essay on e governance

Essay on E Governance

Students are often asked to write an essay on E Governance in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on E Governance

Introduction to e-governance.

E-Governance refers to the use of technology, especially the internet, to improve the delivery of public services. It makes government services more accessible to citizens and promotes transparency.

Benefits of E-Governance

E-Governance has many benefits. It simplifies processes, saves time, and reduces paperwork. It also promotes transparency, accountability, and efficiency in the administration.

Challenges in E-Governance

Despite its benefits, E-Governance also has challenges. These include digital divide, privacy concerns, and the need for digital literacy.

E-Governance is a powerful tool for improving public services. It is important to address its challenges to fully reap its benefits.

250 Words Essay on E Governance

E-Governance, or electronic governance, refers to the use of information and communication technology (ICT) by government agencies to enhance the range and quality of information and services provided to citizens, business partners, and employees. It is a transformative tool that fosters transparency, efficiency, and participation, reshaping the relationship between the government and its constituents.

Importance of E-Governance

In the digital era, E-Governance has become instrumental in streamlining administrative processes and improving public services. It offers a platform for transparent transactions, reducing the scope for corruption. It also enhances accessibility, allowing citizens to interact with the government at their convenience, thus promoting inclusivity.

Components of E-Governance

E-Governance is composed of four main elements: Government to Citizen (G2C), Government to Business (G2B), Government to Government (G2G), and Government to Employees (G2E). These components enable the government to communicate effectively with various stakeholders and provide services seamlessly.

Despite its potential, E-Governance faces several challenges such as digital illiteracy, infrastructure inadequacies, and data security concerns. These issues need to be addressed to fully realize the benefits of E-Governance.

In conclusion, E-Governance is a powerful tool for transforming governance and public administration. It has the potential to revolutionize the way governments operate by providing efficient, transparent, and inclusive services. However, to achieve this, it is necessary to overcome the existing obstacles and build robust digital infrastructures.

500 Words Essay on E Governance

E-Governance, or Electronic Governance, is the application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for delivering government services, exchange of information, communication transactions, integration of various stand-alone systems and services between government-to-customer (G2C), government-to-business (G2B), government-to-government (G2G), and also back office processes and interactions within the entire government framework.

The Evolution of E-Governance

The evolution of E-Governance was a significant step towards efficient governance, with the advent of the internet and digitalization. The early 1990s witnessed the first wave of E-Governance, which was primarily focused on the development of infrastructure. The second wave, in the late 1990s, emphasized the development of online services. The third wave, which began in the early 2000s, focused on “connected governance” aimed at integrating various government systems and processes.

The Significance of E-Governance

The significance of E-Governance lies in its ability to simplify processes, improve efficiency, increase transparency, and promote citizen participation. It allows for the provision of services in a more efficient and cost-effective manner, reducing the time and effort required for various governmental procedures. It also increases transparency by making information easily accessible to the public, thereby reducing corruption and improving accountability.

E-Governance comprises several components: the Government, Citizens, and Businesses. The Government component includes all government bodies that provide services to citizens and businesses. The Citizen component includes all individuals who use government services. The Business component includes all businesses that use government services or interact with the government.

Challenges and Prospects

Despite its numerous benefits, E-Governance also faces several challenges. These include issues related to digital divide, privacy and security, and lack of infrastructure and technical expertise. However, the potential benefits of E-Governance far outweigh these challenges. With advancements in technology and increasing digital literacy, the prospects for E-Governance are promising.

In conclusion, E-Governance is a powerful tool for enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of government operations. It holds immense potential for transforming the way government services are delivered, making them more accessible, transparent, and accountable. However, to fully realize this potential, it is essential to address the challenges associated with its implementation and to ensure that the benefits of E-Governance are accessible to all.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

• Essay on Duty Is God
• Essay on Duties of Class Monitor
• Essay on How to Spend Durga Puja

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

E-Governance: Meaning, Objectives, Features, and 4 Types

One of the most modern initiatives to establish good governance is e-governance. At present, the features of e-governance are observed in almost all developed or underdeveloped developing countries for fostering their developmental process. So its importance in today’s world is immense. Below are the answers to all the questions related to e-governance.

Must Read- Good Governance: Definitions, Characteristics, And Importance

Table of Contents

What is E-Governance or Electronic Governance?

A new paradigm shift has been developed in the field of governance through the application of ICT in the processes of governing called Electronic-Governance or E-Governance.  

E-governance raises the transparency, accountability, efficiency, effectiveness, and inclusiveness in the governing process in terms of reliable access to the information within government, between government, national, state, municipal, and local level governments, citizens, and businesses and empowers business through access and use of information (Dwivedi and Bharti: 2005). 

The main focus of E-Governance or electronic governance is to provide transparent, equitable, and accountable service delivery to the citizens. The aim of e-governance facilitates and improves the quality of governance and ensures people’s participation in the governing process through electronic means like e-mail, websites, SMS connectivity, and others. 

E-governance is not just about government websites or e-mails or financial transactions. “It will change how citizens relate to government as much as it changes how citizens relate to each other” (Katyal: 2002). It also refers to the utilization of IT in the country’s democratic processes itself such as the election.

E-governance is about the use of ICT for steering the citizens and promoting public service. It includes a pragmatic application and usage of ICT for delivering efficient and cost-effective services and information and knowledge to the citizens being governed, thereby realizing the vast potential of the government to serve the citizens (Prabhu: 2015). It made correlations between state and society, government and people, people to people, governance, and society.

To know about governance, read this article –   Governance: Meaning, Definitions, 4 Dimensions, And Types .

Objectives of E-Governance

The objectives of e-governance are as follows-

• One of the basic objectives of e-governance is to make every information of the government available to all in the public interest.
• One of its goals is to create a cooperative structure between the government and the people and to seek help and advice from the people, to make the government aware of the problems of the people.
• To increase and encourage people’s participation in the governance process.
• e-Governance improves the country’s information and communication technology and electronic media, with the aim of strengthening the country’s economy by keeping governments, people, and businesses in tune with the modern world.
• One of its main objectives is to establish transparency and accountability in the governance process.
• To reduce government spending on information and services.

Features of E-Governance

It has been proven from the concept of e-governance that it is a powerful means of public service in the present era. Some of its features can be found by observing the functioning of e-governance.

• De bureaucratization : Due to e-governance, the gap between the people and the government in all the services of the government is narrowing and the dependence of the people on the bureaucracy is also greatly reduced.
• E-Services: Its main feature is the provision of services through the Internet. As a result, we get G2C, G2B, G2E, etc. services. This is already discussed in the section on ‘types of governance’.
• International Services : through e-governance, all the essential services can be delivered to the citizens who are living outside of their country for job purposes or any other reasons. 
• It enhances the right to express to the citizens. Using the means of e-governance anyone can share their views with the government on any bill or act or decision taken by the government. 
• Economic Development : With the introduction of e-governance, various information like import-export, registration of companies, investment situations, etc. are available through the Internet. As a result, time is saved, procrastination decreases, and economic dynamism increases. 
• Reduce inequality : using e-governance tools everyone can gather information and empower themselves. In this globalized world, knowledge is power, and means of e-governance empower us by providing relevant information at minimal cost, effort, and time. 

Types of E-Governance

E-Governance can be considered as the socially inclusive policy for the development of transparency and accountability of both people in society and administration. This policy involves providing services to the people with the collection of information through institutional and communicational development.  

It provides quality services in several ways. Those ways are also called types of e-governance. These are mentioned below-

• G2C (Government to Citizen) 
• G2G (Government to Government)
• G2B (Government to Business) 
• G2E (Government to Employee) 

1. G2C (Government to Citizen)

 As people are the key concept of politics and government as well as governance, the government is compelled to connect with citizens through a transparent and accountable order.  In this connection, the government is responsible for promoting social opportunities and public services in the field of-

• Transportation (Registration of motor vehicles, Issue of driving licenses, Issue of plying permissions, Tax and fee collection through cash and bank challans and control of pollution, etc.), 
• hospitals (linking various hospitals in different parts of the country to ensure better medical services to citizens), 
• education ( availability of the e-learning modules to the citizens, right to education), 
• online job portal and various customer services. 

It also ensures services such as the issuing of certificates, job cards, passports, ration cards, payments of bills, and filing taxes from the doorstep through the e-governance platform. The main objectives of the G2C  services are to ensure equitable distribution of information for all, acceptance of citizens’ feedback, and improve welfare services.

2. G2G (Government to Government) 

G2G has been referring to raising the quality of the government process by cost-cutting, managing performance, and making strategic connections within the government. 

It enables government institutions to be more efficient and more effective through the use of IT tools such as-

• Live fingerprints scanning and verification, 
• Electronic entry of reports and paperwork etc. 

The major key areas in this type of e-governance are 

• E-Secretariat (all the valuable information regarding the function of the government is interlinked throughout the various departments), 
• E-Police (police personnel records, criminal records, etc), and
• E-Court (creating a database of all the previous cases, pending and ongoing cases) and Statewide Networks (Kumar: 2011).

3. G2B (Government to Business) 

G2B is mainly concerned with these things- 

• E-taxation, 
• Getting a license from the government etc.
• Secure Electronics Transactions.

It has included the policy of the government with business. According to S.P Kumar, ‘the essentials for the achievement of G2B services for secure and authentic transactions include Standards for electronic transactions, a secure payment mechanism, and Public key infrastructure’ (Kumar: 2011).

4. G2E (Government to Employee) 

The G2E model refers to providing information and services from the government to employees and employee to the government as well. It involves training through-

• e-learning methods; 
• Consolidating the employee and 
• Share of knowledge among the employees. 

It has also facilitated the employee to access information regarding pay and benefits policies and manage their profits through online.

Must Read- New Public Management: Meaning, 10 Principles, and Features

What is the Relation Between ICT and Governance?

Through the application of ICT in public administrations, the governing processes are more effective and more efficient and also ensure sustainable development.

Through ICT “new forms of dialogue and collaboration among public, private and civil society organizations enhance transparency and accountability that can create conditions of fair and open while expanding access so that everyone can participate and benefit from today’s knowledge-based economy” (Bhattacharya: 2013).  

The use of ICT in all aspects of governance can remove irrelevant human involvement in the processes of service delivery from the government to the citizens.

Hence, ICT has been promoting good governance by increasing transparency, and accountability in public sectors. It helps to foster the process of decision-making and public participation and reinforces fare delivery of goods and services to the people. 

In this context, ICT developed the process of the assurance of the citizen’s right to information and functions. Government sectors/institutions had been providing information related to their accomplishments, achievements, programs, and plans through their websites or e-platform to the citizens.

Citizens also can send feedback or query on any plans, or programs that are mostly affected by them from their homes using the ICT tools. Through the online process, people can easily upload and download forms, file taxes, do financial transactions through e-banking services, get jobs through different online job portals, etc.

All countries are interested in fostering the application of ICT in their public administrations for sustainable economic development and transparency.

Must Read- Meaning, Nature, and Scope of Public Administration

World Summit on Information Society focused on-

• An information society for all by improving access to information and communication infrastructure and technologies as well as to information and knowledge;
• Capacity building
• Increase confidence and security in the use of ICTs;
• Create an enabling environment at all levels;
• Develop and widen ICT applications; foster and respect cultural diversity; recognize the role of the media;
• Address the ethical dimensions of the Information Society, and encourage international and regional cooperation.

From the above discussion on E-Governance: Meaning, Objectives, Features, and Types, it can be stated that In this era of globalization, the role of E-governance is significant. This is a blessing, especially to third-world countries. As a result of the implementation of e-governance, all these countries have been able to maintain their development trend on par with the developed countries. Knowledge is power. E-governance empowers us by providing relevant information at a minimal time, cost, and price.  

• Dwivedi and Bharti (2005): ‘E-Governance in India- Problems and Acceptability’, Journal of Theoretical and Applied Information Technology , New Delhi, Pp. 37-42.
• Bhattacharya, M. (2013).  New Horizons of Public Administration . New Delhi: Jawahar Publishers.
• Katyal, N. (2002). “ The white box revolution ”. Data Quest, Special Issue Vol.XX, No: 14, July 31, 2002, pp.II-IV.
• Kumar, P and Kumar, D &et al. (2013). ICT in Local Self Governance: A study of Rural India. International Journal of Computer Applications. Retrieved February 23, 2018, from https://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1401/1401.0591.pdf .
• Kumar, S.P. (2011). E-Governance and Decentralized Planning in Kerala. Retrieved February 25, 2018, from http://hdl.handle.net106038482 .
• Subramanian, C. (2012). E-Governance: A Key to Good Governance in India. International Journal of Recent Scientific Research . Retrieved March 3, 2018, from http://recentscientific.com/sites/default/files/Download_228.pdf.

