E-Government:

Opportunities and Challenges

in India
 Presentation Structure
• E-Government: different perceptions and delivery
models
• Cases resulting in multiple benefits: improved
service delivery; reduced corruption; increased
transparency; increased revenue; cost reduction;
and empowerment.
• What are the critical success factors in
implementing e-government?
• How to move forward?
 E-Government: Scope and
Definition
E-Government is about a process of reform in the way Governments work,
share information and deliver services to external and internal clients
for the benefit of both government and the citizens and businesses that
they serve.
E-Government harnesses information technologies such as Wide Area
Networks (WAN), Internet , World Wide Web, and mobile computing
by government agencies to reach out to citizens, business, and other
arms of the government to:

Improve delivery of services to citizens

Improve interface with business and industry
Empower citizens through access to knowledge and information and
Make the working of the government more efficient and effective

The resulting benefits could be more transparency, greater

convenience, less corruption, revenue growth, and cost reduction
 Different Delivery Models
• Departments going on-line
– Greater departmental ownership: significant re-engineering
possible
– Citizen visit many departments, each one may be more efficient
– Could be a first step in the absence of high band width network
• Conveniently located Service Centers
– Counters manned by public/private agencies
– Multiple services at each location: payment, licenses, certificates
– Can quickly move traffic from departments to service centers
– Requires significant coordination
• Self Service through a Portal one stop shop
– Back end computerization and Integration needed for data sharing
– High internet penetration; willingness and ability of citizen to use
– Security and mutual trust (builds with successful outcome)
– Usage builds up gradually. Adoption rate has to be driven.
– Requires strong centralized leadership for extensive co-ordination
 Some Successful E-Government
Applications from Developing Countries
• CARD, FAST,eSeva, BHOOMI in India
• Citizen Service Center (mobile), Bahia, Brazil
• E-procurement:Mexico,Philippines,Bulgaria,Chile, Korea
• New Business Registration: Jordan,Jamaica, China
• Tax collection State Border Check Posts, Gujarat
• Income Tax on-line in Mexico, Singapore, Brazil, Jordan
• Customs on-line: India, Philippines, Jamaica
• OPEN- Seoul Municipality, VOICE in Vijayvada
• Gyandoot, n-Logue, drishtee in Rural India
• Teachers Transfer in Karnataka and SmartGov in AP,
Khajane in Karnataka
 Overall Assessment
• Assessment is difficult in the absence of evaluations. Overall impact
is marginal. Limited number of applications. Service delivery has
become efficient but impact on transparency/ corruption is marginal
• Largest number of applications for service delivery to urban citizens
in revenue earning departments. Few applications in health/education
• Largely bottom-up, driven by reformist civil servants. Only 1-2 states
have political support and central coordination.
• Technical sophistication in design varies a great deal. Data sharing,
scalability, security have not been adequately addressed.
• Moving from manual to on-line for some steps. Produces large
benefits. Integrating across departments is complex, more so with
legacy systems.
• Large number of web sites are not used. Citizens unwilling to engage.
Intermediaries are needed.
 Report Card on Bhoomi is GOOD
• Survey: 180 users from 12 kiosks and 60 non users 4 taluks
• Ease of Use: 78% of users who had used both systems found
Bhoomi simpler; 66% used Bhoomi without help vs. 28% in
manual
• Complexity of Procedures: 80% did not have to meet any one
other than at kiosk: In manual 19% met one officer and 61% met
2-4 officials
• Errors in documents: Bhoomi 8% vs manual 64%
• Rectification of errors: sought correction 93 % vs 49%, timely
response 50% vs 4%
• Cost of service: 84% one visit to Bhoomi center at Taluk HQ
• Corruption: 66% paid bribes very often vs 3% in Bhoomi
• Staff behavior: Bhoomi Good (84%) vs manual Average (63%)
 Report Card on Gyandoot
• Offers 22 services at fees of Rs 10-15 : Mandi prices (30%),
grievance (13%), certificates promised in 8 days (25%)
• Kiosks offer training, copying, word processing services for
bulk of revenue
• Evaluation thru a survey indicates dwindling attendance at
Kiosks. 5602 (85% males) over 2 years logged in 18 kiosks.
Attendance averages to one a day per kiosk
• Handle very small proportion of any type of transactions
• Doubtful Viability: Investment in network of Rs 2.5 million;
Rs 150K worth of equipment and expenses of Rs 1200 pm
with average revenue from user fee of Rs 150 pm/ kiosk
 Critical Success Factors
• Strong Political and Administrative Leadership , detailed
Project Management
• Clearly identified goals and benefits
• Significant Process Reengineering Required
• Start Small, scale up through stages, manage expectations
• Adopt established standards and protocols – minimize
customization
• In-source Analysis ; Outsource design, software
development, data preparation, training, etc.
• Training Expenses should not be minimized
 Enablers of e-Government
• 20 % Technology

