MAINS : Sample Notes For Public Adminstration Optional

E-GOVERNANCE IN INDIA: PROBLEMS CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

E-Governance is a new version and a novel variety of governance. E-governance is not only the new, but also the now trend occurring in India. It is fast taking the form of a movement. Many benefits are flowing from its adoption in various spheres of administration. Several advanced governments of the world have switched over and many other seem to be switching over to electronic administration. India lacks however, a national perspective one-governance, although, there is space of flourishing eloquence among some ministers, bureaucratic techno experts and other pundits combined with a fairly widespread awareness and more or less universal realization of the positive aspects of this informative revolution.

With most aspects of citizen life and most sectors of governmental functions coalescing, in a mutually beneficial, friendly ambience through an electronic convergence system, there will emerge one day, a one stop, non stop shopping approach in the governments, involving ‘cross-cutting’ over-joined up governance – the idea simply being to create capability for providing the citizens access to government services across departments though electronic networks.

There is no doubt that seriously implementing e-governance programme calls for basic restructuring of an age-old archaic and colonial procedures - it indeed involve almost wholesale elimination of the existing dysfunctional system of governance. What is urgently needed is change in the mindset of the people in government, change in the philosophy, spirit and processes in bureaucracy, development of a national infrastructure, and a governing body on e-governance for the whole country.

There seems to have come about a welcome change, rather dramatic. Inaugurating the first meeting of state IT ministers on July 15, 2000 in New Delhi, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee announced major initiatives aimed at propelling development of IT and telecom infrastructure in the country. These included the end of VSNL’s monopoly on international band width access, full deregulation of the national long distance telecom market to private competition and formation of a task force on human resource development in IT. As 13-Point Common Action Plan for promoting IT in India has been adopted, divesting the Union and State governments to promote e-governance and to improve efficiency.

People have long been a harassed lot in their relationship with the government with endless forms, regulations, by-laws, paperwork, delays, secrecy, authoritarianism and negativism. They would not take these any more and hence the demand for ‘good governance’ slogan, for ‘paperless office’; cry for transparency and death of secrecy and insistence on right to information. Technology can give them all that stands for good governance. E-governance is the other name of good governance.

People cannot go without good governance. It is their right to have it. It is government's duty to govern, and govern well. Government is a mandated pledge that has to be fulfilled. The state has to be welfare oriented, people directed and service driven. Government can justify the existence only by providing good, transparent and effective governance.

Suddenly, e-governance through a technological revolution have brought in healthy changes. The basic character of governance, operational methodology, functional style, ideological orientation has undergone changes. In fact much more transparency, demolition of discretion and arbitrariness, and above all, clientele orientation and citizen savvyness have been brought about by the e-governance.

The IT Act 2000 has been passed. Chapter III of the act deals with electronic governance. The Act marks a watershed in the conduct of affairs in the government, signaling a new beginning in the official transactional mode. More importantly, paper work, files fastened by red tape, elaborate noting and drafting - all delay producers - may be a relic of the past, if in future, e-governance becomes the order of the day. And there is no reason why it should not.

Areas targeted for bringing in information technology are revenue carving departments - such as registration department, commercial tax department, ration-card and public distribution system, treasury, health department, municipality functions etc. If future is the place where we have to live the rest of our lives, we all must have stake and concern for its regulation, control and development. IT is the tool for that. IT is an instrument for enrichment of quality of people's life. IT is the promise for a brighter future.

E-governance is certainly a legitimate hope, and not a tall order to be sure, that our traditionally lethargic, leisurely and old worldly public administration must sooner than later, rid itself of its inherited "burdensome baggage" through the intervention of IT. The need for conceptual clarity to realize mutually reinforcive relationship between IT and public administration is indicated. Applying and developing IT in different spheres of activities and other programme sectors of development administration in our country that the poor people, illiterate masses, underfed men, particularly inhabiting the rural interiors, the under-privileged, disadvantaged and handicapped sections of our society can get a better deal in life. Therefore, full potential of IT need to be tapped and harnessed in the following fields: Education, health, banking, tax administration, water and power supply, transport system, export and import, ports and docks and shipping administration, traffic control, immigration, public distribution system law and order maintenance, security, criminal justice administration and environmental protection etc.

Prosperity through IT is at our door step. We must open the door fully, and not keep it shut. We have lived in the past, in the dark, for far too long. E-governance is the future, and we must go in for it, to make the future secure for our future generations.