Showing posts with label Mandatory E-Governance Services In India. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mandatory E-Governance Services In India. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

E-Delivery Of Public Services Development Policy Loan (DPL) Project Of India

Electronic delivery of services is an effective method to introduce transparency in governmental dealings and to reduce corruption therein. Similarly, e-delivery of services can also bring efficiency that can reduce costs and unnecessary time taking by government departments.

For instance, Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is planning to use electronic initial public offer (E-IPO) in India. With this investors would be able to bid for shares electronically and without the need for signing any papers physically. This could also be used as a mean to provide an exit to companies which are listed exclusively on defunct exchanges.

Similarly, Indian judiciary is exploring the possibility of using an electronic bail communication system in India. This system would ensure sending of bail order in real time so that unreasonable detention in jail can be avoided.

Further, with the passing of the proposed Cable TV Networks (Regulation) Second Amendment Bill 2011 of India, digital television services would be offered to consumers at affordable prices and with superior quality.

Even on the front of social networking, Indian government is considering enacting a framework and guidelines for use of social media for government organisations. This would ensure an interaction between government departments and general public on crucial issues and public grievances. A good social media policy of India can be really helpful in this regard.

Even private outsourcing models have been developed where citizen to government LPO and KPO services in India would be extended in future. This would be an extension of e-delivery of services from private sector to the government in India as pioneered by Perry4Law and Perry4Law Techno Legal Base (PTLB).

Recently the World Bank and Indian government signed a loan agreement of $150 million for the e-delivery of public services in India. In order to get the benefits of such loan, electronic services delivery in India has been proposed in the past. E-delivery of public services in India would still take few years as we have no legal framework for mandatory e-governance in India.

With the proposed draft Electronic Delivery of Services Bill 2011 (EDS Bill 2011) Indian government has for the first time shown its willingness to provide e-governance services in India. However, the proposed Draft Electronic Services Delivery Bill 2011 “failed” to provide mandatory e-governance services in India. The real problem with Indian e-governance initiatives in general and proposed ESD Bill 2011 in particular is that legal framework for mandatory electronic services delivery in India is still missing from it.

Legal framework for mandatory e-governance services in India is long due. Till mandatory e-governance services in India are ensured, e-delivery services in India cannot succeed.

An electronic services delivery policy of India must be formulated as soon as possible that must mandate a compulsory e-delivery of services in India. Such e-delivery of services must be provided in a time bound manner to be successful. Till now there are no hints of these pre requisites and the e-delivery of public services DPL project of India cannot succeed in these circumstances.

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Legal Framework For E-Governance In India

Electronic governance in India (e-governance in India) is still at its infancy stage. Most of the e-governance projects of India under the national e-governance plan (NEGP) are still in the pipeline despite the deadline being passed long before. This is despite the fact that thousand of crores of public money has already been utilised for e-governance projects of India but without any constructive and practical results.

Meanwhile, the World Bank has once again issued $ 150 million loan to India. It has been issued under the category of e-delivery of public services development policy loan of India. The purpose of the loan is to ensure e-services delivery policy in India that is presently missing.

However, what is more alarming is the fact that in India we have no Indian legal framework for e-governance that can ensure mandatory e-governance services in India. Although the information technology act 2000 carries provisions pertaining to e-governance services in India yet they are “non mandatory and retrograde” in nature. This has resulted in a poor e-governance services delivery in India. Till now we have no legal framework that mandates that citizens and organisations can claim e-governance as a matter of right.

Further, the scope of NEGP is very wide covering almost all aspects of governance - right from delivery of services and provision of information to business process re-engineering within the different levels of government and its institutions. It is essential that NGP is implemented, monitored and regulated through a legal framework so that it is no more just a plan but reality.

In fact, while implementing the NEGP, various structural and institutional issues have already arisen which clearly call for a statutory mandate for their resolution. The purpose would be to give statutory mandate to the institutional entities, setting up of a separate fund, defining responsibilities and providing for time frames and oversight mechanisms. Thus, this legislation may, inter alia, contain provisions regarding the following:

(a) Definition of e-governance in the Indian context, its objectives and role,

(b) Coordination and oversight mechanisms, support structures at various levels, their functions and responsibilities,

(c) Role, functions and responsibilities of government organisations at various levels,

(d) Mechanism for financial arrangements including public-private partnership,

(e) Specifying the requirements of a strategic control framework for e-government projects dealing with statutory and sovereign functions of the government,

(f) Responsibility for selection and adoption of standards and inter-operability framework,

(g) Framework for cyber security, privacy protection, data security and data protection etc.
(h) Parliamentary oversight mechanism, and

(i) Mechanism for co-ordination between government organisations at Union and State levels.