Chapter I INTRODUCTION

1.1 Meaning and definitions of e-Governance

The 21st century has been widely acclaimed as the „knowledge century era‟. Every nation in the world finding itself to be performing in an increasingly competitive and globalised international environment; where the information infrastructure, research and innovation, education and IT education, GDP and Economic growth and regulatory framework have become critical parameter. India is one of the developing nations. India is regarded as having the third largest reservoir of scientific and technical manpower in the world of nations with an estimated stock of seven million and most of them are IT related. In its development, number of factors contributing at large scale, IT sector is one of them. Introduction of ITC‟s are changing many aspects of personal and professional life. Because when e-Governance and now-a-days m-Governance playing a vital role.

E-Governance or „electronic governance‟ may be define as delivery of government services and information to the public using electronic mean. 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 allows direct participation of constituents in government activities.

1.1.1 Meaning of e-Governance

E-Governance is the use of a range of modern Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) such as Internet, Intranet, Local Area Networks, Mobile computing etc. by government to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, service delivery and to promote democracy. E-Governance is now becoming a buzzword in the corridors of power. World economies have recognized IT as an effective tool in catalyzing the economical activities in efficient governance and developing a human resource. They have made significant investments in it and successfully integrated it with the development process, thereby reaping the benefits to their society. Simply stated, the use of ICTs in governance may be termed as e-Governance. It has radically defined the way a government provides services to citizens, businesses and arms of the government. 2

E-Governance involves access to government information and services 24 X 7, in a way that is focuses on the needs of the citizens. E-Governance relies heavily on the effective use of Internet and other emerging technologies to receive and deliver information and services easily, quickly, efficiently and inexpensively.

In India the e-Governance has consequently become the accepted methodology involving the use of ICT. This methodology improves transparency, providing information speedily to all citizens, improving efficiency of administration and public services and impacted industrial, education, public as well as private service and government sectors. This influence of e-Governance on various applications felt of late increasingly being.

Thus, e-Governance, e-Government or digital Government essentially refers to the utilization of IT, ICT‟s and other web based telecommunication technology to improve and/or enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery in the public sector.

1.1.2 Concepts and Definitions of e-Governance –

The new ICTs have made significant contribution to achieve the goals of good governance in the developed countries. It has made the governance process more efficient and effective in bringing the citizens together with the help of the e-societies. The emergence of pro-active knowledge of societies, the Governments have no choices but to improvise constantly to bring greater efficiency, accountability, responsiveness and transparency in their administrative functioning.

The use of ICT in e-governance is principally characterized by innovation in computerized networking from Intranets to Internet. It creates wealth of new digital connections as follows:

a) Connections within government – Permitting “joined-up thinking”. b) Connections between government and NGOs/Citizens – Strengthening accountability. c) Connections between government and Business/Citizens-transforming service delivery d) Connections within and between NGOs – Supporting learning and concerted action. e) Connections within and between Communities - Building social and economical development.

As a result, the focus grows from just parts of e-administration to e-citizens, e-services and e-society are shown in the following Diagram No1.1 Focal Domains for e- Governance Initiatives.

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Diagram No 1.1 Focal Domains for e-Governance Initiatives

1.1.2.1 Definitions of e-Governance:

Although e-Governance is now buzzed world has gained lots of respect in recent years. Different governments and organizations define this term to suit their own aims and objectives. Some widely used definitions are as follows:

According to the World Bank2 “E-Governance refers to information technology used by government agencies of that have the ability to transform relation with citizens, business and other arms of government. These technologies can serve a variety of different ends: better delivery of government management. The resulting benefits can be less corruption, increased transparency, greater convenience, revenue growth, and/or cost reduction.”

As per the US E-Government ACT 2002 Section 36013 “The use by the Government of web-based Internet application and other information technologies, combined with processes that implement these technologies, to –

(A) Enhance the access to and delivery of Government information and services to the public, other agencies and other Government entities ; or

(B) Bring about improvements in government operations that may include effectiveness, efficiency, service quality, or transformation”.

This definition reflects the strategy of the US Government regarding the use of ICT in improving Government operations on one side and enhancing the access and delivery of information, services as well as and government entities on the other hand with better quality and effective services. 4

UNESCO defines:4 “Governance refers to the exercise of political, economical and administrative authority in the management of a country‟s affairs, including citizens‟ articulation of their interests and exercise of their legal rights and obligations. E- Governance may be understood as the performance of this governance via the electronic medium. It does so to facilitate an efficient, speedy and transparent process of disseminating information to the public, and other agencies and for performing government administration activities.”

This definition visualizes the use of electronic medium for the effective government administration for disseminate information to the public to provide efficient, speedy and transparent way.

In Short “e-Governance is the application of information and communication technologies to transform the efficiency, effectiveness, transparency and accountability of informational and transactional exchanges with in government, citizen & businesses. Empower citizens through access and use of maximum information. It may be understood as the performance of governance via the electronic medium. The resulting benefits can be increased transparency, greater convenience, speed up for decision making and quality service delivery, sustainable development, less corruption and so as cost reduction.”

E-Governance is the application of ICT to the processes of government function to create following qualities in the processes: 1. Simple 2. Moral 3. Accountable 4. Responsive and 5. Transparent Governance. i.e SMART Governance.

1.1.2.2 E-Governance will support on:

World shifts towards increased deployment of ICTs by governments emerged with the advancement of internet, broadband. The ICTs as well as e-Governance initiatives have come a long way since them. With the increase in World Wide Web, e-governance and m-governance, the citizens are learning to exploit their new mode of access in wide ranging ways. Every educated citizen have started expecting large information and services online from governments and corporate organizations to further their civic, professional and personal lives and it helps every stakeholders of governance a bit large in following manner.

a) Improve interaction between Government, Business and Citizens. b) Increasing Transparency and Accountability of officers. c) Speed up decision making and high quality service delivery. d) Global advocacy and Communication. e) Stakeholders empower through access of information. 5

f) Enhance capacity of authorities / Customers. g) Timely delivery of information. h) Sustainable Development. i) Poverty Alleviation. j) Costs reduction. k) Connectivity is increased. l) Procedures become simple. m) Changing lifestyles and political sensibilities. n) Enable innovative approaches.

Thus, e-Governance should result in the efficient and swift delivery of goods and services to citizens, businesses, government and rest of the stakeholders of the government. e-Governance aims to make interaction with every stakeholder, more convenient, friendly, transparent, inexpensive and effective way. As all of us know e-Governance does not mean proliferation of computers and internet services; it‟s basically a political decision which calls for discipline, attitudinal change in administrators, officers and employees and gigantic government process reengineering. Through this process e-governance will be support and try to achieve all of the above things.

1.1.3 ICT and e-Governance

“ICTs are efficiently showing new dimensions to old institutional setups. There is a reinforced thrust for an informed and participatory citizen for efficient e-governance. ICT is fast spreading across the boundaries of social and political arrangements of societies.”

E-Governance is the application of ICT for delivering Government services, exchange of information, communication of transactions, integration of various stand-alone systems and services between Government and Citizens (G2C), Government and Business (G2B), Government and Government (G2G) as well as back office processes and interactions within the entire Government frame work. Through the e-Governance, the Government services will be made available to the citizens in a convenient, efficient and transparent manner. The Government being the service provider, it is important to motivate the employees‟ for delivering the services through ICT. To achieve this, the government employees are being trained about technology and they have started realizing the advantages of ICT. The aim is to make them skillful and well trained with e-Governance applications and responsive to the technology driven administration. 6

E-Governance seeks to achieve because of: i. Efficiency ii. Transparency iii. Citizen‟s participation

Enabling e-Governance through ICT contribution to: i. Good governance. ii. Trust and Accountability. iii. Citizen‟s awareness and empowerment. iv. Citizen‟s welfare. v. Democracy. vi. Nation‟s economic growth.

ICT is the biggest enabler of change and process reforms with minimum resistance. Government has been making process reforms in case of administration for the last decades and it has achieved in a few years due to proper utilization of ICT. But people are not ready to accept an administration process. They would accept this process in the name of ICT.

1.1.4 PRINCIPLES OF GOOD GOVERNANCE

“Development cannot flourish where people cannot make their voices heard, human rights are not respected, information does not flow, and civil society and the judiciary are weak”, Says Paula Dobriansky, Ex Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs, US. According to Dobriansky there are five key principles1 of good governance, these are as follows: 1. Free and fair elections; 2. Independent judiciary and the rule of law; 3. Freedom of speech and press; 4. Absence of corruption; and 5. Government, investment in basic social services. These principles, she says, constitute the foundation of modern democracy and create the underpinning to establish capital markets and spur foreign and domestic investment.

Broadly speaking, good governance promotes fundamental and universal human rights. Because the United State believes that political power lies with the people. According to Paula Dobriansky “We want developing nations with the tools they need to educate their citizens and take part in the opportunities offered by the global economy. We are working to eradicate corruption and create a renowned respect for human rights as well as property rights”.

Perhaps the most basic and important principle of good governance is that a nation‟s political institutions should be democratic. In the words of America‟s greatest president, 7

Abraham Lincoln, Democracy is a form of government “of the people, by the people and for the people”. This means that the rights and principles of democratic government can and should be universally applied. These rights and principles are not a uniquely American invention. The right of every person to speak freely about his government is basic human right. It arises from every individual‟s worth as a human being, as has been recognized by nations all over the world.

The United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank, among the others, have come to realize that development assistance that focuses only on economical governance at the expenses of democratic governance has failed. The proof is in the numbers: 42 of the 49 high human development countries on the UN Development Index are democracies. With just two exceptions, all of the world‟s richest countries have the world‟s most democratic regime.

The concept of "governance" is not a new in Indian context. It is as old as human civilization. Simply put "governance" means: the process of decision-making and the process by which decisions are implemented or not implemented. Governance can be used in several contexts such as corporate governance, international governance, national governance and local governance.

