E‐Governance

Prepared by
Bal Krishna Subedi
Asst. Professor
CDCSIT
University Campus
Tribhuvan University
Full Marks: 70+10+20 Pass Marks: 28+4+8

Credit hours: 3 Nature of course: Theory (3 Hrs.) + Lab (3

Hrs.)

Course Synopsis: This course contains concepts of E-Governance policies and data
warehousing / data mining.

Goal: To provide the knowledge of good governance using information and communication
technologies and case studies of different countries.

Course Contents:

Unit 1. Introduction 4 Hrs.

E-Governance: Needs of E‐Governance, Issues in E‐Governance applications and the Digital
Divide; Evolution of E-Governance, Its scope and content; Present global trends of growth in E‐
Governance: Other issues.

Unit 2. Models of E‐Governance 10 Hrs.

Introduction; Model of Digital Governance: Broadcasting/ Wilder Dissemination Model, Critical
Flow Model, Comparative Analysis Model, Mobilization and Lobbying Model, Interactive service
Model/Government to Citizen to Government Model (G2C2G); Evolution in E- Governance and
Maturity Models: Five Maturity Levels, Characteristics of Maturity Levels, Key areas, Towards
Good Governance through E-Governance Models.

Unit 3. E-Governance Infrastructure and Strategies 6 Hrs.

E‐readiness: Digital System Infrastructure, Legal Infrastructural Preparedness, Institutional
Infrastructural Preparedness, Human Infrastructural Preparedness, Technological
Infrastructural Preparedness; Evolutionary Stages in E‐Governance.

Unit 4. Data Warehousing and Data Mining in Government 5 Hrs.

Introduction; National Data Warehouses: Census Data, Prices of Essential Commodities; Other
areas for Data Warehousing and Data Mining: Agriculture, Rural Development, Health,
Planning, Education, Commerce and Trade, Other Sectors.
Unit 5. Case Studies 20 Hrs.
Nepalese Context: Cyber Laws, Implementation in the Land Reform, Human Resource
Management Software; India: NICNET, Collectorate, Computer-aided Administration of
Registration Department (CARD), Smart Nagarpalika, National Reservoir Level and Capacity
Monitoring System, Computerization in Andra Pradesh, Ekal Seva Kentra, Sachivalaya Vahini,
Bhoomi, IT in Judiciary, E-Khazana, DGFT, PRAJA, E-Seva, E-Panchyat, General Information
Services of National Informatics Centre; E-Governance initiative in USA; E-Governance in
China; E-Governance in Brazil and Sri Lanka.

Text / Reference books:

1. E-Governance: Concepts and Case Studies, C.S.R. Prabhu, Prentice-Hall of India Private
Limited, 2004.
2. Backus, Michiel, e-Governance in Developing Countries, IICD Research Brief, No. 1, March
2001.
 Unit 1 - Introduction
E-Governance

The term e-Governance implies technology driven governance. E-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-Citizens (G2C), Government-to-Business (G2B),
Government-to-Government (G2G) as well as back office processes and interactions within the entire
government frame work.

With the use of e-Governance, the government services will be made available to the citizens in a
convenient, efficient and transparent manner. The three main target groups that can be
distinguished in governance concepts are Government, citizens and businesses. Generally four
basic models are available-Government to Customer (Citizen), Government to Employees,
Government to Government and Government to Business.

E-Government

E-government is a general term describing the use of technologies to facilitate the operation of
government and the distribution of government information and services. The term is an
abbreviation of the phrase "electronic government," and it deals heavily with Internet
applications to aid in governments. It also covers a number of non-Internet concerns.

In the general sense, e-government can refer to such ordinary uses of electronics in government
as large-scale use of telephones and fax machines, surveillance systems, tracking systems such
as RFID tags, and even the use of television and radios to spread government - related
information. In this sense, it is not a new phenomenon by any means. The use of radio waves to
spread disaster warnings, or to give information on voting, is a aspect that has been in use for
many years. In many countries with state-operated media, the entire media becomes a form of
e-government, helping to spread pro-government messages.

Newer non-Internet applications offer the promise of streamlining government procedures and
improving functionality. Government systems to track citizens, ever-present surveillance, and
biometric identification are some applications that have many privacy advocates concerned
about the growing role of government in people's lives.
With the growing universality of the Internet, new opportunities are becoming available for
managing the business of government online. The distribution of social welfare programs, the
handling of government works projects, and providing information on representatives online
are all examples of e-government in action.

In addition to the Internet, mobile phones offer an even more convenient channel through which
to distribute government information. By using text-messaging, governments are able to send out
region-wide and specific emergency warnings, provide up-to-the-minute information upon request,
and in essence make government accessible to the people no matter where they may be, at any
time.

One area under much discussion and debate is finding a way to implement electronic voting on
everything from public measures to the election of representatives. Security concerns and a lack
of universal access to technology have slowed the implementation of e-voting, but many
advocates hold that it is simply a matter of time before these concerns are sufficiently addressed
and it becomes a standard.

E-government does not mean putting more computers on the desks of government offices, its
more than just a government website on the Internet. Political, social, economic and
technological aspects determine e-governance. It establishes a relationship between
government officials and citizens, providing greater access to government information and
services by making the government accessible online; promoting citizen participation by
enabling citizens to interact more conveniently with government officials, such as by requesting
government service and filing required documents through website; increasing government
accountability by making its operations more transparent, thereby reducing the opportunities
for corruption; and supporting development goals by providing business, rural and traditionally
underserved communities with information, opportunities and communications capabilities.

E-government is a process of transforming government; it requires planning, political will and a

sustained dedication of resources. Success of e-government will not be guaranteed with the
purchase of advanced technology or the direct automation of complex procedures until it can
increase the rate of citizen participation there by bringing about the greater effectiveness in
government. Technology introduction cannot change the mentality of bureaucrats who do not
view the citizen as valued customer of government or an important participant in decision-
making.
 E-government is not only used in developed countries. Some of the most innovative uses of the
Internet in governance are being successfully used in the developing countries, as well.

