the implementation of e governance project face communication problems and these government projects
do not accomplish much success in application phases.ix
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2.2 Limited Financial Resources
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is one of the measures of national income and a country’s economy. GDP is
defined as the total market value of all final goods and services produced within the country in a given period of
time.x GDP of a country is the measure of its financial strength/ability. India has limited financial resources so
as to implement and maintain the e-Government projects properly.
2.3 Low per Capita Income
Per capita income means how much each individual receives, in monetary terms, of the yearly income generated
in the country. This is what each citizen is to receive if the yearly national income is divided equally among
everyone. xi
Per capita income of India is low as compare to the other countries.xii
Therefore, people cannot
afford services available on web/internet provided by the government which is a challenge for implementation
of e-governance.
2.4 Lack of Infrastructure
Many government offices in India lack adequate ICT infrastructure to make their services readily available to
the general public. Lack of Internet connectivity through Broad Band/optical fibre connections in most of the
villages in the country is leading to difficulty in accessing information. Furthermore power cut problem in
villages compounds the issues of effective deliveries. Even when adequate facilities are available, there are often
performance related issues either related to application or Internet connectivity leading to non-usage of e-
governance services. In this regard, though the government has been taking concrete steps to enhance the
broadband penetration, there are still miles to cover before full potential of e-Governance is realised.
2.5 Absence of effective legal framework
Implementation of e- governance requires a consistent and effectual legal framework. But in India there is no
specific law regulating e- governance services. Although, there are some provisions pertaining to e-governance
that have been incorporated in the Information Technology Act, 2000 but these provisions are not only defective
but grossly inadequate as well.
2.6 Integration of services
The performance and eventual success of any e-governance service is directly co-relational to the
comprehensive integration of services. This often proves to be a primary obstacle because of the language
barriers since there are 18 official languages in India. Furthermore, the government at the centre and States are
headed by different parties which are often influenced by diverse political ideologies. This creates political and
language issues.
2.6 Security
Security is not confined only to infrastructure only but sensitive data and information also requires safe
transmission. Today technology is advancing at a rapid pace which often the government departments are
unable match with. With hackers using new technologies, ensuring security for online transactions is absolutely
essential. There have been many instances of government websites being defaced/ hacked. Whenever any
transaction occurs from citizen’s end with the government department, they share their personal information,
which can be easily misused.xiii
Many People feels that transferring their personal information like pictures, ID
number, account number, credit card details etc with public agencies online is not safe. They fear that their
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private information might be misused or distorted by hackers xiv
.Therefore, trust and security, are the two crucial
variables that impede the effective implementation of e-government services.
2.7 E-Readiness
E-readiness (electronic readiness) is defined as a degree to which to a country or economy may be ready, willing
or prepared to obtain benefits which arise from information and communication technologies.xv
This measure is
often used to gauge how ready a country is to participate in electronic activities such as e-governance. Although
India is the biggest democracy in the world requiring effectual and transparent governance, it ranked at dismal
118th position in UN E-Government Survey, 2014.xvi
III. STRATEGIES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF E-GOVERNANCE
After identifying the key challenges to the effective implementation of e- governance services in the country it
becomes imperative to identify the strategies which must be adopted to make e-governance a successful
endeavour in near future. Any e governance initiative to be successful must be permeated by following
strategies:
3.1 Building a Congenial Environment
Since all the government department and organisations do not work on common platform of IT-preparedness, at
the very step it is imperative to evolve an environment wherein all the government set up at various levels are
conducive to e-governance. This step entails computerization of the whole department including the lowest
possible unit, apart from structuring competence at the individual level which acknowledges and appreciates the
need for reforms in processes using contemporary advanced technology and skills. Making e-Governance
acceptable, achievable and desirable target would require inculcating will to change and adapt among
government personnel, incentivising e-Governance, overcoming resistance to change and training and capacity
building.xvii
3.2 Building e-Governance Awareness and Commitment
Apart from building a congenial environment, there is need for creating pervasive awareness amongst the
general public. To be a triumph, e governance demands an escalating number of electronic interactions between
the general public and the concerned government department and not merely in building the infrastructure or an
environment conducive for e-Governance. The Government needs increase general awareness amongst public
Strategies for Implementation
of E-Governance
Building a Congenial
Environment
Building e-Governance
Awareness and
Commitment
Building legal
infrastructure
Building
Technical
Infrastructure
Building Judicial
Infrastructure
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towards e-governance. This can be done through educating the people about the advantages of e-governance
over physical governance. This can also be done through raising awareness of the leaders who can motivate the
people to go online. Apart from concrete steps from the government in this regard, a proactive approach from
civil society groups and public spirited persons would also generate greater demand and acceptance for e-
Governance initiatives.
3.3 Building Technical Infrastructure
India does not have comprehensive information and communication technology set up for achieving successful
implementation of e-governance. Complete implementation of E-governance in India should ensure:
i. Accessibility (at the citizens’ doorsteps)
ii. user-friendly interface
iii. cost-effectiveness (e.g. making use of open source software)
iv. Efficiency
v. Flexibility
vi. Scalability
vii. Sustainability
viii. Reliability and security
It will also include better and faster connectivity options. Newer connectivity options will include faster
Broadband connections and faster wireless networks such as 3G and 4G. The infrastructure must be built by
Government, Private Sector as well as individuals. Infrastructure will also include promotion of Internet Cafes,
Information and Interactive Kiosks.