Good governance has 8 major characteristics shown in the following diagram no 1.2. It is participatory, consensus oriented, accountable, transparent, responsive, effective and efficient, equitable and inclusive and follows the rule of law. It assures that corruption is minimized, the views of minorities are taken into account and that the voices of the most vulnerable in society are heard in decision-making. It is also responsive to the present and future needs of society. Diagram No 1.2 Major characteristics of good governance

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In the Kautilya’s Arthshastra, he said that “the person who governs should realize that his achievement or success is a measure of the happiness of his subjects and that what is good for the subject should be undertaken. Governance standards should be improved not only at the government level but in all areas of society.” We believe good governance is the ability to differentiate between right and wrong, just and unjust, fair and foul, and moral and immoral.

1.1.5 Difference between e-Government and e-Governance e-Government and e-Governance, both terms are treated to be the same; however, there is some difference between the two. “E-government is the use of the ICT‟s in public administration combined with organizational change and new skills to improve public services and democratic processes and to strengthen support to public polices”. We define it as “The employment of the internet and the www for delivering government information and services to the citizens.” It includes the use of electronics in government as large scale as the use of telephones and fax machines, as well as surveillance system, tracking system such as Radio-Frequency Identification Tags (RFIT), and even the use of television and radios to provide government related information and services to the citizens. The differences between e-Government and e-Governance5 are explored in the following Table No 1.1. Table No 1.1 Differences between e-Government and e-Governance Sr.No. GOVERNMENT GOVERNANCE 1. Superstructure Functionality 2. Decisions Processes 3. Rules Goals 4. Roles Performance 5. Implementation Coordination 6. Outputs Outcomes

E-Governance encompasses a series of necessary steps for government agencies to develop, administer and to ensure successful implementation of e-government services to the public at large. The different parameters for the differences between e-Government and e-Governance are shown in the Table No 1.2. 9

Table No 1.2 Different parameters between e-Government and e-Governance Sr.No. e-Government e-Governance 1. One way communication protocol Two way communication protocol 2. Realizes the efficacy An auto-response system 3. Government-Centric Services (G2G, G2E) Citizen-Centric Services (G2C, G2B, G2G) 4. Targeted beneficiaries Everyone who accessing is beneficiaries. e.g. Departmental employees only etc. 5. Chances of interference Removes unwanted interference 6. Electronic service delivery Electronic consultation 7. Electronic workflow Electronic Administration & Management 8. Electronic voting Electronic Engagement 9. Electronic productivity Networked Societal Guidance

Thus, e-Government, or digital government, or e-Governance essentially refers to “The utilization of IT, ICT‟s and other web-based telecommunication technologies to improve and/or enhance on the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery in the public sector.” While e-Governance gives citizen-centric services, echo system between government and citizens, every stakeholder is beneficiary towards social networking i.e. transparent, efficient, speedy as well as effective.

1.1.6 Need of e-Governance

As it is true all over the world, Government‟s role in the developing nations‟, which costs too much, while delivers too little, and is not adequately responsive or accountable.

E-Government can transform citizen service, provide access to information to empower citizens, enable their participation in government and enhance citizen economical and social opportunities, so that they can make better lives, for themselves and the next generation.

Governments are a specialized institution that contributes to governance. Representative of government seeks and receives citizen‟s support, but they also need the active cooperation of their public servants. Governance is the outcome of politics, policies and programs. 10

There are some benefits of using e-governance. The main benefit is good governance and thereby development. Since, it has the power of ICTs. There are three basic change potentials6 where e-governance can have an immense use for:

i. Automation: replacing current human-executed processes which involve accepting, storing, processing, outputting or transmitting information. For example, the automation of existing clerical functions. ii. Informatisation: supporting current human-executed information processes. For example, supporting current processes of decision making, communication, and decision implementation. iii. Transformation: creating new ICT-executed information processes or supporting new human-executed information processes. For example, creating new methods of public service delivery. These change potentials, in turn, can bring – singly or in combination – five main benefits to governance for development:

Gains of Efficiency:  Governance that is cheaper: producing the same outputs at lower total cost.  Governance that does more: producing more outputs at the same total cost.  Governance that is quicker: producing the same outputs at the same total cost in less time.

Gains of Effectiveness:  Governance that works better: producing the same outputs at the same total cost in the same time, but to a higher quality standard.  Governance that is innovative: producing new outputs.

These are the direct and objective benefits. For examples, use of ICTs by government can bring benefits both internally and externally:

Internally: Providing benefits such as better staff motivation or greater political control or improved public image.

Externally: By delivering cheaper, better services to those who depend on government. We are indirectly by demonstrating the benefits of ICTs to the wider population; by catalyzing the local IT industry and by encouraging foreign investment.

1.1.7 Objectives of e-Governance

In the swift changing global scenario, e-Governance has not needed but important in a set-up where people are the biggest stakeholders. The ICT bring most of the government stakeholders come together plays big role to run the smooth functioning of the 11 government departments and provide ease of services to its stakeholders. It is one of the most striking developments of the web. It is important to see the objectives of e- Governance.

1. Develop a system for the seamless transfer of information between offices dealing with proper administration not only at national and state level but the organization level who continuously in touch with government. 2. Monitoring and evaluating the performance of various projects and schemes initiated by the government from time to time. 3. Making government accountable by making its all operations more transparent and thereby diminishing the chances of fraud. 4. Develop commercial and governmental system for issuing and managing e- signature/digital signature and smart cards. 5. Providing development opportunities especially benefit to rural, disproved and traditionally underserved communities. 6. Provide effective and proper interactions between various stakeholders of governments. i.e. government-government, government-citizens and government- business. 7. Identify measures for suitable protection of data during filling up, transmission and alterations by using a combination of security measures. 8. Reduce the cost of Governance by cutting down on expenditure on physical delivery of information and services. 9. Generate the National Data Hub for all the citizens and stakeholders of government to provide the links to the various departments of the government. i.e. UID for citizens of India.

1.2 E-governance Services and Models

The e-governance services are a holistic concept that defines and assesses the impact that information technology and communication have on government practices and relations between government and society as a whole. The e-governance not only supports improved access to information and political processes but also approaches called participatory fundamentally change the relationship between government and society. 12

The concept of e-governance can be understood in a broad sense as a kind of superstructure, which covers the use of electronic technologies in three key areas of public action as follows:

 Relations between government and civil society;  The functioning of public authorities at all levels of planning;  The provision of public services.

E-governance has an indirect influence on relations between governments and their citizens, strengthening the participation and involvement of citizens in political choices so that their rights and duties are better understood and respected.

A model is something that is used to represent something else; typically used in place of the original. Physical models and conceptual models are the two main types of models. A conceptual model is a model that exists in one`s mind.

In a more abstract way, it can be considered as a theoretical construct that represent something using the set of variable quantities and the logical and quantitative relationships among them. In scientific research, these are important concepts and allow investigation and reasoning into the phenomena described by the model.

1.2.1 e-Governance Services

The main three target groups that can be distinguished in e-governance concepts are government, citizens and businesses/interest groups. The external strategic objectives focus on citizens and businesses and interest groups, the internal objectives focus on government itself. How they are interacting is shown in the following Diagram No 1.3.

Diagram No 1.3 Interactions between main groups in e-governance

G2G State Government

Business, NGOs, Civil Citizen G2C G2G G2B Society

Central Government

G2G

Local Government 13

E-Governance facilitates interaction between different stakeholders in governance. It primarily consists of two parts: Front-office and Back-office.

The Front-office part provides of an online service delivery to citizens and business, through the internet or other digital means.

The Back-office part provides of internal government administration and information sharing in the form of services both within and between governments.

In this dialogue Government-to-Citizen (G2C) and Government-to-Business (G2B) services are categorized as front-office and Government-to- Government (G2G) as back- office.

Front-office Delivery Services:

1.2.1.1 Government-to-Citizen (G2C) –

An interface is created between the government and citizens which enables the citizens to benefit from efficient delivery of a large range of public services. This expands the availability and accessibility of public services on the one hand and improves the quality of the service on the other. It gives citizens the choice whether to interact with the government (e.g. 24 hours X 7 days X 365 days in a year) or not to interact with the government. It also gives choices to interact from any place with the government (e.g. from one‟s home/workplace, service center or unattended kiosks) and how to interact with government (e.g. through video conferencing, internet, fax, telephone, email, face-to-face etc). The primary purpose is to make government and citizens-friendly. These G2C services allow citizens to access information and other services using single-window online portal. Such a portal can provide the following services to citizens:

a) Processing and issuance of various permits/authorization and certificates. b) Information on legislative/administrative notices and relevant laws. c) Payment services, including tax refunds and social welfare payments. d) Government administration‟s participation, including requesting public hearing and casting electronic votes.

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1.2.1.2 Government-to-Business (G2B) –

Service delivery consists of a one-stop single-window service for business. Here, e-Governance tools are used to aid the business community. They are providers of goods and services that seamlessly interact with the government. The objective is to cut red tape, save time, reduce operational cost to create a more transparent business environment when dealing with the government. The G2B initiative can be transactional, such as in licensing, permits, procurement and revenue collection. They can also be promotional and facilitative, such as in trade, tourism and investment. These measures help to provide a congenial environment to businesses to enable them to perform more efficiently as follows:

 An integrated e-procurement system i.e. a Single-window government procurement system in which all procurement-related processes such as registration, tender, contract and payment are done via the internet.  An e-customs system that would streamline customs administration in the import and export industry while establishing effective smuggling interdiction.  e-commerce to support the buying and selling of goods and services online.

Some of e-Governments most commonly offered services in India are shown in the following Table No 1.3. Each services can be grouped either G2C or G2B.

Table No 1.3. Most commonly offered G2C and G2B Services Sr.No. G2C Services G2B Services 1. Income Tax Employees Social Contribution 2. Job Search services Corporate Tax 3. Social Security(UID/Adhar) VAT Declaration and Notification 4. Personal Identification Registration of New company 5. RTO Registration Statistical data submission 6. Building Permits Customs Declaration 7. Declaration of the police Environment-related permits 8. Public Libraries Public Procurements 9. Passports etc. Local Body Tax (LBT) etc.

