What is e-Government all about? For whom is it meant? Does it merely signify computerisation? Is much of it that’s happening today merely hype? Can e-Government impact policy, technology, administrative and citizens’ issues? Let’s first analyse the structure of democracy in the world. A democratic country has three pillars in a broad sense:
- Citizens
- Political Representatives
- Administrative Authority
For their problems and grievances, citizens communicate with a political representative via the physical mode like a personal meeting, by handing over a letter, or over the phone (infrequently) or through the use of postal services such as a registered letter. A majority of the population in India is based in rural and semi-urban areas because India is an agri-based developing country.
In such a scenario, when citizens have to deal with their political representative, there is a lot of inconvenience and harassment in terms of time, money and the inability to actually have their problems redressed. Even when problems are redressed, the delay in getting things done can be agonising. I have personally had experience of the basic problems people in rural India face because I have spent time in villages and seen just issues first-hand.
Even when citizens do manage to get through the political representative via the physical mode, the busy schedules of the latter may mean they don’t have the time or inclination to devote to such problems. When political representatives do make the time, these problems are forwarded to those in the administration and bureaucracy.
Then comes the third pillar in a democracy – the Administrative Authority or Civil Service. When the citizen’s file or documents reach here, the citizen then starts following up with the administrative authority for redressal of his grievance. Now begins the truly harrowing part of the experience, when the poor man is made to run from pillar to post. The harassed citizen is simply given bland assurances that his problem is “under consideration” and will be solved in due course.
Of course, some lucky citizens may get their work done faster if they have the right “contacts” amongst the political or administrative machinery. Or others may manage faster results by greasing palms at every stage. For those who can’t manage this, their case may end up getting lost in amidst the machinery of government.
The reason for this administrative non-functioning is that there are too many hierarchies, with nobody wanting to take a firm decision to get the work done. Everything must be done “through the proper channel” and the buck keeps getting past through various tables, without stopping anywhere!
Thus, red tape has been severely undermining the progress of the country at the macro level and creating unwanted stress and unhappiness for the average citizen at the micro level.
In such a scenario, the citizen seeks timely and hassle-free services. This is where IT comes in. Its use can ensure that citizens’ needs are met in time and their problems redressed speedily.
Thanks to the digital and internet revolutions, a worldwide transformation is taking place, even in once-tardy government services. This is what e-government is meant to be all about.
But is e-government easy to implement? Is it based on citizens’ requirements? Are there any parameters to judge e-government? Does e-government require long-term planning and policy?
Finding the political will for transformation is key. Take states like Karnataka or Andhra Pradesh. How did they pioneer e-government initiatives? The answer: it was the Chief Minister’s own initiative in creating and promoting e-government. In other states, where the political will has been lacking, e-government has not taken off or even been on the agenda.
E-government is more an administrative issue than a technology issue. Once administrative reforms have been put in place for e-governance, the momentum of the digital world will take things forward at the right speed.
Autor: Raj Kumar Prasad
Quelle: Public Sector Technology & Management, 20.06.2005