Non-Internet e-Government

While e-government is often thought of as "online government" or "Internet-based government,"

many non-Internet "electronic government" technologies can be used in this context. Some non-
Internet forms include telephone, fax, PDA, SMS text messaging, MMS, wireless networks and
services, Bluetooth, CCTV, tracking systems, RFID, biometric identification, road traffic
management and regulatory enforcement, identity cards, smart cards and other Near Field
Communication applications; polling station technology (where non-online e-voting is being
considered), TV and radio-based delivery of government services (e.g., CSMW), email, online
community facilities, newsgroups and electronic mailing lists, online chat, and instant
messaging technologies.

Difference between e-governance and e-government

Both the terms are treated to be the same, however, there is some difference between the two.

"E-government" is the use of the ICTs in public administrations- combined with organizational
change and new skills- to improve public services and democratic processes and to strengthen
support to public". The problem in this definition to be consistent with the definition of e -
governance is that there is no provision for governance of ICTs. As a matter of fact, the
governance of ICTs requires most probably a substantial increase in regulation and policy-
making capabilities, with all the expertise and opinion-shaping processes among the various
social stakeholders of these concerns. So, the perspective of the e-governance is "the use of the
technologies that both help governing and have to be governed".

E-Governance is the future; many countries are looking forward to for a corruption free
government. E-government is one-way communication protocol whereas E-governance is two-
way communication protocol. The essence of E-governance is to reach the beneficiary and
ensure that the services intended to reach the desired individual has been met with. There
should be an auto-response system to support the essence of E-governance, whereby the
Government realizes the effectiveness of its governance.
 E-governance is by the governed, for the governed and of the governed.

Establishing the identity of the end beneficiary is a true challenge in all citizen-centric services.
Statistical information published by governments and world bodies do not always reveal the
facts. Best form of E-governance cuts down on unwanted interference of too many layers while
delivering governmental services. It depends on good infrastructural setup with the support of
local processes and parameters for governments to reach their citizens or end beneficiaries.
Budget for planning, development and growth can be derived from well laid out E-governance
systems.

Strategic Objectives of e-Governance

The strategic objective of e-governance is to support and simplify governance for all parties -
government, citizens, businesses and its employees. The use of ICTs can connect all three parties
and support processes and activities. There may be two major objectives of e- governance:

1. Service to the Public: This objective of e-government is to satisfactorily fulfill the public’s
needs and expectations on the front-office side, by simplifying their interaction with various
online services. The use of ICTs in government operations facilitates speedy, transparent,
accountable, efficient and effective interaction with the public, citizens, business and other
agencies.

2. Efficient Government: In the back-office, the objective of e-government in government

operations is to facilitate a speedy, transparent, accountable, efficient and effective process
 for performing government administration activities. Significant cost savings in
government operations can be the result.

For implementing these strategies into reality, government must be subjected to transformation.

The transformation process is not so easy and not so simple. It requires a coherent strategy and
should begin with an examination of the nation’s regulatory environment and the ability of the
population to make use of planned technologies. The primary driving factor for e- government
reform should not be the potential it offers to save money and reformation does not mean cutting
staff. The savings incurred from e-government initiatives most often benefit the businesses and
citizens utilizing the improved system more so than the government agencies that invested in
them to begin with. In order to realize the benefits of transformation themselves, governments
must develop a citizen-centric model involving key stakeholders outside of government—
community, businesses, and professional associations, scientists, academics and NGOs. Without
their input and demand, even e-government projects that focus on internal government
processes may not prove successful because citizens are unlikely to use a system that does not
respond to their needs.

Process reform, leadership, strategic investment, collaboration and citizen participation are
essential elements in the transformation process. Once government makes strategies to
transform the governance process, it must prepare to meet the significant challenges and
opportunities that will arise during implementation. The implementation process should
address the issues of infrastructure development, law and public policy, e-literacy, accessibility,
privacy, security and workforce issues. Awareness, education and rollout programs are also
needed. To make the e-governance initiative successful, a good marketing program is required
through out the country to encourage citizens to make use of them.

E-Governance and Nepal

There has been much talk about good governance but little attention has been given to e -
governance. In the 21st century, good governance naturally implies e-governance. By
governance, we mean methods of decision-making and implementation through active
involvement of the stakeholders.
E-governance entails the use of electronic means, particularly the Internet, in governance. E -
governance connects civil society, private and public sectors through faster, cheaper and
transparent interactions. For the people, it brings online services. For the internal
administration of the government, it entails efficiency, economy and effectiveness.

E-government ranges from providing relevant information on the web to the public to one- point
service in an integrated information system of the government. While people are provided with
information at home in the beginning phase, people and businesses can carry out all interactions
and complete transactions without going to a government office in the final stages.

In fact, the state machinery that is complete with files and cupboards, centralized processes and
hierarchical structures turn into an automated millisecond service system.

In the last few years, e-governance has been the goal of the Nepal Government. With the adoption
of IT Policy in 2057 B.S., the government aimed at developing a knowledge-based society
through rapid development of information technology. It set some ambitious targets like
computer education for all by 2010, access to the Internet in every village, e-medicine and
computerization of government offices.

Despite the adoption of the sound policy, the targets remain distant. The government has
introduced a computerized system in many central offices, and some relevant information can
be found on the web. However, for the realization of e-governance, these efforts lag far behind.
The government networking system is being described as a ‘not working system’.

It is true that e-governance is not that easy. It requires enduring political commitment, large-
scale economic investment, and a high level of technological expertise, social equality and social
access. In a country where the government changes very year, trade scarcity and low growth
rate characterize the economy, low literacy and inequality together with linguistic differences
are rampant in society and old theoretical education has not embraced ICT, and IT skills are rare,
e-government has been pushed further away.