Back-office Delivery Services:

1.2.1.3 Government-to-Government (G2G) –

In this case, ICT is used not only restructure the government processes involve in the functioning of government entities but also to increase the flow of information and services within and between different entities. This kind of interaction is only within 15

the sphere of government and can be both horizontal. i.e. between different government agencies as well as between different functional areas within an organization, or vertical i.e. between national, state and local government agencies as well as between different levels within an organization. The primary objective is to increase efficiency, performance and output. More specifically reforming government work processes using ICT is expected to have the following outcome.

 Reporting systems of center and local government are connected, resulting in increased accuracy.  There is information sharing among agencies to improve efficiency.

1.2.1.4 Government-to-Employee (G2E) –

Government is by far the biggest employer and like any organization it has to interact with its employees on a regular basis. This interaction is a two-way process between the organization and the employee. Use of ICT tools helps in making these interactions fast and efficient on the one hand and increase satisfaction level of employees on the other.

1.2.2 e-Governance Models

A model is something used to represent or explain the operation and mechanism of something else. A conceptual model exists in one`s mind.

1.2.2.1 E-Governance Maturity Model (Gartner‟s four-phase model)

As mentioned before, e-governance is more than a government website on the Internet. What are the opportunities and possibilities of e-governance in the future, and what services are delivered at this moment?

Governance can be termed as a system where in services to citizens are provided by the administration through a controlling mechanism with four phases, namely – Information, Interaction, Transaction and Transformation.

These steps constitute a complete cycle, starting with person gathering information about citizen services and eventually availing them to deliver end result – transformation. A country with such a system which permits flow of entire cycle without any hindrance can be said to possess and practice good governance. 16

Gartner has formulated a four-phase e-governance model7. This e-governance model can serve as a reference for governments to position where a project fits in the overall evolution of an e-governance strategy.

In most cases, governments start with the delivery of online information, but soon public demand and internal efficiency ask for more complex services. Of course this change will take effect gradually; some services will be online earlier than other services. In some cases the public demand is the driving force; in other cases cost saving aspects for the government are leading.

According to Gartner, e-governance will mature according the four-phase e-governance maturity model. These phases have been defined based on experiences with e-commerce and e-governance in Europe and other Western regions.

Gartner’s four-phase e-Governance Maturity Model Gartner is four-phase e-Governance maturity model is clear with the help of following Diagram No 1.4.

Early 90’s Information  Presence Mid 90’s Interaction  Intake process Present Transaction  Complete transaction Future Transformation  Integration and organisational changes

In each of the four phases, the delivery of online services and use of ICTs in government operations serve one or more of the aspects of e-governance: democracy, government, business.

Diagram No 1.4 E-Governance Maturity Model (Gartner, 2000)

Increasing value to Citizen / Business Phase  Transformation

Phase  Transaction

Phase  Phase  Interaction Information Increasing complexity

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The model does not mean that all institutions have to go through all phases and all at the same time. On the contrary, in the Western world government institutions are in phase 1, 2 or 3. The differences can be huge: the tax department can be in phase 3, while the department of public works is just in an early stage of phase one. It all depends on where the advantages are highest.

This model shows four phases for different e-governance ( e-democracy and e-government) solutions. The assumption is made that the government has already defined an overall vision and e-policy.

1.2.2.1.1 Phase 1: Information In the first phase of e-governance means, being present on the web provide the external public (G2C and G2B) with relevant information. The format of the first government websites is similar to that of a brochure or leaflet. The value to the public is that government information is publicly accessible; processes are described and thus become more transparent, which improves democracy and service. Internally (G2G) the government can also disseminate information with static electronic means, such as the Internet. This phase it is all about information. From a one phase presence of website to a site with all relevant government information available to the public, in order to improve transparency in democracy.

Table No 4 Examples of government information Examples of information that Government … … wishes to disseminate … may make available … is required to supply press notices geographical data performance indicators consultation papers demographic data environmental indicators policies economic data audited accounts white papers information collected personal data news information generated routinely internal policy documents health and safety advice value added services correspondence benefits and entitlements business yellow pages management reports applicable regulations 1.2.2.1.2 Phase 2: Interaction In the second phase the interaction between government and the public (G2C and G2B) is stimulated with various applications. People can ask questions via e-mail, 18 use search engines for information and are able to download all sorts of forms and documents. These functionalities save time. In fact the complete intake of (simple) applications can be done online 24/7. Normally this would have only been possible at a counter during opening hours.

Internally (G2G) government organisations use Local Area Networks (LAN), intranets and e-mail to communicate and exchange data.

The bottom line is that more efficiency and effectiveness is achieved because a large part of the intake process is done online. However, you still have to go to the office to finalise the transaction, by paying a fee, handing over evidence or signing papers. The use of electronic communications tools speed up the internal government processes.

1.2.2.1.3 Phase 3: Transaction With phase three the complexity of the technology is increasing, but customer (G2C and G2B) value will also be higher. Complete transactions can be done without going to an office. Examples of online services are filing income tax, filing property tax, extending/renewal of licenses, visa and passports and online voting. Phase three is mainly complex because of security and personalization issues – e.g., digital (electronic) signatures are necessary to enable legal transfer of services. On the business side the government is starting with e-procurement applications. In this phase, internal (G2G) processes have to be redesigned to provide good service. Government needs to create new laws and legislation that will enable paperless transactions with legal certification. The bottom line is that now the complete process is online, including payments, digital signatures etc. This saves time, paper and money.

1.2.2.1.4 Phase 4: Transformation

The fourth phase is the transformation phase in which all information systems are integrated and the public can get G2C and G2B services at one (virtual) counter. One single point of contact for all services is the ultimate goal.

The complex aspect in reaching this goal is mainly on the internal side, e.g. the necessity to drastically change culture, processes and responsibilities within the 19

government institution (G2G). Government employees in different departments have to work together in a smooth and seamless way. In this phase cost savings, efficiency and customer satisfaction are reaching highest possible levels.

Table No 1.5. Overview e-governance solutions for each phase

Overview e-governance solutions External: G2C External: G2B Internal: G2G

Phase 1: Local / Departmental / National Business information Knowledge base information (mission statements and (static intranet) Information Addresses, opening hours, organisational structure employees, telephone Knowledge Addresses, opening hours, employees, numbers management (LAN) telephone numbers Laws, rules and regulations Laws, rules and regulations Petitions Government glossary News

Phase 2: Downloading forms on websites Downloading forms on E-mail websites Interaction Submitting forms Interactive Online help with filling in forms Submitting forms knowledge (permits, birth / death certificates) Online help with filling in databases Intake processes for permits etc. forms (permits) Complaint handling E-mail Intake processes for permits tools Newsletters etc. Discussion groups (e-democracy) E-mail Polls and questionnaires Notification Personalised web pages Notification

License applications / renewals License applications and Inter- Phase 3: Renewing car tags, vehicle registration renewals via website governmental Transaction Personal accounts (mytax, myfines, Payment of taxes transactions mylicenses etc.) Procurement Payment of (property) taxes Payment of tickets and fines Paying utility bills Registering and voting online

Phase 4: Personalised website with integrated Personalised website with Database personal account for all services integrated business account integration Transformation for all services

1.2.2.2 e-Governance Digital Models Information Access and Service Delivery models8, 9 of e-governance: 1.2.2.2.1 Broadcasting Model 1.2.2.2.2 Comparative Analysis Model 1.2.2.2.3 Critical Flow Model 1.2.2.2.4 E-Advocacy Model 1.2.2.2.5 Interactive Service Model 20

1.2.2.2.1 Broadcasting Model

Broadcasting model/General Model is based on mass distribution of governance- related information which is already available in the public domain. This raises awareness among the citizens about ongoing governance processes and government services that are available to them and how they can benefit from them. It allows citizens to form an opinion of the government and its administration based on services delivered to them - whether the government services were available to them, and the quality of service received. This could be judged in terms of time spent, number of visits required and level of bureaucracy encountered to avail the services. With the help of information, the citizens can feel more empowered to voice their concerns and influence governance processes to make them more efficient. It can also provide as alternative channel to people to stay updated of governance related information and to validate information received from other sources. This model is clear with the help of following Diagram No 1.5. Diagram No 1.5

Applications: This model could be useful in the following potential ways:

a) Dissemination governmental laws and legislations online. b) Making available the names, contact addresses emails, mobile numbers of local, state or national government officials online. c) Make available information such as governmental plans, budgets, expenditures, and performance reports online.

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1.2.2.2.2 Comparative Analysis Model

It is one of the least-used but a high potential e-governance model for developing countries. The model can be used to empower people by comparing cases of bad governance with those of good governance and identifying specific aspects of bad governance, the reasons and people behind them, and how the situation can be improved.

The model is based on ICT and social media tools to explore given information sets with comparable information available in the public or private domain.

The comparison could be made over a time scale to get a snapshot of the past and the present situation or could be used to compare the effectiveness of an intervention by comparing two similar situations.

The strength of this model lies in the infinite capacity of digital networks to store varied information and retrieve and transmit it instantly across all geographical and hierarchical barriers. It is clear with help of following Diagram No 1.6.

Diagram No 1.6

Applications: This model could be useful in the following ways: a) To learn from past policies and actions and derive learning lessons for future policy- making. b) To evaluate the effectiveness of the current policies and identify key learning in terms of strengths and flaws in the policies. c) To effectively establish conditions of Precedence, especially in the case of Judicial or legal decision-making, and use it to impact future decision-making. d) To evaluate the performance and track-record of a particular decision-maker. 22

1.2.2.2.3 Critical Flow Model

The model is based on spreading information of 'critical' value to targeted audience using ICTs and e-Governance. Targeted audience may include media, affected parties, opposition parties, judicial bench, independent detectives or the general public.

Those who would disclose such information could include upright officials and workers, whistleblowers, affected parties and those who were themselves involved in bad governance practices but have now changed their minds or may wish to trade such information for forgive punishments. Model is clear with the help of following Diagram No 1.7.

Diagram No 1.7

The strength of this model is that the concept of 'distance' and 'time' becomes redundant when information is hosted on a digital network. Once available on the digital network, the information could be used advantageously by making it freely available in the wider public domain.