Sharing is Caring :)

1 thought on “E-Governance: Meaning, Objectives, Features, and 4 Types”

• Pingback: Governance: Meaning, Definition, 4 Dimensions, And Types

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

• IAS Preparation
• UPSC Preparation Strategy
• Significance Of E Governance

E-Governance and its Significance

E-governance is one of the very important topics in understanding government machinery and its important functions. Candidates preparing for the Civil services examination must have a thorough understanding of the subject. Students who are preparing for other Government Exams can refer to this article as well.

The topic of e governance and its significance comes under the subject of Indian Polity and governance in General Studies paper 2 of the UPSC Syllabus . It is an important concept frequently in news because of the government’s push towards Digital India, and e governance is an integral part of this.

Table of Contents:

Definition of e-Governance

Electronic governance or e-governance implies government functioning with the application of ICT (Information and Communications Technology). Hence e-Governance is basically a move towards SMART governance implying: simple, moral, accountable, responsive and transparent governance.

What is SMART Governance?

• S imple — implies simplification of rules and regulations of the government and avoiding complex processes with the application of ICTs and therefore, providing a user-friendly government.
• M oral — meaning the emergence of a new system in the administrative and political machinery with technology interventions to improve the efficiency of various government agencies.
• A ccountable — develop effective information management systems and other performance measurement mechanisms to ensure the accountability of public service functionaries.
• R esponsive — Speed up processes by streamlining them, hence making the system more responsive.
• T ransparent — providing information in the public domain like websites or various portals hence making functions and processes of the government transparent.

Interactions in e-Governance

There are 4 kinds of interactions in e-governance, namely:

• This enables citizens to benefit from the efficient delivery of a large range of public services.
• Expands the accessibility and availability of government services and also improves the quality of services
• The primary aim is to make the government citizen-friendly.
• It enables the business community to interact with the government by using e-governance tools.
• The objective is to cut red-tapism which will save time and reduce operational costs. This will also create a more transparent business environment when dealing with the government.
• The G2B initiatives help in services such as licensing, procurement, permits and revenue collection.
• Enables seamless interaction between various government entities.
• This kind of interaction can be between various departments and agencies within government or between two governments like the union and state governments or between state governments.
• The primary aim is to increase efficiency, performance and output.
• Read about government to government initiatives in the linked article.
• This kind of interaction is between the government and its employees.
• ICT tools help in making these interactions fast and efficient and thus increases the satisfaction levels of employees.

Advantages of e-Governance

• Improves delivery and efficiency of government services
• Improved government interactions with business and industry
• Citizen empowerment through access to information
• More efficient government management
• Less corruption in the administration
• Increased transparency in administration
• Greater convenience to citizens and businesses
• Cost reductions and revenue growth
• Increased legitimacy of government
• Flattens organisational structure (less hierarchic)
• Reduces paperwork and red-tapism in the administrative process which results in better planning and coordination between different levels of government
• Improved relations between the public authorities and civil society
• Re-structuring of administrative processes

e-Governance Initiatives

Steps taken to promote e-governance in India are as follows:

• A National Task Force on Information Technology and Software Development was set-up in 1998.
• The Ministry of Information Technology was created at the Centre in 1999.
• A 12-point agenda was listed for e-Governance for implementation in all the central ministries and departments.
• The Information Technology Act (2000) was enacted. This Act was amended in 2008.
• The first National Conference of States’ IT Ministers was organised in the year 2000, to arrive at a Common Action Plan to promote IT in India.
• Government set-up NISG (National Institute for Smart Government).
• The state governments launched e-Governance projects like e-Seva (Andhra Pradesh), Bhoomi (Karnataka), and so on.
• The National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) was launched. It consists of 31 Mission Mode Projects (MMPs) and 8 support components.
• The National Policy on Information Technology (NPIT) was adopted in 2012.

The National e-Governance Plan (NeGP)

• The National e-Governance Plan (NeGP), provides a holistic view of e-Governance initiatives across the country.
• 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 to the internet.
• The Government has proposed to implement “e-Kranti: National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) 2.0” under the Digital India programme.

e-Kranti – Electronic Delivery of Services

• e-Kranti is an essential pillar of the Digital India initiative .
• Considering the critical need for e-Governance, mobile governance and good governance in the country, the approach and key components of e-Kranti have been approved by the government.
• The e-Kranti framework addresses the electronic delivery of services through a portfolio of mission mode projects that cut across several government departments.

Objectives of e-Kranti

The main aims of the initiative are to:

• Redefine NeGP with transformational and outcome-oriented e-governance initiatives
• Enhance the portfolio of citizen-centric services
• Ensure optimum usage of core Information & Communication Technology (ICT)
• Promote rapid replication and integration of e-Governance applications
• Leverage emerging technologies
• Make use of more agile implementation models

Mission Mode Project

• A mission mode project (MMP) is an individual project within the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) that focuses on one aspect of electronic governance, such as banking, land records or commercial taxes, etc.
• Within NeGP, “mission mode” means that these projects have clearly defined objectives, scopes and implementation timelines.
• NeGP comprises 31 mission mode projects (MMPs); these are classified as state, central and integrated projects.

National Conference on e-Governance

• The Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) along with the Department of Information Technology, in association with one of the state governments, has been organising the National Conference on e-Governance every year.
• This Conference provides a platform to the senior officers of the Government including IT Secretaries of state governments to discuss, exchange views and experiences relating to various e-governance initiatives.
• Every year, the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances recognises and promotes excellence in e-Governance by awarding government organisations/institutions which have implemented e-Governance initiatives in an exemplary manner.

Important Facts of the 23rd National Conference on e-Governance:

The theme of the 2020 National e-Governance Conference was ‘India 2020: Digital Transformation.’ There were six sub-themes of this conference:

• Digital Platforms and Digital Economy
• Improving Service Delivery
• Building Digital Trust- Transparency, Security and Privacy
• Digital Payments and Fintech
• National e-Governance Service Delivery Assessment (NeSDA) and Digital Service Standards (DSS)
• Skilling and Capacity Building

The conference adopted the 10-fold Mumbai Declaration on e-governance and during the conference, Blockchain Sandbox and Draft Sandbox Policy for Maharashtra was launched. Maharashtra became the first state of India to have a dedicated Fintech policy.

The list of awarded projects with NAeG 2020 are given below:

• Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana won Gold Award under the category ‘Excellence in Government Process Re-engineering for Digital Transformation.’
• Antyodaya Saral Haryana won Gold Award under the category, ‘Excellence in providing Citizen-Centric Delivery.’
• District Adhoc Wireless Surveillance Communication System using Drone Technology from the North Eastern+Hilly States won the Gold Award.
• SAKOON of Jammu Kashmir won the Gold Award among all the UTs.
• WeDeserve – Right Assistance to the Right Person at the Right Time of Kerala won the Gold Award among all the states.
• Satellite-Based Agriculture Information System: An Efficient Application of ICT won the Gold Award in the category, ‘Outstanding Research on Citizen-Centric Services by Academic/ Research Institutions.’
• Providing farm-scale data from multi-satellite of Karnataka won the Gold Award under the category, ‘ Innovative Use of ICT in e-Governance solutions by Startups.’
• T-Chits from Telangana won the Gold Award under the category, ‘Excellence in Adopting Emerging Technologies.’

Also, read about the 22nd National e-Governance Conference, 2019: Click here

e-Governance – UPSC Notes:- Download PDF Here

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your Mobile number and Email id will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Request OTP on Voice Call

Post My Comment

IAS 2024 - Your dream can come true!

Download the ultimate guide to upsc cse preparation.

• Share Share

Register with BYJU'S & Download Free PDFs

Register with byju's & watch live videos.

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

UPSC Coaching, Study Materials, and Mock Exams

Enroll in ClearIAS UPSC Coaching Join Now Log In

Call us: +91-9605741000

e-Governance – applications, models, successes, limitations, and potential

Last updated on March 8, 2024 by ClearIAS Team

What is e-governance? Why is it needed? What are the challenges? Is there any government initiatives? To answer these questions, read further.

e-Governance is the use of information and communication technology (ICT) to provide government services, exchange information, conduct transactions, and integrate previously existing services and information portals.

The “e” in “e-Governance” refers for “electronic.”

The Government of India’s Mission e-Governance, in combination with Digital India, has undergone a paradigm shift.

There is new thinking about how it engages with its citizens, as well as inter-state and inter-governmental functions.

India has put healthcare, e-education, agricultural assistance, financial services, and other economic and social obligations on the mission.

e-governance includes the Digital India initiative, the National Portal of India, the Prime Minister of India’s portal, Aadhaar, online tax filing and payment, digital land management systems, the Common Entrance Test, and so on.

Add IAS, IPS, or IFS to Your Name!

Your Effort. Our Expertise.

Join ClearIAS

India has undertaken numerous initiatives over the years to promote e-Governance holistically and improve the distribution of public services to its citizens. Its main pillars have been people, processes, technology, and resources.

Table of Contents

Need for e-governance

E-government is the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in government services to increase the effectiveness of communication and transactions between citizens, businessman, and the government.

For government

It saves the cost of physical monitoring and administration and thus leads to cost saving for the government. Now there will be efficient usage of public funds as they will be less prone to neglect and waste expenses.

It will remove the barriers and make the government better at administration and thus result in better governance.

UPSC Prelims Test Series 2024

Take All-India Mock Exams: Analyse Your Progress!

It will increase the data collection and thus will help the administration in better evaluation, implementation, and better scheme outcomes.

Public policies result in better outcomes and hence public trust in administration will also increase with the reduced gap because of minimum government and maximum governance.

Increased accountability, coordination, and communication will arise from efficient file transfers and work delegation.

It will lead to better accessibility as the online resources are easier to find and thus the issues of loss and duplication will be reduced.

Additionally, it will lower the time and resource costs associated with transactions between the government and its citizens.

For Citizens

It will empower the citizens to hold the government accountable for their work and policies, and thus increased transparency will lead to an empowered citizenry, as the digital services due to their inclusivity goes beyond the geographical barriers and thus increases the scope of governance.

e-Governance leads to speedy justice delivery and resolves grievances faster and thus increasing the public trust and faith in the governance system.

e-Governance reduces the gap between the citizens and the government to a large extent, especially those who are vulnerable and historically lacked access like women, Dalits, and tribals.

Women-centric schemes are better implemented and the data collection, on the implementation of schemes, crimes prevailing, trends followed, etc are better gathered through e governance, same is true for other sections of society.

For Business

It helps in ease of doing business by making the compliance and performance better. With digital resources the businesses can now expand their market and client base beyond the geographical barriers and thus leading to the country’s growth and development and balance of trade.

With a paperless economy and fewer physical requirements the process of setting, maintaining, and coordinating businesses have become better and faster and thus results in reduced delays.

It helps in the implementation and formation of government policies and their objectives by promoting productivity gains inherent in the ICT thus resulting in the development of all.

Challenges of e-Governance

There will always be the risk of cybercrime and the private data of individuals and the state to be stolen. Along with this, there is a high cost of setting up the machines. The maintenance of such machines is also too high, making regular maintenance costs high. And many times the computers and the internet also break down resulting in delays in work.

Rural and remote areas of India still lack digital infrastructure and there persists the problem of the digital divide. Very less number of women have access to the internet, especially elderly women who don’t have proper access and understanding of the digital world.

It results in the loss of interpersonal relations, communications and the personal touch is missing which many people still consider very vital. Because of this and the change in the old system shows signs of many people being reluctant to its application.

There is a lack of uniformity as the different states follow different methods, lack of authority in dealing with the e-governance system, and not all state governments are following the same policy on digitalization.

Mostly all the e-governance applications and websites are available in English which is not understood by all and thus results in a language barrier issue.

India has a low literacy rate and even among that literate people very few are still not comfortable and have knowledge of information technology.

Government Initiatives

Health: Sugamya Bharat app, aarogya setu app, vaccine tracker, electronic health record, mera aspataal, swasth Bharat app, etc.

Women: NARI portal, SHe Box, HIMMAT app, Mahila e Haat etc.

Education: Swayam Prabha, DIKSHA portal, National digital library of India, SWAYAM, etc

Agriculture: Kisan call centers, Agriculture mission mode project, AGMARKNET, etc.

Government service and monitoring:   Digital India , Aadhar, Digi Locker, UMANG, PRAGATI, e KRANTI, Lokvani, etc.

Way Forward

There is an urgent need for investment both from outside and internally from the government.

There is a need for active participation in civil society and for private sector involvement in innovation and management, especially those involved in the technology and the tech giants.

Make in India should be promoted as we should not rely on imports solely. Cloud computing is a way forward and Meghraj GI Cloud is a step in the right direction.

2nd ARC has also recommended that the state should create suitable opportunities for e-governance initiatives, public-private partnerships, re-engineering of the governance mechanisms, and skill development for both creating, maintaining, and monitoring to ensure the best outcomes.