The greatest challenge to implementing e-governance is the development of infrastructure.

Therefore, due emphasis should be given to the development of e-government infrastructure in
the country. It needs to be built up for all sectors of e-governance: access to services by the
citizens, delivery of services by the government and internal use by government departments.
The government should also ensure a coordinated development of infrastructure in various
parts of the nation to avoid the divide between ICT enabled and non-enabled. While on one end
the government needs large computing infrastructure to develop and deliver e-government
services on a continuous basis, infrastructure is also needed at the end for the citizens to derive
the benefits of the services.

The process of modernization of governance is not simple or quick. It requires a clear strategy,
beginning with examination of the nation’s political will, resources, regulatory environment and
ability of the population to make use of planned technologies.

It calls for fundamental changes in the interactions and relationships between the governed and
the governor. It is the fusion of ICT with the modernization process of the notorious public
administration to reinvent a people-centered approach to governance.

The poor and developing countries have not been able to catch up with the speed of
industrialization of the developed economies, and they have been further marginalized. This
marginalization has created unending dependency. The experiences of the early decade of the
ICT revolution suggest that they might also fall behind if they do not pay extra attention to the
proper use of ICT.

The public sector is one of the key sectors where ICT can trigger a wider impact in the
development of the country. The geographical terrain of Nepal is difficult. It is perhaps the use
of ICT and e-governance that can fulfill these shortcomings.

ICT’s application

While designing new structures, processes and agencies of public administration, they should be
judged from the point of view of applicability of ICT. E-governance should incorporate central to
local services and active participation to passive service reception. The vision of a new Nepal
should consist of e-governance that is accessible to all without any kind of explicit or implicit
divide.

[Text from Editorial of The Rising Nepal, National Daily]

Nepal is facing numerous challenges while introducing and implementing e-government

programs, such as political issues, inadequate human resources, lack of necessary legal
framework, little public awareness about ICT, poor ICT infrastructure across the nation, to name
a few. Due to lack of integrated planning, ICT resources in the government offices are not
fully utilized. Most of the government officials have a mindset that they will lose their jobs if ICT
is introduced in their working environment. As a result, they are resistant to the proposed
changes.

Nepal is in the process of being New but its just becoming popular slogan of political parties.
"New Nepal" should not only become a popular slogan but it should really happen with the
positive values and aspirations of its citizens geared towards the peace and progress. There are
many dimensions streamlined and drivers identified to make "New Nepal" dreams come true.
One of such dimensions is the reformation of the government. Governance and its service
process should be well reengineered to fulfill the aspirations of its citizens. Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) and its tools can help its effective and efficient transformation.

With the beginning of the information age, the way we work, study, and live have been
experiencing dramatic changes. Due to the influence of economic and information globalization
and the rise of the digital economy, governments are "reinventing" themselves to meet new
expectations and the priorities of citizens and businesses. These dynamics are compelling many
governments to create a new vision for its relationship with businesses and citizens and to create
a new organizational structure to fulfill its mandate. E-Government can fulfill the mandate of
government formulating a new vision of how government views its citizens, employees and
businesses, and building a citizen-centered, service-oriented, public- participative government
with efficient, accountable, transparent and performance government system. ICT based online
service is the most democratic and unbiased service system. It offers equal opportunity to all
races, genders, and ethnic groups.

E-Government breaks the barrier of geographical diversity and makes the government services
handy to all citizens at villages who are even not connected by roads and opens up many
opportunities, provided Internet connectivity is available either through wireless
communication, fiber optic cables, dial-ups, VSATs or whatever other medium. Besides
providing service to citizens, it’s important to empower and motivate government employees to
expect better service from them. E-Governance should transform the government workers into
empowered knowledge workers. Nepal should not miss the benefits of global economy and
specially the benefits offered by Internet.

Although Nepal stands at the lower rung in the global scenario of ICT, there have been noticeable
developments in the ICT sector in the recent past. The telecommunication facilities
have improved remarkably. The academic institutions/universities producing ICT
professionals/human resources have expanded. The communication technologies, both
electronic and print media, have extended their access to general people. Uses of the Internet,
emails and computers are gaining in popularity. Tele-centers are widening their outreach.
Several e-Government applications are being introduced.

Noteworthy among the country's recent e-Government initiatives is Nepal's e-Government

Master Plan, completed in November 2006. Another milestone is the preparation of an ICT
Development Project, which has worked out detailed investment proposals for prioritized
projects. Negotiations are underway between the Government of Nepal and the Asian
Development Bank for its financing and implementation arrangements. The Government of
Nepal is, thus, keen and committed to promote e-Government for implementation of various
G2G, G2C and G2B projects defined under respective priority areas.

But the road to e-Government is not easy and straight. There are no doubt ample opportunities
for national development through e-Government promotion. There are also several hurdles,
problems and challenges that need to overcome for successful accomplishments of Nepal's e -
Government vision.

NEWS : Nepal slips on e-government development indicator

Although the government touts it is keenly focusing on the development of Information Communication
Technology, particularly e-governance, Nepal has slipped 11 positions and landed on 164th position in
global ranking of 193 countries on e-government development, according to a survey of United Nations
Public Administration Network. The network, which published its report on e-Government Survey 2012,
says Nepal was ranked 153rd position in a similar survey in 2010. The drop in rank suggests the
government of Nepal is still not efficiently using the ICT tools to deliver public services.

The survey ranks UN member countries based on E-Government Development Index, which is a
composite indicator that measures the willingness and capacity of national administrations to use
information and communication technologies to deliver public services.

The government of the Republic of Korea retained first position earned in 2010. Likewise, Netherlands
and the United Kingdom became second and third most advanced e-government in the world respectively.
Denmark, the United States and France are among top five leaders in e-government.