Applications: This model could be useful in the following ways: a) Dissemination corruption related data about a particular Ministry / Division/ Officials online. b) Broadcasting Research studies, Enquiry reports, Impact and evaluation studies commissioned by the Government or Independent commissions to the affected parties. c) Making Human Rights Violations cases violations freely available to Judiciary, NGOs and concerned citizens. d) Publishing information related to the weather and climatic conditions on the net so it can be used by farmers and share market analyst. 23

1.2.2.2.4 Mobilization and Lobbying Model

Mobilization and Lobbying Model or E-Advocacy is one of the most commonly used Digital Governance model and has often come to the aid of the global civil society to impact on global decision-making processes. The model is based on setting-up a planned, directed flow of information to build strong virtual communities to complement actions in the real world. Virtual communities are formed which share similar values and concerns, and these communities in turn link up with or support real-life activities for concerted action. The strength of this model is in its diversity of the virtual community, and the ideas, expertise and resources accumulated through this virtual form of networking. The model is able to mobilize and leverage human resources and information beyond geographical, institutional and bureaucratic barriers, and use it for concerted action. Following Diagram No 1.8 shows the structure of this model.

Diagram No 1.8

Applications:

This model could be useful in the following possible ways: a) Promoting public discussions on issue of larger concerns, namely on the themes of upcoming conferences, treaties etc. b) Publishing opinions of suppressed groups who are not involved in the decision-making process into wider public domain. c) Building up global expertise on a particular theme in absence of localized information to aid decision-making.

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1.2.2.2.5 Service Delivery Model

Interactive-Service model is a consolidation of the other Digital Governance models and opens up possibilities for one-to-one and self-serviced participation of individuals in governance processes. ICTs have the potential to bring every individual into a digital network and enable interactive or multiple-ways flow of information between them. This potential of ICTs is fully leveraged in this model. As the direct participation, it can bring greater objectivity and transparency in decision-making processes, and give a greater feeling of involvement and empowerment. Individuals are willing to engage in the governance processes.

In this model, the various services offered by the Government become directly available to its citizens in an interactive manner. It does so by opening up an interactive Government to Consumer to Government (G2C2G) channel in various aspects of governance. This model shows with the help of following Diagram No 1.9.

Diagram No 1.9

Applications:

This model could be useful in the following ways: a) To prepare and executes electronic ballots for the election of government officials and other office bearers. b) To allow public debates / opinion polls on issues of wider concern before formulation of policies and legislative frameworks. c) Filing of grievances, feedback and reports by citizens with the concerned governmental body means launching decentralised forms of governance. d) Performing governance functions online such as revenue collection, filing of taxes, governmental procurement, payment transfer etc. 25

1.3 e-Governance for Administrative Development

E-governance so far does not cover e-Commerce and e-business applications that focus solely or mainly on the private sector. There are three main domains of e- Governance, as shown in the following Diagram No 1.10.

1.3.1 Improving governance process: e-Administration Such initiatives deal particularly with improving the internal workings of the public sector. They include: i. Cutting process costs. ii. Managing process performance. iii. Making strategic connections in government. iv. Creating empowerment.

1.3.2 Connecting citizens : e-Citizens and e-Services Such initiatives deal particularly with the relationship between government and citizens: either as voters/stakeholders from whom the public sector derives its legitimacy, or as customers who consume public services. The emphasis here is to bring the state closer to the citizens. Examples include provision of online services. These initiatives may well incorporate the process improvements identification in section e-administration. However, they include a broader remit as follows: i. Talking to citizens. ii. Listening to citizens. iii. Improving public sector.

e‐administration and e‐services together constitute what is generally termed e‐government.

1.3.3 Building interactions with and within civil society: e-Society Such initiatives deal particularly with the relationship between public agencies and other institutions - other public agencies, private sector service providers, non-profit and community organizations – and with the relationship between civil society institutions. However, they also include a broader remit as below: i. Working better with business. ii. Developing communities. iii. Building partnerships.

Thus, e-government and e-society together constitute is generally termed as e-Governance. 26

Diagram No 1.10 Three Main Domains of e-Governance

So, it is quite clear from the above concepts that e-governance as a broad concept covers e-Administration “It is improving the government processes, e- citizens and e-services: two way interaction between government and citizens for the improvement of services and e-society: relationship between public and other institutions for bringing effectiveness in the service delivery”.

1.4 SWOT Analysis of e-Governance

All implements and drivers of e-Governance initiatives agree that the biggest challenge of deploying e-governance is not about technology but to change its management. Changing management is important not only in terms of changing cultural, social and political but also operations and processes of workflow. “It‟s important to educate people at all levels about the benefits of technology. The various benefits and advantages of e-enabling the system should be communicated clearly right at the beginning to ensure popular support which will lead to greater chances of success”, explain Dr G D Gautama, Secretary, IT, Government of West Bengal. 27

It is important to explain to people that the introduction of IT will not take away existing jobs but will make them easier, and if less manpower is required for operations, the staff can be re-deployed elsewhere with no threat to their career growth path. The key challenges with electronic governance are not technology or internet issues but organizational issues like…. i. Redefining rules and procedures. ii. Information transparency. iii. Legal issues. iv. Infrastructure, Skill and Awareness. v. Access to right information. vi. Interdepartmental collaboration. vii. Tendency to resist the change in work culture.

Other obstacles are geographical distances, lack of trained human resources, and lack of ICT penetration in remote areas. For instance, a good e-governance application will not benefit anybody in remote areas if there is no supporting infrastructure such as electricity, computers and connectivity. Many pilots have been successfully implemented in almost all areas of e-governance, says Ravi Kant, Special Secretary, IT, Govt. of West Bengal, but “Rather than having an obsession to undertake pilot projects, we should capitalize on the existing successful examples in the country and customize them for our use.”

1.4.1 Mean of SWOT Analysis

SWOT analysis10 is a strategic planning method used to evaluate the Strengths, Weakness/Limitation, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a research. It involves specifying the objective of the research and identifying the internal and external factors that are favorable and unfavorable to achieve that objective.

While setting, the objective should be done after having performed the SWOT analysis. This would allow achieving goals or objectives to be set for the organization.

Following are the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats in the implementing e-Governance:

1) Strengths: Characteristics of the business, or project team that give it advantages over others. 2) Weaknesses or The characteristics that place the team at a disadvantage relative to Limitations: others. 3) Opportunities: External chances to improve performance in the environment. 4) Threats: External elements in the environment that could cause trouble for the business or project. 28

Identification of SWOTs is essential because subsequent steps in the process of planning for achievement of the selected objective may be derived from the SWOTs.

First, the decision makers have to determine whether the objective is attainable, given the SWOTs. If the objective is NOT attainable, different objectives should and repeated the same processes.

Users of SWOT analysis need to ask and answer questions that generate meaningful information for each category (SWOT) in order to maximize the benefits of this evaluation and find their competitive advantage.

The aim of SWOT analysis is to identify the internal and external key factors that are important to achieve the objectives. These come from within the education‟s unique value chain. A SWOT analysis group‟s key piece of information is classified into two main categories:

Internal factors – The Strengths and weaknesses of internal to the organization. External factors – The opportunities and threats present by the external environment to the organization.

1.4.2 SWOT Analysis in e-Governance

The usefulness of SWOT analysis is not limited to profit-seeking organization. SWOT analysis may be used in any decision–making situation when a desired end-state has been defined. Examples include: non-profit organization, governmental unit in pre-crisis planning and preventive crisis management. SWOT analysis may also be used in creating a recommendation during a survey viability study.

Maharashtra‟s e-Governance environment is full of challenges and opportunities. Here we will try to present SWOT analysis of social, political, economical and technological aspects of e-governance for better understanding of e-Governance activities in Maharashtra state.

Social aspects Related to e-Governance include social level; gender based educational gap, cultural and language factors, provision for socially backward and disabled people and IT awareness. Political aspects Related to e-Governance includes strategies and policies, laws and legislation, leadership, decision making processes, funding issues, international affairs and political stability. 29

Economical aspects Related to e-governance are funding, cost savings, business models, e-commerce and spin-offs of e-Governance. Technological aspects Involve software, hardware, infrastructure, telecom, IT skilled people, and maintenance, safety and security issues. “GOOD GOVERNANCE” improves the process of decision-making and the process by which decisions are implemented. Governance it encompasses the entire process of public administration, the process underlying the formation of public policies, the HRD efforts required for re-skilling the government machinery, prioritization and efficient management of public resources and above all re-designing the various instruments used to realize the concept of welfare state.

Table No 1.6(A), 1.6(B), 1.6(C) and 1.6(D) below respectively presents SWOT analysis of social, political, economical and technical aspects of e-governance in Maharashtra11.

Table No1.6 (A) SWOT analysis of social aspects of e-Governance in Maharashtra is as follows:

Social Aspects Strengths Weakness a) Assisting in establishing bi-lateral and a) Fortunate people will gain while the poor global relation among people and States. and ignorant will lose. b) Regional and Local communities to b) High Illiteracy is major problem and to a increase their involvement in governance. great extent IT literacy rate is very low. c) An important factor of building “a c) Human habits and social structure are knowledge society”. changed slowly. d) People eager to earn IT Skills. d) There is significant gap between the rate e) Process started for building “Knowledge of technological advancement and the rate Society”. of social and cultural development. f) Increasing citizen’s participation. e) Multilingual Languages are spoken and used by citizens.

Opportunities Threats a) Education system will be improved. a) Privacy of participant. b) Giving every citizen an equal opportunity. b) Digital Division. c) Faster communication and exchange of c) Brain drain IT skilled people. knowledge. d) Social and ethical issues.

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Table No 1.6(B) SWOT analysis of Political aspects of e-Governance in Maharashtra is as follows:

Political Aspects Strengths Weaknesses a) Government willingness for a) Prompt implementation of effective Cyber e-Governance. Laws. b) Simplifying administrative routines. b) Delay in decision making and c) Transparency in public administration. implementation. d) The most popular links of e-Governance c) Less budgetary provision for e-Governance between government and citizens. projects. e) Image of High-Tech Government. d) Lack of Motivation. e) Political Instability. Opportunities Threats a) Raising public sector funds. a) Bureaucracy. b) Showing competitive edge. b) Piracy, Misuse. c) Transparency causes natural change of c) Corruption. Processes. d) Maintaining disorder, no transparency.

