Broadband in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Factors Affecting Attitudes Towards Adoption

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III

Delivering E-government

Editor

G. P. Sahu

GIFT PublishingGlobal Institute of Flexible Systems ManagementNew Delhi

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GIFT Publishing is Publication Division ofGlobal Institute of Flexible Systems Management (GIFT), New Delhi.

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Foreword

The proof of the pudding is in its eating, thus goes the saying. All the complexitiesand technological marvels of E-government would be of no use if it is not deliveredproperly. Delivering E-government is a non-trivial activity that requires and indepthunderstanding of change management, delivery technologies and government processes.

Very often, we have seen projects that have been exceptionally successful in oneplace to fail miserably in another place when the very same piece of code is transplanted.The macro reasons are obvious – processes and people vary from place to place andhence the delivery methodologies should also be fine tuned. However, the devil lies inthe details. One needs to understand the specific process and people differences thatmake a tangible difference that is substantial enough to require specific changes inthe delivery methodologies and delivery technologies.

Delivering E-government also has a temporal dimension. The very fact that E-government is technology enabled exposes it to the vagaries of constant innovation intechnology. Such innovation implies that E-government delivery mechanisms need tochange from time to time, based on the current prevalent technology. Who would havethought that pagers will have no place in the Indian Telecom scenario, within a fewyears of them being introduced in India. Therefore, is E-government delivery wasbased on pagers, then that would have had to be changed as soon as the deliverytechnology changed. Similarly, it is not a prevalent belief that “fat” PC’s are not themost effective delivery device and that perhaps once should explore thin clients, mobilephones and even access devices fitted on refrigerators and cars as alternate deliverydevices.

This book has done justice in bringing forth the issues of delivering E-governmentand I am sure that it will inspire more researchers to work on this topic. I would like tocongratulate the editor of this book for the fine work.

M.P. Gupta

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PrefaceE-government essentially consists of a strategy delivered through appropriate people,

processes and technology. These dimensions of E-government delivery are however verycomplex to manage and coordinate. However, in order to address the complexities of thesedimensions, it is essential to first identify the challenges in delivering E-government. Thesechallenges may arise from the basic paradigms or from the extents to which E-governmentis stretched to.

Once such challenges are tackled, it becomes important to identify the appropriatemedium for delivering the IT enabled government service. The perplexing gamut of channelsfor delivering E-government services begs to have a consistent metric by which one is ableto identify the appropriate channel for delivering the service. Would it be wise to deliver aservice through a touch screen kiosk in a place that has very high illiteracy ? Or would itbe sagacious to use Common Service Centers (CSC) in a place with high density of PC’sand internet connectivity ? Just as it is critical to use appropriate technology for developingE-government solutions, similarly, it is imperative to use appropriate delivery mechanismsfor the success of an E-government initiative.

In order to make such service delivery mechanisms sustainable, it is again necessary toensure organizational structures that facilitate the sustainability of the deliverymechanisms. Often public-private partnership has been put forward as a panacea forsustainability. However, there may be other mechanisms that are worth studying beforeadopting PPP.

Finally, how do we deliver E-governance to rural areas ? Rural areas provide a completelydifferent set of challenges due to the infrastructure challenges existing in villages. Even ifwireless is touted as a mechanism for providing connectivity, it would be a meaninglessexercise if there is no electricity to power the access devices at the citizen end. This alsobrings in technology policy issues of having low power consuming access devices such asthin clients that are supposed to consume less than 5 Watts, which can be powered throughbatteries or even hand powered generators. How do we setup datacenters in rural areas ?Can we use the latest technologies of having ready made datacenters in regular containersfor our rural areas ?

These are some of the issues that are examined in this book. Hopefully the book will beuseful in crafting the appropriate delivery structures for E-government.

G. P. Sahu

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ContentsForeword v

Preface viChallenges in Delivering E-government1. E-Governance ‘Paradigms’ Revisited: Constraints and Possibilities

Vinayshil Gautam 12. Ten Emerging E-government Challenges Today: The Future May be

Sober and not HypeD.C. Misra 6

3. E-services in Government: Why do we need Strategies for CapacityBuilding and Capacity Utilization?Girija Krishnaswamy 15

4. Capacity Building for E-governmentPiyush Gupta 25

5. Broadband in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Factors Affecting AttitudesTowards AdoptionYogesh Dwivedi and Vishanth Weerakkody 35

6. Continual Innovation E-governance Through Information Technologyand Knowledge ManagementVaruna Godara 49

7. Challenges of Taking E-governance to Grass-root through LocalizationProcess: An Indian PerspectiveSwaran Lata and Somnath Chandra 55

8. Twenty Five Steps to Successful E-governanceSameer Sachdeva 66

9. Twenty Five Steps Towards E-governance FailureSameer Sachdeva 80

Government Service Delivery10. One-Stop Source of Government Services through the National Portal of India

Neeta Verma, Alka Mishra and Pechimuthu Thangamuthu 8811. Community Information Centres (CIC’s) – e-governance for Development

Nandita Chaudhri and Shefali S. Dash 9612. Akshaya – A Grass Root Level IT Project in Kerala - An Unique

Experiment with BroadbandCh. Radhakumari 105

13. A Case Study Approach to Model the E-commerce Adoption Capabilityof Indian Rural Market Co-operativesK.B. Saji 123

14. Use of Smart Card Technology for E-governance Service DeliveryS K Sinha 138

15. Rural Women Education and Health Information Service DeliveryExperience with ICT ToolsV. S Venkatesan and Jain Bai 152

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Organisational Aspects16. Need for Organisational Development in E-governance

