1

“Public Management in the 21st Century: Opportunities

and Challenges”

PAPER TITLE

SITUATING DIGITAL INDIA MISSION IN PURSUIT OF GOOD

GOVERNANCE: A STUDY OF ELECTRONIC GOVERNANCE

INITIATIVES IN THE INDIAN PROVINCE OF ODISHA

Author, Title, Position-

Dr. SANGITA DHAL

Assistant Professor, Political Science

Kalindi College, University Of Delhi,

Delhi-110008, India

Mail Id- sangitadhal@hotmail.com

Address For Communication-

351 SFS Flats, Mukherji Nagar,

Delhi-110009, India

Mobile-09891881909

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SITUATING DIGITAL INDIA MISSION IN PURSUIT OF GOOD

GOVERNANCE: A STUDY OF ELECTRONIC GOVERNANCE

INITIATIVES IN THE INDIAN PROVINCE OF ODISHA

ABSTRACT

Democracies all over the world today share a common vision to accomplish the good governance

through digital technology will become a reality and a way of life. The emergence of Information and

Communication Technology [ICT] in this field has affected the functions and roles of governments. E-

governance represents a structural change in the bureaucracy and is perceived as a key to a more

flexible and proactive governance in tune with the concerns of citizen-friendly administration. The

states today act as a facilitator and this facilitation can be result oriented and successful, only when

effective governance is ensured. In the era of globalization, greater emphasis is being laid today on

good governance because of the critical link between the state and the global community. There can

be effective and productive relation between them, when governance is smooth, transparent and

result-oriented. Thus, to make globalization successful, the nation-states need to reinvent themselves

and reframe their agenda, which requires a thorough revision of their existing approach to

international relations and internal governance. The concept of New Public Service dwells upon this

aspect of governance, where corporate, managerial methods are blended with the application of

technology to make good governance a reality. E-governance represents a paradigm shift in the

nature and functions of democracy and provides citizens a platform for participation in the

governance processes.

The present paper explores the challenges and prospects of e-governance and tries to delve into the

complex socio-cultural dynamics alongside political-bureaucratic initiatives that are crucial factors

for the successful transition from traditional governance to electronic governance. The paper shall

attempt to situate the ongoing Digital India Mission in the larger context of good governance by

examining the case study of the Indian Province of Odisha, where a silent but stunning revolution is

taking shape.

KEY WORDS: globalization, administrative reforms, good governance, electronic

governance, development, Digital India, information communication and technology,

common service centers, citizen participation

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INTRODUCTION

Humankind has passed through many historical phases since time immemorial, thereby

witnessing several social, economic, cultural and political evolutions. Every phase of history

is an improvement upon the previous one in terms of human progress based on knowledge,

information and innovation. Human race is perpetually engaged to explore ways and means

to negotiate with the myriad challenges confronted at all levels of its socio-economic and

political existence.

At the present juncture of the 21st century, these challenges though have become

insurmountable, the available opportunities and prospects are equally promising to overcome

them. The globalised world today is increasingly getting integrated through shared ideas,

values, principles and vision of common destiny jointly achieved by nation-states.

Technology and information are the two enabling instruments, which are complimenting and

supplementing this objective and are providing solutions to the problems of human race. In

the present era, the global community has reached a consensus to reorganise the political and

economic relationships amongst nation-states based on the principles of democracy and neo-

liberalism, which promote the idea of globalization. It is a system of getting nation-states and

their economies integrated through commonly agreed principles of global trade, commerce

and services. Globalization today is seen to be the only way forward to negotiate with the

challenges of poverty and underdevelopment, which are responsible for other critical issues

such as hunger, illiteracy, unemployment, malnutrition, high mortality rate etc. For this to

happen, the nation states have assumed a new transformed role and have facilitated a new

global environment of free trade, commerce, collaborative ventures, free flow of capital and

services.

The pursuit of good governance through the application of technology and speedy

dissemination of information to the people at the receiving end is today considered to be the

most effective and result oriented approach to development. It further aims to transform

public administration by providing various services to citizens without the interface of

government offices. The issues and challenges of governance, thus occupies the centre stage

of political and academic discourse in the contemporary world.

The present paper is based on an empirical study of how a hitherto developing country like

India has made giant strides in economic progress by embarking upon the idea of good

governance as one of its critical inputs of inclusive development. The study explores the

various dimensions of e-governance as a tool of good governance to make the working of

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democratic institutions meaningful. The study contextualizes the Digital India Mission as an

enabling futuristic goal to achieve success in mitigating the challenges of development. The

Digital India programme is a flagship programme of the Government of India with a vision to

transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. Modern India

has embarked on a Digital India mission to move the process of governance online thereby

attempting to bridge the digital divide. To address this problem the present government is

launching a series of innovative ideas to implement digital revolution, by moving all sectors

of the economy online ranging from education to public services to healthcare and transport.

This digital mission in India called e-kranti launched on August 2014 falls under the purview

of Digital India initiative and is considered to be the world’s most ambitious and costly

broadband project.