Table No 1.6(C) SWOT analysis of Economical aspects of e-Governance in Maharashtra is as follows:

Economical Aspects Strengths Weaknesses a) Saving Expensive labour cost. a) Lack of Investors. b) Transparency for business processes. b) Budget control. Opportunities Threats a) Higher cost efficiency. a) Corruption. b) Getting new projects.

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Table No 1.6(D) SWOT analysis of Technological aspects of e-Governance in Maharashtra is as follows:

Technological Aspects Strengths Weaknesses a) Innovation- Technological advancement a) No complete/full flash framework is ready. rate is very high. b) Software is evolving. b) Everything is new, no negative legacy. c) High speed Bandwidth is not available at c) Leapfrogging is possible. remote areas. Opportunities Threats a) Speed up transactions a) Society could be differentiated into 3 b) Better employment for IT skilled people. categories on the basis utilization of technology by people. c) Designing of new framework. i. Younger : Fully use ii. Middle-aged : use it partially iii. Older : do not use it. b) Poor Bandwidth especially in rural areas. c) Control of Cyber Terrorism and Cyber Crimes. d) Development of m-Governance. e) Security breach and Copyright issues.

E-Governance can make distance of public administrators from the general public because many services will be provided through telephone, fax, e-mail or the Internet as in the case of the bank‟s ATM. This problem appears because technology and human development are not proceeding at the same place. Whereas, technology moves very fast, especially during the last decades, human habits and social structure are changed slowly. It is therefore quite obvious that over a period of half a century, a significant gap was created between the rate of technological advancement and the rate of social and culture development.

In the modern century it is going to be a very complex, confusing, chaotic and changing social environment for the people as well as organizations and governments. E- Governance would be the predominant administrative instrument for the future. However, the SWOT analysis indicates that in addition to its many benefits and strengths, like simplifying work of government and making it more efficient.

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1.4.3 Challenges to e-Governance specific to India

Since the last the decade, an era of the e-Governance; we are fortunate enough to see the work that has been carried by a variety of government and commercial concerns, investigating the continuing trends in the field of e-Governance area. Government and other stakeholders of it have taken a lot of efforts in the creation of infrastructure and internal information handling by government bodies as well as public services, the diffusion of technologies in moving towards e-Governance have been rather slow. We point out some of the challenges which are specific to India are as follows:

1.4.3.1 Lack of Integrated Services –

Most of the e-Governance services being offered by States or Center government are not integrated. This can mainly be attributed to lack of communication between different departments. So the information that resides with one department has no or very little communication to some other departments of government.

1.4.3.2 Resistance to re-engineering of departmental processes –

The successful implementation of e-Governance projects require lots of restructuring in administrative processes, redefining of administrative procedures and formats which finds the resistance in almost all the departments at all the levels. Additionally there is lack of expertise of departmental MIS executive in exploiting data mining techniques, updating and collection of real time content into website etc. Therefore the content as is collected or maintained by various e-Governance portals is unreliable or full of gaps.

1.4.3.3 Attitude of Government Department –

The Psychology of government servants is quite different from the private sectors. Traditionally the government servants have derived their substance from the fact that they are important repositories of government data. Thus any effort to implement Data Manipulation Services (DMS) workflow technologies or bringing out the change in the system is met with resistance from the government servants.

1.4.3.4 Lack of Key Persons –

E-Governance project lacks key persons, not only from technological aspects, but from other aspects as well.

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1.4.3.5 Large Population –

This is probably the biggest challenge in country like India. Apart from being an asset to the country it offers some unique issues, an important one being establishing persons‟ identities. There is no unique identity of a person in India. Indian government has taken an initiative launch a project under Mr. Nandan Nilkeni to provide Unique Identification (UID) Number to each citizen of India but it has lot of obstacles to provide UID. People of India call it Adhar-Card.

1.4.3.6 Multi-Lingual Languages -

It is really a challenge due to the diversity of the country. It enforces need to do governance in local languages. Ensuring e-Governance in local language is a great task to achieve.

1.4.3.7 Lack of IT Literacy and awareness of its benefits -

There is general lack of awareness regarding benefits of e-governance as well as the process involved in implementing successful e-governance projects. The government‟s administrative structure is not ready for maintaining, storing and retrieving the information electronically.

1.4.3.8 Lack of infrastructure for sustaining e-Governance projects at National levels

Infrastructure to support e-Governance initiative does not exist within government departments. The agony is that the government departments are neither equipped with to be in a position to project the clear requirement nor are any guidelines for involving private sector. Whatever efforts made by various government organizations may be defined as “Island of computerization”. The infrastructure creation is not guided by a uniform national policy, but is dependent on the needs of individual officer‟s equipment. It is either nonexistent in government departments or if it exists at all, it does not serve any tangible purpose as far as the requirement of e-Governance project is concerned. The use of connectivity options provided by government agencies like NICNET etc. are used in very limited manner for data transmission among various locations viz. District., State, Center etc and it is mainly utilized for e-mail and Internet purpose only.

Most of the state governments have formed the IT task force and have placed their own policies. Although policies may have lofty goals, much seem to have happened only in automation and computerization. The drawback of these IT policy documents are not made upon the requirements and inherent capabilities of the state but are based on the survey and strategies used by other nations or other states. Though it is very wise to take examples from the successful e-governance strategies of other state and countries, it is 34 equally essential that we customize our state policies after a careful study of the parameters that are applicable to the particular state in question. A tentative action plan is presented to help implementing the e-governance initiatives.

According to an officer from NIC, success factors of e-Governance projects are as follows:

i. 10% Technology, ii. 60% Process, iii. 20% Change Management and; iv. Rest is on luck.

1.5 e-Governance in India

According to Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the former President of India12, “Delivery of services to citizens is considered a primary function of the government. In a democratic nation of over one billion people like India, e-Governance should enable seamless access to information and seamless flow of information across the state and central government in the federal set up. No country has so far implemented an e-Governance system for one billion people. It is a big challenge for us”.

According to Hon’ble Ex. Prime Ministers of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee declaration on Independence Day – 15th August 2002 “The Government would implement a comprehensive programme to accelerate e-governance at all levels of the Government to improve efficiency, transparency and accountability at the Government-Citizens Interface.”

As of now, e-governance projects are being run only in certain departments of government. This approach gradually is extended to all departments eventually, leveraging the power of IT to streamline administrative functions and increase transparency.

Shivaji Chatterjee, Senior Director of sales and marketing, Hungs Escort Communications13 say, “IT has a vital role to play in all transactions that the government undertake. It helps the government cut red-tapism, avoid corruption, and reach citizens directly.”

Manoj Kunkalienkar, Executive Director, ICICI infotech14 says, “As far as e- governance projects are concerned, the government is gradually changing its role from an „implementer‟ to a „facilitator and regulator‟. It will encourage private sector 35 participation in e-governance projects, so more projects in e-governance based upon the public private participation (PPP) model should come about the near future.”

Agriculture, power and education are fields where the government makes use of IT to provide services to citizens. The revenue collection department is in the process of using information technology for applications such as income tax.

1.5.1 History and present status of e-Governance

Recognizing the increasing importance of electronics, the Government of India established the Department of Electronics (DOE) in 1970. The subsequent establishment of the National Informatics center (NIC) in 1977 was the first major steps towards e-Governance in India as it brought “information” and its communication in focus. In the early 1980s‟ use of computers confined to very few organizations. By the late 1980s, a large number of government officers have computers but they were mostly used for “word processing”.

The main thrust for e-Governance was provided by the launching of NICNET (National satellite base Computer Network) in 1987. This was followed by the launch of the DISNIC (District Information System of the National Informatics Center) programme to computerize all district offices in the country for which free hardware and software were offered to the state Governments. NICNET was extended via the state capitals to all districts headquarters by 1990.

In the coming years, with ongoing computerization, teleconnectivity and internet connectivity, come a large number of e-Governance initiatives both at the Union and State levels. A National Task Force on Information Technology and Software Development was constituted15 in May 1998.

In 1999, the Union Ministry of Information Technology was created. By 2000, a 12- point minimum agenda for e-Governance was identified by Government of India for implementation in all the Union Government Ministries/Departments. The agenda16 included the some important action points.

For the last decade we have seen e-governance drop roots in India. IT enables the delivery of government services as it caters to large base people across different segments and geographical locations. The effective use of IT services in government 36

administration can greatly enhance existing efficiencies, driven down the communication costs and increase transparency in the functioning of various departments. It also gives citizens easy access to tangible benefits, be it through simple applications such as filling up online forms, bill sourcing and making payments or complex applications like distance education and tele-medicine, etc.

1.5.2 National Government’s Initiatives –

Over the years, a large number of initiatives have been undertaken by various State Governments and Central Ministries to conduct in an era of e-Government. Continuous efforts have been made at multiple levels to improve the delivery of public services and simplify the process of accessing them. This approach has the potential of enabling huge savings in costs through sharing of core and support infrastructure, enabling interoperability through standards, and of presenting a seamless view of Government to Citizens.

E-Governance originated in India during the seventies with the focus on in-house government applications in the areas of defense, economic monitoring, planning and the development of ICT to manage data intensive functions related to electronics, census, tax administration etc. The efforts of the National Informatics Center (NIC) to connect all the district headquarters during the eighties was water shaded. From the early nineties, e-governance has seen the use of IT for wider sectoral application with the policy that emphasizes on reaching out to rural areas and taking in greater inputs from NGO‟s and private sector as well. While the emphasis was initially on automation computerization, later on forays began to be made into connectivity, networking, setting up systems for processing information and delivering services. At a micro level, this ranged from IT grievance systems, Service delivery for high volume routine transactions such as payment of bills, tax dues to meeting poverty alleviation goals through the promotion of entrepreneurial models and provision of market information. The thrust has varied across initiative, with some focusing on enabling the citizen-state interface for various government services and others focusing on bettering livelihoods. Following Diagram No 1.11 shows how to drive the e-Governance initiatives. 37

Diagram No 1.11 Drive the e-Governance Initiatives

1.5.2.1 Overview of National e-Governance Plan (NeGP)

The National e-Governance Plan, takes a holistic view of e-Governance initiatives across the country, integrating them into a collective vision, a shared cause. Around this idea, a massive countrywide infrastructure reaching down to the remotest of villages is evolving, and large-scale digitization of records is taking place to enable easy, reliable access over the internet. The ultimate objective is to bring public services closer home to citizens, as articulated in the above vision statement of NeGP.