Former Indian President Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam defined e-Governance in the Indian context as “a transparent smart Governance with seamless access, secure and authentic flow of information crossing the interdepartmental barrier and providing a fair and unbiased service to the citizen.”

Article written by Chetna Yadav.

Aim IAS, IPS, or IFS?

Prelims cum Mains (PCM) GS Course: Target UPSC CSE 2025 (Online)

₹95000 ₹59000

Prelims cum Mains (PCM) GS Course: Target UPSC CSE 2026 (Online)

₹115000 ₹69000

Prelims cum Mains (PCM) GS Course: Target UPSC CSE 2027 (Online)

₹125000 ₹79000

About ClearIAS Team

ClearIAS is one of the most trusted learning platforms in India for UPSC preparation. Around 1 million aspirants learn from the ClearIAS every month.

Our courses and training methods are different from traditional coaching. We give special emphasis on smart work and personal mentorship. Many UPSC toppers thank ClearIAS for our role in their success.

Download the ClearIAS mobile apps now to supplement your self-study efforts with ClearIAS smart-study training.

Reader Interactions

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Don’t lose out without playing the right game!

Follow the ClearIAS Prelims cum Mains (PCM) Integrated Approach.

Join ClearIAS PCM Course Now

UPSC Online Preparation

• Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)
• Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
• Indian Police Service (IPS)
• IAS Exam Eligibility
• UPSC Free Study Materials
• UPSC Exam Guidance
• UPSC Prelims Test Series
• UPSC Syllabus
• UPSC Online
• UPSC Prelims
• UPSC Interview
• UPSC Toppers
• UPSC Previous Year Qns
• UPSC Age Calculator
• UPSC Calendar 2024
• About ClearIAS
• ClearIAS Programs
• ClearIAS Fee Structure
• IAS Coaching
• UPSC Coaching
• UPSC Online Coaching
• ClearIAS Blog
• Important Updates
• Announcements
• Book Review
• ClearIAS App
• Work with us
• Advertise with us
• Privacy Policy
• Terms and Conditions
• Talk to Your Mentor

Featured on

and many more...

Take ClearIAS Mock Exams: Analyse Your Progress

UPSC Prelims Test Series for GS and CSAT: With Performance Analysis and All-India Ranking (Online)

₹9999 ₹4999

Call us @ 08069405205

Search Here

• An Introduction to the CSE Exam
• Personality Test
• Annual Calendar by UPSC-2024
• Common Myths about the Exam
• About Insights IAS
• Our Mission, Vision & Values
• Director's Desk
• Meet Our Team
• Our Branches
• Careers at Insights IAS
• Daily Current Affairs+PIB Summary
• Insights into Editorials
• Insta Revision Modules for Prelims
• Current Affairs Quiz
• Static Quiz
• Current Affairs RTM
• Insta-DART(CSAT)
• Insta 75 Days Revision Tests for Prelims 2024
• Secure (Mains Answer writing)
• Secure Synopsis
• Ethics Case Studies
• Insta Ethics
• Weekly Essay Challenge
• Insta Revision Modules-Mains
• Insta 75 Days Revision Tests for Mains
• Secure (Archive)
• Anthropology
• Law Optional
• Kannada Literature
• Public Administration
• English Literature
• Medical Science
• Mathematics
• Commerce & Accountancy
• Monthly Magazine: CURRENT AFFAIRS 30
• Content for Mains Enrichment (CME)
• InstaMaps: Important Places in News
• Weekly CA Magazine
• The PRIME Magazine
• Insta Revision Modules-Prelims
• Insta-DART(CSAT) Quiz
• Insta 75 days Revision Tests for Prelims 2022
• Insights SECURE(Mains Answer Writing)
• Interview Transcripts
• Previous Years' Question Papers-Prelims
• Answer Keys for Prelims PYQs
• Solve Prelims PYQs
• Previous Years' Question Papers-Mains
• UPSC CSE Syllabus
• Toppers from Insights IAS
• Testimonials
• Felicitation
• UPSC Results
• Indian Heritage & Culture
• Ancient Indian History
• Medieval Indian History
• Modern Indian History
• World History
• World Geography
• Indian Geography
• Indian Society
• Social Justice
• International Relations
• Agriculture
• Environment & Ecology
• Disaster Management
• Science & Technology
• Security Issues
• Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude

• Indian Heritage & Culture
• Enivornment & Ecology

E-governance in India: Concept, Initiatives and Issues

Introduction

• Types of Government interaction in e-governance
• Some initiatives in the same field
• National e-governance Plan

Recent Initiatives

• m-governance

Government initiatives for m-governance

Advantages of e-governance

Disadvantages of e-governance

• Challenges in e-governance

The “e” in e-Governance stands for ‘electronic’. Thus, e-Governance is basically associated with carrying out the functions and achieving the results of governance through the utilization of I C T (Information and Communications Technology).

While Governance relates to safeguarding the legal rights of all citizens, an equally important aspect is concerned with ensuring equitable access to public services and the benefits of economic growth to all. It also ensures government to be transparent in its dealings, accountable for its activities and faster in its responses as part of good governance.

However, this would require the government to change itself – its processes, its outlook, laws, rules and regulations and also its way of interacting with the citizens. It would also require capacity building within the government and creation of general awareness about e-Governance among the citizens

ICT provides efficient storing and retrieval of data, instantaneous transmission of information, processing information and data faster than the earlier manual systems, speeding up governmental processes, taking decisions expeditiously and judiciously, increasing transparency and enforcing accountability. It also helps in increasing the reach of government – both geographically and demographically.

In India, the main thrust for e-Governance was provided by the launching of NICNET in 1987 – the national satellite-based computer network. This was followed by the launch of the District Information System of the National Informatics Centre (DISNIC) programme to computerize all district offices in the country for which free hardware and software was offered to the State Governments. NICNET was extended via the State capitals to all district headquarters by 1990. In the ensuing years, with ongoing computerization, tele-connectivity and internet connectivity established a large number of e-Governance initiatives, both at the Union and State levels.

Types of Government Interaction in e-governance.

• G2G : Government to Government
• G2C : Government to Citizen
• G2B : Government to Business
• G2E : Government to Employee

Some Initiatives in the same field

• Government to Citizen (G2C) Initiatives:
• Computerization of Land Records : In collaboration with NIC. Ensuring that landowners get computerized copies of ownership, crop and tenancy and updated copies of Records of Rights (RoRs) on demand.
• Bhoomi Project : Online delivery of Land Records. S elf-sustainable e-Governance project for the computerized delivery of 20 million rural land records to 6.7 million farmers through 177 Government-owned kiosks in the State of Karnataka
• Gyandoot: It is an Intranet-based Government to C itizen (G2 C ) service delivery initiative. It was initiated in the Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh in January 2000 with the twin objective of providing relevant information to the rural population and acting as an interface between the district administration and the people.
• Lokvani Project in Uttar Pradesh: Lokvani is a public-private partnership project at Sitapur District in Uttar Pradesh which was initiated in November, 2004. Its objective is to provide a single window, self-sustainable e-Governance solution with regard to handling of grievances, land record maintenance and providing a mixture of essential services.
• Project FRIENDS in Kerala: FRIENDS (Fast, Reliable, Instant, Efficient Network for the Disbursement of Services) is a Single Window Facility providing citizens the means to pay taxes and other financial dues to the State Government.The services are provided through FRIENDS Janasevana Kendrams located in the district headquarters.
• e-Mitra Project in Rajasthan: e-Mitra is an integrated project to facilitate the urban and the rural masses with maximum possible services related to different state government departments through Lokmitra-Janmitra Centers/Kiosks.
• e- Seva (Andhra Pradesh): This project is designed to provide ‘Government to C itizen’ and ‘e- B usiness to C itizen’ services. The highlight of the e Seva project is that all the services are delivered online to consumers /citizens by connecting them to the respective government departments and providing online information at the point of service delivery.
• Admission to Professional Colleges – Common Entrance Test (CET): With the rapid growth in the demand as well as supply of professional education, the process of admission to these institutions became a major challenge in the early 1990s. Recourse was then taken to I C T to make the process of admission transparent and objective. One of the pioneering efforts was made by Karnataka. The State Government decided to conduct a common entrance test based on which admission to different colleges and disciplines was made.
• Government to Business (G2B) Initiatives:
• e-Procurement Project in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat: To reduce the time and cost of doing business for both vendors and government.
• MCA 21: By the Ministry of C orporate Affairs. The project aims at providing easy and secure online access to all registry related services provided by the Union Ministry of C orporate Affairs to corporates and other stakeholders at any time and in a manner that best suits them.
• Government to Government (G2G) Initiatives:
• Khajane Project in Karnataka: It is a comprehensive online treasury computerization project of the Government of Karnataka. The project has resulted in the computerization of the entire treasury related activities of the State Government and the system has the ability to track every activity right from the approval of the State Budget to the point of rendering accounts to the government.
• SmartGov (Andhra Pradesh): SmartGov has been developed to streamline operations, enhance efficiency through workflow automation and knowledge management for implementation in the Andhra Pradesh Secretariat.

National E-governance Plan

The National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) has been formulated by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DEITY) and Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) in 2006.

The NeGP aims at improving delivery of Government services to citizens and businesses with the following vision: “Make all Government services accessible to the common man in his locality, through common service delivery outlets and ensure efficiency, transparency & reliability of such services at affordable costs to realise the basic needs of the common man.”

Central government initiatives as mission mode projects (MMP)

The Government of India has recognized the need to modernize the Central Government offices through the introduction of Information and Communications Technology. e-Office is aimed at increasing the usage of work flow and rule based file routing, quick search and retrieval of files and office orders, digital signatures for authentication, forms and reporting components.

Immigration, Visa and Foreigner’s Registration & Tracking (IVFRT)

India has emerged as a key tourist destination, besides being a major business and service hub. Immigration Check Post is the first point of contact that generates public and popular perception about the country, thus necessitating a state of the art system for prompt and user-friendly services.

The unique identification project was conceived as an initiative that would provide identification for each resident across the country and would be used primarily as the basis for efficient delivery of welfare services. It would also act as a tool for effective monitoring of various programs and schemes of the government.

The pensions MMP is primarily aimed at making the pension/ retirement related information, services and grievances handling mechanism accessible online to the needy pensioners, through a combination of interactive and non-interactive components, and thus, help bridge the gap between the pensioners and the government.

The Banking MMP is yet another step towards improving operational efficiency and reducing the delays and efforts involved in handling and settling transactions. The MMP which is being implemented by the banking industry aims at streamlining various e-services initiatives undertaken by individual banks. Implementation is being done by the banks concerned, with the banking Department providing a broad framework and guidance.

Modernization of Postal Services has been undertaken by the Department of Posts through computerization and networking of all post offices using a central server-based system, and setting up of computerized registration centers (CRCs).

State Mission Mode projects

e-Governance in Municipalities

It is a unique initiative of the Government of India conceptualized under the umbrella of the overall National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) and the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (Jnnurm) aimed at improving operational efficiencies within Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).

Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems

Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS) MMP aims at creating a comprehensive and integrated system for enhancing the efficiency and effective policing at all levels and especially at the Police Station level through adoption of principles of e-Governance, and creation of a nationwide networked infrastructure for evolution of IT-enabled state-of-the-art tracking system.

Public Distribution System

Computerization of the PDS is envisaged as an end-to-end project covering key functional areas such as supply chain management including allocation and utilization reporting, storage and movement of food grains, grievance redressal and transparency portal, digitization of beneficiary database, Fair Price Shop automation, etc.

ICT for programme management has been undertaken by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare in the Mother and Child Tracking System (MCTS) programme and the Ministry envisages a more comprehensive use of ICT including for Hospital Information Systems, supply chain management for drugs and vaccines, providing ICT tools to ASHA and ANM workers, programme management of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), etc through this MMP.

e-panchayat

The Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) are saddled with the problems of inadequate physical and financial resources, technical capabilities and extremely limited computerization. As a result, the potential of PRIs as the preferred delivery channel for the schemes of State and Centre as well as for citizen services has not been fully realized. While some computerization efforts for PRIs have been made by NIC over the years, the e-Governance revolution sweeping the country has not touched the PRIs yet in significant measure. The Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Government of India has therefore decided to take up the computerization of PRIs on a mission mode basis.

e-District is one of the 31 Mission Mode Projects under National e Governance Plan (NeGP) with the DIT, GoI being the nodal ministry. This project aims at providing support to the basic administrative unit i.e. District Administration by undertaking backend computerization to enable electronic delivery of high volume citizen centric government services which would optimally leverage and utilize the three infrastructure pillars of State Wide Area Networks (SWAN), State Data Centers (SDC) and Common Service Centers (CSCs) to deliver services to the citizen at his doorsteps.