Figure 1 : Digital India Website

Source: http://www.digitalindia.gov.in/

Digital India envisages all government services to be delivered electronically by 2018 for the

benefit of the citizens and various organisations. Further, it also aims to provide high speed

internet as a core utility extending to the village administrative unit [gram panchayat level]

and providing a 'cradle to grave' digital identity to the citizens lifelong online. The

government has also launched few other innovative IT programmes relating to Make in India,

Start-Up India, and Digital Lockers. Successful implementation of these programmes is made

possible by strengthening the basic foundation of the digital economy and making the internet

accessible, open and safe for all the citizens of India.* These innovative projects launched by

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the government have the potential to considerably compliment the process of modernsation

the Indian economy. They aim at encouraging large scale domestic and foreign investments

into making India a hub of manufacturing and to meet internal needs as well as to boost

exports.

This present study locates electronic governance as an enabling and technologically driven

instrument to augment and improve governance in Odisha, which is a backward state of the

Indian Union. Odisha, a relatively underdeveloped state in the eastern coast of India has made

remarkable progress in recent times in terms of implementing e-governance objectives and

projects. This paper examines the prospects of e-governance in the state and tries to delve

into the complex socio-cultural dynamics, alongside political-bureaucratic initiatives that are

crucial factors for the successful transition from traditional governance to electronic

governance. The paper attempts to situate the ongoing Digital India Mission in the larger

context of good governance by examining the significance of e-governance and analyse the

impact of e-governance on the lives of common citizens. The concept of e-governance is

explored in this study as a major outcome of new public service reforms in Odisha, which has

a tremendous impact on the functions of the government and its policies.

E-governance is one of the recent trends in administrative reforms adopted in the state after

the introduction of new economic policy at the national level in the early 1990s. As a result of

this change in policy and approach to governance, the state government started using ICT in

the administrative processes and in providing services to the citizens. In this context, the role

of the one stop shop the Common Service Centers present at grassroots level is significant for

the various kinds of services they provide to the common citizens. The present research paper

is based on the following provisional suppositions:

The use of ICT to modernize the state of Odisha has resulted in greater degree of

government efficiency, accountability and speedy delivery of services to people;

The political and administrative will to employ modern administrative tools such

as e-governance plays a crucial role in the overall course of development and

progress of a backward state like Odisha;

*Kaushik Basu, India’s Digital Transformation, The Hindu, 12 February, 2016

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With the introduction of e-governance and implementation of its related projects

the gap between the citizens, state administration and peoples’ representatives

has considerably narrowed down;

This paper on ‘Situating Digital India Mission In Pursuit Of Good Governance: A Study of

Electronic Governance Initiatives in The Indian Province Of Odisha’ is of immense

academic significance to understand the contemporary phase of digital governance in the

Indian province of Odisha, which has made an outstanding impact at the national level.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Electronic governance as an important tool for good governance aids in making democracy

meaningful through interactive communication and exchange of information among various

stakeholders. Information technology has become one of the core elements of managerial

reform and e-governance as a tool of good governance has a significant role in thr

governance process. E-governance is the application of Information Communication

Technology to the processes of government functioning in order to bring in SMART

GOVERNANCE. [simple, moral, accountable, responsive and transparent]. Many scholars

have focused on the democratic dividend of electronic governance for its ability to enhance

direct participation of people in the political processes. [Bhatnagar : 2004] [Holmes: 2001].

For instance modern technology is of a great value in registering the political attitudes and

inclinations of the public, interactive media which can accommodate dialogue that flows

among various stakeholders, government, citizens and the players in the private and the

public sectors. This process creates the foundation of an inclusive governance system through

online administration. E-governance is based on the three characteristics in the UNESCO

definition as outlined by Benkler. [http://cis-india.org/digital-natives/making-

change/information-structures-janaagraha].

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Figure 2: Three Features of E-Governance

[www.cis-india.org, Janaagraha, March 2014]

In the e-governance framework, the citizen is put at the centre stage and is encouraged to

participate in the process of governance [figure 2]. Advanced countries are fast moving

towards interconnectedness wherein gadgets, vehicles and buildings are embedded with

software, sensors and network connectivity for exchanging data between objects, owners and

the world. In USA, we have seen how technology has enabled enormous productivity

enhancement. In India too, we are using technology to create more demand and more jobs.

Japan will make a transition from the internet of things to the internet of everything, with

everything ceaselessly transmitting real time data. Thus Japan seeks to build a safe and

productive society with a positive integration and interaction between man and machines to

enhance human existence.

Most of the underdeveloped countries today are fast adopting the electronic mode of

governance in order to make the process of governance more efficient and smart. This new

thinking is driven by the idea that, in the age of information and technology, governance

should become smart and people friendly. The objective of this new approach is to bridge the

governance deficit and re-establish the credibility of the government that had been constantly

eroding due to underperformance or lack of success in achieving the desired goals of

development. The trust deficit is considered to be the major reason behind the failure of the

state’s policies, resulting in apathy and cynicism amongst citizens.

