IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

The system, covering all central government departments and ministries, is expected to eliminate almost twenty million cheques. When fully operational, it is expected to cover a total payment of over Rs6,00,000 crore (US$122 billion).

GePG will facilitate direct credit of dues from the government into the account of beneficiaries using digitally signed electronic advice (e-advice).

The Information Kerala Mission (IKM), the flagship e-governance project of the Government of Kerala, is poised to introduce e-payment facilities to several municipalities and villages in the county including Kasargod and Manjeswaram.

M. Shamsuddin, Executive Chairman and Director of IKM said Kasargod will be the first municipality to enable tax payers to pay land and property tax online.

The electronic Indian postal order (eIPO) service is initially provided specifically for Indian citizens abroad who want to pay for a Right to Information (RTI) request.

India brought in its Right to Information law back in 2005, allowing citizens to request information from any public authority. For citizens abroad, the transparency law allows them to gain information direct from government to help them unravel conflicting information on Indian governance as reported in the media.

This was announced by deputy CM-cum-finance minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Saturday here at a launching function of "e-payment of VAT" organised by Punjab National Bank. He said under mission mode project, online facility for filing C' and F' forms, registration, tax payment, seeking refund, filing complaint will be made available.

Lack of e-payment facility with banks other than the State Bank of India was the biggest hurdle in the way of realisation of taxes and the Centre should take immediate initiatives for it, Modi told a workshop on e-governance organised by the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

Stating that the Central Excise department was availing e-payment facilities from 26 leading banks in India, he said "but similar facilities don't exist in states, including Bihar.

Indications are that e-payment of direct taxes would become mandatory for corporates to begin with. Already, corporates are required to file their income-tax returns through the electronic route only.

For all the assessees paying excise and service tax to the tune of Rs. 50 lakh and above per annum, it will be mandatory to make the payment through e-mode from 1st April, 2007. This was disclosed by the Finance Minister, Shri P. Chidambaram while launching the Electronic Accounting System in Excise and Service Tax (EASIEST) here today. Corporates are already familiar with the e-payment mode of the income tax.

The i-ticket (Internet-ticket) facility, introduced by the Railways in 2002-03, allows users to book a ticket through the Internet, reports Business Line. But the ticket print-out is taken by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) and delivered by post to the passengers. The Railways, which launched e-tickets in 2005 after about a year of delay since the proposal was envisaged - feared that the e-tickets may be misused. E-tickets have proven to be a hit since their launch. Apart from the sheer ease of taking the print-out at the user's end without having to wait for a courier delivery, the fact that the service charge for booking e-tickets are cheaper than i-tickets also helped.

While stating this here today, a spokesman of the HUDA said that the portal would enable the citizens to make online payments directly through the bank account and also by way of credit cards. With the launch of this facility, HUDA would become the lead development authority in the country to have implemented such a programme.

He said that the web portal would minimize the risk of carrying cash to the banks and would also reduce the burden of making bank drafts and standing in queue. The allottee would no longer have to worry for the posting of vouchers in his account. The payment deposited by the allottees would be reflected immediately in his or her property account. A confirmation to this effect would be sent on the e-mail address of the allottee.

Sanjay Guleria, director, Symbiotic Drugs and Diabetic Care Private Limited, Parwanoo made the first VAT e-payment by depositing Rs 99,999/- through the new online facility.

Speaking on the occasion, Dhumal said efforts in extending e-governance had enabled the government to extend electronic payment of VAT for businessman. Initially the facility would be available to the traders having TIN Numbers, he added.

Chief Minister congratulated the Excise and Taxation Department for launching the e-enabled Web Portal to facilitate businessmen of the State with electronic payment of VAT and adding a new chapter into the e-governance endeavours of the State Government. He said that initially the facility would be available to the traders having TIN Numbers issued by the Department of Excise and Taxation and having their accounts in the State Bank of India and Punjab National Banks. He said that with the launch of the facility, VAT payers would be able to deposit their payments electronically upto 9.00 PM every day and the payment made after that would be accounted for on the next date. He said that it was internet enabled operation at reduced cost based upon citizen-centric perspective for improved convenience of the people. He said that the facility would enable the businessman to make payment from any part of the world through email and save them from all hassles they had been experiencing in depositing the VAT etc. in the respective offices in person. He said that Department would soon be launching e-return service for the benefit of the traders.

The insurer has entered into a strategic partnership to this effect with the government of Rajasthan. e-Mitra is an e-governance initiative of the state government.

Customers can now walk into the listed e-Mitra kiosks, produce their acknowledgement letters and policy numbers, and make their premium payments in cash.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) plans to completely computerise its finance wing in a month to help every Bangalorean monitor online how his municipal tax money is being spent.

It will also allow you to pay taxes online.

The Karnataka e-governance department, the nodal agency for implementing various e-governance projects under the National egovernance plan, plans to extend e-governance services to the rural areas by adding around 5,000 centres. To be built on the lines of those in Bangalore, the centres will deliver services of government and private departments to the citizens.

The civic administration has already completed the pilot project, with 100 transactions across Mumbai for payment of tax bills for a minimum amount by way of SMSes. Citizens will be required to purchase an ITZ card — a pre-paid cash card — for the bill payment.

Speaking to Newsline, SK Jha, Chief Commissioner of Income Tax-2, Pune, who was in the four-member committee from India that visited Canada in 1993 to study about the computerisation of the Income Tax department, said that the transition from paper workto e-governance has eliminated the red-tapism and brought in more transparency. "Before the introduction of e-governance the paper works regarding filing of returns, processing, scrutiny and monitoring were time consuming task. The computerisation has not only eliminated the time delay in office work but also have benefited the common tax payer in a big way," he said.

Orissa also on Wednesday became the first state in the country to simultaneously introduce online services for three separate facilities, like, online payment of tax and fee, web-based application and appointment system for Learners License and anywhere anytime application and issuance of vehicle permits.