NeGP is a large and complex endeavor covering 20 Central Departments, 35 States/ Union Territories and 360 departments across these States/UTs and nearly 500 implementation agencies. In all it is expected to require 70,000 man-years of effort. Therefore, for NeGP to achieve its goals, capacity gap that need to be addressed include engaging experts, developing skills and imparting training.

The National e-Governance Plan of Indian Government seeks to lay the foundation and provide the momentum for long-term growth of e-Governance within the country. The plan seeks to create the right governance and institutional mechanisms, set up the core infrastructure and policies and implements a number of Mission Mode Projects at the center, state and integrated service levels to create a citizen-centric and business-centric environment for governance.

The National e-Governance Action Plan was presented to the Hon‟ble Prime Minister on 6th November, 2003. The plan has been approved in-principle and 38

endorsement has been given to the overall program content, implementation approach and Governance structures.

To bring the benefits of ICT at the last mile to ensure transparent, timely and hassle free delivery of citizen services, Government of India has initiated e- Governance programme in country in the late 1990s. Later, Union Government has approved the National e-Governance Plan, comprising of 27 Mission Mode Projects (MMPs) encompassing 10 Central MMPs, 10 State MMPs and 7 Integrated MMPs spanning multiple Ministries/ Departments and 8 components on May 18, 2006 to give a boost to e-Governance initiatives in India. Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DEIT) and Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DAR&PG) has formulated the NeGP.

1.5.2.2 Vision of NeGP

Keeping in mind the various positive impacts of e-Governance: in May 2006, the Government of India approved the National e-governance Plan (NeGP) with the vision17: “Make all Government services accessible to the common man in his locality, throughout common service delivery outlets and ensure efficiency, transparency and reliability of such services at affordable cost to realize the basic needs of the common man”.

The vision statement clearly underlines these priorities of the Government in fostering good governance. It is clear with the help of following points:

Accessibility: The vision has been designed keeping the rural population in mind. The need is to reach those sections of the society which have remained tangential to the government sphere due to various reasons like geographical challenges and lack of awareness. NeGP has a provision for State Wide Area Network (SWAN) to connect all the government offices up to the block level and Common Service Centers (CSCs) for accessing the citizens from the rural areas.

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Common Service Delivery Outlets: At present, citizens especially those living in remote rural areas have to travel long distances to avail a service through a government department or its local offices. This is time-consuming and costly affairs for a common man to access citizen services. To overcome this problem, as a part of the NeGP vision, one computer and internet have enabled Common Service Center (CSC) that is envisaged to set up for every six villages so that Villagers can easily avail these services. These Common Service Centers (CSCs) are envisaged to offer online Integrated Service Delivery on „Anytime, Anywhere‟ basis.

Adopting e-Governance for improving the Governance: The use of ICT will enable government to reach citizens thereby improving governance. This will also enable improvement in monitoring and implementing various government schemes thereby increasing the accountability and transparency in government.

Improve the quality of life of citizens: e-Governance would help in attaining this objective through the provision of citizen centric service delivery at nominal cost, and thereby providing better turnaround times and convenience in demanding and availing services.

Hence, the vision is to use e-Governance as the route for governments to strengthen good governance. All services provided through the various e- Governance initiatives are expected to assist the governments at the Central and State levels in reaching the yet „unreached‟ and enable involvement and empowerment of marginalized groups through their participation in the government processes thereby contributing towards poverty reduction and bridging the sharp social and economical divide.

1.5.2.3 Implementation Strategy for NeGP

A prudent approach is proposed for the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP), which is based on lessons learnt from the past and experiences from successful e- Governance applications have been implemented nationally and internationally. The approach and methodology adopted for NeGP contains the following elements: 40

1) Common Infrastructure: National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) implementation involves setting up of common and support IT infrastructure such as: a. State Wide Area Networks (SWANs), b. State Data Centres (SDCs), c. Common Services Centres (CSCs) and d. Electronic Service Delivery Gateways.

2) Governance: Suitable arrangements for monitoring and coordinating the implementation of National e-Governance Plan under the direction of the competent authorities have been set up. The programme also involves evolving/ laying down standards and policy guidelines, providing technical support, undertaking capacity building, Research and Development etc. Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DEIT) strengthens itself and various institutions like National Informatics Centre (NIC), Standardization, Testing and Quality Certification (STQC), Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), National Institute for Smart Governance (NISG) etc., to play these roles effectively. 3) Centralized Initiative, Decentralized Implementation: e-Governance is being promoted through a centralized initiative to the extent necessary to ensure citizen-centric orientation, to realize the objective of inter-operability of various e-Governance applications and ensure optimal utilization of ICT infrastructure and resources while allowing for a decentralized implementation model. It also aims at identifying successful projects and replicating them with required customization wherever needed.

4) Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) model: It has to be adopted wherever feasible to enlarge the resource pool without compromising on the security aspects. 5) Integrative elements: Adoption of unique identification codes for citizens, businesses and property is to be promoted to facilitate integration and avoid ambiguity.

6) Programme Approach at the National and State levels: For implementation of the NeGP, various Union Ministries/Departments and State Governments are involved. Considering the multiplicity of agencies involved and the need for overall aggregation and integration at the national level, NeGP is being implemented as a programme, with well-defined roles and responsibilities of each agency involved. For facilitating this, appropriate programme management structures have also been put in place. 7) Facilitator role of DEITY: DEITY is the facilitator and catalyst for the implementation of NeGP by various Ministries and State Governments and also provides technical assistance. It serves as a secretariat to the Apex Committee and assists it in managing the programme. In addition, DEITY 41

(Department of Electronics and Information Technology) is also implementing pilot/ infrastructure/ technical/ special projects and support components. DARPG‟s responsibility is towards Government Process Re-engineering and Change Management, which are desired to be realised across all government departments. Planning Commission and Ministry of Finance allocate funds for NeGP through Plan and Non-plan budgetary provisions and lay down appropriate procedures in this regard. 8) Ownership of Ministries: Under the NeGP, various MMPs are owned and spearheaded by the concerned line Ministries. In case there are any ongoing projects which fall in the MMP category, they would be suitably enhanced to align them with the objectives of NeGP. For major projects like Bharat Nirman, Rural Employment Guarantee Schemes, etc. the line ministries concerned are advised to make use of e-Governance as also automation techniques from the inception stage. States have been given the flexibility to identify a few additional state-specific projects, which are relevant for the economic development of the State.

1.5.2.4 Mission Mode Projects (MMPs) of India

The Mission Mode Projects18 are envisioned to enable the backend computerization of various departments, thereby e‐enabling them for any time anywhere service delivery, to achieve the vision of providing government services at the doorstep of the citizen. For this, a common service delivery platform is being created. The three important elements that form the basis of this effective service delivery framework are State Wide Area Networks (SWANs), the front‐end outlets for the service delivery i.e. Common Service Centers (CSCs) and the State Data Centers (SDCs). "Mission Mode" implies that the objective and the scope of the project are clearly defined, that the project has measurable outcomes and service-levels, and the project has well-defined milestones and timelines for implementation. The NeGP currently consists of a series of Mission Mode Projects (MMPs) and support components which are being implemented at the Central, State and Local Government levels. These include Projects such as Income Tax, Customs & Excise and Passports at the Central Level, Land Records, Agriculture and e‐ District at the State Level and Panchayats and Municipalities at the Local Level. There are also a number of integrated MMPs like e‐Procurement, e-Biz, National e-governance Service Delivery Gateway, etc. where delivery of services envisaged in the project entail coordinated implementation across multiple Departments of the Government. Which are shown in the following Table No 1.7.

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Table No 1.7 MMPs run by Center and States Central MMPs State MMPs Integrated MMPs

 Banking  Agriculture  CSC  Central Excise & Customs  Commercial Taxes  e-Biz  Income Tax (IT)  e−District  e-Courts  Insurance  Employment Exchange  e-Procurement  EDI For eTrade  MCA21  Land Records  National e-  National Citizen Database  Municipalities governance Service  Passport  Gram Panchayats Delivery Gateway  Immigration, Visa and  Police  India Portal Foreigners Registration &  Road Transport Tracking  Treasuries  Pension  e-Office

Following Table No 1.8 shows MMP’s with their services and concern departments:

Table No 1.8 MMP’s with their services and concern departments MMP Services Ministry/Department and Website Central

MCA 21 Name allocation to a new company Ministry of Company Affairs

Incorporation of a Company www.mca.gov.in/ Application for change of name of a Company

Registration charges

Annual filings

Change in Director(s)

Change in Registered office

Increase in authorized capital

Viewing of public records

Issue of certified copy of documents

Pensions Provide updated information on government rules/ Department of Pensions and regulations Pensioner’s Welfare

Database of Pensioners www.pensionersportal.gov.in/ Monitoring timely sanction of pension/gratuity

To register/monitor pensioners’ grievances

Income Tax Taxpayer Information Ministry of Finance, CBDT

Downloading of updated forms http://www.incometaxindia.gov.in/ Online submission of application forms (PAN/TAN)

Online Tax Calculator

Online return preparation utility

Taxpayer Identification Numbers : PAN and TAN

Online Application

Tatkal online application with payment through credit 43

card

Website and Aykar Sampark Kendra (ASK) based tracking of status of application

Query based services for PAN/TAN

Registration of e-intermediaries

E-Filing of Returns

E-filing of TDS returns , through more than 1330 facilitation centres e-TDS system using digital signatures

Payment of Taxes Online

Issue of refunds through Electronic Clearance Scheme i.e. direct credit of refunds to the bank account of tax payers opting for the scheme (Scheme available in 12 cities, where RBI has foot prints)