The role of the government can be best analysed in a system of governance, where the rule of

law is established through effective and proper implementation. This can be best ensured by

using the technology and bringing more objectivity to the decision making process rather

than leaving the process of policy making and programme implementation to the subjective

discretion of political executives and bureaucrats. There is an urgent need to replace the

subjective element in the process of administration with objective assessment and transparent

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dealings in the public domain. To pursue this goal central and state governments have

initiated many strategies to promote ICT in all walks of life, representing a structural and

functional change in the government organisations and the bureaucracy. Several efforts are

made to increase ICT accessibility through computers and internet to reach out to a large

section of the society with the help of civil society organisations and common service centres.

E-GOVERNANCE TRAJECTORY IN INDIA

India has been at the forefront of the IT revolution, which had a profound impact on its public

administration systems and governance, encompassing the areas of rural development,

services delivery, local self-government institutions, education, training, economy and many

others. E-governance has its origins in India during the 1970s with a focus on development

and deployment of IT to manage data intensive functions related to elections, census, tax

administration etc.

During the 1980s the efforts of National Informatics Centre [NIC] to connect all the district

headquarters was a significant step that proved significant. Local Area Network and State

Wide Area Network (LAN and SWAN) were created linking all districts through ICT

networks. Late 1990s onwards the central and the state governments have been pursuing a

policy for the adoption of ICTs, web based technology and internet. Most ministries and

departments have created their own websites, wherein they provide the basic information

about the ministry, contact person, RTI Act, Annual Reports. Key milestones of the

Government of India in this endeavour include:

Right To Information, 2005 by allowing citizens to ask questions under the RTI Act,

which is in operation for a decade now has helped to uncover irregularities and deliver

basic entitlements such as ration card, voter id , school admission etc.,

National E-Governance Plan [NeGP], 2006 comprises 27 Mission Mode Projects

[MMPs] at the centre, state and grassroots level to enable citizen-centric governance.

Within NeGP, ‘mission mode’ implies that projects have clearly defined objectives,

scopes, and implementation timelines and milestones, as well as measurable outcomes

and service levels.

National Digital Literacy Mission Programme 2012 was introduced to accelerate

digital literacy in India underlying the government’s vision of having one computer

literate person per household. In its first phase the Government trained nearly one

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million citizens with the help of the private sector, NGOs and civil society

organisations.

e-Kranti or Electronic Revolution, 2014 which is the world’s most ambitious

broadband project seeks to provide digital access to all citizens, including the elderly

and the poor in the rural areas.

Digital governance has been legalized in India by the Information Technology Act

2000,which provides legal reorganization for transactions carried out by means of electronic

data exchange. This Act was a path breaking initiative towards administrative reform in

India. [Government of India, The Information Technology Act, New Delhi, 2000]. To further

provide impetus to the ICT-based e-governance, the National e-Governance Plan [NeGP],

2006 was launched with a view to speed up the delivery of public services across the country

in a cost-effective and transparent manner. National e-governance plan seeks to improve

delivery of government services to citizens and business establishments with the vision to

make all government services accessible to the common man in his/her locality through

common service delivery outlets and ensure transparency and reliability of such services at

affordable costs to fulfil the basic needs of the common citizens.[ www.diety.in]

The program required the development of new applications to allow citizen access to

government services through Common Service Centres, which aimed to both reduce

government costs and improve access to services. The government launched a series of

initiatives to promote IT industry and set up a Working Group on Information Technology for

the Masses. The background report by this Group observed that: "It is a firm view of the

government that if any technology can create new opportunities to bridge the gap between

haves and have-nots in society in the present times, it is Information Technology."

[http://itformasses.nic.in/vsitformasses/page1.htm] But, it also simultaneously emphasized that

for IT to improve the lives of the 40 per cent of the population, which lives below the poverty

line, the government must play a 'catalytic and enabling role'. In the words of the

government's Working Group on Information technology for the masses, “India provides a

critical test for the IT and the Internet in particular, which can prove to be a major vehicle for

all round socio-economic development. Given the size of population in poverty and isolation,

and the inadequacy of telecommunications infrastructure, the challenge could not be greater”.

[http://itformasses.nic.in/vsitformasses/page1.htm].

Another path breaking initiative is the State Resident Data Hub where the Aadhaar based

information on demography is stored for the citizens with photographs. Big data technology

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is useful when a large number of transactions happen online. To utilise and harness the

benefits of Cloud, an internet facility, the Department of Electronics and Information

Technology (DeiTY) of Government of India has embarked upon another ambitious

programme. It is called ‘GI Cloud’, also coined as ‘Megh Raj’. In order to drive this

initiative, a Task Force was constituted by the Department of Electronics and Information

Technology (DeiTY) with the objective to bring out the strategic direction and

implementation roadmap of GI Cloud leveraging the existing or new infrastructure. The

architectural vision of GI Cloud centres on a set of discrete cloud computing environments

spread across multiple locations, built on existing or new (augmented) infrastructure,

following a set of common protocols, guidelines and standards issued by the Government of

India. The GI Cloud will be equipped to provide cloud services for various applications.