3.3 Building legal infrastructure
Apart from adopting the above strategies, the effective implementation of any e governance service necessitates
enactment of adequate laws which fully incorporate the existing as well as changing future technology. At
present India has only the IT Act, 2000 which is mainly E-Commerce legislation. India has also modified many
laws to include electronic technology; however, as already analysed earlier in the paper, these laws are
inadequate to cover e-governance completely. Areas such as e-procurement, data protection, privacy policies
and re-use of information legislation are some areas that may perhaps need to be considered.xviii
3.4 Building Judicial Infrastructure
Overall technological awareness in current Judges is very low. The judiciary as a whole needs to be trained in
new technology, its benefits and drawbacks and the various usages. The judiciary may alternatively appoint new
judges with new judges and setup special Courts to deal with the matters relating to ICT. The Government can
also setup special tribunals to deal with matters relating with ICT.
Introducing e-governance in the arena of Indian judiciary, the e-Court Mission Mode Project was conceptualized
on the basis of the National Policy and Action Plan for Implementation of information and communication
technology (ICT) in the Indian Judiciary–2005 with a vision to transform the Indian judiciary by making use of
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technology. As on 31 March 2014, 13,227 district and subordinate courts have been computerised in the country
against the target of 14,249 courts. xix
The e-Courts scheme has been initiated with the objective of providing
services to all key stakeholders including the Judiciary, the District and Subordinate Courts and Citizens/
Litigants/ Lawyers/ Advocates through ICT enablement of all district and subordinate courts in the country, by
providing computer hardware, local area network (LAN), Internet connectivity and installation of standard
application software at each court complex and making the justice delivery system more affordable, accessible,
cost-effective, transparent and accountable.xx
IV. MAJOR FINDINGS
On the basis of the analysis of the secondary data and review of the existing literature on the topic the findings
of the research are:
4.1 E-governance i.e. use of ICT for delivering government services is the need of the hour for ensuring
accessibility, accountability, transparency and efficiency of government processes.
4.2 There are several key impediments to the effective implementation of e-governance initiatives in the
country like low literacy, limited financial resources, low per capita income, and dearth of adequate technical
and legal infrastructure apart from security and privacy issues.
4.3 The above challenges need to be adequately addressed for any e-governance endeavour to accomplish
desired results.
4.4 There are various strategies which must be systematically incorporated within a framework before
introducing any new e-governance project for the purpose ensuring effective implementation there of- primary
amongst them being: creating a congenial environment both within and outside the government agencies;
spreading awareness amongst general public; building and strengthening both legal and technical infrastructure;
and ensuring appropriate facility for citizen access.
V. CONCLUSION
From the above analysis, it is concluded that for successful implementation of e-governance the need of the hour
is devising both long term and a short-term strategy incorporating the parameters mentioned in the paper. As a
concept, e-governance can be perceived to be inclusive of e-Democracy, e-Government and e-Business.
Government Process Re-engineering using IT to simplify and make the government processes more efficient is
critical for transformation to make the delivery of government services more efficacious across various
government domains and therefore needs to be implemented by all Ministries/ Departments. However, for
successful implementation, infrastructure, legislations, standards, strategies all needs to be in place. It also
requires establishment of various institutions under the Ministry of Information Technology. It requires a global
vision and local implementation. And above all it requires e-readiness in the minds of citizens and the
Government. The paper will be incomplete without giving a direction to the strategies and this direction comes
in words of Mahatma Gandhi,
“. …Whether what we are doing benefits the common man in anyway… ”
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REFERENCES
i Kiran Yadav and Sanatan Tiwari, “E-Governance in India: Opportunities and Challenges”, 4(6) International
Journal of Advance in Electronic and Electric Engineering 675 (2014).
ii K S Sharma, Vijay Singh Rathore, K.L. Jawaria1, “E-Governance in India - Trends, Prospects, Challenges and
Solutions”3(4) International Journal of Engineering, Management & Sciences 2348 (2016).
iii Ibid.
ivSumanjeet, “E-Governance: An Overview In The Indian Context”,64(4) The Indian Journal of Political
Science 859(2006).
v Dewang Mehta, “E-India”, Computerworld, (2001).
vi Implementing e-Governance Reforms, available at: http://arc.gov.in/11threp/ARC_11thReport_Ch6.pdf,
retrieved on 20th
December 2016 and Implementing e-Governance Reforms, Government of India, 2005,
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vii 65 Inaugural address at IIT Delhi during International conference on e-Governance, 18th December, 2003.
viiiA. Nair Rajput K., “Significance of Digital Literacy in E-Governance”, 1(4) Industrial Financial & Business
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ix P. Dwivedi and G. Sahu, “Challenges of E-government Implementation in India”, available at:
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x Gross Domestic Product – GDP, available at: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/gdp.asp, retrieved on 23
rd
December, 2016.
xi Ibid.
xii Ibid.
xiiiP. Agrawal, Kashyap Pandey and S. Agrawal, “Security Issue of E Governance”. International Journal of
Advances in Computer Networks and Security (2014).
xivV. Beniwal and V. Sikka, “E-Governance in India: Prospects and Challenges”, 4(3) International Journal of
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xv Danish Dada, E-readiness for Developing Countries: Moving the focus from the Environment to the Users,
available at: http://www.ejisdc.org/ojs2/index.php/ejisdc/article/viewFile/219/184, retrieved on 15th
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xvi UN E-Government Survey 2014 – Where India Stands, available at:
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xvii Supra note 7.
xviii Sajan Venniyoor and Gitanjali Sah, “Creating an Enabling Legal Framework for e-Governance – Advice”,
available at: http://portal.unesco.org/geography/en/files/8053/11975395825 and
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Creating_an_Enabling_Legal_Framework_for_e-Governance, available at:
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xix Evaluation Study of eCourts Integrated Mission Mode Project- Project Commissioned by Department of
Justice Ministry of Law and Justice Govt. of India, http://doj.gov.in/sites/default/files/Report-of-Evaluation-
eCourts.pdf
xx Ibid.