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India has made attempts to bring about more ICT interaction with the people through E-government. Allowing Indian citizens to use the internet to perform tasks like getting and submitting forms. There have been case studies done on the benefits of E-government in India using the computerization of land records in Karnataka, India. (7) The service was called Bhoomi. (9) This study helped outline how transparency could prevent corruption. (7) These offer a convenience for the people in shorter wait times and transparency in the process.
There are many uses for E-governance as seen here:
- Services that increase productivity and income of communities -like Warana, Maharashtra; DISK, Gujarat
(11)
- Agriculture extension/Better returns for produce - like Krishi Marata Vahini, Karnataka
(11)
- Service delivery in health - like the Telemedicine Projects in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh
(11)
- Service delivery in Education - like Head Start, Madhya Pradesh; Community Learning Centre, Karnataka; Akshaya, Kerala
(11)
- Disaster management - like Flood Management, Bihar; Earthquakes Management, Maharashtra
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- Use of IT based tools for planning and decision making - like the India Health Care project, Rajasthan
(11)
India has faced much struggle in this endeavor. India has had a major problem with corruption. Many of the local officials push back on the E-government front because the local officials know once those systems are in place they won't be able to take money under the table. The transparency that E-government provides gets in their way and makes it more difficult to cover their tracks. E-government will allow more of the government operations to be visible and help stem corruption.
(8)
There are certain risks that are pertinent to E-government. As with any new technology there are certain people who can take advantage of it in its early use. India being a fairly unequal society with its caste system and great income divide allow for this to be more prominently seen. The move to technology in some cases can leave those who are unaware or uneducated on the change behind. (8) Land records could never be entered or entered by someone corrupt who changed the data. (8) These problems also deter the full use of E-government as a tool.
Here are some of the E-Governance Initiatives by State:
| Some
E-governance Initiatives |
| State/Union
Territory |
Initiatives
covering departmental automation, user charge collection, delivery of
policy/programme information and delivery of entitlements |
| Andhra
Pradesh |
e-Seva,
CARD, VOICE, MPHS, FAST, e-Cops, AP online—One-stop-shop on the
Internet, Saukaryam, Online Transaction processing |
| Bihar |
Sales
Tax Administration Management Information |
| Chattisgarh |
Chhattisgarh
Infotech Promotion Society, Treasury office, e-linking project |
| Delhi |
Automatic Vehicle Tracking
System, Computerisation of website of RCS office, Electronic Clearance
System, Management Information System for Education etc |
| Goa |
Dharani
Project |
| Gujarat |
Mahiti Shakti, request for
Government documents online, Form book online, G R book online, census
online, tender notice. |
| Haryana |
Nai Disha |
| Himachal
Pradesh |
Lok Mitra |
| Karnataka |
Bhoomi,
Khajane, Kaveri |
| Kerala |
e-Srinkhala, RDNet, Fast,
Reliable, Instant, Efficient Network for the Disbursement of Services
(FRIENDS) |
| Madhya
Pradesh |
Gyandoot,
Gram Sampark, Smart Card in Transport Department, Computerization MP State
Agricultural Marketing Board (Mandi Board) etc |
| Maharashtra |
SETU, Online Complaint
Management System—Mumbai |
| Rajasthan |
Jan Mitra,
RajSWIFT, Lokmitra, RajNIDHI |
| Tamil
Nadu |
Rasi Maiyams–Kanchipuram;
Application forms related to public utility, tender notices and display |
| North-Eastern
States |
| Arunachal
Pradesh, |
Community
Information Center. Forms available on |
| Manipur,
Meghalaya, |
the
Meghalaya website under schemes related to |
| Mizoram
& Nagaland |
social
welfare, food civil supplies and consumer affairs, housing transport etc. |
(11)
How ready are state governments for E-government? A closer look:
(11)
There are many places where E-government is put into use in India. Some of the sites listed below allow citizens to download license information, applications, register complaints online, get information on changes in policy, and standards certification. Citizens can go online and buy train tickets and check fares and schedules. Many of the sites make it possible for businesses to interact with government.
Bureau of Indian Standards
Gokak City
Bangalore One (Karnataka)
Grama Dootha
LokMitra
West Godavari
There is a vast difference in the amount of E-Government that takes place in the different states in India. Certain states put more emphasis on the idea of E-government. Those states take the time to foster and develop the resources to make it available to the states citizens. The case may be that these states have a more homogenous selection of Indians and it allows them to more easily roll these types of services out. It could be said that other states not able to do so easily should take the more E-government friendly states as an example. This could lead to a more standardized system of E-government across the country.
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