Among South Asian countries, Maldives is ranked highest (at 95th position) for adopting e-governance. Like
Nepal, India too slipped down five spots this year and was ranked at 124th position. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
are ranked 115th and 134th respectively.
The report states that countries like Israel and Luxembourg have entered in top 20 investing
considerable resources in e-government in the last few years.

The score of Nepal in online services is 0.28 out of 1, similar to that of 2010. According to the report, Nepal
scored just 0.026 in e-participation and it had scored 0.05 in previous survey. Similarly, India scored 0.18
in e-participation and its score in 2010 was 0.20.

[News on MyRepublica.com]
Needs of E-Governance

E-Governance seek to achieve

• Efficiency
• Transparency
• Citizen's participation

Enabling e-governance through ICT contributes to

• Good governance, Trust and Accountability

• Citizen's awareness, empowerment and Citizen's welfare
• Nation's economic growth
• Ensure transparent, timely and hassle free delivery of services.
• Provide greater public access to information and has proved to be a more efficient and
cost-effective way of governance.
• E-Government can transform citizen service, provide access to information to empower
citizens, enable their participation in government and enhance citizen economic and
social opportunities, so that they can make better lives, for themselves and for the next
generation.

WHY e-GOVERNANCE?

1. To build an informed society – An informed society is an empowered society. Only informed

people can make a Government responsible. So providing access to all to every piece of
information of the Government and of public importance is one of the basic obje ctives of E-
Governance.
2. To increase Government and Citizen interaction - In the physical world, the Government and
Citizens hardly interact. The amount of feedback from and to the citizens is very negligible. E -
Governance aims at build a feedback framework, to get feedback from the people and to make
the Government aware of people's problems.

3. To encourage citizen participation - True democracy requires participation of each individual

citizen. Increased population has led to representative democracy, which is not democracy in
the true sense. E-governance aims to restore democracy to its true meaning by improving citizen
participation in the Governing process, by improving the feedback, access to information and
overall participation of the citizens in the decision-making.

4. To bring transparency in the governing process - E-governance carries an objective to make the
Governing process transparent by making all the Government data and information available to
the people for access. It is to make people know the decisions, and policies of the Government.

5) To make the Government accountable - Government is responsible and answerable for every
act decision taken by it. E-Governance aims and will help make the Government more
accountable than now by bringing transparency's and making the citizens more informed.

6) To reduce the cost of Governance - E-Governance also aims to reduce cost of governance by
cutting down on expenditure on physical delivery of information and services. It aims to do this
by cutting down on stationary, which amounts to the most of the government's expenditure. It
also does away with the physical communication thereby reducing the time required for
communication while reducing cost.

7) To reduce the reaction time of the Government – Normally due to red tapism and other
reasons, the Government takes long to reply to people's queries and problems. E -Governance
aims to reduce the reaction time of the Government to the people's queries and problems,
because 's problems are basically Government's problems as Government is for the people.

E-Governance provides SMARRT Government. The Acronym SMARRT refers to Simple, Moral, Accountable,
Responsive, Responsible and Transparent Government.

S - The use of ICT brings simplicity in governance through electronic documentation, online submission, online
service delivery, etc.
M - It brings Morality to governance as immoralities like bribing, red--‐tapism, etc. are eliminated.
A -It makes the Government accountable, as all the data and information of Government is available online for
consideration of every citizen, the NGOs and the media.
R - Due to reduced paperwork and increased communication speeds and decreased communication time, the
Government agencies become responsive.
R ‐ Technology can help convert an irresponsible Government Responsible. Increased access to information
makes more informed citizens. And these empowered citizens make a responsible Government.
T ‐ With increased morality, online availability of information and reduced red-‐‐tapism the process of governance
becomes transparent leaving no room for the Government to conceal any information from the citizens.

Advantages of E-Governance
Following are the advantages of E-Governance:
1. Speed – Technology makes communication swifter. Internet, Phones, Cell Phones
have reduced the time taken in normal communication.

2. 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.

3. Transparency – Use of ICT makes governing process transparent. All the information
of the Government would be made available on the Internet. The citizens can see the
information whenever they want. Current governing process leaves many ways to censor
the information from all the people. ICT helps make the information available online
eliminating all the possibilities of censoring of information.

4. 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.

Issues in E-Governance applications

A number of issues, some old and some new have arisen in e-governance application, for example:
(i) Lack of strategies and financial plan.
(ii) The project implementation is generally vendor driven
(iii) Lack of standardization (For example, similar projects are carried out by different state
agencies using incompatible file formats and application standards)
 (iv) Reverse compatibility of application with legacy systems are missing in several
projects.
(v) The IT Infrastructures are obtained just before building the application or digitizing the
data.
(vi) Physical security is emphasized, whereas the Logical and application security is left to
vendors in many cases.
(vii) Lack of understanding by the departments, for the components of e-governance
applications, which can be outsourced or can be carried out in-house.

Phases in E-Governance
1. Phase 1: Information Technology framework
2. Phase 2: Digitization
3. Phase 3: Citizen Access
4. Phase 4: Content Development

In the first phase: Information Technology framework

The IT framework need to be identified and the project should be rolled out only after
evaluating the feasibility of the project in terms of capacity building, readiness and financial
sustainability.
Consequences: – If the project feasibility is not analyzed properly, the project could be the
great failure, if it gets success by luck, it lead to delays and increased cost of the project

In the second phase: Digitization

The digitization is important to the success of the project. Large amount of data leads to mess
and redundancy of the project. Before the digitization is initiated the data should be filtered.
The data cleansing should be done periodically and only by the departments.
Problem: – The outsourced agency that is generally entrusted with this task is not the correct
approach, since this leads to corruption, stealing and weakening of data.

