e-Governance in India: Objectives, Benefits & Key Features

e-Governance means the application of Information Technology and Communication (ITC) for the purpose of governance. Through e-governance, information can be distributed to the public in a transparent manner and to deliver government services through digital platforms efficiently.

Read on to know more about e-Governance, its significance, benefits and e-Governance in Indian context.

What is e-Governance?

Electronic governance or e-governance is adopted by countries across the world. In a fast-growing and demanding economy like India, e-governance has become essential. The rapid growth of digitalisation has led to many governments across the globe to introduce and incorporate technology into governmental processes.

Electronic governance or e-governance can be defined as the usage of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) by the government to provide and facilitate government services, exchange of information, communication transactions and integration of various standalone systems and services. 

In other words, it is the use of technology to perform government activities and achieve the objectives of governance. Through e-governance, government services are made available to citizens and businesses in a convenient, efficient and transparent manner. 

Examples of e-governance include Digital India initiative, National Portal of India, UIDAI portal, filing and payment of taxes online, digital land management systems, online Common Entrance Test, etc.  

SMART Governance

e-Governance is a move towards SMART governance. A SMART governance means the following:

S (Simple) - Means simplification of government rules and regulations and avoiding complex processes.

M (Moral) - Means the introduction of a new administrative system and political machinery with technological advancements to improve the efficiency of various government institutions and agencies. 

A (Accountable) - Means the development of an effective information management system to ensure the accountability of public service functionaries and employees.

R (Responsive) - Means speeding up processes by streamlining them, making it more responsive. 

T (Transparent) - Means providing information in the public domain, like portals or websites, making government functions and processes transparent. 

Features of e-Governance

The features of e-Governance includes the following:

• E-Services: The main features of e-Governance is the provision of online services within the government framework, such as government to government, government to citizens, government to businesses services.
• International Services: All essential services can be provided to the citizens living outside India for job purposes or other reasons through e-Governance.
• Simplified Process: The gap between citizens and the government in delivering government services is narrowed due to e-Governance. The dependence of the citizens on the bureaucracy is also reduced.
• Citizen Opinion: Citizens can exercise their right to express their opinions through e-Governance. They can share their views with the government on any government decision or bill through feedback.
• Citizen Empowerment: Through e-governance, citizens can gather information and empower themselves. They can be up-to-date with relevant information at minimal cost and time.
• Government Service Information: Various critical information relating to government processes and licenses, such as import-export certificate, company registration, trade license, investment situation, etc., are available through the internet, which saves time and increases economic dynamism.

Types of Interactions in e-Governance

E-Governance can take place in four major types of interactions, apart from the processes and interactions in the back-office, within the government framework:

Government to Government (G2G) 

Information is exchanged within the government i.e., either, between the central government, state government and local governments or between different branches of the same government. 

Government to Citizen (G2C) 

The citizens have a platform through which they can interact with the government and get access to the variety of public services offered by the Government.

Government to Businesses (G2B) 

The businesses are able to interact with the government seamlessly with respect to the services of the government offered to businesses.

Government to Employees (G2E) 

The interaction between the government and its employees occurs in an efficient and speedy manner.

Objectives of e-Governance

The objectives of e-governance can be listed down as given below:

• To support and simplify governance for government, citizens, and businesses. 
• To streamline government services, making them accessible and efficient and ensuring timely delivery of services to the citizens and government officials.
• To make government administration more transparent and accountable while addressing the society’s needs and expectations through efficient public services and effective interaction between the people, businesses, and government. 
• To reduce corruption in the government. 
• To ensure speedy administration of services and information by automating processes and reducing paper-based work.
• To reduce difficulties for business, provide immediate information and enable digital communication by e-business. 

While e-governance provides the advantages of convenience, efficiency and transparency, it also has problems associated with it. They are as follows: 

• India is still a developing country and a vast majority of the citizens lack computer literacy which hinders the effectiveness of e-governance.
• Lack of accessibility to the internet or even computers in some parts of the country is a disadvantage to e-governance.
• e-Governance results in a loss of human interaction. As the system becomes more mechanised, lesser interaction takes place among people. 
• It gives rise to the risk of personal data theft and leakage. 
• e-Governance leads to a lax administration. The service provider can easily provide excuses for not providing the service on technical grounds such as “server is down” or “internet is not working”, etc.