Technology • 35 % Business Process

Reengineering

People Process • 40 % Change Management

• 5% Luck !
 Organization for Implementing
E-government
• A champion at the political level
• Ministerial level co-ordination committees
• A central support group
• Departmental Champions and co-ordination
committee
• Institution for Training
• Private sector partners
 Issues that Need Resolution
• No country is completely ready? Balance between
strategizing, coordination and action
• Approach: centrally driven versus departmental initiative?
• Role, mandate, size of a central support agency. Where
should it be created?
• Creating departmental ownership: Budget allocations,
training, demand, performance push
• Who can help?(partnership with private sector: multi
national/local/one or many partners, partnering
arrangement)
• How can progress be measured?
 Role of the Central Support
Group
 Assessing and enhancing preparedness
 Developing a strategy and implementation plan
 Resources for re-engineering, application development
and change management
 Guidelines, standards and best practices
 Developing public private partnership
 Identifying departmental champions
 Monitoring progress and impact
 Overseeing a few key projects
 Building/managing shared infrastructure
Training and Awareness Building
Have a Key Role
• Training programs for Project leaders who can define
project deliverables, deal (negotiate) with consultants and
vendors and manage an outsourced development process
• Andhra Pradesh CIO Program conducted by IIMA
• Training of clerical staff on specific applications
(developers)
• Awareness in citizens of on-line services and how to
transact on Portals
• Training of supervisors and managers on using
information
• Awareness in senior civil servants and political executives-
highlighting benefits of Egovernment and effort required
 Technology that makes
rural access inexpensive
and robust

Applications that draw a NGOs and grass root

large cliental that pays Bridging the organizations that
for the service, ensuring catalyze and mange the
economic viability of the Digital Divide community building
kiosk process

Content that empowers

rural citizens and enables
formation of
communities
 Problems in Service Delivery
• Inadequate reach: balancing quality and access
• High cost particularly to the rural poor
• Mismatch in demand and supply—health and education
• Low productivity and wasted resources
• Consequences of administrative corruption
– Service is denied/delayed unless bribe is paid
– Collusion --Loss of revenue to government
– Disincentive to SMEs, FDI, employees and citizens. Increases
tolerance for corruption in society.
– Creates corruption in appointments and transfers.
 Corruption in Service Delivery: Generic
Problems
• Complex rules-need for intermediaries
• Discretion to delay or deny without assigning reasons
• Decisions and actions are not traceable. Citizens have poor
access to information
• Lack of supervision in remote areas-problems of
decentralization
• Large power distance between civil servants and citizens-
afraid to assert and complain
• Poor mechanisms of complaint handling. Documentation is
weak for any investigation
 Impact of E-Government
• Faster processing, shorter wait, shorter queues
• Less number of trips to government offices: saves
transport cost and avoids wage loss
• More accurate and legible documents, easy
recovery from errors, better reception areas
• Lesser corruption more transparency
• Improved access to offices (nearer home, 24X7)
and functionaries (no intermediaries)
• User fee may be levied- issue of acceptance
• Improved complaint handling
 Examples of Efficiency Gains