[http://deity.gov.in/content/gi-cloud-initiative-meghraj.

Digital India was launched on 1 July 2015 with an objective of connecting rural areas with

high-speed Internet networks and improving digital literacy. The vision of Digital India

programme also aims at inclusive growth in areas of electronic services, products,

manufacturing and job opportunities etc. As shown in the figure 3 below the vision of Digital

India is centred on three key areas such as digital infrastructure as a utility to every citizen,

governance and services on demand and achieving digital empowerment of citizens.

[Business Standard, 21 Services Launched For Digital India Project, 26.12.14].

Figure 3: Three Core Areas of Digital India Programme

Source: https://www.csc.gov.in/ [accessed on 23.05.16]

The Digital India programme aims at universalizing the application of digital technologies in

all areas of socio-economic development and governance. This can bring enormous benefits

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in spurring efficiency in the economy, introducing the much needed transparency in

governance and improving healthcare and education. If these missions are well implemented

then they have the potential to create large scale employment opportunities, which is a

pressing need for India’s increasing youth population.

The Government of India hopes to achieve growth on multiple fronts with the Digital India

Programme. Specifically, the government aims to target nine 'Pillars of Digital India' that

they identify as being:

1. Broadband Highways

2. Universal Access to Mobile Connectivity

3. Public Internet Access Programme

4. e-Governance – Reforming Government through Technology

5. e-Kranti - Electronic delivery of services

6. Information for All

7. Electronics Manufacturing

8. IT for Jobs

9. Early Harvest Programmes

USING INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY AS A TOOL TO

TRANSFORM GOVERNANCE IN ODISHA

Technology is transforming the manner in which governments are functioning in the

contemporary times. Odisha is one of the few states, which has initiated many e-governance

strategies to promote SMART governance in all walks of life. This policy envisages the

creation of a government–wide information network, which would simplify service delivery,

better targeting of beneficiaries and reduce duplication and corruption. People of Odisha now

have an online access to Public Utility Forms through the website developed by the initiative

of government of Odisha. Citizens can download 166 different kinds of forms in PDF

Format. The information available in the portal is related to: Commerce & Transport, Food

Supplies & Consumer Welfare, General Administration, Home, Industries, Law, Public

Grievances, Pension Administration, Revenue, Disaster Management, Excise, Rural

Development, Science & Technology, Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare Department,

Tourism & Culture and Women & Child Development department.

The state government is presently using ICT to promote inclusive development and facilitate

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governance for providing efficient services to the citizens in the spheres of agriculture,

health, medicines and education etc. The political will and administrative commitment to

implement electronic governance play an important role in the progress and development of

the state. Inorder to promote SMART government, the State has undertaken massive steps to

improve the use of Information Technology, especially in public administration. The ICT

Policy of Odisha, 2015 envisages that every department in the state shall spend two per cent

of their plan budget for electronic enabled service delivery to the citizens and towards

capacity building. Further, the government is also expected to come up with a Digital India

Mission, Skill India and Start-up Policy to boost entrepreneurship and job creation in the

state. The state government also has started a number of pioneering e-governance projects,

which are in operation in the different districts for promoting electronic governance in the

state.

Bhulekh The land record web portal in Odisha is a software application, which

provides online information on land records. It is an initiative taken up by Directorate

of Land Records & Surveys, Government of Odisha. The software enables optimized

maintenance of records and provides accurate copies of Records of Rights (RoR) to

the landowners all across the state. [http://bhulekh.ori.nic.in/]

E-Shishu It is another ambitious project implemented by Odisha Primary Education

Programme Authority which is the first of its kind in the country.

This project has two components:

Child Tracking System (CTS)

Intervention Monitoring and Information System (IMIS)

All the above projects are innovative efforts by the state governments to maximise public

interaction and to bring government closer to the people and empower them through ICT.

The above examples outline how e-governance initiatives in Odisha contribute considerably

to the current transformation of the form and functioning of the government. E-governance

makes use of ICT applications, Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN),

internet, mobile, computer technology to transform government by making it more

accessible, effective and accountable by providing access to government information,

enabling public interaction with officials, making operations transparent and offering public

services online India.

Growth of the internet and mobile phones penetration has played a critical role in

transforming the state into a more people- friendly and development oriented province of the

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Indian Union. Tele-density, which is equal to the number of telephone connections per 100

population, has grown rapidly in the State. However, it is yet to catch up with the national

average. The overall tele-density of the State by the end of March 2014 was 60.90 percent as

against the all India average of 75.23 percent. In case of urban tele-density, Odisha is far

better than the all India level which has reported urban tele-density of 161 percent in

comparison to 146 percent at the national level. The rural tele- density in the State was 40

percent as compared to 44 percent at all India level. Cell phones constitute about 75 percent

of total telephone connections in the State. With this development now an ordinary person

can use internet to avail government and private services with broad band connectivity

reaching every gram panchayat. [Economic Survey, Government of Odisha, 2014-2015,pp 360-

365]

To address the issue of ‘governance deficit’ the state government needs to invest more in

sustainable electronic governance projects. For this purpose, e-governance projects and

initiatives have been taken up and enforced at various levels. Two software technology parks

are at present in operation: one at Bhubaneswar and the other at Rourkela. Hence ICTs are

playing a significant role in enabling governments to pursue the agenda of good governance.