Significance of e-Governance

• Improves efficiency, accessibility and delivery of government services.
• Improves government interactions with industries and businesses.
• Empowers citizens by providing access to information.
• Improves transparency and reduces corruption in the administration and management.
• Reduces the cost and improves revenue growth.
• Reduces paperwork and red-tapism in the administrative process.
• Improves relations between civil society and the public authorities.

e-Governance in the Indian context

e-Governance in India is a recently developed concept. The launch of National Satellite-Based Computer Network (NICENET) in 1987 and subsequent launch of the District Information System of the National Informatics Centre (DISNIC) programme to computerise all district offices in the country for which free hardware and software was offered to the State Governments provided the requisite impetus for e-governance. 

e-Governance thereafter developed with the growth of technology. Today, there are a large number of e-Governance initiatives, both at the Union and State levels. In 2006, the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) was formulated by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology and Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances. 

NeGP aims at making all government services accessible to the common man, ensure efficiency, transparency and reliability of such services at affordable costs to realise the basic needs of the common man. The NeGP has enabled many e-governance initiatives like: 

• Digital India was launched in 2015 to empower the country digitally.  Its main components are:
  • Developing a secure and stable digital infrastructure
  • Delivering government services digitally
  • Achieving universal digital literacy
• Aadhaar is a unique identification number issued by UIDAI that serves as proof of identity and address on the basis of biometric data. It is being used to provide many benefits to the members of the society. One can e-sign documents using Aadhaar. 
• myGov.in is a national citizen engagement platform where people can share ideas and be involved with matters of policy and governance. 
• UMANG is a Unified Mobile Application which provides access to central and state government services including Aadhaar, Digital Locker, PAN, Employee Provident Fund services, etc. 
• Digital Locker helps citizens digitally store important documents like mark sheets, PAN, Aadhar, and degree certificates. This reduces the need for physical documents and facilitates easy sharing of documents.  
• PayGov facilitates online payments to all public and private banks. 
• Mobile Seva aims at providing government services through mobile phones and tablets. The m-App store has over 200 live applications which can be used to access various government services. 
• Computerisation of Land Records ensures that landowners get digital and updated copies of documents relating to their property.  
• e-Panchayat aims to digitise various functions of Panchayats to provide better access to information and services for citizens.
• e-District provides access to various government services to citizens through a single platform. Many states and districts in India have an e-District portal to facilitate online service delivery to the citizens of the state.  

In addition to the above, State level e-governance initiatives include:

• E-Seva (Andhra Pradesh) facilitates payment of utility bills, issuance of certificates, licenses and permits. 
• Khajane Project (Karnataka) digitalized the treasury system of the state.
• FRIENDS (Kerala) is a single-window facility to pay taxes and other financial dues to the State government. 
• Lokvani Project (Uttar Pradesh) is a single-window solution relating to the handling of grievances, land record maintenance and providing a mixture of essential services.

e-Governance Portal of India

The Indian e-governance portal is https://nceg.gov.in. On this portal, one can get comprehensive information regarding the National Conference on e-Governance and reports on earlier conferences.  

Additionally, the portal provides links to the following important pages:

• Digital India.
• National Portal of India: It is developed to provide access to information and services being provided by the government.
• Digi Locker
• myGov: It aims to encourage citizen participation by seeking their ideas, suggestions, expert thoughts and ideas with the government in areas related to various programmes, policies, schemes etc. 
• Make in India: It is a platform for businesses and entrepreneurs providing information on setting up business and resolve queries related to investments.

Benefits of e-Governance

• Citizens can access government services and information online, thus, saving their time and money.
• Citizens will get quicker services without unnecessary delays due to online automate processes.
• It provides better understanding of government adminstration by providing access to information and policies.
• It helps government provide services that are quick and accurate.
• It makes things easier for businesses and encourages them to invest and grow economy.
• It gives the government necessary information to make better decisions for all.

Difference Between e-Governance and e-Government

The below table provides the difference between e-Governance and e-Government:

e-Governance bridges the gap between the government and citizens, thus enhancing service delivery and increasing transparency. In India, initiatives like Digital India, e-Seva portals, digitisation of land records, etc., have transformed how citizens interact with government departments. It is reshaping administration and empowering citizens through technology-driven, user-friendly platforms.