National Land Records Modernization Programme (NLRMP)

A Project for Computerization of Land Records (CLR) was launched in 1988-89 with the intention to remove the inherent flaws in the manual system of maintenance and updation of Land Records. In 1997-98, the scheme was extended to tehsils to start distribution of Records of Rights to landowners on demand. The focus of the entire operation has always been to employ state of the art information technology (IT) to galvanize and transform the existing land records system of the country.

Integrated Mission Mode Projects

E-procurement.

Ministry of Commerce & Industry (Department of Commerce) has been nominated as the Nodal Ministry for implementation of e-Government Procurement (e-GP) Mission Mode Projects (MMP). The vision of the e-Procurement MMP is “To create a national initiative to implement procurement reforms, through the use of electronic Government procurement, so as to make public procurement in all sectors more transparent and efficient”.

The e-Court Mission Mode Project (MMP) was conceptualized with a vision to transform the Indian judiciary by making use of technology. The project had been developed, following the report submitted by the e-Committee under Supreme Court on national policy & action plan on implementation of information communication tools in Indian judiciary.

A clear objective – to re-engineer processes and enhance judicial productivity both qualitatively and quantitatively to make the justice delivery system affordable, accessible, cost effective, transparent and accountable.

The e-Biz Mission Mode Project, being executed by Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, was conceptualized with the vision. Its vision is “To transform the business environment in the country by providing efficient, convenient, transparent and integrated electronic services to investors, industries and business throughout the business life cycle”.

Common Services Centres

The CSCs would provide high quality and cost-effective video, voice and data content and services, in the areas of e-governance, education, health, telemedicine, entertainment as well as other private services. A highlight of the CSCs is that it will offer web-enabled e-governance services in rural areas, including application forms, certificates, and utility payments such as electricity, telephone and water bills.

• Direct Cash transfer

To facilitate disbursements of Government entitlements like NREGA, Social Security pension, Handicapped Old Age Pension etc. of any Central or State Government bodies, using Aadhaar and authentication thereof as supported by UIDAI.

• Aadhar Enabled Payment system (AEPS) :

AEPS is a bank led model which allows online interoperable financial inclusion transaction through the Business correspondent of any bank using the Aadhaar authentication. This has helped in financial inclusion. The four Aadhaar enabled basic types of banking transactions are as follows:-

• Balance Enquiry
• Cash Withdrawal
• Cash Deposit
• Aadhaar to Aadhaar Funds Transfer

Digital India program

This programme has been envisaged by Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY). The vision of Digital India aims to transform the country into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.  The programme will be implemented in phases from the current year till 2018.

The Digital India is transformational in nature and would ensure that Government services are available to citizens electronically.  It would also bring in public accountability through mandated delivery of government’s services electronically, a Unique ID and e-Pramaan based on authentic and standard based interoperable and integrated government applications and data basis.

The program aims at providing digital infrastructure as a utility to every citizen as well as high-speed internet as a core utility in all gram panchayats. The overall scope of this program is “to prepare India for a knowledge future”, “to make technology central to enabling change” and “to become an umbrella program covering many departments”

MyGov citizen portal

Prime minister  launched an online platform mygov.nic.in to engage citizens in the task of “good governance” (  surajya  ) as he completed 60 days in office on saturday. mygov is a technology-driven platform that would provide people with the opportunity to contribute towards good governance..

• E-Kranti scheme

This is project for linking the internet with remote villages in the country. This scheme will broaden the reach of internet services to the rural areas in the country. The fundamental features of this scheme will be making the records handy to the government with ease. It also includes Expansion of internet and commencement of IT-based jobs in rural areas. It will also boost the use of mobile phones and computers in rural areas. It will also expand the use of IT in agriculture and retail trade too.

• Digital Cloud for every Indian

Certificates issued by the government — education, residential, medical records, birth certificates, etc. — are to be stored in individual ‘digital lockers’ and a communication protocol established for government departments to access them without physically having to see the hard copy. The purpose of government is that copies of certificates issued by the government itself not to be carried around by people to government offices for various services.

M-governance

M-Governance is not a replacement for e-Governance, rather it complements e- Governance. M-Governance, is the use of mobile or wireless to improve Governance service and information “anytime, anywhere”. Mobile applications also rely on good back office ICT infrastructure and work processes. It has potential of using mobile phones as input devices in certain areas where last mile connectivity becomes issues for simple data inputs of critical importance for decision making in government departments.

M-Governance is not a new concept. The private sector has been greatly leveraging these of mobile phones for delivery of value added services for the following which however are mostly SMS based: Banking, Media, Airlines, Telecom, Entertainment, News, Sports, Astrology, and Movie Tickets Etc.

M-governance has increased the productivity of public service personnel, improving the delivery of government information and services, increasing channels for public interactions and Lower costs leading to higher participation of people.

Recent thrust to m-governance is being provided through USSD Services Unstructured Supplementary Services Data (USSD) is a session based service unlike sms which is store and forward service. It can be used by the user to send command to an application in text format. USSD acts as a trigger for the application

• Mobile Seva

It aims to provide government services to the people through mobile phones and tablets. It has been developed as the core infrastructure for enabling the availability of public services through mobile devices.

Mobile Seva enables the integration of the mobile platform with the common e-Governance infrastructure consisting of State Data Centers (SDCs), State Wide Area Networks (SWANs), State and National Service Delivery Gateways (SSDGs/NSDG).

It enables a government department to integrate both web and mobile based services seamlessly and enhances the access to electronic services tremendously leveraging the very high penetration of mobile phones, especially in rural areas

A Mobile Applications Store (m-App Store) has also been developed by DeitY as part of Mobile Seva. The Mobile Governance Portal and the m-App Store can be accessed at http://mgov.gov.in/. The m-Appstore currently hosts over 240 live mobile applications. The live applications can be downloaded and installed free of cost on a mobile phone by any person.

The project, “mobile seva” has won the second prize at the prestigious United Nations’ Public Services Awards in the category “Promoting Whole of Government Approaches in the Information Age” for Asia Pacific.

• A few years ago, Kerala launched ‘Dr. SMS,’ an m-health information system, for providing information on medical facilities available in the locality of the resident.
• Goa followed, with a mobile governance initiative for issuing alerts for receipt of government applications and complaints and status tracking.
• Next came Maharashtra. It adopted a similar traffic management system through mobile alerts.
• A laudable initiative launched by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation in September tries to use technology in a mobile phone-based Intelligent Garbage Monitoring System enables sanitary supervisors to report the status of cleaning of garbage bins through their GPS-enabled mobile phones. Centralised reports as well as those of individual bins can be generated with the system.

Following are the advantages of E-Governance

Speed: Technology makes communication speedier. Internet, Phones, Cell Phones have reduced the time taken in normal communication.

Cost Reduction: Most of the Government expenditure is appropriated towards the cost of stationary. Paper-based communication needs lots of stationary, printers, computers, etc. which calls for continuous heavy expenditure. Internet and Phones makes communication cheaper saving valuable money for the Government.

Transparency: Use of ICT makes governing profess transparent. All the information of the Government would be made available on the internet. The citizens can see the information whenever they want to see. But this is only possible when every piece of information of the Government is uploaded on the internet and is available for the public to peruse. Current governing process leaves many ways to conceal the information from all the people. ICT helps make the information available online eliminating all the possibilities of concealing of information.

Accountability: Once the governing process is made transparent the Government is automatically made accountable. Accountability is answerability of the Government to the people. It is the answerability for the deeds of the Government. An accountable Government is a responsible Government.

Convenience: E-Government brings public services to citizens on their schedule and their venue.

Improved Customer Service : E-Government allows to redeploy resources from back-end processing to the front line of customer service.

Increased access to information : E-Government improves the accessibility of government information to citizens allowing it become an important resource in the making the decisions that affect daily life and so it helps in empowerment of citizens

Electronic governments also consist on certain disadvantage. The main disadvantage of an electronic government is to move the government services into an electronic based system. This system loses the person to person interaction which is valued by a lot of people. In addition, the implementation of an e-government service is that, with many technology based services, it is often easy to make the excuse (e.g. the server has gone down) that problems with the service provided are because of the technology. The implementation of an e government does have certain constraints. Literacy of the users and the ability to use the computer, users who do not know how to read and write would need assistance. An example would be the senior citizens. In general, senior citizens do not have much computer education and they would have to approach a customer service officer for assistance. And also in case of rural people, it gives scope for middle man, who distort the information. Studies have shown that there is potential for a reduction in the usability of government online due to factors such as the access to Internet technology and usability of services and the ability to access to computers Even though the level of confidence in the security offered by government web sites are high, the public are still concerned over security, fear of spam from providing email addresses, and government retention of transaction or interaction history. There has been growing concern about the privacy of data being collected as part of UID project. The security of cyber space and misuse of data is still holding back the citizens to full adaptation of Aadhar card.

Challenges in e-governance  

There are large numbers of potential barriers in the implementation of e-Governance. Some hindrance in the path of implementation, like security, unequal access to the computer technology by the citizen, high initial cost for setting up the e government solutions and resistance to change. Challenges identified as trust, resistance to change, digital divide, cost and privacy and security concerns.

Trust can be defined along two dimensions: as an assessment of a current situation, or as an innate personality traitor predisposition. The implementation of public administration functions via e-government requires the presence of two levels of trust. The first is that the user must be confident, comfortable and trusting of the tool or technology with which they will interact. The second dimension of trust pertains to trust of the government].

There has to be a balance between ensuring that a system prevents fraudulent transactions and the burden that extensive checks can take place on people who are honest.

Recently, confidential information on military veterans was compromised when a computer containing their personal information was lost. This type of incident can erode trust and user confidence in government systems. Trust, along with financial security, are two critical factors limiting the adoption of e-government services.

Resistance to change

The innovation diffusion theory states that over time an innovation will diffuse through a population, and the rate of adoption will vary between those who adopt early, referred to as early adopters and to those who adopt the innovation much later, referred to as ―laggards.

The resistant to change phenomenon can explain much of the hesitation that occurs on the part of constituents in moving from a paper based to a Web-based system for interacting with government.

Citizens, employees and businesses can all have their biases with respect to how transactions should be processed. However, government entities and public policy administrators cannot ignore the changes that occur as a result of the implementation of information and communication technology (ICT

Education about the value of the new systems is one step toward reducing some of the existing resistance. It can also be particularly useful for a leader or manager, to buy into the new system at an early stage in the adoption process

Digital Divide

The digital divide refers to the separation that exists between individuals, communities, and businesses that have access to information technology and those that do not have such access.

Social, economic, infrastructural and ethno-linguistic indicators provide explanations for the presence of the digital divide.

Economic poverty is closely related to limited information technology resources

An individual living below poverty line does not afford a computer for himself to harness the benefits of e-government and other online services. As the digital divide narrows, broader adoption of e-government in the public domain becomes possible. Economic poverty is not the only cause of digital divide. It can also be caused by the lack of awareness among the people. Even some of the economic stable people don’t know about the scope of e -governance.

Awareness can only help to bring users to that service delivery channel once. It cannot guarantee sustained use of the system unless the system is also designed in such a way as to deliver satisfactory outcome. Procedures need to be simplified to deliver concrete benefits and clear guidelines provided to encourage their use by the actual end users and reduce user’s dependence on middlemen/intermediaries

Cost is one of the most important prohibiting factor that comes in the path of e-governance implementation particularly in the developing countries like India where most of the people living below the poverty line. Elected officers and politician don’t seem to be interested in implementing e-governance

Privacy and Security

There will be three basic levels of access exists for e-government stakeholders: no access to a Web service; limited access to a Web-service or full-access to a Web service, however when personal sensitive data exists the formation of the security access policy is a much more complex process with legal consideration. With the implementation of e-government projects, effective measures must be taken to protect sensitive personal information. A lack of clear security standards and protocols can limit the development of projects that contain sensitive information such as income, medical history.

We have seen how the concept of e-governance and m-governance has evolved in Indian scenario and how much it is required for transparency and accountability on the part of government and at the same time it is also a toll to increase the participation of people in policy making by empowering them with the right information at right time. The penetration of internet, telecommunication services in India has increased in the last decade and this gives a ray of hope to the citizens of India to fight with the long persisting problems of poverty, corruption, regional disparity and unemployment. But at the same time, due to slow pace of project completion, red-tape and resistance from the side of government employees and citizens too has not given the desired result.

• Our Mission, Vision & Values
• Director’s Desk
• Commerce & Accountancy
• Previous Years’ Question Papers-Prelims
• Previous Years’ Question Papers-Mains
• Environment & Ecology
• Science & Technology

Citizen participation in e-governance Essay

Knowledge-based society, management views over e-governance, citizen participation, model of electronic governance, process of the e-governance, analyst for a florida city council e-governance infrastructure, possible advancements, works cited.

E-governance has emerged as a new important tool of reforms and influence over global change. Today pursuing of the government reforms occurs through the electronic governance strategies. Despite the wide embrace over technology advancements, the participation by the citizens is still lagging behind.