In the third phase - Citizen Access:

To make the information available, the infrastructure plays a very vital role. The
infrastructure includes telecommunication network, Electricity, Booths etc.

In the Fourth phase - Content Development:

This phase is not limited to content updating, but the transactions must be merged,
scrutinized and updated. The transactional data must be converted into historical data and
separate data mart may be created.
e-Governance Challenges

e-governance, however, is not really the use of IT in governance but as a tool to ensure good governance. e-
governance does not meanproliferationof computersandaccessories; it is basically apolitical decisionwhich calls
for discipline, attitudinal change inofficers and employees, and massive government process re-engineering.

All implementers and drivers of e-governance initiatives agree that the biggest challenge of
deploying e-governance is not technology but change management. Change management is
important not only in terms of cultural change but also in terms of changing operations and
processes workflow that the automated environment will introduce.

"It's important to educate people at all levels about the benefits of technology. The various benefits
and advantages of e-enabling the system should be communicated clearly right at the beginning to
ensure popular support which will lead to greater chances of success."

It is important to explain to people that the introduction of IT will not take away existing jobs
but will make them easier, and if less manpower is required for operations the staff can be re -
deployed elsewhere with no threat to their career growth path.

The key challenges with electronic governance are not technology or Internet issues but
organizational issues like:

• Redefining rules and procedures

• Information transparency
• Legal issues
• Infrastructure, Skill and awareness
• Access to right information
• Interdepartmental collaboration
• Tendency to resist the change in work culture

Other obstacles are geographical distances, lack of trained human resources, and lack of ICT
penetration in remote areas. For instance, a good e-governance application will not benefit
anybody in remote areas if there is no supporting infrastructure such as electricity, computers
and connectivity. Many pilot projects have been successfully implemented in almost all areas of
e-governance, "Rather than having an obsession to undertake pilot projects, we should capitalize
on the existing successful examples in the country and customize them for our use."
The challenges of connectivity have also reduced over the years with the falling prices of
bandwidth and increased reach of connectivity service providers. Major VSAT service providers
already have established large footprints, and telecom service providers have stepped up their
leased line offerings even in previously unrepresented territories. Many governments have
developed nation wide networks, customized applications, and data banks. But the
interconnectivity of the servers is an issue, which calls for the establishment of state data
centers.

The issues such as standardization, inter-operability, security, and propriety vs. open source are
still required to be solved.

The other set of challenges lie in extending the reach of e-Governance services to Nepalese
population that lives in villages. These include:

• Assessment of local needs and customizing e-Governance solutions to meet those needs
• Connectivity
• Content (Local content on Local language)
• Building Human Capacities
• e-Commerce
• Sustainability

e- -‐Governance Challenges Specific to Nepal

• Lack of Integrated Services: Most of the eGovernance Services being offered by the
governments are not integrated. This can mainly be attributed to Lack of
Communication between different Departments. So the information that resides with
one department has no or very little meaning to some other department of Government.
• Lack of Key Persons: eGovernance projects lack key persons, not only from
technological aspect, but from other aspects as well.
• Different Languages: A challenge due to the diversity of the country. It enforces need to
do governance in local languages. Ensuring eGovernance in local language is a big task to
achieve.
o Success factors of e-Gov projects
▪ 20% Technology
▪ 50% Process
▪ 20% Change Management
▪ Rest is LUCK
The Digital Divide
The digital divide refers to the gap between people who enjoy regular access to technology, ( such
as computers and their related functions like ability to get on the Internet), and those who do not
have this access. There are many ways to look at or consider the digital divide. The divide
separates the “haves and have-nots”.

A term, digital divide used to describe the difference between people who have access to and the
resources to use new information and communication tools, such as the Internet, and people
who do not have the resources and access to the technology. The term also describes the
discrepancy between those who have the skills, knowledge and abilities to use the technologies
and those who do not. The digital divide can exist between those living in rural areas and those
living in urban areas, between the educated and uneducated, between economic classes, and on
a global scale between more and less industrially developed nations.

Internet and computer use has undoubtedly increased in the urban areas of Nepal and the digital
divide may be smaller within certain populations but the case is totally different on rural areas.
It remains a fact that poorer people may not be able to afford technology, and poorly funded
schools aren’t always able to offer regular use of technology to their students. In contrast,
students in middle class and upper class families, and in schools that have medium to excellent
funding, may have technology at home and school. This gives them considerable advantages over
those whose homes and schools don’t have the same offerings.

Poorer nations are divided more from richer nations in this respect, and many argue that the
wealth of information available to poorer nations through the Internet could help improve lives
and put an end to poverty.

To this end there are many charitable and government run organizations that help to shrink the
digital divide by providing computers or funding to get computers to individuals or educational
institutions. They may address the divide in a specific country that is developing too. However,
this can be problematic. In countries with severe poverty, many feel that first efforts should go
toward providing clean water, medical care and food as needed instead of giving people
technology access. Moreover, in areas that don’t have electricity sources, digital materials can be
relatively useless, and some argue trying to end the digital divide in extremely poor countries
may not be possible until these countries achieve certain quality of living standards.
Conceptualization of the digital divide is often as follows:
• Subjects of connectivity, or who connects: individuals, organizations, enterprises,
schools, hospitals, countries, etc.
• Characteristics of connectivity, or which attributes: demographic and socio-economic
variables, such as income, education, age, geographic location, etc.
• Means of connectivity, or connectivity to what: fixed or mobile, Internet or telephony,
digital TV, etc.
• Intensity of connectivity, or how sophisticated the usage: mere access, retrieval,
interactivity, innovative contributions.
• Purpose of connectivity, or why individuals and their cohorts are (not) connecting:
reasons individuals are and are not online and uses of the Internet and ICTs.

Scope (Possible Area) of e-Governance

e- -‐Government is the use of information technologies(IT) in public administrations combined
with organizational changes to improve public services.

