Foreword
Historically, the term "information technology" included all technologies related
to collecting, processing, storing, and sharing information. However, as
technology has advanced, the term has acquired various meanings. The modern
term, "Information Communication Technology" (ICT), was mainly adopted in the
late 1970s and now generally covers both computer and communication
technologies, which share a common basis in microelectronic technology and
related software innovations.
Until the 1970s, computer and telecommunications technologies were
considered quite separate. However, significant advances in microelectronics,
software, optics, and the increased integration of telecommunications with
computer technologies have blurred this distinction. Microelectronics has
provided a common foundation for the rapid development and merging of both
fields. The move from analogue to digital technologies in telecommunications
has led to switching and transmission systems becoming more like computers
and incorporating more software. Many communication facilities now resemble
computers with specialised functions. Furthermore, the development of
networking technology has greatly expanded communication between
computers since the early 1960s, when online computer systems were first
introduced. These advances have eroded the traditional boundaries between
telecommunications and computer technologies, shaping the modern concept of
Information Communication Technology.
The rapid growth of digital technologies has created new ways of organisation,
driven by increased data and knowledge sharing among individuals and
organisations. However, this also introduces significant new challenges for
developing effective governance structures. Digital governance in public
administration involves using digital technologies and data to improve
government operations, offer better public services, and encourage citizen
participation. It focuses on utilising information and communication technologies
(ICTs) to simplify processes, boost transparency, and ensure accountability
within government. It is anticipated that digital governance will help transform
public administration by employing technology to create a more efficient and
citizen-centred government. Digital governance aims to enhance citizens’ access
to government information and services. It puts the citizen at the centre of
government service delivery. Although there is widespread agreement on the
definition and scope of e-government, differences still exist regarding scope,
budget, resources, skills, technology, and the government’s vision.
Digitalisation of Governance
Digital governance, or e-governance, has played a crucial role in restructuring
and redesigning organisations by integrating information science and technology
into existing administrative and management systems. The evolution of
governance over the years and through various phases has transformed the way
governments interact with their citizens. The nature of these interactive
processes and the relationships between citizens and governments is rapidly
changing, in line with new developments and innovations in information and
technology. The methods of managing information, processing, outreach, and
the outcomes of government-citizen interactions—using new media and
technologies—have led to novel and innovative governance initiatives worldwide,
especially in the last decade of the 20th century. Among these, digital
governance has become synonymous with ‘transformation’ in public
administration systems.
Various global and national agencies have expanded the definition of digital
governance and digital government to describe a situation where administrative,
legislative, and judicial bodies digitise their internal and external operations and
utilise networked systems efficiently to improve the quality of public services.
These reforms enable governments to enhance access to information, promote
civic engagement by facilitating public interaction with officials, increase
government accountability through transparency, and reduce opportunities for
corruption. They also create development opportunities, particularly benefiting
rural and traditionally underserved communities.
Governments are intended to serve their citizens. Their main role is to manage
and improve administration for the benefit of the people. The public
administration process relies heavily on data and information processing.
Government authorities collect and process various data and information about
individuals, families, organisations, and companies, and then use this to
generate new information for the public, such as policies, strategies, plans, and
regulations, as well as providing various services. Information technology is
primarily used to support government information processing, including data
collection, storage, processing, dissemination, and utilisation.
At a basic level, information technology is changing or even eliminating many
distinctions between reports, publications, databases, records, and similar
entities. It now permits decentralised information sharing that is cost-effective
even at low demand levels. Many types of public information, such as
administrative, managerial, technical, statistical, scientific, and referential data,
are best stored and shared electronically. For example, national census, election
data, and statistical reports could be made available on optical discs and
accessed through websites by anyone. The electronic and network distribution of
government documents and increasing public access to government data have
developed in many countries, with systems enabling users to search, locate,
view, and download government reports, studies, software, data files, and
databases, all with regular updates.
Currently, all levels of government—national, state, and local—are utilising
information technology, especially the Internet, to enhance the delivery of public
services to citizens, businesses, and other government bodies. It has the
potential to establish a more direct connection between the government and its
citizens, opening up new opportunities while also presenting new challenges.
This could allow citizens to interact with and access services from all government
organisations, including state and local, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Through these initiatives, government service delivery has become more
convenient, reliable, and cost-effective.
To meet the demands of the information age, governments employed advanced
information technology and the Internet to reinvent their existing methods and
organisational structures, which were designed for the industrial age and have
existed for around two hundred years. This marked a transformation of
government, primarily driven by digitalisation. The goal was to create a
government suitable for the information age using modern information
technology. As a result, the guiding principle and the most common term in
government in the new millennium was ‘transformation’. The transformation
process is, in fact, the development and creation of digital government.