The assertion provided in this paper handles the transformation strategies to enhance participation of citizens through e-governance. The logical hypothesis illustrated in the paper show some of the eminent issues that need future considerations. Theoretically and experimentally, the assumptions are that e-governance is the key source to e-democracy.

On this basis, the paper eventually places some anonymous and theoretical considerations regarding today’s reality of e-governance for the support of important issues concerning resource and social advancement. It checks upon the gap between the reality and anticipation of citizen participation electronically and lastly it investigates ways of overcoming the gap.

The knowledge-based society is a basis providing power through prerequisite of information and knowledge. Citizens’ participation brings sufficient conversion of services to a more reliable and efficient level. The system reduces data or information transmission time and distance thus improving the diversity and productivity as the basis for change.

Although intolerable to many especially leaders, change is inevitable because it guarantees government, business and individual’s survival. Consistent with Brody et al (247), today change is not an option for consideration but a crucial dynamic characteristic for future advancement.

The government tries to solve its problems through optimal revolutions as well as smooth natural transformations. Worldwide most government are considering the e-governance style and are upgrading the management systems for better high quality customer based services.

The issue of e-governance has experienced a diverse progress since its initiative considering the high pace of the social, economic, technical and environmental capacities. The system centrally focuses on the customer as a transition to engage participatory governance.

According to Lukensmeyer and Boyd (12), some governments consider citizen participation as an “unnecessary complexity cost factor “to implement in the e-governance system. They include the electronic techniques in their systems but fail to engage the electronic consultation and forums. This is an indication of low citizen participation in governance despite the incredible advancements.

In 2001, the U.S. government brought forward the initiative to modernize the government through “strategic management of human capital, expanded e-government and integration of budget and performance. Citizens ought to demand for the decentralization, digitization and automation of government undertakings.

Electronic innovations are government strategic efforts to find optimal results that restrain problems regarding the internal political, social, and economical factors. The e governance gets support through “transparency, efficiency and participation”. (Seasons, 432)

The electronic governance system utilizes the ICT tool whereby cost and speed of flow determines transfer of information regarding the customers’/citizens’ and services.

The policies not only support the sharing and communication of information but also provide the citizens with administration information to improve service delivery and enable transparency on government proceedings thus inducing the required organizational and administrational change. E-government provides efficiency, transparency and participation to the citizen, environment and the government itself. Automation is the key to innovations over operations through provision of good high quality services. (Seasons, 432)

Politically the citizen action ought to influence policy and decision making procedures. The citizens are involved in the voting exercises, which are political proceedings, and they demand for a close observation over administrative operations known as “administrative participation”. The citizens ought to seek proper administration through their own administrative participation. (Brody et al, 247)

Citizens can participate in governance issues actively through formation of consensus over monitoring particular administrative issues and requests and passively through request for information delivered in a one-way style after the decisions.

Regarding the theory that cost and benefits as determinants of electronic participation over governance, the citizens’ participation activity becomes low and relatively limited to nature because the cost is for gathering the information needed for active participation over ideas, subject matters, procedures, opportunity costs and operational costs.

The measure of participation comes about because of benefits analysis. Argumentatively, electronic participation benefits are higher, compared to the cost. (Seasons, 434)

Relating to the ICMA guidelines of 2004, the National Performance Review, (NPR) had a focus on enhancing the government’s cost effectiveness through the implementation of key conceptual changes such as by enhancing competitive and customers-oriented portals.

The conceptual structure involved in the e-government changes includes some stages such as emergence, interaction, enhancement, transaction and faultless stages. The e-government is a self-efficient system whereby the agencies perform computerized operations to provide simple civic services with the aim of an efficient or effective output.

The participatory governance encourages citizens to engage in interactive activities by linking the services of various agencies in a procedure known as the “public administration proceedings”. (Irvin and Stanbury, 59)

The electronic process takes the assumptions of strengthening governance, improving the service delivery and integrating services among the agencies. The e-governance infrastructure brakes down the wall between the public and government procedures. It allows citizens to take a pro-active role over the procedures.

In line with King and Stivers (24), the electronic involvement in decision-making has liberated citizens because of the integrated e-democracy elements and procedures whereby passive information as accessible through a more active participation system.

The relationship between the government and the citizens progresses from a single lane traffic process where the government disseminates the information at its own will and initiative or upon demand, to a more dynamic and involving style. The citizens require chance to form partnership with the authority for a better mutual understanding and interaction.

The process of information gathering and convey is lessen through the electronic transfers and the government has a cost marginal gain, while the citizens have the ability to voice their concerns over governance styles and procedures. This is usually the anticipation over implementation of an electronic system but that is never the case. E-governance comes with a lot of workload associated with high demand for expertise. According to Irvin (62), the citizens ought to be well equipping with the knowledge of how the systems work.

The technology is dynamic and this calls for the citizens to have a more vibrant approach over the complexities that are involved. The government may also be reluctant over giving some information especially when the requests touch on the private or confidential matters. The electronic transfer module is liable to data hackers and thus the provision for the private information is a real world impediment over electronic transfers.

The quality of e-governance depends on the “accessibility, usability and credibility”. (Myflorida) Quality determines the service fulfilment and contribution. The factors ought to be the key determinants over cost and benefits involved.

Accessibility is an attribute that connects the digital divides. The accessed information differs in the time of “access, location, universality as well as the quality of service usage.” Equality over participation determines the participation cost, enjoyment and availability of benefits. (Myflorida)

Establishment of e-government started in 80’s in Florida but were effective in 90’s in most of the council offices. (ICMA) The system entails a database management system where operational process are developed and stored. An information superhighway infrastructure provides easy and fast access to information. Ensuring the existence of a superhighway is the first initial setup but most authorities fail to implement its usage. The council forms a joint link between its agencies for an impressive and coherent growth.

Some of the aspects that need urgent addressing include the low intensity of services due to poor usage and poor participation among the public that is mainly point out by satisfaction indicator.

There is urgent need to redesign operation procedures, to come up with proper orientation procedures and to enlighten the public over the mode of usage. The council face a major setback on lack of sharing information to strengthen cooperation among departments. The majority of the citizens are not familiar with any existing e-governance system and thus they keep visiting the offices literally to seek services or inquire required information, while it would have taken them less time and cost if transacted virtually.

There is need to build services products such as software that achieve real-time participation on the governance and other important matters to maximize the services satisfaction.

The issue of transparency efficiency and endorsed participation is achievable through ensured transparency in the administration. This calls for involving all interested parties in matters pertaining decision-making procedure, finances as well as change.

All the public administration processes ought to take place electronically so that they are in direct contact with the users to lower office visitations. Secondly is the need to have efficient administration that allows and facilitates real-time processing of all administrative operations with the aim of maximizing efficiency.

The government information and proceedings need digitizing to allow mutual sharing and consolidation of all the scattered information in the council’s departments. Lastly is the need for actively participating citizens. This entails the elimination of all the boundaries between the council and the public that prevent participation. The result to these would be free and active citizens willing to shear their thoughts, ideas and requirements for the general growth and advanced democracy.

The city council of Florida aims at advancing its democracy through sensitizing the public through a boosted participating public. The public opinion survey level need to be appreciate and taken into consideration.

Good democratic governance call for majority votes and this is achievable on each sector of the council through the citizen led real-time participation in policymaking and disclosure of important information. Citizens can play an active role in development if they actively make decisions concerning governing procedures through a self-controlled system such as e-governance.

Brody, S.D., Godschalk, D.R., & Burby, R.J. Mandating citizen participation in plan Making: six strategic planning choices . Journal of the American Planning Association, 69, 245-264. 2003.

King, C.S., & Stivers, C. Government Is Us: Public Administration in an Anti-Government Era . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. 1998.

Lukensmeyer, C., and Boyd, A. Putting the “public” back in management: seven Principles for planning meaningful citizen engagement Public Management, 86, 10-15. 2004.

International City/County Management Association. ICMA Code of Ethics With Guidelines. (2004). Web.

Irvin, R.A., & Stansbury, J. Citizen participation in decision making: is it worth the Effort? Public Administration Review, 64, 55-65. 2004.

Seasons, M. Monitoring and evaluation in municipal planning: considering the Realities . Journal of the American Planning Association, 69 , 430-441. Web.

My Florida. Most frequently asked questions on Florida’s open government laws . 2004. Web.

• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2024, January 16). Citizen participation in e-governance. https://ivypanda.com/essays/citizen-participation-in-e-governance/

"Citizen participation in e-governance." IvyPanda , 16 Jan. 2024, ivypanda.com/essays/citizen-participation-in-e-governance/.

IvyPanda . (2024) 'Citizen participation in e-governance'. 16 January.

IvyPanda . 2024. "Citizen participation in e-governance." January 16, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/citizen-participation-in-e-governance/.

1. IvyPanda . "Citizen participation in e-governance." January 16, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/citizen-participation-in-e-governance/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Citizen participation in e-governance." January 16, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/citizen-participation-in-e-governance/.

• E-Governance in Russia
• Thailand: The Development of Electronic Government
• Has E-Government Failed?
• E-Government System in UK
• E-Government Barriers in the United Arab Emirates
• E-Governance in Saudi Business and Infrastructure
• E-Government (M-Government) in Dubai
• Web Enabled Services: E-Governance
• ITG Technologies in the UAE E-Government Context
• E-Government and Technological Change
• Health Policy in Chad
• Understanding Dalton’s Idea
• Policy Analysis and Ethics
• The Six Major Functions of the Government
• The Paradox of American Government

Comparative Analysis of E-Governance and IT Governance

• Living reference work entry
• Latest version View entry history
• First Online: 17 January 2020
• Cite this living reference work entry

• Monica Nehemia 2 ,
• Irja Shaanika 2 &
• Tiko Iyamu 2  

122 Accesses

Introduction

This entry presents a comparative analysis of the e-governance and information technology (IT) governance. The aim is to gain better understanding of the differences and similarities between the two concepts and propose their complementary use.

Many organizations set up computing environments with the main aim of providing improved, effective, and efficient services to their clients, including better collaboration with its partners (Lunardi et al. 2016 ). This is owing to the popular believe that IT enables organizations for competitive advantages (Fernando et al. 2016 ). In some government organizations, the activities of the computing environments are often invoked through e-governance initiatives, with the purpose of providing digitized services to the public at large. E-governance is the process through which many governments make use of IT, to provide services to her citizens (Liu and Liao 2011 ). The concept of e-governance is also employed by some public...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

Al Athmay A (2015) Demographic factors as determinants of e-governance adoption. Transforming Gov People Process Policy 9(2):159–180

Google Scholar  

Ali S, Green P (2012) Effective information technology (IT) governance mechanisms: an IT outsourcing perspective. Inf Syst Front 14(2):179–193

Article   Google Scholar  

Bevir M (2012) What is governance. In: Governance: a very short introduction. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 1–15

Chapter   Google Scholar  

Carter L, Bélanger F (2005) The utilization of e-government services: citizen trust, innovation and acceptance factors. Inf Syst J 15(1):5–25

Cervone HF (2017) Implementing IT governance: a primer for informaticians. Digit Libr Perspect 33(4):282–287

Cho SE, Lee SH, Moon KI (2010) Fuzzy decision making of IT governance. In: Proceedings of the 2010 international conference on e-business (ICE-B), Athens, Greece, 26–28 July 2010. IEEE, Piscataway, pp 1–5

Chun S, Shulman S, Sandoval R, Hovy E (2010) Government 2.0: making connections between citizens, data and government. Information Polity 15(1–2):1–9

Chunyang J (2010) An IT governance implementing model based on IT-business strategy alignment. In: Proceedings of international conference on E-business and E-government (ICEE), Guangzhou, China, 7–9 may 2010. IEEE, Piscataway, pp 447–450

Cordella A, Bonina C (2012) A public value perspective for IT enabled public sector reforms: a theoretical reflection. Gov Inf Q 29(4):512–520

Dawe S (2008) The evolution and continuing challenges of e-governance. Public Adm Rev 68(1):S86–S102

Fernando E, Assegaff S, Rohay A (2016) Trends information technology in E-agriculture: a systematic literature review. In: Proceedings of 3rd international conference on information technology, computer, and electrical engineering (ICITACEE), Semarang, Indonesia, 19–20 Oct 2016. IEEE, Piscataway, pp 351–355

Gupta A, Bansal R (2013) E-governance: a step ahead. In: Proceedings of advanced computing and communication technologies (ACCT). Rohtak, India, 6–7 April 2013. IEEE, Piscataway, pp 359–362

Karentzeni D, Gouscos D (2013) E-Partoco[atopm] on the EU: refocusing on social media and young citizens for reinforcing European identify. Transforming People Process Policy 7(4):477–500