Facility to access PAN ledger account of pre-paid taxes on internet

Challan Status Enquiry (enables tax payers to check whether tax paid is properly accounted for in their name)

Passport & Fresh passport issuance (Post Police Verification) Ministry of External Affairs Visa Fresh passport issuance (Pre Police Verification) www.passport.nic.in Tatkaal (Emergency passport)

Re-issue passport

Duplicate Passport Issuance (Lost/ Damaged)

Additional Booklet

Change in name

Change in address

ECNR/ ECR Suspension/PCC

Online availability of application form for new passport , renewal

Passport Status Inquiry

Immigration Multi channel information availability Ministry of Home Affairs

Multi mode payment of transaction fee http://boi.gov.in/ Online appointments & status tracking

Additional booklet

Database of unique case files

Inter agency information & alert sharing

Central Excise E-Filing of Import and Export declarations Ministry of Finance, CBEC

Electronic Processing of Declarations (ON FCFS Basis) http://www.cbec.gov.in/ Electronic messaging with banks for collection of duties and disbursal of duty drawbacks

Electronic messaging with custodians and other agencies concerned with cargo clearance

Risk Management System to reduce turn around time and cost for Cargo handling

Facility for e-filing of Service Tax Returns

Facility for e-filing of Central Excise Returns

e- Registration of Service Tax and Central Excise Assesses

Digital Certificates 44

Automated Clearance of Courier Consignments

e-Payment of Customs Duties

ACES (Automation of Central Excise and Service Tax)

E-filing of all claims

Dash Board view of Tax Payer’s Account

Online Tracking of Claims, permissions etc.

Integrated management of export benefits across Central Excise and Customs Interfaces

UID Generation of a unique identifier number to all residents Planning Commission, UIDIA http://planningcommission.gov.in/

Insurance Product profile on the web Ministry of Finance, Department of Banking Online Grievances registration and status Online Claims registration and settlement http://finmin.nic.in/

Mailing and messaging through internet and intranet

Online Premium calculation/deposit of premium / issue of policy e-Courts Information services to litigant public Department of Justice

Information services to advocates Status Tracking of cases

Availability of judgments, staggered Cause list, statement of witnesses etc.

E-filing of cases, calculation of court fees & online status inquiry and court diaries

Details Entry of a case

Case Allocation

Court Proceedings

Case Disposal and its restoration

Transfer of case

Video Conferencing with outstation witnesses and under trials.

Notices through e-mails to the clients who provide their email ids.

Scrutiny of documents

Registration of documents

EDI Electronic filing and Clearance of export/import Department of Commerce documents by participating agencies i.e., Customs, Ports, Airports, CONCOR, DGFT, exporters, importers, agents http://commerce.nic.in/ etc

E-Payment of duties and charges (handling/freight etc)

India Portal Ability to file complaints and second appeals Department of Information Technology Information on organizational and legal framework for good corporate governance http://india.gov.in/ Information on Foreign trade

Registration of NGOs working for Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment

Online application submission for grants e-Biz Issue of name availability letter Department of Industrial Policy & 45

Issue of certificate of Incorporation Promotion

Issue of certificate of commencement of business http://dipp.nic.in/English/default.aspx Issue of Permanent Account Number

Filing of returns by companies (Form-1)

Tax deduction Acct number of IT Department

Excise Tax Registration (Form R-1)

Filing monthly returns for production and removal of goods (Form E.R.1)

Service Tax Registration (Form ST-1)

Filing half yearly service tax returns

Issue of Industrial Entrepreneur Memoranda

Issue of Industrial License

Issue of importer exporter code

Application for environmental clearance

Filing of FC-GPR (reporting of Forex Transaction)

Filing for Employees State Insurance Corporation

Filing of Employees Provident Fund

Issue of Registration Certificate under State General Sale Tax and Central Sale Tax

Filing of Returns by Dealers

Registration under Shops and Establishment Act

Provisional registration of SSI unit under the industries Development and Regulation Act, 1951

Permanent registration of SSI unit under the industries development and regulation Act, 1951

Issue of license under Factories Act , 1948

Filing of annual returns under Factories Act, 1948

Application for Power connection from DISCOM

Permission to charge the line

Registration for Professional Tax

Payment of property Tax

No objection certificate from pollution control board

Land Records Updated and validated land records data Department of Land Resources

Survey /resurvey using modern technology

Computerisation of land records data using standard http://dolr.nic.in/ uniform codes

Dynamic integration of textual and spatial RoR data

Computerisation of registration of immovable property transactions

Automatic initiation of mutation process and generation of mutation notices to all concerned after registration

Integration of registration and mutation processes with updating of land records

Data storage with security backup and disaster recovery

Connectivity with points of data updating including 46

linkages with the points of registration and mutation processes

Connectivity with points of service / web enabling with appropriate arrangements for privacy and access control on need to know basis.

Connectivity with financial institutions

Agriculture Information to farmers on agricultural inputs Department of Agriculture and Cooperation Information on government schemes to farmers.

Information on soil test based recommendation http://agricoop.nic.in/

Information on crop management practices

Information on weather and marketing of agriculture production

Police Complaints/ information transmission to the concerned Ministry of Home Affairs police station http://www.mha.nic.in/ Status of complaint/case registered at a police station

Details of arrested persons, wanted criminals, illegal activities etc.

Details of stolen/recovered vehicles, arms etc.

Senior citizen registration

Verification requests for servants etc.

Municipalities Availability of forms, citizen characters etc. Ministry of Urban Development

Online Submission forms http://jnnurm.nic.in/ Birth and Death Certificate

Calculation and Payment of Property Tax

Payment of utility bills water supply and Sewage

Building Approvals

Health Programme Information

Approved Project and Funds allocation by wards

Physical and financial progress

Requests for public comments for closure

e-Procurement

Grievances handling e-District Issuance of certificates including, caste, domicile, Department of Information employment, etc Technology

Pension under social welfare scheme http://deity.gov.in/ Revenue courts

Government dues and recovery

Public Distribution System

RTI

Grievance Handling

Commercial Application for registration Ministry of Finance, Department of Taxes Commercial Taxes Filing of returns

Clearance of refunds http://finmin.nic.in/

Payment of tax

Dealer ledger 47

Dealer verification

Facility to dealer to obtain various information services

Gram Issue of Trade License and NOC Ministry of Panchayati Raj Panchayats House Related Services

Various certificates such as Birth, Death, solvency, etc

Dissemination of Information on internal processes of Panchayat such as agenda, voting, resolution, Gram Sabha proceedings and action taken, receipts, assets, beneficiary lists, and other socio-economical and demographical data etc

Dealer ledger

Dealer verification

Facility to dealer to obtain various information services

Employment Registration and placement of job seekers Ministry of Labour Exchange Collection of comprehensive labour market information http://labour.nic.in/content/ Career counseling and vocational guidance

State Portals State services APOnline http://www.aponline.gov.in/

State services MPOnline http://www.mponline.gov.in/

1.6 e-Governance in Maharashtra

Maharashtra is one of the most industrialized states of India. It is the world‟s second most popular state. If we treat it as a country it would be the world‟s tenth populous country ahead of Mexico.

The state is industrial developed in of India. It contributes 15% of national industrial output and over 40% of India‟s national revenue Maharashtra occupies a prominent place in the country‟s economy. Mumbai, the commercial capital of the country, has the presence of all the leading industrial / corporate houses of the country. 64.15% of the people are employed in agriculture and allied activities. Almost 46% of the GSDP is contributed by industry.

Maharashtra has always been a pioneer in social, economical and political arena. It is no exception when it comes to e-Governance; the Government of Maharashtra (GoM) was keen on modernizing its vast administrative infrastructure by ushering it into the digital age. The GoM‟s IT policy19 formulated in 1998 is “Empowerment through Connectivity” and this forward-looking document aims to give citizen, “Anytime, Anywhere, Anyhow”, access to government services, while keeping administrative costs low. With 11.24 Crore 48 citizens and 5,61,630 employees across the state brining in e-governance was a massive task.

To accomplish this task, state had made mandatory 0.5% budget in all its departments. Its aim is to deliver e-services at the doorsteps of citizens. The applications that have been implemented are targeted towards providing G2B, G2C and B2C Services with emphasis on use of local language. GoM also setup 35000 centers all over the Maharashtra through Common Service Centers, Sangaram Centers and SETU Centers. State had done 12.53 Crore e-transactions20 in the financial year 2012-2013.

The state is committed towards using e-Governance to provide integrated, efficient and transparent service delivery to the citizens in a systematic and holistic manner. The Government of Maharashtra‟s Hon‟ble Ex. Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan21 said “The prosperity of the state of Maharashtra comes not only from the boundless energy and enterprise of the people, it is also a result of the fact that the state has been on forefront in implementing e-Governance initiatives that focus on citizens‟ needs and ensure superior service delivery.

The state has taken landmark step of using Marathi as he first language in all e-Governance initiatives. I am happy that, which goes back to centuries and which enshrines a rich cultural, religious and historical heritage has found its rightful place in digital platform.”

In a geographically immense state like Maharashtra, support in remote location becomes a serious issue. Downtime due to viruses or system crashes disrupts the services that can be delivered to citizens. Therefore, the system has to be as robust as possible.

Security is a perennial concern in e-governance projects since sensitive data flows through the entire network. The government needs to share data with citizens on a constant basis and ensure that this data is not tampered with. Data entered in by citizens also needs to be handled with extreme care.

The government needs are constantly changing and therefore, the system also had to have the flexibility to allow frequent changes in an afforded manner.

Government of Maharashtra is one of the pioneers in promotion of ICT and e-Governance in India. It has been at forefront in implementing e-governance initiative that focus on citizens needs and ensure superior service delivery. The e-Government applications developed by Government of Maharashtra are as follows: 49

1) Kosh Vahini : Treasury Management System. 2) SETU : Computerization of Citizen Facilitation centers. 3) SARITA : Award winning computerization of the complete process of property document registration. 4) SARTIH : Computerization of driving license and vehicle registration. 5) SEAS : Fast MIS for revenue collection and from excise duty. 6) LMIS : Computerization of Land records Management.

