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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,

available at: http://arc.gov.in/11threp/ARC_11thReport_Ch6.pdf, retrieved on December 22, 2016.

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

Management 24 (2013).

ix P. Dwivedi and G. Sahu, “Challenges of E-government Implementation in India”, available at:

http://www.iceg.net/2008/books/2/23_210-215.pdf, retrieved on 23rd

December, 2016.

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

Computer & Communication Technology (2013).

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

December,

2016.

xvi UN E-Government Survey 2014 – Where India Stands, available at:

https://unpanelearning.wordpress.com/2014/08/21/un-e-government-survey-2014-where-india-stands/, retrieved

on 19th

December, 2016 and Guncha Hashmi and Pooja Khanna, “E-Governance: A Journey of Challenges,

Failures and Success in India”, 4(5) International Journal of Innovative Research in Computer and

Communication Engineering (2016).

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:

pdf/Creating+an+Enabling+Legal+Framework+for+e-Governance.pdf, retrieved on 26th

December, 2016.

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.