Governance is all about flow of information between the Government and Citizens, Government
and Businesses and Government and Government. E-Governance also covers all these
relationships as follows:

A. Government to Citizen (G2C)

B. Citizen to Government (C2G)
C. Government to Government (G2G)
D. Government to Business (G2B)

A. Government to Citizen

Government to Citizen relationship is the most basic aspect of E-Governance. In modern times,
Government deals with many aspects of the life of a citizen. The relation of a citizen with the
Government starts with the birth and ends with the death of the citizen. A person transacts with
the Government on every corner of his life. It may be birth registration, marriage registration,
divorce registration or death registration.

The G2C relation will include the services provided by the Government to the Citizens. These
services include the public utility services i.e. Telecommunication, Transportation, Post, Medical
facilities, Electricity, Education and also some of the democratic services relating to the
citizenship such as Certification, Registration, Licensing, Taxation, Passports, ID Cards etc.
Therefore E-Governance in G2C relationship will involve facilitation of the services flowing from
Government towards Citizens with the use of Information and Communications Technology
(ICT).

1. E-Citizenship - E-Citizenship will include the implementation of ICT for facilitation of

Government Services relating to citizenship of an individual. It may involve online
transactions relating to issue and renewal of documents like Ration Cards (India),
Passports, Election Cards, Identity Cards, etc. It will require the Government to create a
virtual identity of every citizen so as to enable them to access the Government services
online. For the same, Government would need to create a Citizen Database, which is a
huge task.

2. E-Registration - E-Registration will cover the online registration of various contracts.

An individual enters into several contracts during his life. Many of these contracts and
transactions require registration for giving it legality and enforceability. Such registration
may also be made ICT enabled. E-registration will help to reduce a significant amount of
paperwork.

3. E-Transportation - E-Transportation services would include ICT enablement of services

of Government relating to Transport by Road, Rail, Water or Air. This may involve online
–

1. booking and cancellation of tickets,

2. status of vehicles, railways, boats and flights,
3. issue and renewal of Driving Licenses,
4. registration and renewal of vehicles,
5. transfer of vehicles,
6. payment of the fees of licenses,
7. payment of fees and taxes for vehicle registration,

4. E-Health - E-Health services would be ICT enablement of the health services of the
Government. Under this interconnection of all hospitals may take place. A patient
database may be created. A local pharmacy database may also be created.

5. E-Education - E-Education would cover the implementation of ICT in imparting of

education and conducting of Courses. Distant as well as classroom education will be
 facilitated with the use of ICT. Use of Internet can reduce the communication time
required in Distance education; Internet may also help in conducting online classes.

6. E-Help - E-Help refers to facilitation of disaster and crisis management using ICT. It
includes the use of technologies like Internet, SMS, etc. for the purpose of reducing the
response time of the Government agencies to the disasters. NGOs help Government in
providing help in situations of disasters. Online information relating to disasters,
warnings and calls for help can help the Government and the NGOs coordinate their work
and facilitate and speed up the rescue work.

7. E-Taxation - E-Taxation will facilitate the taxing process by implementing ICT in the taxing
process. Online tax due alerts and online payment of taxes would help transact faster.

B. Citizen to Government

Citizen to Government relationship will include the communication of citizens with the
Government arising in the Democratic process like voting, campaigning, feedback, etc.

1. E-Democracy - The true concept of Democracy includes the participation of the

citizens in the democratic and governing process. Today due to the increased population
the active participation of the citizens in governing process is not possible. The ICT can
help enable the true democratic process including voting, public opinion, feedback and
Government accountability.

2. E-Feedback - E-Feedback includes the use of ICT for the purpose of giving feedback to
the Government. Lobbying is pursuing the Government to take a certain decision. Use of
ICT can enable online feedback to the Government, online debates as to the Government
services.

C. Government to Government

G2G relationship would include the relationships between Central and State Government and
also the relationship between two or more Government departments.

1. E-administration - E-administration would include the implementation of ICT in the

functioning of the Government, internally and externally. Implementation of ICT can
reduce the communication time between the Government Departments and
 Governments. It can substantially reduce paperwork if properly used. E-administration
will also bring morality and transparency to the administration of Government
Departments.

2. E-police - The concept of E-police is little different from Cyber-Police. Cyber Police requires
technology experts to curb the electronic/cyber crimes. E-police refers to the use of ICT
for the purpose of facilitating the work of the Police department in investigation and
administration. The concept of E-police includes databases of Police Officers, their
performances, Criminal databases – wanted as well as in custody, the trends in crimes
and much more. ICT can help reduce the response time of the Police department and also
reduce cost by reducing paperwork.

3. E-courts - The concept of E-Court will include the ICT enablement of the judicial
process. Technology may help distant hearing, online summons and warrants and online
publication of Judgments and Decrees.

D. Government to Business

1. E-Taxation - Corporate sector pays many taxes, duties and dues to the Government.
Payment of these taxes and duties will be made easier by E-Taxation. Online taxing and
online payment of taxes can help reduce cost and time required for physical submission
of taxes. ICT can also help crosscheck the frauds and deficiencies in payment, further
bringing accuracy and revenue to the Government.

2. E-Licensing - Companies have to acquire various licenses from the Government,

similarly the companies have to acquire various registrations. ICT enablement of the
licensing and registration can reduce time and cost.