Keohane RO (2002) Power and governance in a partially globalized world. Routledge, New York, NY, USA

Kumari A, Singh S (2016) A review paper on E-governance: transforming government. In: Proceedings of the 6th international conference – cloud system and big data engineering (confluence), Semarang, Indonesia, 19–20 Oct 2016. IEEE, Piscataway, pp 689–692

Liu, L., & Liao, X. (2011). On SHEL model analysis and constitution-the research on Chinese government’s E-governance system based on the concept of good governance. In: Cross strait quad-regional radio science and wireless technology conference (CSQRWC), 2, Harbin, China, 26–30 July 2011. IEEE, Piscataway, pp. 1666–1670

Lunardi GL, Maçada ACG, Becker JL, Van Grembergen W (2016) Antecedents of IT governance effectiveness: an empirical examination in Brazilian firms. J Inf Syst 31(1):41–57

Orozco J, Tarhini A, Tarhini T (2015) A framework of IS/business alignment management practices to improve the design of IT Governance architectures. Int J Bus Manag 10(4):1

Potnis DD (2010) Measuring e-Governance as an innovation in the public sector. Gov Inf Q 27(1):41–48

Prabhu C (2013) E-governance: concepts and case studies, 2nd edn. Routledge, New York. Implementation of IT governance: Literature review. International Conference on ICT For Smart Society (ICISS) 18–19 Sept. Tangerang, Indonesia. IEEE

Rubino M, Vitolla F (2014) Internal control over financial reporting: opportunities using the COBIT framework. Manag Audit J 29(8):736–771

Saxena K (2005) Towards excellence in e-governance. Int J Public Sect Manag 18(6):498–513

Schnoll H (2015) E-government: information, technology, and transformation. Routledge, New York

Book   Google Scholar  

Serrano A, Gómez B, Juiz C (2017) Why the governance of projects, programs and portfolios (PPP) cannot be separated from the governance of IT standard. In: National information technology conference (NITC), 14–15, Sept 2017, Colombo, Sri Lanka. IEEE, Piscataway, pp 106–111

Shaanika I, Iyamu T (2015) Deployment of enterprise architecture in the Namibian Government: the use of activity theory to examine the influencing factors. Electron J Inf Sys Dev Ctries 71(6):1–21

Shibu S, Naik A (2017) An approach to increase the awareness of e-governance initiatives based on cloud computing. In: International conference on information, communication, instrumentation and control (ICICIC), 17–19 Aug 2017, Indore, India. IEEE, Piscataway, pp 1–4

Verma KK, Shrivastava N, Patel AK, Pandey A (2017) Status of E-governance and E-service in India. In: 2nd international conference for convergence in technology (I2CT). IEEE, Piscataway, pp 1099–1103

Yudatama U, Nazief B, Nizar A (2017) Benefits and barriers as a critical success factor in the implementation of IT governance: literature review. In: International conference on ICT for smart society (ICISS) 18–19 Sept 2017, Tangerang, Indonesia. IEEE, Piscataway

Download references

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Department of Information Technology, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, South Africa

Monica Nehemia, Irja Shaanika & Tiko Iyamu

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tiko Iyamu .

Editor information

Editors and affiliations.

Victoria University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Arthur Tatnall

Section Editor information

LORIA laboratory, Université de Lorraine, Vandoeuvre Cedex, France

Monique Grandbastien

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Cite this entry.

Nehemia, M., Shaanika, I., Iyamu, T. (2020). Comparative Analysis of E-Governance and IT Governance. In: Tatnall, A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Education and Information Technologies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60013-0_185-2

Download citation

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60013-0_185-2

Received : 21 October 2019

Accepted : 21 October 2019

Published : 17 January 2020

Publisher Name : Springer, Cham

Print ISBN : 978-3-319-60013-0

Online ISBN : 978-3-319-60013-0

eBook Packages : Springer Reference Computer Sciences Reference Module Computer Science and Engineering

• Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Chapter history

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60013-0_185-2

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60013-0_185-1

• Find a journal
• Track your research

A Brand of CLT Technologies & Edu-Publishers Pvt. Ltd.

Forgot password

If you haven’t created your account yet, please SIGN UP HERE

Quick Links Testimonials FAQ

Hybrid Classes

We provide offline, online and recorded lectures in the same amount.

Personalised Mentoring

Every aspirant is unique and the mentoring is customised according to the strengths and weaknesses of the aspirant

Topicwise Mindmaps

In every Lecture. Director Sir will provide conceptual understanding with around 800 Mindmaps.

Quality Content

We provide you the best and Comprehensive content which comes directly or indirectly in UPSC Exam.

If you haven’t created your account yet, please SIGNUP HERE

UPSC Courses

IAS Foundation 2024

• C2U-NCERT 2024
• Newspaper Analysis Program
• Basic Daily Answer Writing

Optional Classes

• Geography Crash Course

Current Affairs

• Daily Newspaper Analysis - DNA
• UPSC Facts & Data
• GS Prelims PT Pointers
• Press Information Bureau - PIB
• Good Morning Times - Subject Wise
• EASY TO PICK MONTHLY CURRENT
• GS Paper Wise Current Affairs
• Daily Question Practice (PT-Mains)

Test Series

• RAW Live MCQ
• Oral Test Session By Director Sir

Others Links

• Testimonials

UPSC Prelims Classes 2024

Crash Course

• Sanjeevani @ 60Days
• Morden History
• Science & Technology

Regular Modules 2024

• Mapping & Geography
• Environment
• Economics Basic To Advance
• Polity & History
• News Paper Analysis Programme
• Prelims Test Series
• About Civil Services
• UPSC Prelims Syllabus & Strategy
• UPSC Previous Years Paper
• Prelims Modular Batches
• UPSC Prelims - PT Pointers
• Exclusive Test Series - Mock
• CSAT Classes
• Prelims Sanjeevani 2024 Crash Course

Mains Classes 2024

• RAW GS Crash Course
• Target 50 Program
• Ethics & Case Studies
• Editorial & Current Affairs – QIP
• Writing Skill Development Program

Mains & Interview

• Mains Syllabus & Strategy
• Daily UPSC Answer Writing
• Target 50 For Mains Batch
• Personality Test
• Mains Crash Course
• MAINS Previous Papers
• Optionals Previous Papers

Mains Material

• Mains Kunji
• Prelims (Live-MCQ)
• Prelims PT Tricks-2024
• Daily Answer Writing

Free Study Material

• Important Video Lectures
• Previous Years Papers
• Newspaper Analysis & ENY Notes
• UPSC GS Mains Notes
• 2 nd ARC Report Summary
• Aspire IAS Notes
• Free Download - UPSC Content
• Paid Material(SLP)
• UPSC Optional Notes

Major Topics

• International Relation
• International Organization
• Government Policies And Interventions

E-Governance and various models

•  09 Jul,2023

What is E-Governance?

The “E” in E-Governance stands for ‘Electronic’ . Thus, E-Governance is basically associated with carrying out the functions and achieving the results of governance through the utilization of what has today come to be known as ICT ( Information and Communications Technology ) . It is the application of information and communication technologies (ICT) to transform the efficiency, effectiveness transparency and accountability of informational and transactional exchanges within government between government and government agencies of National, State, Municipal and Local levels citizen and businesses. It also empowers citizens through access and use of information.

E-Governance is not only meant for introducing or using technological tools. But it also strives to bring about a change in the mindset and work culture to integrate government processes to serve the citizens better.  The interaction between a citizen and a government agency normally takes place in a government office. With emerging Information and Communication technologies it is possible to locate service centers closed to clients. In all the cases, public traditionally looks for information and services addressing his or her needs and in both cases quality relevance and efficiency are of paramount importance.

The emergence of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has provided means for  f aster and better communication efficient storage retrieval and processing of data and exchange and utilization of information to its users  be they individuals, groups, businesses organizations or governments. With growing computerization and increasing internet connectivity this process has presently reached a stage where more and more users are motivated to modifying their ways of doing things in order to leverage the advantages provided by ICT.

With the increasing awareness among citizens about their rights and the resultant increase in expectations from the government to perform and deliver the whole paradigm of governance has changed.  Government today is expected to be transparent in its dealings accountable for its activities and faster in its responses.  This has made the use of ICT imperative in any agenda drawn towards achieving good governance.

Objectives of E-Governance

The Government’s network infrastructure must be aimed at solving the political economic and social problems of the state and provide:

• Realization of the right of citizens  to access public government information;
• Making available to the public with  objective and reliable information  on the activities of public authorities which strengthens the credibility of the state and its politics;
• To increase and encourage  people’s participation in the governance process.
• Interaction and ongoing dialogue with the citizens of the state and public institutions  as well as the necessary level of public control over activities of state bodies and organizations;
• Integration of information resources and services  of state and local governments to strengthen national information space;
• Improving public administration  optimizing the structure of the state apparatus reducing the financial and material costs for its maintenance a gradual transfer of government services that have value in a system of government online services that meets the real needs of citizens and organizations;
• Effectively support the economic activities of public entities  that are engaged in economic activities allowing them to effectively integrate into a national and global economic space;
• Interaction and cooperation with government authorities  in other countries and international organizations.
• E-Governance improves the country’s information and communication technology and electronic media , with the aim of strengthening the country’s economy by keeping governments, people and businesses in tune with the modern world.
• One of its main objectives is to establish  transparency and accountability in the governance process.
• To reduce government spending on information and services.

  Brief History of E-Governance

• The introduction of E-governance in India  started in the late 60s and early 70s with an emphasis on computerization of applications for defence services, economic planning, national census, elections, tax collections etc.
• However, from the  early 90s E-Governance has taken on a broader dimension using IT for wider sectoral applications with a policy emphasis on reaching out to rural areas and taking in greater inputs from NGOs and the private sector.
• While the emphasis was initially on automation and computerization the later forays began to encompass connectivity networking setting up systems for processing information and delivering services.
• The implementation of the  National E-Governance Plan ( NeGP ) in May 2006  was with the vision of making all government services accessible to the common man in his/ her locality through common service delivery outlets to ensure efficiency transparency and reliability of such services at affordable costs.
• The establishment of the  Department of Electronics in 1970  was the first major step towards E-Governance   in India as it brought ‘information’ and its communication to focus.
• National Informatics Centre (NIC) established in 1977,  launched the  District Information System  program to computerize all district offices in the country
• The main thrust for E-Governance was provided by the launching of  NICNET in 1987  – the national satellite-based computer network.

Stages of E-Governance in India

• The rise of E-Governance has been one of the most striking  developments of the web . As the Internet supported digital communities and assuming that they do indeed grow to incorporate individuals around the country (and globe). They present the national governments with a number of challenges and opportunities.
• Governments in democratic states are primarily a representative mechanism whereby the selected few debate and enact the legislation for and on behalf of the nation state’s citizens. There are several aspects to this that might prove to be important in the context of E-Governance .
• Global shifts towards increased deployment of IT by governments emerged in the nineties with the advent of the World Wide Web.  The technology as well as E-Governance initiatives have come a long way since then. With the increase in Internet and mobile connections the citizens are learning to exploit their new mode of access in wide ranging ways.
• They have started expecting more and more information and services online from governments and corporate organizations to further their civic professional and personal lives thus, creating abundant evidence that the new “e-citizenship” is taking hold.
• The effective use of ICT services in the Government has greatly enhanced existing efficiencies driven down communication costs and increased transparency in the functioning of various departments.
• It has also given citizens an easy access to tangible benefits be it throug simple applications such as online form filling bill sourcing and payments or complex applications like distance education and tele-medicine.

Pillars of E-Governance

E-governance: interactions and applications.

These initiatives are discussed under the following categories:

• Government to Citizen ( G2C ) initiatives.
• Government to Business ( G2B ) initiatives.
• Government to Government ( G2G ) initiatives.
• Government to Employee ( G2E ) initiatives.

Government to Citizen (G2C) Initiatives

The E-Governance scenario in India has come a long way since computers were first introduced. The focus now is on extending the reach of governance to have a major impact on the people at large. A large number of initiatives have been taken in this category by the Union and the State Governments. Some of these are described in the following paragraphs.

Computerisation of Land Records :

• It ensured that landowners get computerized copies of ownership crop and tenancy and for transparency and speedy dispute resolution.

Bhoomi Project Karnataka :

• It is a self-sustainable project for the computerized delivery of 20 million rural land records to 6.7 million farmers in the State of Karnataka. As land records were not open for public scrutiny in the traditional system it resulted in manipulation and favouritism.

Gyandoot (Madhya Pradesh) :

• It was started with the twin objective of providing relevant information to the rural population and acting as an interface between the district administration and the people. The basic idea behind this project was to establish and foster a technologically innovative initiative which is owned and operated by the community itself. The services offered through the Gyandoot network include Daily agricultural commodity rates (mandi bhav), income certificate, caste certificate, public grievance redressal, etc.