However, enhanced skilled manpower, ICT infrastructure, political will and committed

bureaucracy and citizen awareness are very much required for the successful implementation

of the ambitious vision which at times also suffers from lack of participation and concerns of

the multitude of stakeholders. The challenge lies in overcoming these hindrances through re-

engineering administrative structures and processes and promoting adequate capacity

building measures particularly in the rural areas. Technology plays a crucial role in

sustainable rural development planning and implementation for long term solution to

problems of rural unemployment and poverty. Hence, there is great need for technology

capacity building and application for this purpose, which every stakeholder should try to

address.

HERALDING A NEW ERA IN GOVERNANCE IN ODISHA

The history of e-governance in Odisha can be traced to 1986 with the formation of National

Informatics Centre [NIC] at Bhubaneswar. Within few years of its operation NIC in 1988

introduced District Network project [disnic] in thirteen districts of Odisha situated in the

eastern region and after a decade took a leap by launching the first website in 1998

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www.nicemail.com within the government departments to facilitate the process of mail and

file transfer through nicnet [National Information Communication Network].

Past experience has proved that it is not an easy task to reform or change government

processes and this is the major factor for the delays in the implementation of well-meaning

initiatives. However, e-Governance has now gained significant priority in Odisha as there is

considerable public demand for e-enabled services. Presently nineteen government

departments out of thirty-nine departments in Odisha have already successfully integrated

e-Despatch with Odisha State Wide Automation System [OSWAS] to enable smooth and

hassle free official transactions.

The figure 4 below shows that Odisha State Wide Area Network [OSWAN] created this

integrated network, linking the various departments at all the levels of G2C that will improve

government efficiency through connectivity. OSWAN is regarded as the backbone for

network, data transmission, video and voice communications throughout the State which

includes one State Head Quarter (SHQ), thirty District Head Quarters (DHQ), two hundred

and eighty four Block Head Quarters (BHQ) and sixty-one Horizontal Offices.

Figure 4: Institutional Framework of Odisha State Wide Area Network [OSWAN]

Source: www.ocac.in

Thus by increasing the bandwidth, better connectivity was enabled among the various

departments in the state horizontally and vertically through Land Area Network [LAN] and

Wide Area Network [WAN].With an integrated network system in place, the government

departments are able to smoothly transfer files, papers, records, information and notifications

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on internet. WAN has helped in linking the state headquarters with the district and cities,

towns and even the village as a result of which departments are now able to stay connected

with their local units. This helps in sending notices, directives and mails related to policy

matters via mail and internet.

Keeping in line with the increased thrust on e-governance across the country, Odisha

launched innovative initiatives to computerize various departments since the year 2000,

which includes policies, infrastructure and software application development specifically to

create an ICT enabling environment to enable citizen centred services delivery in the fields of

education, treasury, commercial tax, registration office, transport sector, Panchayati Raj,

election office etc. An examination of the Odisha IT Policy, 2014 shows that it aims at setting

up at least one active CSC in every gram panchayat to facilitate citizen centric services. The

citizens should get the services either from Common Service Centre or from the confines of

their home through electronic means within stipulated timelines as mentioned under the

Odisha Right to Public Services Act 2012. This policy envisages the creation of a

government –wide information network, which would simplify service delivery, better

targeting of beneficiaries and reduce duplication and corruption. The state government has

started a number of flagship e-governance projects in recent years which have won several

international and national awards [e-Abhijoga [Public Grievance Redressal], e-Pothi, e-

Sakhsham, e-GPF, e-Nijukti, Sarathi, Bhulekh [Land Record Portal], e-Shishu, e-Despatch,

Students Admission Management System [SAMS], Tracking of the Missing Child], which

are in operation in the different districts for promoting electronic governance in the state.

The state of Odisha has also introduced several path breaking initiatives from the year 2000,

which includes policies, infrastructure and software application development specifically to

create an ICT empowered environment to enable citizen centered services delivery in the

fields of education, treasury, commercial tax, registration office, transport sector, Panchayati

Raj, election office etc. An interesting feature of e-governance is that it has been able to

introduce new styles of governance by bringing about radical change in the administrative

culture giving a thrust to citizen centric governance. This has been revealed through various

interactive websites promoting citizen engagement. From the above it becomes clear that e-

governance has provided the citizens a choice and a possibility of easy access to government

information and services. People today want to participate in the process of governance and

control their own destiny by making informed choices. Through network communities and

internet, citizens today are using new technologies to influence government policies.