Country Type of Government Number of days to Number of days to process after application
Application process before
application
Service center, Registration of 29 Several days 20-30 minutes per document, one day for
Bahia, Brazil documents business licenses
Chilean Tax Filing Taxes online 25 days 12 hours
system on-line
CARD, AP, Valuation of Few days 5 minutes
India Property
CARD, AP, Land Registration 7-15 days 2-3 hours
India,
Bhoomi, India, Obtaining Land 3-30 days 5-30 minutes
Karnataka Title Certificate
InterstateCheck Collect Fines for 30 minutes 2 minutes
Posts, Gujarat over loading
Mandal Comp- Issue of Caste 20-30 days 15 minutes
uters, AP India Certificates
Customs Online Processing bill of 2-3 day 3-4 hours
Jamaica entry
Customs Online Release of cargo 8 days 4 hours – 2 days to release cargo
Philippines
On-line Tax, Issue of Tax 12-18 months 3-5 months
Singapore Assessments
Beijing’s Online application 2-3 months for 10-15 days for business license
Business E- for 32 business business license
Park, China services Many visits to Several seconds for routine filing for
multiple offices for companies
filings
 Egovernment-How does it help
• Introduces transparency in data, decisions/actions,
rules, procedures and performance of Govt. agencies
• Automates processes to take away discretion
• Entry point for simplification of rules and
reengineering processes
• Makes decisions traceable- tracks actions
• Builds accountability- greater access to information
through web publishing-role of civil society
• Provides documentation to citizens for follow up
 Egovernment-How does it help
• Modularizes Tasks Making Outsourcing Possible
• Introduces competition amongst delivery channels and
departments
• Standardized documentation of comments/ objections
leads to effective supervision- through comparative
indicators
• Centralizes data for better audit and analysis
Integration of data across applications-provides
improved intelligence
• Enables unbiased sampling for audit purposes
 Egovernment-How does it help
• Modularizes Tasks Making Outsourcing Possible
• Introduces competition amongst delivery channels and
departments
• Standardized documentation of comments/ objections
leads to effective supervision- through comparative
indicators
• Centralizes data for better audit and analysis
Integration of data across applications-provides
improved intelligence
• Enables unbiased sampling for audit purposes
 Type of Information being made transparent Resulting benefits

Rules and procedure governing services; public officials Standardizes procedures for delivery of
responsible for different tasks; citizen’s charter; Enhancing service. Reduces arbitrariness, e.g. demand
citizen’s exposure for additional documents

Information about decisions and actions of government Exposure of corruption and improved
functionaries: outcome and process e.g. award of contracts and accountability
license, allocation of resources.

Data about individual entities in Government records such as Exposure of manipulation for exchange of
land records, comments on application for license, bill of entry bribe and corruption
for goods, status of tax payments.

Information on performance of economy: Statistical Civic engagement in governance

employment, income, trade etc. Greater accountability
Performance indicator for Government departments

Names of citizens with large outstanding loans, taxes; civil A kind of punishment for the corrupt through
servants under investigation or convicted, index of corruption, public exposure
performance of investigating agencies.

Disclosure of assets, income, profile of election candidates, Creates disincentive for corruption by
elected representatives, ministers and civil servants creating fear of exposure
 Summary: egovernment is not
irreversible magic
• E-Government can advance the agenda on Governance reform,
transparency, anti- corruption, empowerment. It is NOT a panacea
• Potential is recognized but Implementation is difficult. Gains are real
but risks need to be understood. Challenge is to promote wide spread
use in areas where benefits outweigh risks.
• Situate in a broader framework of anticorruption. Identify all pressure
points and reengineer to remove discretion, simplify procedures and
put out as much information in public domain. Incentive structure and
institutional capacity
• Create competition in delivery channels
• Strengthen physical supervision and actionable MIS
• Build other forms of benefits for those who loose power and income
• Co-opt civil society to build accountability