Building Blocks of E-Governance: Strengthening the Democratic System

Abstract

The concept of e-governance is the latest attempt in the series of efforts to bring the government and its functioning much closer to its citizens and further, to strengthen the functioning of the government. E-Governance could be a panacea for the ideal, transparent and fair government. The purpose is to make government and its various institutions accountable through the introduction of much transparent and speedier modes of good governance. This article examines the concept of e-governance and its benefits that would reinforce strength in the three pillars of good governance, that is, Accountability, Transparency and Participation.

The UPA government, which took over the reigns of administration in May, 2004 promised a transparent and corruption free governance. The Common Minimum Programme (CMP) was declared by government to achieve these objectives Administrative Reforms Commission (ARC) was formed to promote e-governance on a massive scale. The 11th ARC Report focused on implementation of the e-governance reforms. The article further critically examines the recommendations and the feasibility of their implementation in the current state of reforms.

Over the years, a large number of initiatives have been undertaken by various State Governments and Central Ministries to usher in an era of e-Governance. Sustained efforts have been made at multiple levels to improve the delivery of public services and simplify the process of accessing them. In 2006, the Government approved the National e-Governance Plan (NEGP). The ultimate objective is to bring public services closer home to citizens. This article takes a deep insight into the policy initiatives and projects undertaken under the NEGP including National e-Governance Service Delivery Gateway (NSDG), State e-Governance Service Delivery Gateway (SSDG), and Mobile e-Governance Service Delivery Gateway (MSDG).

With the introduction of electronic government to demystify procedures and improve the citizen-government interface is called SMART (Simple, Moral, Accountable, Responsive, Transparent) government. The E-governance system in developing countries has been applauded by the west. The article examines the e-governance projects and initiatives in other countries and draws a comparative analysis of US and European Union (EU) with India. The objective is to understand how far the policies have been successful in its implementation.

In India, the E-Governance has been most successfully implemented by the Andhra Pradesh government. Projects like AP Vision 2020, SmartGov, AP Portal, e-procurement are among the successful projects undertaken by the Andhra Pradesh government to open the doors of progress and reforming the existing system of administration. Andhra Pradesh also won the Best E-governed state award in the year 2004-05. The e-Procurement project has also been listed in the "Top20 Programs: IBM Innovations in Transforming Government" Awards in the world by the Ash Institute of Harvard University. The article examines initiatives of the Andhra Pradesh government, its implementation and benefits. No government can ignore this electronic tool despite of the fact that such tool is yet to reach the rural areas. The article further seeks to motivate the other states of India to develop such e-governance programmes for faster and better information access, thereby, strengthening the democratic process.

Keywords: Administrative Reforms Report; Democracy E-Governance; NEPG; India; NEPG; technology; US.