The advent of new information and communication technologies has made electronic governance as a tool to enhance the following relationship:
– Government to Government – Government to Citizen – Citizen to Government
– Government to Private and other Sectors.
– Private and NGOs Sector to Government.
E-governance is beyond the scope of e-government. While e-government is defined as a mere delivery of government services and information to the public using electronic means, e-governance is not just about government web site and e-mail. It is not just about service delivery over the Internet. It is not just about digital access to government information or electronic payments. E-governance will allow citizens to communicate with government, participate in the government’s policy-making and to communicate with each other. The e-governance will truly allows citizens to participate in the government decision-making process, reflect their true needs and welfare by utilizing e-government as a tool.
MODELS OF E-GOVERNANCE
There are five models of E-Governance. These models are briefed in the following:
1. Broadcasting/Wider-Dissemination Model
The model is based on dissemination of governmental information already available in the public domain into the wider public domain through the use of ICT and convergent media.
This model could be applied in the following possible ways:
– Putting Government Laws and Legislations online
– Making available the names, contact addresses, e-mails, fax numbers of local/national/regional/
international government officials online.
– Make available information pertaining to Government Plans, Budgets, Expenditures, and Performances online.
– Put key judicial decisions which are of value to general citizens and create precedence for future actions online
2. Critical Value Information – Flow Model
This model is based on the principle of dissemination/channelising of information of critical value to targeted audience or in wider public domain through the use of ICT and convergent media. This model requires a foresight and understanding of the “use value” of particular information set and locating users to whom the availability of particular information set would make a critical difference.
This model could be applied in the following possible ways:
– Making available the corruption related data about particular Ministry/Division/Officials online to its electoral constituency or to the concerned governing body.
– Making available Research studies, Enquiry reports, Impact studies commission by the Government online to the affected parties.
– Making available Human Rights Violations of the Government or allied authorities online for access by Judiciary, NGOs and concerned citizens.
– Making available Critical Environmental Information available to local inhabitants such as radioactivity spills, effluents discharge information on ratings of the company etc.
3. Comparative Analysis Model
Comparative Knowledge Model is one of the least-used but a highly influential model. The model, if used innovatively, can harness the potential and capacity offered by the communication technologies and aims it towards better governance.
This model could be applied in the following possible ways:
– To learn from historic policies and actions and derive learning lessons for future policy-making.
– To evaluate the effectiveness of the current policies and identify key learning in terms of strengths and shortcomings in policies.
– To effectively establish conditions of precedence, especially in the case of Judicial or legal decision-making (example for resolving patent-related disputes, public goods ownership rights), and use it to influence/advocate future decision-making.
– To enable informed decision-making at all levels by enhancing the background knowledge and providing a rationale for future course of action.
– To evaluate the performance and track-record of a particular decision-maker/decision-body.
4. Interactive-Service Model
Interactive-Service model is a consolidated model of the earlier models and opens up avenues for direct participation of individuals in the governance processes. Fundamentally, ICT have the potential to bring in every individual in a digital network and enable two-way/interactive flow of information amongst them. The potential of ICT for the governance is fully leveraged in this model and leads to greater participation, efficiency and transparency in functioning of the government as well as savings in time and costs relating to decision-making.
This model could be applied in the following possible ways:
– To establish an interactive communication channel with key Policy-makers and planners.
– To conduct electronic ballots for the election of government officials and other office bearers.
– To conduct public debates/opinion polls on issues of wider concern before formulation of policies and legislative frameworks.
– Filling of grievances, feedback and reports by citizens with the concerned government body.
– Establishing decentralized forms of governance.
– Performing governance functions online such as revenue collection, filing of taxes, governmental procurement, payment transfer etc.
BENEFITS OF E-GOVERNANCE
E-Governance is about reform in governance, facilitated by the creative use of Information and communications Technology. It is expected that this would lead to:
– Better access to information and quality services for citizens: IcT would make available timely and reliable information on various aspects of governance. In the initial phase, information would be made available with respect to simple aspects of governance such as forms, laws, rules, procedures etc. later extending to detailed information including reports (including performance reports), public database, decision making processes etc. As regards services, there would be an immediate impact in terms of savings in time, effort and money, resulting from online and one-point accessibility of public services backed up by automation of back end processes. The ultimate objective of e-Governance is to reach out to citizens by adopting a life-cycle approach i.e. providing public services to citizens which would be required right from birth to death.
– Simplicity, efficiency and accountability in the government: Application of IcT to governance combined with detailed business process reengineering would lead to simplification of complicated processes, weeding out of redundant processes, simplification in structures and changes in statutes and regulations. The end result would be simplification of the functioning of government, enhanced decision making abilities and increased efficiency across government – all contributing to an overall environment of a more accountable government machinery. This, in turn, would result in enhanced productivity and efficiency in all sectors – Expanded reach of governance: Rapid growth of communications technology and its adoption in
governance would help in bringing government machinery to the doorsteps of the citizens. 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 EVOLUTION IN INDIA
Stages of e-Governance Evolution
It is evident that e-Governance is intrinsically linked with the development of computer technology, networking of computers and communication systems. In developing countries, such technologies and systems became available with a perceptible time lag as compared to developed nations. However, in the case of India, with the liberalization of the economy from the early 1990s onwards, there has been a convergence in the availability of cutting edge technologies and opportunities in the field of e-Governance. Generally speaking, the Indian experience demonstrates that the onset of e-Governance proceeded through the following phases:
(a) Computerisation:
In the first phase, with the availability of personal computers, a large number of Government offices got equipped with computers. The use of computers 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) Online presence:
With increasing internet connectivity, a need was felt for maintaining a presence on the web. This resulted in maintenance of websites by government departments and other entities. Generally, these web-pages/websites contained information about the organizational structure, contact details, reports and publications, objectives and vision statements of the respective government entities.
(d) On-line interactivity:
A natural consequence of on-line presence was opening up of communication channels between government entities and the citizens, civil society organizations etc. 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 toon-line submission of Forms. Most citizen-government transactions have the potential of being put on e-Governance mode.