India develops five-year-e-government plan

BEYOND OUR BORDERS

Unlike some of its poorer neighbours, India is a software powerhouse, and boasts a strong IT sector. But within its population of one billion, poverty is rampant.

The national government, however, has big plans: the Planning Commission of India has developed a five-year plan (2002-2007) for e-governance and convergence projects. It has proposed that a portal be set up to serve as a one-stop destination for public access to information, with single-window delivery of online services. It has also recommended allotting US$130 million for the creation of a "citizens' database" that would involve issuing to all citizens smart cards, which would function as multipurpose cards, allowing citizens to make bill payments, vote electronically and obtain passports.

Sounds great. But little has been done to actually bring these concepts into reality, or bring e-governance to the average citizen. And, if e-government is to work, the country needs to be networked from top to bottom - a goal which it's far from achieving.

On a more optimistic note, there is hope. The state of Andhra Pradesh in southern India, for example, is turning rural areas into high-tech zones - which, if successful, could be copied by other states. The state government has teamed with HP to build over three years an "i-Community" in Kuppam, a rural area comprised of four villages. The two partners are developing e-government services, such as online land records, bill payments, birth and death registration, and connectivity to local schools and hospitals, as well as online health and agricultural services. The state government is helping to establish the necessary IT infrastructure in Kuppam to make this a reality. Unfortunately, there are those who oppose such projects, for a variety of reasons: they are afraid of greater transparency or they are afraid of being replaced by computers. In Andhra Pradesh, for example, workers set up a roadblock to protest against the i-Communily project. Even if such a project is successful, it will be difficult to replicate in every rural area across India. Even tech-savvy, well-connected cities face their own set of challenges when it comes to e-government. Many government employees don't actually know how to use computers or have access to them.

To combat this problem, the city of Bangalore is putting computers in every department, creating Web sites for each district and training employees how to use technology. It's also building 225 training centres across the state to educate students, women and low-income families about the benefits of IT. Future plans include setting up 7,500 information kiosks across the state. So, while there are progressive areas within India, the national government needs to provide a unified approach to e-government, one that includes all citizens in all states.

By Vawn Himmelsbach

Vawn Himmelsbach is a freelance journalist and former TIG editor. She is currently travelling throughout Asia. You can contact her at vhimmelsbach@itbusiness.ca

Copyright Plesman Publications Ltd. Jul/Aug 2002
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