Lokvani Project in Uttar Pradesh :

• Lokvaniis apublic-private partnership with an objective to provide a single window self sustainable E-Governance solution with regard to handling of grievances land record maintenance and providing a mixture of essential services.

Project FRIENDS in Kerala :

• FRIENDS (Fast, Reliable, Instant, Efficient Network for the Disbursement of Services) is a Single Window Facility providing citizens the means to pay taxes and other financial dues to the State Government.

E-Mitra Project in Rajasthan :

• This initiative builds upon the experiences gained through the Lok Mitra and Jan Mitra pilot projects launched in 2002. While Lok Mitra was centred in the city of Jaipur. Jan Mitra was piloted in Jhalawar district to provide information and services under one roof to urban and rural populations. E-Mitra is an integration of the two projects.

Revenue Administration through Computerized Energy (RACE) Billing Project, Bihar :

• The Patna Electric Supply Undertaking (PESU) which is one of the seven area boards of the Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB) caters to the energy requirements of the Patna Urban Area. The entire billing and payment process was manual and anomalies in the system were resulting in harassment to the consumers and loss of revenue to the Board. To address these problems it was decided by the BSEB to take the assistance of ICT in providing value added and consumer-friendly service to the clients.

Admission to Professional Colleges – Common Entrance Test (CET) :

• With the rapid growth in the demand as well as supply of professional education the process of admission to these institutions became a major challenge in the early 1990s. Recourse was then taken to ICT to make the process of admission transparent and objective. Use of ICT in the admission process has helped in making the admission process totally transparent fair and objective. Consequently, most of the institutions have now switched over to similar ICT based admission process.

Government to Business (G2B) initiatives

G2B initiatives encompass all activities of government which impinge upon business organizations. These include registrations under different statutes. Licenses under different laws and exchange of information between government and business. The objective of bringing these activities under E-Governance is to provide a congenial legal environment to business expedite various processes and provide relevant information to business.

E-Procurement Project in Andhra Pradesh :

• Prior to the introduction of an e-Procurement system in Andhra Pradesh procurement in Government departments was done through a manual tendering process. The manual tender system suffered from various deficiencies, including discrimination, cartel formation, delays, lack of transparency etc. It reduces the time and cost of doing business for both vendors and government.
• The Ministry of Corporate Affairs has implemented the MCA 21 Mission Mode Project under the National E-Governance Plan. The project aims at providing easy and secure online access to all registry related services provided by the Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs to corporates and other stakeholders at any time and in a manner that best suits them.

Government to Government (G2G) Initiatives

Within the government system there is large scale processing of information and decision making. G2G initiatives help in making the internal government processes more efficient. Many a time G2C and G2B processes necessitate the improvements in G2G processes.

Khajane Project in Karnataka :

• It is a comprehensive online treasury computerization project of the Government of Karnataka to track every activity right from the approval of the State Budget to the point of rendering accounts to the government. The project aimed to get rid of the issue in the manual system in the treasury.

Smart Gov (Andhra Pradesh) :

• Smart Gov has been developed to streamline operations enhance efficiency through workflow automation and knowledge management for implementation in the Andhra Pradesh government. The solution automates the functioning of all levels of Government entities and provides a well defined mechanism for transforming the “hard copy environment” to a “digital environment”.

G2E (Government to Employees)

The initiative is a two-way interactive process between the organisation and the employee. E-governance helps in making these interactions fast and efficient in addition to increasing the satisfaction levels of employees. It involves giving and taking of information regarding diverse work assignments as may come from time to time evolution of performance management policy for personnel training and development of employees and career advice. The G2E model is a blend of providing information and services by the government organization to their employees to enable communication and learning.

E-Postal Ballot :

• The government issued a notification through which a certain section of electorate can cast their vote electronically. The benefit of postal ballots has been extended to the members of armed forces and supplementary forces and certain government employees deployed in remote/inaccessible areas and those posted abroad. All of these must have registered with electoral authorities as registered voters. It may later be extended to special voters and those in preventive detention.

C2G (Citizens to Government)

The Citizen-to-Government (C2G) model of e-governance in India enables two-way communication between citizens and the government through online platforms like websites, apps, and social media. This empowers citizens to provide feedback, participate in policymaking, access information, file complaints, and resolve issues digitally. The C2G model enhances transparency, accountability and responsiveness of governance by encouraging citizen participation, information access, feedback, and inclusive delivery of e-services. However, overcoming the digital divide by making online services accessible to all citizens remains a key challenge. Overall, the C2G model promotes good governance practices like transparency, accountability, and active citizen involvement in the democratic process for an efficient and citizen-centric administration.

In India, the Citizen-to-Government (C2G) model of E-Governance is a crucial aspect of digital governance, aiming to enhance citizen engagement and interaction with government agencies. Here are some examples of C2G initiatives in India:

Aadhar Card :

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) initiated the Aadhar project, enabling citizens to obtain a unique 12-digit identification number. Citizens can apply for Aadhar cards online, making it a notable C2G service.

Income Tax Filing :  

The Income Tax Department of India offers an online portal where citizens can file their income tax returns, check their tax status, and receive refunds. This service simplifies tax compliance for citizens.

Digital Locker :  

The Digital Locker System allows Indian citizens to store and share their documents and certificates digitally. This C2G service promotes secure and easy access to personal documents.

E-Grievance Portals :  

Various states in India have established e-grievance portals where citizens can file complaints or grievances related to government services. These platforms enable citizens to voice their concerns and seek resolutions.

Online Bill Payment :  

Many government agencies, such as electricity boards and municipal corporations, offer online payment options for bills and taxes. Citizens can pay bills, taxes, and fees conveniently from their homes.

E-Scholarships :  

Several states in India have implemented e-Scholarship portals where students can apply for scholarships online. This C2G initiative streamlines the application process and ensures transparency in the disbursement of scholarships.

E-Passports :  

The Ministry of External Affairs has introduced an online passport application system, simplifying the process of obtaining passports. Citizens can apply, track their applications, and schedule appointments through this portal.

MyGov :  

MyGov is a citizen engagement platform that encourages citizens to participate in governance by providing suggestions, feedback, and participating in discussions on various government initiatives and policies.

These C2G initiatives in India demonstrate how technology has been harnessed to make government services more accessible, efficient, and citizen-centric. They empower citizens to interact with government agencies, access services, and voice their opinions and concerns conveniently through digital platforms.

NEGP 2.0 or E-Kranti

The electronic delivery of public services in India has got a major boost as the government embarked on the  National E-Governance Plan (NeGP) 2.0, also referred to as e-Kranti.  The  NeGP 2.0 is a part of the government’s broader Digital India initiative  and  aims to scale up and boost E-governance initiatives across the country.

It was approved in 2015 with the vision of  “Transforming E-Governance for Transforming Governance” . There are  44 Mission Mode Projects under e-Kranti,  which are at various stages of implementation.

It will help in moving all government-to-citizen transactions in the education, health, banking and public services sectors onto online platforms to digitally empower citizens of all strata. Based on the experience with NeGP and also on the forgoing analysis, the principles have been formulated to guide the design and implementation of the e-Kranti Program.

• To redefine NEGP with transformational and outcome oriented E-Governance initiatives.
• To enhance the portfolio of citizen centric services.
• To ensure optimum usage of core Information & Communication Technology (ICT)
• To promote rapid replication and integration of E-Governance applications.
• To leverage emerging technologies.
• To make use of more agile implementation models.

Key Principles

Transformation and not translation :.

• All project proposals in e-Kranti must involve a substantial transformation in the quality, quantity and manner of delivery of services and significant enhancement in productivity and competitiveness.

Integrated Services and not Individual Services :

• A common middle ware and integration of the back end processes and processing systems are required to facilitate integrated service delivery to citizens.

Government Process Re-engineering (GPR) :

• To mandate GPR as the essential first step in all new MMPs (Mission mode projects) without which a project may not be sanctioned.

ICT Infrastructure on Demand :

• Government departments should be provided with ICT infrastructures, such as connectivity, cloud and mobile platform on demand. In this regard, National Information Infrastructure (Nil), which is at an advanced stage of project formulation, would be fast-tracked by Deit (Department of Information and Technology).

Cloud by Default :

• The flexibility, agility and cost effectiveness offered by cloud technologies would be fully leveraged while designing and hosting applications. Government Cloud shall be the default cloud for Government Departments.

Mobile First :

• All applications are designed/redesigned to enable delivery of services through mobile.

Fast Tracking Approvals :

• To establish a fast – track approval mechanism for MMPs, once the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of a project is approved by the Competent Authority, empowered committees may be constituted with delegated powers to take all subsequent decisions.

Mandating Standards and Protocols :

• Use of E-Governance standards and protocols as notified by DeitY be mandated in all E-governance projects.

Language Localization :

• It is imperative that all information and services in e-Governance projects are available in Indian languages as well.

National GIS (Geo-Spatial Information System) :

• NGIS to be leveraged as a platform and as a service in E-Governance projects.

Security and Electronic Data Preservation :

• All online applications and e-services adhere to prescribed security measures including cyber security. The National Cyber Security Policy 2013 notified by DeitY must be followed.

The approach and methodology of e-Kranti are fully aligned with the  Digital India programme . The programme management structure approved for Digital India programme would be used for monitoring the implementation of e-Kranti and also for providing a forum to ascertain views of all stakeholders, overseeing implementation, resolving inter-Ministerial issues and ensuring speedy sanction of projects.

Implementation

• National Information Infrastructure 2.0  will consolidate and integrate the currently available and proposed network infrastructure, such as the National Knowledge Network, the State Wide Area Network and the National Optical Fibre Network.

PayGov India :

• This is an online national payment gateway for citizens to pay fees for availing any government services.
• The Government of India’s cloud will enable departments and agencies at the central and state levels to leverage cloud computing for the effective delivery of e-services.

E-Gov App Store :

• Using this, a large number of successful and time-tested applications can be hosted for immediate adoption by departments and agencies.

Mobile Seva :

• The Mobile Seva platform is aimed at mainstreaming mobile governance in the country. Mobile Seva provides all possible mobile-based channels for service delivery, including SMS, unstructured supplementary service data, interactive voice response systems and mobile applications. It now aims to provide location-based and cell-based services.

E-Pramaan :

• It is a framework for the e-authentication of users who access online services through the web or mobile phones. It fully incorporates and uses the Aadhaar authentication mechanism provided by the Unique Identification Authority of India.

E-Governance standards :

• Open standards offer innovative solutions that can fix one particular challenge faced by government departments the high licensing costs associated with the acquisition and deployment of ICT.

Language localisation :

• All e-Kranti governance applications will be developed in constitutionally recognised Indian languages to improve their uptake.

E-Taal 2.0 :

• This will be an enhanced version of e-Taal and incorporate additional features such as business intelligence tools, an e-services directory, a local language interface, a weighted average system for various services, a geographical orientation to service delivery points, and a comparative analysis of states and e-services in terms of e-transactions.

Social Media :

• Recognising the power of social media, the government has notified a policy on its use by government departments and agencies.

Newsletter Subscription

Important links.

• Economic Issues
• International Relations
• Miscellaneous
• Human Geography
• Modern History
• Indian Society
• Art and Culture
• Government policies and interventions
• Biodiversity & Environment
• Bilateral Relations
• Important Bills
• Internal security
• Important reports
• Social issues
• Various acts
• International organisation
• International treaties and conventions
• Disaster and Disaster management
• Indian Polity
• World History
• Indian Geography
• Physical Geography
• Developmental Issues
• Indian Economy
• Government Policies & Reports
• Tolerance and Intolerance
• Ancient History

Challenge UPSC 2024 - PT Tricks

Update Info

• Prelims Sanjeevani 2021 Crash Course

Mains & Interview

• Mains Sanjeevani 7Days Batch (coming soon)
• MAINS Test Series By Toppers
• RAW Prelims Live MCQ 2021

UPSC Resource

• General Studies Notes
• SLP - Paid Notes

• UPSC History Notes
• UPSC Geography Notes
• UPSC Polity Notes
• UPSC Ethics Notes
• UPSC Economics Notes
• UPSC Science and Technology Notes
• UPSC Govt. Schemes Notes
• UPSC eligibility-criteria
• UPSC Syllabus
• UPSC Exam Pattern
• UPSC Admit Card
• UPSC Optional Subject
• UPSC Prelims Syllabus
• UPSC Main Exam Pattern
• UPSC prelims-2024-exam-pattern

E-Governance: Challenges and Advantages

• SAP ERP: Components, Working Process and Advantages
• Electronic Payment System: Types, Advantages, Disadvantages and Regulatory Bodies
• Importance and Functions of the Administrative Machinery
• Advantages and disadvantages of Intranet
• Advantages and Disadvantages of Internet
• Advantages and Disadvantages of E-mail
• Advantages and Disadvantages of an ER-Model
• Advantages and Disadvantages of Electronic Wallets
• Advantages and Disadvantages of Cyber Law
• Advantages and Disadvantages of Blockchain
• Advantages and Disadvantages of Telecommunication
• Advantages and Disadvantages of Democracy
• Blockchain - Based Corporate Governance
• Electronic Banking (e-Banking) : Types, Features & Advantages
• Cloud Governance and Its Need
• Line Organisation : Meaning, Features, Suitability, Advantages and Disadvantages
• Difference between e-Government & e-Governance
• Enterprise Information Portal (EIP) in E-Commerce: Meaning, Advantages and Disadvantages
• What is Internet? Definition, Uses, Working, Advantages and Disadvantages
• E-Governance
• Difference between Data Management and Data Governance
• SAP Full Form | Meaning, Characteristics, Advantages & Disadvantages
• Difference between Management and Administration
• Administration and Ownership of Internet
• Why ERP act as a Catalyst for an Organization ?
• Merits and Demerits of Government Company
• Meaning and Benefits of e-Banking
• Understanding Data Governance
• How changes are made to power sharing arrangements in India?