The development of e-commerce and new market economy models is putting
enormous pressure on governments to adopt the e-governance model. People
and businesses hope that these digital reforms will eliminate bureaucracy,
simplify and unify government procedures, make it easier for them to interact
with the government, and increase transparency, honesty, and integrity within
government operations. Essentially, the main demand from businesses and
citizens in the information age is to transform the current multi-departmental,
hierarchical, and control-focused government into a smart, service-oriented, and
customer-centred entity. Furthermore, many governments aim to leverage e-
government to keep pace with the waves of the new economy, attract new
economy enterprises to invest locally, reverse industrial decline, and foster
regeneration through the intelligent use of e-government and other ICT systems.
Indian Experiences of Digital Governance
In India, the initial steps towards e-governance were taken by establishing the
National Informatics Centre (NIC) in the 1970s. It has done an excellent job of
linking thousands of government offices, which serve as repositories of a wealth
of information necessary for planning, implementing numerous development
schemes, and governance. NIC is now the largest repository of comprehensive
information about India, its people, its wealth, its projects, trade, commerce, and
many other sectors. It has been tasked with computerising work in various
departments of both the Union and state governments. Throughout this process,
NIC has developed diverse and extensive skills for computerising and networking
government offices. The more than two decades of pioneering work and
experience of NIC have enabled it to provide a broad perspective on all matters
related to e-governance for those involved in and dedicated to this challenging
task.
The New Economic Policy of 1991 reduced the scope and role of the public
sector. The focus was on creating conditions where the public sector could
compete with the private sector. The government has been trying to achieve
these objectives by deregulating industries and liberalising foreign investment
and technological imports. The government has adopted a more promotional role
to create a favourable environment for both the public and private sectors. The
guidelines of several centrally-sponsored programmes have supported
community-based organisations in formulating and implementing development
initiatives. Among the central ministries, significant progress has been made by
the Ministries of Rural Development, Environment and Forests, Education, and
Water Resources. These experiences of utilising ICT tools at grassroots level
have enhanced the transparency and accountability of the state.
The Information Technology Act, 2000, accelerated the use of information and
communication technology in governance—including political, economic, and
social spheres. E-governance or electronic governance has enabled the
computerisation and interconnection of various departments and improved the
delivery of public services. Networking has harnessed the capabilities of the
Internet and the World Wide Web. This has promoted connectivity among
different government departments. Now these departments can collaborate
efficiently without significant wastage of time and resources. The
computerisation of internal administration has led to automation and
enhancements in record-keeping and document handling.
Citizen-centric services are now available online. Various governments have
launched projects and programmes that facilitate the digital delivery of services
such as education, healthcare, policing, agriculture and extension, employment,
passports, vehicle registration, birth and death certificates, and income tax filing.
Over the past two decades, e-governance has become well established in India.
Almost every state has an IT policy aimed at shifting from being IT-aware to
being IT-enabled. State governments are quickly recognising the benefits of an
IT-enabled working environment.
Earlier, the government focused on in-house applications in areas such as
defence, economic monitoring, and data-intensive tasks like elections and tax
administration, and the groundwork was laid. The launch of the national
computer network NICNET, which used satellites in 1987, established the
foundation for e-governance in India. Subsequently, the DISNIC programme
aimed to computerise district offices. The National E-Governance Plan (NeGP),
introduced in 2006, sought to make government services accessible, efficient,
transparent, and affordable for all citizens. Various initiatives, including Digital
India, Digilocker, Mobile Seva, myGov.in, and others, have been launched under
NeGP to promote e-governance across the country.
These digital reforms have revolutionised the functioning and understanding of
public governance in India. They have influenced teaching and research in public
administration across various universities, and E-Governance has become a part
of many course syllabi, including those of public service commissions. Although
many academic activities, such as seminars, workshops, and symposiums on
digital governance and e-governance, are now common, a comprehensive work
that is accessible and easy to understand is still missing. In this context, this
book, authored by Dr. Ganta Durga Rao, aims to play a vital role in bridging this
gap.
Dr. Durga Rao explored various topics and subtopics within the professional and
academic environment, explaining them in a detailed yet simple manner with
references and quotes. The volume covers the difference between e-governance
and e-government, their links with public administration, colonial legacies
through NPM to digital transformation of governance, key milestones in Indian
digital initiatives, the IT Act, RTI, NeGP, CSCs initiatives by different governments
and their outcomes, impacts on urban and rural governance, as well as
challenges related to inclusiveness and future recommendations.
I congratulate Dr. Durga Rao on this valuable addition to the existing literature
on digital governance with a flash mode.
Prof. Y. Pardhasaradhi
Former Director, Regional Center for Urban and Environmental Studies (RCUES)
& Professor of Public Administration, Osmania University, Hyderabad, INDIA
Former Dean, School of Social Sciences, Central University of Jammu, J&K
General Secretary & Treasurer, Indian Public Administration Association (IPAA)