3. E-Tendering - E-Tendering will include the facilities of online tendering and

procurement. It will show online alerts as to new opportunities of business with the
Government and also online submission of tenders and online allotment of work. It will
reduce time and cost involved in the physical tendering system.
Evolution of E-Governance
• Initiatives were take up as early as 1972 by Chile
• Prof. Stafford Beer implemented for President Allende of Chile, the first governance
software that would help the government survive a severe crisis.
• Major contribution by US Vice President Al Gore in early 1990s, which rooted worldwide
in the information superhighway.
• Widespread in US, UK, Canada, Australia and India
• Focus largely on development of infrastructure such as fiber-optic networks.
• Concept of Information Society or Knowledge Society evolved
• E-governance came into a formalized and focused manner with partial success to
implement Information System in the government departments and public
organizations.
• During 1980s and 90s, govt. all over the world lagged behind the commercial world in
accepting and implementing ICT.
• Commercial and industrial world went far ahead all over the world in harnessing the
potential of ICT in their core and peripheral activities. They used ICT to reach out to
their customers and business partners, thereby impressively enhancing their quality,
speed and convenience.
• Visible success cases of use of ICT
– ATM services
– 24 hour call center
– E-Shopping
• Software export increase (banking, financial, aviation, industrial sector from India,
Ireland, Israel, China)
• 1990s and 2000 - Development of ITES (IT enabled Society)
– Resulted in remote services like call centers, data entry

Point to be noted - All the above-mentioned services are not e-Governance service.

• Government last in the queue of institutions providing IT services.

• Initial Efforts in E-governance:
– Partial automation of existing paper bases manual process
– Did not result in significant Business Reengineering Process compared to private
sector
– No big changes seen in government enterprises
 • May be because of
• Conservatism
• Resistance to change
• Rigidity of legislative body
• Major issues that has become highly relevant for large-scale implementation of ICT in
governance
– Issue of Security
– Privacy
– Vulnerability (exposure) of public ICT infrastructure to crime
– Potential to abuse, terrorism and general crime
– Problems in social cohesion
– Social Exclusion --- digital divide

• The scope of ICT implementation in government machinery result in

– Improvement of efficiency and effectiveness of the executive function of
government, including delivery of public services
– Greater transparency of government to citizens and business permitting greater
access to the information generated or collated by the government
– Fundamental changes and improvement in relations between citizen and the state
thereby improving the democratic process
– Better interactions and relationships amongst different
• Wings of the same government
• State or local government within a country
• Countries whose governance are web-enabled
• Any e-governance activity/project involves appropriate
– Hardware and corresponding system software
– Networking of the hardware identified above- both the Internet and Intranet
environment
– Application software

UN e-Government Readiness Index

There are several international rankings of e-government maturity. The Eurostat rankings,
Economist, Brown University, and the UN e-Government Readiness Index are among the most
frequently cited. The United Nations Public Administration Network conducts a bi-annual e-
Government survey, which includes a section titled e-Government Readiness. It is a comparative
ranking of the countries of the world according to two primary indicators:

i) the state of e-government readiness; and

ii) the extent of e-participation.

The following is the list of the top 10 countries according to the UN's 2012 e-Government
Readiness Index.

Rank Country Index

1 Republic of Korea 0.9283

2 Netherlands 0.9125

3 United Kingdom 0.8960

4 Denmark 0.8889

5 United States 0.8687

6 France 0.8635

7 Sweden 0.8599

8 Norway 0.8593

9 Finland 0.8505

10 Singapore 0.8474

11 Canada 0.8430

12 Australia 0.8390

13 New Zealand 0.8381

14 Liechtenstein 0.8264

15 Switzerland 0.8134

e-Government by country

[ASSIGNMENT]
e-Government – an alternative approach

Recent government policy updates have seen a shift away from e-Government towards a much
more radical focus on transforming the whole relationship between the public sector and users
of public services. This new approach is referred to as Transformational Government.
Transformation programs differ from traditional e-Government programs in four major ways:

• They take a whole-of-government view of the relationship between the public sector and the
citizen or business user.
• They include initiatives to e-enable the frontline public services: that is, staff involved in
direct personal delivery of services such as education and healthcare – rather than just
looking at transactional services which can be e-enabled on an end-to-end basis.
• They take a whole-of-government view of the most efficient way managing the cost base of
government.
• They focus on the "citizen" not the "customer". That is, they seek to engage with the citizens
as owners of and participants in the creation of public services, not as passive recipients of
services.

Present global trends of growth in E-Governance

• According to press reports during the end of 2002
– Indicate a trend of global growth in e-governance utilization
– Adults using Internet worldwide increase by 15% according to the findings of Second
Government Online Study published by Taylor and Nelson.
– 3 out of 10 citizens (30%) access government services online compared with
only a quarter (26%) in 2001

• Government online services mostly used for

– Search Information (24%)
– Download Information (11%)
– Increase in % to search info – 20% to 24% from Sep 2001 to Sep 2002

• Globally, online government transactions increased from just 6% to 7% during 2001 and 2002
and the percentage of those providing personal details to government increased from 7% to 8%

• E governance usage in different countries (between 2001-2002)

– Australia – significant increase from 31% to 46%
 – Turkey – 3% to 13%
– Netherlands – 32% 41%
– US – 34% to 43%
– Japan – decrement by 4% - 17% to 13%
• In 2001, security issue was the main concern which improved globally in 2002.
• 2001 – 14% felt secured with credit card and bank account numbers
• 2002 – this increased to 23%
• Highest levels of safety was seen in the Scandinavian Market (Denmark, Finland, Norway and
Sweden) together with some South East Asian markets (Singapore and Hong Kong) - around 1/3
of users felt safe.
• In contrast- 90% of Japanese felt accessing online services unsafe.
• Germany 82% and France 76% - unsafe

Other Key Findings

• Governance online service is more dominant to men (33%) than women (26%)
• 2001 – 2002 - Subsequent rise in government online usage among
– 35-44 years old (22% to 36%)
– 55-64 years old (2% to 18%)
– 65 years and above (7% in 2001 and 5% in 2002)
• Globally, no. of people making government transaction online = people making online
shopping transaction
• 15% of Internet users have made online government transactions and in addition 15% have
made an online purchase at least during that year.
• Only 16% users in Hungary access government online services while its 81% in Norway
• In countries like Singapore, Norway and Sweden – high usage of online government services
as the citizens feel comfortable with this approach of dealing with the government
• In Britain, New Zealand and South Korea – usage of government online services lags behind
the normal Internet usage
• All the above statistics on usage of e-governance services is time bound. Over the years, there
has been a definite rise in the usage of e-governance all over the world.