The e-Governance or electronic governance means utilization of ICT (Information and Communications Technology) to carry out the functions and achieve the results of the governance. Governance has become very complex and the increasing expectations from the Government are the reasons for opting for e-governance. Due to changing world and the emergence of digitalization, e-governance has taken the upfront seat. It has become necessary that government initiatives reach the people on time and efficiently through the digitalization of governance. 

Table of Content

Evolution of e-governance, types of interaction in e-governance, various e-governance projects, challenges in e-governance, advantages of e-governance.

People, Process, Technology, and Resources are the four prominent pillars of e-governance. Good governance ensures that all the people can reap the benefits of economic growth. One of the significant steps that the Government took in this regard is to educate the public regarding e-governance initiatives.

Among those developing countries, India has been an early country that adopted e-governance. In 1977, the National Informatics Centre (NIC) was the first initiative that has been taken up by the govt. Throughout the decade of 80s, efforts were made to link all the district headquarters. A lot of government officials started using computers during the late 1980s. But it was only in 1987 that there was the launch of the national satellite-based computer network and as a result, the e-governance agenda in India gained momentum. Moreover, at the beginning of the 90s, the technologies were increased by ICT and it reached out to the rural areas as well. NGOs and private sector participation also increased to a considerable extent during that time.

There are the following four types of interactions in e-governance.

• G2G – (Government to Government) This model aims at sharing the information between Governments like sharing of information between the police departments of various States, Government document exchange, and so on.
• G2C – (Government to Citizen) This model aims at sharing the information between the Government and the citizens like online filing of complaints, payment of online bills of electricity, water, and so on.
• G2B – (Government to Business) This model aims at sharing information between Government and private sectors like sharing of rules and data, collection of taxes, approval of patents of companies, etc.
• G2E – (Government to Employees) This model aims at sharing the information between the Government and employees like employees can fill out all types of forms online.
• Smart Gov: It makes use of e-file instead of paper files. It is implemented in the Andhra Pradesh Secretariat. It is concerned with streamlining operations, knowledge management, and workflow automation.
• Khajane Project: It is a project undertaken by the Government of Karnataka. The project resulted in the computerization of the entire treasury data of the Government of the State. Some of the noticeable results are that the number of drawing officers was brought down to around 21,000 from 40000, nearly 2000 staff members were trained to handle the software, about 200 posts in the department of treasury have been abolished, and so on.
• Digital India Programme: This programme was started by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology. The program aimed at empowering the country by making it digitally developed. The program was implemented in different phases till 2018. The impact of the agenda is that overall 12,000 rural post offices have been linked electronically.
• e-Kranti Scheme: It aimed at the expansion of the internet, mobile phones, and computers to rural areas. The scheme includes the starting up of IT-based jobs in rural areas and also the linking of the internet to the remote villages of the country. There are 44 Mission Mode Projects under the e-Kranti program.
• e-Governance in municipalities: It is an initiative done under the umbrella of the overall National e-Governance Plan and the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. The program is aimed at increasing the operational working of the Urban Local Bodies. According to NeGP, Government has decided on four infrastructural pillars for the implementation of e-governance- State Wide Area Network, State Data Centre, Common Service Centre, and Service Delivery Gateway.
• Public Distribution System: In PDS, there was the computerization of storage and movement of food grains, fair price shop automation, redressal of grievances, etc.
• e-Panchayats: The computerization of panchayat is done on a mission mode basis because the e-governance revolution has not touched the Panchayati Raj Institutions significantly. To improve the quality of governance in Panchayati Raj Institutions including 6094 Block Panchayats and 633 Zilla Panchayats, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Government of India has initiated the e-governance scheme known as e-panchayats.
• Digi-Locker: It is an initiative introduced by the Government of India under the umbrella of Digital India. Important documents such as Aadhaar cards, mark sheets, and certificates can be digitally stored in Digi-locker. Aadhaar number is essentially required for using Digi-Locker. In 2016, there were 20.13 lakh users of the Digi Locker. The main purpose behind the initiative is to go paperless and the security of documents that can be accessed easily from any place and at any time.
• Trust: People should trust the Government and they should be comfortable and confident of the tool and technology that they are using. But due to fraudulent transactions and other factors, the trust of the people is compromised which becomes one of the factors responsible for the limited use of e-governance.
• Digital divide: It refers to the division between the people who have access to digital technology and the others who don’t have access to it. Economic poverty is one of the main causes of the digital divide. People are unable to afford computers.
• Lack of Awareness: Due to the use of digital technology also contributes to the limited use of e-governance techniques. People are not aware of the scope of e-governance and depend on intermediaries for its use.
• Cost: In a developing country like India, cost plays a major role in regulating the use of e-governance.
• Privacy and Security: People are apprehensive about the security and privacy of their personal data. Government should ensure that no compromise should be done at that end.
• Accessibility: Due to inadequate infrastructure facilities in rural areas and language barriers people are unable to access e-governance.
• Low Computer Literacy: More than 90% of India’s population is digitally illiterate. In addition, the illiterate population comprises 25% to 30% which is one of the biggest challenges.
• Resistance to Change: Due to the introduction of Information Technology, a lot of changes have taken place but still, there are various officials, citizens, and politicians who are resistant to change and have different opinions regarding e-Governance.
• Faster communication through the use of phones and the internet, as it decreases the time taken for communication.
• Paper-based communications require heavy expenditure. It needs a lot of stationary, printers, labour, etc. The cost has been reduced with the use of the internet and phones. Moreover, time and environment are also safe due to their use.
• In earlier times, people faced issues due to physical constraints in reaching out to Government officials. Sometimes because of the ignorance of the officials and at other times due to long queues. But now it has become easy. e-Government is convenient as it provides services according to the schedule and venue of the people.
• e-governance has increased the access of information to the people.
• It also results in improved customer service. GDC (Government Data Centers) are the prominent component of ICT infrastructure for supporting e-governance initiatives.

Note: With the implementation of e-governance in India, the Indian Government is able to provide services to the people and meet their expectations to a great extent. E-governance is becoming popular in India with time however there are still hindrances and loopholes in e-governance like illiteracy, security, cost of implementation, etc. that hampers the objectives of good governance in India. Still, India is able to achieve a lot of initiatives in this regard like Digital India, e-Kranti, and so on. However, the Government should take further steps to ensure transparency, citizen friendliness, and cost-effectiveness in the implementation of the e-governance initiatives.

Please Login to comment...

Similar reads.

• Geeks-Premier-League-2022
• Geeks Premier League
• Political Science

Improve your Coding Skills with Practice

What kind of Experience do you want to share?

• Skip to main content

India’s Largest Career Transformation Portal

E-governance in India : Concept, Advantages and Challenges Explained

September 26, 2019 by Sandeep

Technology has become a part of our daily life. For most of us, mobile is the first thing they need as soon as they get up. Technology has its presence in all aspects of our life. We can say that we are living in a technology era and it has made everything easy for us.

In today’s internet’s time, we can talk to someone who in another corner for the world and we can send an e-mail in just a few seconds. Technology and the internet have made the money transitions secure, fast and free from much human interference.

The process of globalisation is a gift of technology and due to the technology and its benefits, the concept of E-governance is introduced in India.

The ‘E’ in E-governance signifies electronic and E-governance means the governance with Information technology. The increasing demand for transparency in administration, faster information transfer and other demands that can be fulfilled by the E-governance only pushed the government and public sector to chose E-governance.

Many of us think that E-governance came to India’s governance system comparatively late but the fact is that E-governance started to work in India in 1987. In 1987 NICNET (national satellite-based computer network) was launched. It was the dawn of E-governance in India.

After NICNET, District Information System of the National Informatics Centre (DISNIC) was launched to computerise all district offices in the country. Later on, in 1990 both NICNET and DISNIC got connected and NICNET extended via the State capitals to all district headquarters.

Since then technology has improved a lot and so does the networking and the work at the district level. So the required improvements have been implemented to have a secure and hassle-free E-governance in India.

In today’s scenario, E-governance is essential for the state and central government. Further, in this essay, we will cover the topics like advantages and dis-advantages of E-governance and challenges in E-governance.

E-governance in India

The model of E-governance is highly successful in developed countries like the United Nations and others but in a counter like India, there were some doubts about its success. India is a country with much diversity. It has a different language, culture, and states with different geographical structure.

So it was not easy for all to understand the policies of the central government and roaming around the state and central government’s offices to get some of their work done. The idea of E-governance introduced efficiency, Promptness, transparency and better citizen friendly interface.

A few departments have implemented E-Governance with perfection and they are offering the best services to the citizen of the country. The railway is one of those departments who has applied E-Governance to offer better citizen friendly interface.

Now it has become easy for the countrymen to book the tickets for their train journey without visiting the railway station in their city or village.

In case of an emergency, the passengers can get help from the government with a tweet only. Another benefit of E-Governance is very much visible on E-Tender. Earlier it was said that there is always some scam or bribe was associated with the government tender systems but now with E-Tenders, it has almost vanished.

Almost all the ministries and the department of state and central government have their websites. From these websites, you can get the desired information. Both states and the central government are working to implement technology in government work.

The pace of some states is good and some are working steadily and slowly. India has a good position in Asia for the implementation of ICT (Information Communication Technology).

Advantages of E-governance

We all will be agreeing to this point that technology has made our life easy. If we talk about the advantages of E-Governance then we will have to agree that E-Governance has helped many Indians in many ways. Let’s have a look at the advantages of E-Governance.

1. Transparency

Bribe and corruption are the main concern in India and they are considered as the biggest hurdle for the development of society. E-Governance has brought transparency in the government system and it created an unfavorable situation for corruption.

ICT enables the citizen to see any information wherever they want. Now the common man can raise a finger on the government policies as now he can lodge the complaints on e-portals of government.

E-Governance provides the required information to the common or special person in no time.

3. Cost Reduction

The paper-based communication is much costlier than ICT. E-governance saves the cost of sending and receiving letters in order to get some information.

4. Expand Reach of Governance

E-governance has brought the government policies at the doorstep of common men. Now any Indian citizen can get access on the government policies and schemes. They can read them and ask queries online through their smartphones.

Disadvantages of E-governance

We have discussed the needs and advantages of E-Governance now let’s look at the other side of a coin. Here are the disadvantages of E-Governance.

1. Dependency

Our dependency on technology is fine until the technology is supporting us but once it stops working all the work stops. This dependency eats lots of time. For example in banks a very common phrase we listen to is. The server is not working so most of the work stops.

2. Literacy

To reach to the every Indian is the vision of government behind E-governance but in India, the literacy rate is not so high. The implementation of e-government will be more effective with a high literacy rate.

3. Availability of Computers

A computer is a common device but its not available at every home in India. In the absence of a computer, the facilities of E-Government can be enjoyed by accessing through Smartphone but it is also not available to every Indian.

4. Security

Security is a major concern for the government. The government has many E-governance projects and its government’s duty to maintain its security. Recently there was much chaos on the security of Aadhaar Card .

Challenges in E-governance

Lack of literacy, non-availability of computer and other devices is the biggest challenge in the implementation of E-governance. Marinating the cyber security is another challenge for E-governance. Insufficiency of funds, infrastructural problems, maintenance, and legal framework readiness are among the other challenges in E-Governance.

The technology is getting advanced with every passing day so to maintain the level of technology the government needs to spend some funds after a particular duration. The arrangement of funds is another challenge in E-governance as the cost of high-end technology servers is usually high.

E-governance has made many processes easy for us. Now we can check the live status of our speed posts through computerisation and networking of all post offices. Banks, UID, and many other processes helped the common man and they all come under the category of E-governance.

To conclude the complete easy on E-governance, we can say that it is the need of the hour. The government of India has launched many programmes to empower E-government.