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ODISHA GOVERNMENT BUDGET IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SECTOR

Table 1: Total IT Allocation Component in Odisha Government Budget

Source: www.budget.odisha.gov.in

The above table depicts year-wise allocation of funds for ICT promotion and development in

Odisha. It shows, since last five financial years, there has been a steady increase in the

governmental allocation for ICT sector from the total Consolidated Fund of the state.

However, looking at the huge prospect of IT expansion and government’s ambitious plans for

the future, the funding seems to be too inadequate. A meagre 0.21 percentage of the total

Consolidated Fund of the state being spent on IT sector does not match the ambitious

expansion plan as well as sustenance of the ongoing e-governance projects. Further, it shows

that in the last five years, though there has been slight increase in terms of funding in the IT

sector, but in terms of percentage of the total Consolidated Fund, there has been no upward

swing. The percentage was 0.22 in the Financial Year 2011-12 and after five years, it still

remains stagnant at 0.21 in the last Financial Year, 2015-16. Though the trend shows a

marginal increase to 0.24 percent in the year 2012-13, yet it registered a decline in the two

subsequent years, 2014-15 being the worst, receiving just 0.17 percentages of funds from the

Consolidated Fund of the state.

NEED FOR CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT

Notwithstanding expansion and investment in terms of budget of e-governance models have

certainly increased over the years. The CSCs have turned out to be popular destination of

service seekers, ranging from students, pensioners, farmers, women, panchayat level workers,

Financial Year

Consolidated

Fund Total (in

Crores)

Total-State

Budget (in

Crores)

Information

Technology

Department

(in Crores)

% of the

Consolidated

Fund

2015-16 84487.77 239753.42 175.04 0.21

2014-15 80139.58 207355.51 138.19 0.17

2013-14 60303.09 223439.67 125.42 0.21

2012-13 52030.77 207367.51 122.63 0.24

2011-12 49810.21 -- 110.11 0.22

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businessmen, etc. These information centers / kiosks are catering to the variety of needs and

requirements of citizens. The information hitherto not easily accessible to these categories of

people, are now easily available at the click of the button [refer figure 5]. The CSCs played a

significant role in the remote areas by providing easy access to government services, which

respondents pointed out curbed corruption and delay to a great extent. This in turn ensures

democratic inclusion in the process of governance and facilitates the evolution of a

knowledge society that promotes the idea of true democracy. In addition, public participation

has enhanced citizens’ recognition of their responsibility to take proactive measures to

improve their life. By participating or contributing in policy making or policy

implementation, citizens ensure that their needs and interests are taken into account in the

decision-making processes that affect their lives at both national and local levels.

Figure 5 : Government Services Offered by Common Service Centers to the Citizens in

his/her Locality

Source: http://www.ocac.in/

Common Service Center [CSCs] are envisaged as the grass root agency of social change in

the rural areas providing e-governance facilities in the fields of education, tele-medicine,

agriculture, entertainment, etc. The ICT infrastructure and the basic civic amenities at the Jan

Seva Kendras were envisaged to improve the citizens’ experience while interacting with the

government. CSCs are the primary physical front-end centres for delivery of government and

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private services to citizens. Various government services through these CSCs were expected

to benefit the citizens, who lived closer to the areas of operation and reduce the waiting

period for a majority of citizen services. Recently the private sector has been involved in the

information technology development, financing and operation of such systems, where a small

transaction fee is charged for providing government services. The objective of involving the

private sector and NGOs in CSC projects is to make them partners in developing rural India.

As per the CSC guidelines outlined by Government of India, there would be one CSC for

every six census villages. However, with 51,349 census villages in the state, the target of

setting up 8558 CSCs in Odisha is yet to be achieved. [http://ocac.in/Content/3/13/12/39,

accessed on 24.06.16].

Chart 1: Income from the Types of Business to Citizen [B2C] Services Provided in

Common Service Centres

As the above chart reveals, that through the common service centres, the government and

market are working in tandem with each other offering B2C services to the citizens which are

indirectly promoting e-commerce in their area. A Village Level Entrepreneur [VLE] manages

every Common Service Centre in the rural area who is a CSC operator, she/he is a key to

success of CSC operations. An efficient VLE is one who has entrepreneurial skills or traits,

strong social commitment and respect within the community. Many studies have proved that

there is a direct correlation between the quality of services offered at the CSCs and

entrepreneurial abilities of VLEs operating them. [http://apna.csc.gov.in, accessed on

25.06.16]. The gap between the citizens, state administration/machinery and people’s

19

representatives is thus narrowing down by making the administration process convenient and

transparent.

