IfG.CC - The Institute for eGovernment

This is the era of e-governance. It has taken deep roots even in rural Karnataka, thanks to the “Bhoomi” project providing computerised copies of land records. The State government has now launched ‘Nemmadi’, an extended version of the Bhoomi project, where the public can get their routine work done in government offices through tele-centres.

Soon, digital governance, with its ever expanding and evolving self, will take the reins of the State, raising hopes of good governance. If elected representatives have to be democratically accountable to their voters, they have no choice but to keep pace with development. A reality check on how competent our netas are is the need of the hour.

It may not be virtually a paperless office. It will definitely involve papers and files but not the conventional way of files taking their sweet time to move from one department to another. Dispatch and transaction of files will be just a click away thanks to the latest paperless e-governance project prepared by the Krishnagiri district administration. Files can be transacted at the click of a mouse.

Sans DC, SP and CEO, the officials in Shimoga district are ready to use all the benefits of e-Governance but lag behind in sharing the information with public on their official websites.

District administration has been taking good care to popularise e-governance at all levels of working.

But officials of various departments pay less interest to provide information of their records and details of the department on the net.

Kiosks have been around for a while now. Initially their use was restricted to distributing information, but now they're becoming more interactive, and applications such as printing boarding passes are being rolled out.

If self-service is the best service, as many have claimed, interactive kiosks are perhaps the proof of the pudding. Combining ease and sophistication, they are fast becoming a style statement for companies that want to impress their customers. Plus, as is the case with all self-service mechanisms such as ATMs and Internet banking, the cost of getting customers to do their own work is proving irresistible for the service industry. From the vendor perspective, AGS Infotech, Intercode Solutions and SoftAid Computers are looking to tap this market by providing customised kiosks.