~
 Unit 2. Models of E-Governance
Model of Digital Governance
Models of digital governance are still evolving in developing countries. A few generic models

have shaped up, which are finding greater recognition and are being replicated. These models

are based on the inherent characteristics of ICT such as enabling equal access to information to

anyone who is the part of the digital network and de-concentration of information across the

entire digital network, connecting all sources of information. Information does not reside at any

particular node in the Digital Governance Models but flows equally across all the nodes – a

fundamental change from the more common hierarchical information flow model that leads to

unequal distribution of information which skew power relations.

Hierarchy is inherent in the government departments. Equity based information flow may not

be always compatible with government functioning. Therefore, appropriate administrative

reforms and some reengineering may be required before e-governance may be really

implemented. The models of governance are different in developing countries and developed

countries due to difference in basic conditions and perspectives and expectations from good

governance. The six generic models of digital governance in developing countries are:

• Broadcasting/ Wilder Dissemination Model,

• Critical Flow Model,

• Comparative Analysis Model,

• Mobilization and Lobbying Model,

• Interactive-service Model

• E-Governance Maturity Model

Broadcasting/ Wilder Dissemination Model
PUBLIC DOMAIN ➔ WIDER PUBLIC DOMAIN
Critical Flow Model
Critical Private Domain ➔Wider Public Domain
Comparative Analysis Model
Evaluation
Developing countries can effectively use this model to their advantage as ICT
Mobilization and Lobbying Model
Building Allies / Network for rigorous action
Interactive-service Model/Government-to-Citizen-to-Government Model
(G2C2G)
E-Governance Maturity Model
Evolution
The E-Governance Maturity Model (EMM – 1.0), based on the conventional software maturity
models, proposes some levels of maturity, depending on the effectiveness with which the e-
governance efforts have been initiated, implemented or successfully complete. The model also
provides for identification of key focus areas that need to be concentrated for attaining a specific
maturity level.
Traditionally, e-governance has been defined as an ICT enabled route to good governance with a
view to enhancing transparency in the system and provide prompt and quality services to the
citizen. E-governance is an evolutionary path, whose effective implementation requires a
complete understanding of its various elements and at the same time taking a holistic view to
stay focused on its overall objectives.

E-Governance journey encounters several milestones that need to be identified and modeled so
that efforts invested can be assessed and an appropriate course of action are taken by the
organization to further its way on the path of e-governance. The E-governance Maturity Model
(EMM – 1.0) proposes 5 levels of maturity, depending upon the effectiveness with which the e-
governance efforts have been initiated, pursued, utilized and institutionalized. EMM 1.0 will
facilitate government organizations to assess the current level of e-governance initiatives and
accordingly make efforts for the future. The model further identifies the characteristics exhibited
by organizations at various levels of maturity that will facilitate correct assessment of the
current status. The model also provides Key Focus Areas that need to be focused on to attain a
particular maturity level.
Five Maturity Levels

Contd. …
Contd. …
Contd. …
Characteristics of Maturity Levels

Contd. …
Contd. …
Key Focus Areas
Towards Good Governance through E-Governance Models.
~
 Unit 3. E-Governance Infrastructure and Strategies
While e-governance is a reality beyond hype in developing countries, a fact usually not
understood is that many e-governance initiatives fail before they are well entrenched on a
permanent and sustainable basis. With the proper infrastructure and strategies we need to
answer following questions:
• What are the reasons behind high mortality rate of e-governance?
• What are the pitfalls and bottlenecks?
• What is the solution for this?

E-readiness
Developing countries face serious constraints and limitations or challenges to fully adopt e -
governance. All these are related to the e-readiness of the country i.e. its readiness for e-
governance implementation. E-readiness means the infrastructural pre-requisites for taking up any
e-governance initiative. These infrastructural prerequisites or preconditions may be identified
as:
• Data System Infrastructure Preparedness
• Legal Infrastructural Preparedness
• Institutional Infrastructural Preparedness
• Human Infrastructural Preparedness
• Technological Infrastructural Preparedness
• Leadership and strategic planning

Data System Infrastructure Preparedness

Legal Infrastructural Preparedness

Institutional Infrastructural Preparedness

Human Infrastructural Preparedness

Technological Infrastructural Preparedness

Evolutionary Stages in E-Governance.
public display.
~
 Unit 4. Data Warehousing and Data Mining in Government
Introduction

National Data Warehouses

Census Data

Prices of Essential Commodities

Other areas for Data Warehousing and Data Mining
Agriculture

Rural Development

Health

Planning
Data from surveys covering all the planning of a country is managed in a warehouse and
various types of analytical queries and reports can then be generated.

Education
Commerce and Trade

Other Sectors.

~
 CH5 – e-Governance – Case Studies

Nepal

1. IT Policy & Cyber Law

2. IT Implementation in the Land Reform

3. Human Resource Management Software

India

1. NICNET

2. Collectorate

3. Computer-aided Administration of Registration Department (CARD)

4. Smart Nagarpalika

5. National Reservoir Level and Capacity Monitoring System

6. Computerization in ‘Andra Pradesh’

7. Ekal Seva Kentra

8. Sachivalaya Vahini

9. Bhoomi

10. IT in Judiciary

11. E-Khazana

12. DGFT

13. PRAJA

14. E-Seva

15. E-Panchayat

16. General Information Services of National Informatics Centre

Other Countries

17. E-Governance initiative in USA;

18. E-Governance in China;

19. E-Governance in Sri Lanka.

20. E-Governance in Brazil