The comparative assessment of the scenario existing prior to the implementation of e-

governance and the qualitative changes that have emerged after e-governance was introduced

revealed interesting facts. It is observed that a lot of paperwork that involved in the previous

system of manual handling of files has been replaced by digital communication and

interaction. Now, since the information is available on the government websites, people have

hassle free access to transparent information. E-governance has to a great extent done away

with procedural nuances, thereby reducing unnecessary cost involved at every stage. This

saves a lot of public money and time. The earlier system of governance used to lay emphasis

on rules, regulations and norms, the interpretation of which was squarely dependent on the

subjective view of the official. The element of subjectivity often encourages corrupt practices

and preferential treatment to the service seekers. Now the face to face interaction is

substantially reduced in many governmental transactions, thus creating an atmosphere of

accountability, objectivity and transparency. The e-governance processes are technologically

driven, hence human error is minimized. The software and the programming in e-governance

are so organized that instant delivery of information and services are guaranteed without

delay.

With regard to the hypothesis that people’s interest in e-governance is increasing, the analysis

shows that participatory experiences through e-governance are related to the political context

of the district and the strategies and tools that reflect the interest in developing them. As far

as the provisional supposition regarding the efficacy of the government and the accountability

and transparency quotient is concerned, the study found that though remarkable progress has

been made in the last one decade in e-governance, still lot more has to be achieved. This

depends on more ICT initiatives by arresting the negative trends in terms of lower

bureaucratic apathy and indifference to the application of technology in governance. On the

other hand, the study found the annual expenditure for ICT initiatives to be inadequate,

particularly when the vision document of e-governance makes ambitious projections about

the future of e-governance in Odisha. Till 2014-15, IT budget was below 0.5 per cent of the

total budget allocation, however last year (2015-16) it was raised to one per cent, which is

still very low which hinders the fast implementation of the e-governance projects.

20

CHALLENGES TO ICT IMPLEMENTATION IN GOVERNANCE

While e-governance offers many opportunities for better information sharing and information

delivery and better service to citizens, it also creates significant challenges. Government

systems must be protected from viruses and hacking, sensitive information must be

safeguarded. [Robert .B. Denhardt: 2009]. Though India has achieved several milestones in

the development of an electronic governance framework for the country, certain basic

problems exist, which pose as obstacles to the sustainability of these initiatives in India.

According to global e-Government Report, India has a long way to go to overcome the digital

divide and has a very low rank [4.3%] in promoting e-governance as compared to Singapore

which tops the list with 46.3%, followed by USA, 45.3%. The E-Citizen Web Portal in

Singapore is an example of one stop shop for citizens to access information and services from

various government departments in a fast and convenient way. Thus, citizens of Singapore,

are able to access nearly 1600 e-services pertaining to business, health, education, recreation,

etc. [T. Parks, 2009, http://asiafoundation.org/pdf/ICT_eGov.pdf].

Evolution of e-governance is a highly complex process involving the blending of hardware,

software, networking, process-re-engineering and change management. The task is a complex

management of diverse challenges that emanate from a multitude of sources. The key

challenges with electronic governance in India in general and with Odisha in particular, are

not technology or internet issues but organizational, technical and institutional issues like:

resistance to re-engineering of departmental processes

lack of infrastructure, skill and awareness of projects

underutilization of existing information and communication technology

infrastructure

tendency to resist the change in work culture

lack of trained human resources

digital/social divides

lack of bilingual websites

According to United Nations Survey, seventy-five per cent of projects are not able to sustain

due to poor planning. [ UNO e-Government Survey, 2008]. The real challenge is to develop and

sustain successful e-governance projects. Though ICTs are playing a significant role in

enabling governments to pursue the agenda of good governance, however the lack of human

21

resources, organizational and technological infrastructure, committed political leadership and

bureaucracy have posed hindrances to the effective implementation of ICT in governance.

India faces the problems of low connectivity, technical professionals, finances

coupled with inappropriate planning

Lack of a clear vision for implementing various e-governance initiatives.

E-governance applications should be preceded with re-engineering of the

administrative processes in the government departments and organizations.

Most ICT applications are implemented in a quick time frame without any change in

the organizational structure and work procedures.

Most ICT projects fail to take off because of their inability to address the exiting divides in

society in terms of rural/urban, rich/poor, male/female, literate/illiterate. However, the real

challenge is to develop and sustain successful e-governance projects and deliver state of the

art e-services to citizens. There is a lot of hope on the potential of e-governance to transform

the internal efficiency of government and the relationship of government with stakeholders

[Vasu Deva: 2005]. To overcome the issue of digital divide, the Center for Development of

Advanced Computing [CDAC] has developed multilingual software which helps to reach out

to the rural population in their local languages thereby creates an effective information and

communication system for the rural and agricultural sector.

Senior IT officials observed that e-government initiatives in a democratic set up are often

constrained by lack of financial resources, low level of skills and capacity deficit within

governments. In the absence of incentives and structures for suitably rewarding performance,

this is all the more evident. The case of Odisha seems to be no different. despite an

exhaustive e-governance roadmap outlined in the ICT Policy, Odisha still lacks a full-fledged

ICT framework for implementation of e-governance. Public private partnership models in e-

government can help overcome many of these constraints and simultaneously increasing

opportunities for the private sector.