The efforts made by the government of Maharashtra Government have been widely appreciated and SARITA has been recognized as the best Revenue System and SETU as the Best Citizen Centric Project at the national level. The position of Maharashtra state in Indian Map is shown in following Diagram No 1.12.

Diagram No 1.12 Position of Maharashtra state in Indian Map shown in Orange Colour

1.6.1 e-Governance Initiatives in Maharashtra

Following are the sum of major e-Governance initiative22 taken by state government:

1.6.1.1 Kosh Wahini: Treasury Management System A web portal https://koshwahini.mahakosh.gov.in/kosh/kosh/ is an Information System Project undertaken by the Directorate of Accounts and Treasuries. Availability of up-to-date financial information is the key factor in the modern era of Information Technology. Taking into consideration this key factor, 50 computerization of Sub-Treasuries, District Treasuries and Pay and Accounts office has been undertaken. Data is collected from District Treasuries and Sub-Treasuries, processed and converted into useful information at the level of the Directorate. The object of KOSHWAHINI is to make available up-to-date financial information required for various departments of the Government.

1.6.1.2 Rojgar Vahini web portal http://ese.mah.nic.in Rojgar Wahini has been developed for the department of Employment and self-Employment (DE&SE), Government of Maharashtra. DE&SE provide free services like vocational guidance, job opportunities and self-employment guidance to the job seekers. It also collects, compiles and provides the statistical information to the planning commission and other planning bodies to be used for manpower planning. The portal design has following six major sub-sites: a) Candidates‟ Corner, b) Employers‟ Corner, c) Self-Employment, d) About Rojgar Wahini, e) Right to Information (RTI) and; f) Kamgar Katta.

It is a single point of contact for the services provided by the Department. The portal can be accessed from service Delivery Points in rural areas. It is simple, easy to use, graphical user interfaces in the local language to serve semi-literate and even illiterate people. The graphical user interface of the portal is touch screen enabled to facilitate the viewers to access it through kiosks.

1.6.1.3 SETU : Integrated Citizen Facilitation Centers SETU has started with aim to provide greater transparency, accessibility and efficiency to government procedures. Indirect employment generation is also another goal. SETU or the Citizen facilitation Centers act as a one-stop service center for people who have to visit government offices for certificates, permits, authentication, affidavits and other services. SETU Society manages SETU centers. 51

SETU Society is a Society promotion of Excellence and Transparency in public administration for better Understanding of the requirements of the citizens in their interface with Government. Integrated Citizen's Service Centers SETU has been established in 28 Districts Headquarters and 298 Taluka places. At this stage these centers are providing the entire collector office related facilities. The most important and frequently issued certificates are the ones related to domicile, nationality, caste, age verification, solvency, character verification, income and occupation.

1.6.1.4 SARITA: Stamps And Registration IT based Administration

SARITA is a G2C-U project with an aim to design, develop, and implement a computerized application for Registration of documents, received at each Sub- Registrar Office and provide data update on timely basis to their respective Joint District Registrars and higher offices under the purview of Department of Registration, Pune, Maharashtra. The project runs on PPP model and covers entire state of Maharashtra covering 405 Sub Registrar Offices, 35 District offices, 8 Divisional offices and 1 Head Quarter located in Pune. It‟s truly successful e- Governance application delivering transparent and efficient service to the public in a most cost-effective manner (BOT basis) - a true Private Public Participation. SARITA e-Governance Projects in Maharashtra is shown in diagram no 1.13 as follows:

Diagram No 1.13 SARITA e-Governance Projects in Maharashtra

Benefits to the - Government: Helped in increasing document registration from average 16 to 40% per day and consequent 10-15% increase in revenue without any capital investment Industry: Build - Operate - Transfer (BOT) mechanism permitted eight private industries to participate in investing and running operations at IGR sites using their computing infrastructure on a cost-sharing basis Citizens Drastically reduce time for registration from several days/weeks to an assured 30 minutes with penalties for delay and reduce subjectivity on part of Government officials and reduce hassles in a conventional registration 52

1.6.1.5 Digital Payment System

Digital Payment System has initiated with the objectives to help the poor farmers in using IT as a tool to help increase the productivity of existing co-operatives of these farmers.

The Vision is to provide comprehensive solutions to rural commerce to maintain day- to-day business process and connect the rural Indians and increase the business transparency in the rural commerce using Information Technology.

The project has been designed keeping in view the larger sections of the population living in rural areas and their vast problems including their lack of access to the advancement of Information Technology. Under the project there is focus on improving the billing and collections for rural cooperatives through the provision of "SMART" cards, and timely disbursement of the payment. Billing and payment collection is streamlined through creation of "smart cards" with electronic accounts of farmers' dues and revenues, which can be used to pay bills and purchase consumer products at cooperatives and other stores. This will reduce the time required to obtain payments for milk, sugarcane and other products delivered by cooperative members.

1.6.1.6 Warna Wired Village Project

Warna project has initiated with the objectives to bring benefits of ICT to rural India. To provide links the diverse business activities in the village and information to people through computerised kiosks.

This project has been initiated to serve the information needs on different crop cultivation practices of major crops, sugarcane cultivation practices, pest and disease control, marketing information, dairy and sugarcane processing information etc. It needs on the farmers, right up to their village level.

The project has resulted in a Web based information system on the agriculture production market, agriculture schemes and crop technology, village information system, employment and self-employment schemes, educational and vocational guidance and many more. It allows wired management of sugar cane cultivation and marketing over the Intranet. Land records documents will also be made available through the system. 53

1.6.1.7 PRAGATI (Pravara Village IT Project)

The PRAGATI project has started in 1999 with the aims to connect a hundred villages in Ahmednagar district covering a population of more than 2.5 lakh with a Wireless MAN solution (WMAN). Its objective is to empower the rural population and improve their quality of life.

This is a seven lane program that helps the villages in establishing local IT centers, dissemination of information regarding government schemes, marketing of agricultural products, healthcare, education, agro processing and economical development. Linking all high schools in around 50 villages within a radius of 10 km lets teachers and staff stays in touch, helping them introduce modern methods of teaching, including virtual school at convenient timings for children who have to work during the day. Farmers can communicate with the agricultural experts at the Krishi Vigyan Kendra and learn new farming techniques as well as better ways of storing and packing their products for marketing. Health care professionals at the villages can consult specialists at the Medical College and Hospital thereby providing specialized treatment, especially during emergencies, at people's doorsteps.

1.6.2 State Government: e-Governance Initiatives in Education

Education is the driving force for economic as well social development of a country. Recognising this, great importance has been given to education initiatives in Maharashtra. This section describes the e-governance projects being implemented in education sector including school education, Higher and Technical education.

Education is a synchronized Subject under Constitution of India and involves an ecology that comprises many activities of other Ministries and Departments both at the Centre and in the states. Administration of mid-day meals, administration of hostels, disbursement of scholarships, etc are a few examples of activities that require coordination with other agencies of the government. Several flagship schemes of the GoI – Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Mid-Day Meal, Rashtriya Madhayamik Shiksha Abhiyan, etc require e- Governance for their implementation and monitoring.

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6.2.1 Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan(SSA)23 is a comprehensive and integrated flagship programme of Government of India. Maharashtra Prathamik Shikshan Parishad (MPSP) is a Government of Maharashtra undertaking which is looking after the effective implementation of this SSA programme in the State. The gigantic dimensions of the SSA programme and the financial implications call for meticulous planning and rigorous appraisal. In this regard, MPSP has developed a portal with following functionalities:

a. Geographical information, Demographics, Educational statistics, District officials. b. Information about infrastructure, progress overview, teachers training, equity, SMCs, CSR etc. c. Forms, publications, letters, media, tenders, DISE reports (upload utility). d. Photo, Video (upload utility). e. Events with event photo and details (upload utility).

6.2.2 Higher and Technical Education

The Department has implemented various IT solutions spanning across the different delivery models G2C, G2B & G2G are shown in the following Diagram No 1.14.

Diagram No 1.14 List of IT Solutions in Higher & Technical Education Department.

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6.2.2.1 Online Admission Process

In education the Online Admission System was launched in 2000-2001 for Direct Second Year admissions only. Since then, it has grown in leaps and bounds as shown in the following Diagram No 1.15. Diagram No 1.15 Journey of e-Governance in Higher Educational in Maharashtra

Now more than 4 Lakh students along with their parents are taking the benefits of the online admission system to Technical Institutions.

6.2.2.2 Online Approvals for Educational Institutions

On January 10th, 2010 the online approval system was launched greatly reducing human interface and time delays in the approvals process. More than 2000 institutes in Maharashtra are availing this facility for online approvals through AICTE. The following services are included in the system:

i. Approval for Establishment of a new technical institution/ an integrated campus / establishment of a new technical institution with collaborations and partnerships between Indian and foreign Universities / Institutions in the field of technical education, research and training. ii. Application for approval of extension for existing institutions. iii. Introduction of new courses, divisions, programmes, shift increase in intake capacity etc. iv. Closure of AICTE approved Course/Programme/Division/Institution. 56

6.2.2.3 Reforms in Examinations Process through ICT

In Maharashtra, a committee was constituted to provide recommendations on usage of IT for prevention of leakage of Examination Papers in Universities. The committee consisted of representatives from Examination cells/divisions of various universities in Maharashtra. The final report was submitted to Government of Maharashtra on 12th October 2012.

The committee had recommended an end-to-end examination management system for smooth operations of examinations. All universities are in the process of implementing the recommendations.

6.2.2.4 Virtual Class Room

Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University (YCMOU) has launched EduSat- based education, supported by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). The university has established several Virtual Learning Centers (VLCs) in the State, each having two-way audio and video communication facilities.

The students registered for programmes at the VLC attend lectures there. The experts deliver their lectures from the main hub at the University Headquarters or from the sub-studio at Pune. These live lecture sessions also provide scope for interaction with students located at distant locations.

Further, CoEP & VJTI have set up virtual classroom facility with IIT Mumbai, so that lectures from faculty of IIT are available for their students. e-Classrooms and Virtual Training Centre at the Directorate of Vocational Education and Training Level.

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