Complete implementation of e-governance will include building a robust technical hardware

and software infrastructure. 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. But these cellular technologies have not been sufficiently applied to

deliver broadband data connectivity to households in rural areas due to both high cost and

complexity, as a result of which broadband connectivity is the major issue in rural areas.

22

Electronic governance applications should be widespread so as to cover the rural and remote

areas of the country so that the rural population can access internet for information that is

useful for them. It has been observed that most of the projects make use of business models,

public private partnership models, localization, appropriate technology, and interface with

smart government, however most fail to replicate the initial success story. The need of the

hour is to address the substantive issues and examine the problems which have caused

hiccups for the e-governance projects. The induction of technology alone will not improve

governance rather there is a need to adopt a balanced approach for implementation of e-

governance initiatives.

E-GOVERNANCE: THE WAY FORWARD

Elected governments across the country today are using information and communication

technology to facilitate governance and provide services to citizens in different spheres of

government-citizen engagement. The governments have been working on making its

departments IT enabled for almost a decade now. India has many challenges in areas like,

infrastructure, connectivity, financial inclusion, transport, energy and rural development. It is

the experience of the last sixty-five years, which proves that chronic problems cannot be

solved using traditional methods. Only the conventional methods are slow and are faced with

different problems such as corruption, nepotism, pilferage and bribery. So technology

becomes an indispensable tool to counter the myriad socio-cultural and psychological barriers

before good governance. Today, innovations taking place in the process of governance are

playing a key role in solving larger problems in an affordable manner.

These innovations are shaping the agenda for Digital India Mission as digitization is

changing the way governments are addressing the problems of people in particular and the

issues of development in general. It is believed that, for these digital solutions, innovations

will be the innate part of it and the fundamental of Digital India is digital infrastructure. The

vision of Digital India has given a fillip to the overall ecosystem today with exemplary

political will backing it up strongly. Today there is an emphasis on doing every governmental

transaction digitally and the political leadership is driving the change and ensuring its

implementation. Through e-governance citizens are becoming conscious of their right to get

required services and both state and central governments recognize the need to deliver faster

and efficient services to the citizens.

23

CONCLUSION

Electronic governance aims to improve the speed, convenience and efficiency of public

service delivery, by providing online access and information to rural women and men, such

as land records, caste and income certificates and various other government services.

However, for a majority of underprivileged Indians, mostly poor and illiterate, the fruits of

the ongoing technological revolution continue to be beyond their reach. The usage of

technology is important in every sector whether it is agriculture, heath, education, poverty

eradication, or employment. The right use of technology can lead to fruitful result in social

and economic revolution. Application of technology contributes in rural development and

thereby enhances the quality of life of the people. Technology plays a very important role in

transforming the parameter of social and economic patterns of development model. The use

of electronic governance in various sectors has brought major changes in social and economic

life of the people. However for e-governance to actually lead to empowerment of citizens, the

focus needs to be on multi-level institutional change, which would create opportunities for

the people to utilize these projects for their benefit and thereby strengthen the notion of

substantive democracy which rests upon the idea of social equity and active interface

between citizens, government, public officials and elected representatives. It has been

observed that most of the projects make use of business models, PPP model, localization,

appropriate technology, interface with smart government. However most fail to replicate the

initial success story due to aforesaid challenges.

As observed by Pippa Norris : 2001 the key issue in evaluating e-governance is the way in

which it affects the nature of the relationship between political institutions, bureaucracies

and citizens and whether it facilitates a relationship based on public accountability and

participation. Constructing the internet as a public good is critical from a developmental and

equity perspective. Internet aids in the involvement of local civil society through electronic

governance and empowers individuals and communities which help in building a people-

centered, inclusive and development oriented information society. The contemporary world

has to focus on interdisciplinary and multi- dimensional approach to governance in which the

human kind has to understand and explain the profound changes through information

technology thereby laying the foundations of a knowledge society. It aids in the involvement

of local civil society in electronic governance and creates enabling individuals and

communities, help in building a people-centered, inclusive and development oriented

24

information society. Thus any system, policy or government would succeed only if its

processes are accountable, transparent and its citizens are engaged.

Public administration, being the cornerstone of government’s primary function, is bound to

incorporate modern methods for improving peoples’ lives. As illustrated in this research

paper, in the midst growing economic, social and environmental challenges, e-governance

seeks to play a catalytic role in enabling the delivery of quality public services that helps to

meet citizen needs and aspirations. It is believed that, for these digital solutions, innovations

will be the innate part and the fundamental of Digital India Mission would be the creation of

the digital infrastructure. The vision of Digital India has given a fillip to the overall

ecosystem today with exemplary political and administrative will backing it up strongly.

Today, there is vigorous emphasis on carrying out governmental transactions digitally and the

encouraging trend is that the political leadership is driving the change and ensuring its

implementation. With firm commitment to make this paradigm shift in administration and

governance successful by making them more transparent, objective and people-oriented, the

days are not far off to accomplish the desired goals of development, social justice and equity.

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