D. N. Gupta 16017. Outsourcing in Government Sector: A Strategic Perspective

Umesh Gulla and M.P.Gupta 17018. Public-Private-People Partnerships in E-government: A case study of

Singapore TracksNeerja Sethi and Vijay Sethi 181

19. Sustainability of Community Information Centers in North East-A Public Private Partnership ModelRajat Kanti Baisya 191

20. Role of Innovation Management in Government ProcessS. Wadhwa and J. Madaan 199

21. Strengthening Local Self Governments through IT: A Case Study of KeralaP. V. Unnikrishnan 208

Rural E-governance22. A Study of E-governance in Rural India

Atanu Ghosh and Gargi Banerjee 22223. An E-enabled Knowledge Sharing Framework For Rural India

Pradeep Kumar and Tapati Bandopadhyay 23224. Rural Development through Internet Kiosks-A Longitudinal Evaluation

of RASI Project In IndiaG. Kannabiran, MJ. Xavier and T. Banumathi 240

25. E-governance Systems (E-choupal) and Decision-Making Processes in AgricultureSushil Kumar and Jabir 252

26. Bridging the Digital Divide Learning from TARA Heat ProjectRam Lal, Abid Haleem and A.R. Khan 262

27. National Panchayat Portal (NPP): A Distributed Knowledge Management(DKM0 for Rural CommunitiesD. C. Misra, Rama Hariharan and Anjali Dhingra 268

28. Towards a Model of Integrated Delivery of Services in Rural IndiaVed Prakash Gulati and Shilpa Srivastava 274

29. Making a Case for E-governance in Rural Areas: A Study of HamirpurDistrict in Himachal PradeshAmar Jeet Singh 284

30. IT as a Source of Intrepreneurship Development in Rural areas- AkshayaProject in the State of Kerala, IndiaCh. Radhakumari 297

31. E-sahayata: Integrated Citizen Information and Service CentersSusant Kumar Panda, Susanta Kumar Mohapatra, Lalatendu Dash,Jagannath Prasad Bakshi, Kartik Chandra Panda and Ajit Kumar Pattanayak 315

32. Rural e-SevaC.S.R. Prabhu and N.S. Sathya Sai Baba 322

33. E-government: A Study on Current Scenario in Rural IndiaNiti Agarwal, G.P. Sahu and Vishal Mittal 335

Author index 343Subject Index 345

E-governance 'Paradigms' Revisited: Constraints and Possibilities

Vinayshil Gautam1

We live in a strangely paradoxical historical times with regard to issues of governance. Where as arousedidentities, technological change, process of globalisation, et all, make the processes of governance itself afairly complex one to add to it the problems of a 'mode' multiplies the significance and seminality of all ourefforts.

Strangely these are 'the best of times' and 'the worst of times'. Old problems do not really go away andfresh ones emerge. Solutions to past 'risks' become gateways to new threats. They reflect not only thechoices of governance paradigms but also are the outcomes of macro-economic choices. What is needed a isa holistic and total framework of analysis to reflect upon e-governance issues.

Governance has to do with the exercise of political power for a just and enduring management of resources.The purpose can only be to ensure optimal benefits for its citizens. The process is not easy to define and iscertainly as old as the civil society.

Any organic existence over an extended period of usage and operation is bound to develop certain wearand tear and aberrations. It is therefore natural to attempt reform and renewal.

The oldest formulations on human conduct and behaviour are religious dictats on 'right and wrong'. Thereward and punishment is sometime on this earth or often remitted to some platform somewhere on a high,usually labeled heaven or hell. Be it the Ten Commandments etched in stone which Moses delivered tohumanity or the 'Manusmriti' traced to the first ruler after 'the deluge' as per Indian tradition or the guidingprinciples of Koran, it is obvious that religious codes have predated civil codes. Most religions have hadtheir share of reforms, be it the Buddhist or Jain, attempts of Hinduism or the Lutherian/protestant attemptsat reform of Christianity.

The parallel stream of managing information systems through documentation, data storage and dataarchiving is also ancient. The clay tablets of Babylon are a resounding testimony to the human attempts atdata archiving and data mining long before the current version of post industrial revolution phase madeelectronics the 'much-desired' kingpin of administration. The impact which e-governance made in nationssuch as USA, Canada, and Singapore attributed to it a value and a glamour pitching it, beyond the pale of anyconscious evaluation. E-governance was the global pre-medona and to debate it became be an index ofbackwardness.

It was not often realized that e-governance issues have close co-relation to agricultural policy, foodmarketing, centralized or decentralized structure of society ,energy policy and more. As of now, even thefinancial expenditure incurred on the growth of e-governance has a preponderant over lay of projects for 'toolbox' development. Indeed expertise in e-governance tends to be dangerously seen, almost predominatly, as

1 Professor of Management, Indian Institure of Technology Delhi, India (Phone: + 91-11-26591198, Email: [email protected])

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felicity in key board commands or an ability to develop software. While not denying its significance, the timehas come to recognize inadequacy of finding complete answers predominantly by developing softwares.

Be that as it may, when it comes to a nation like India where all the millennia of human evolution co-existeven today, the need to exercise choice on scale, function and the block of activity in which e-governance canbe fruitfully practiced, becomes a question which needs urgent attention. An ethnographic approach mayhelp.

Driven by slogans and led by examples of armorally superior countries, it was natural for 'weak' countriesto focus disproportionately on writing report cards on e-governance. This has to be done in conjunction witha fuller understanding of the 'mode –ofgovernance map'. Some segments will be amenable to it, others mayneed it and still others may simply be unable to work with it. The important consideration is to keep in mindthat the objective is 'good governance with results'. There were other tools of governance beyond, and morepotent than the electronics tool,in certain circumstances.

The recognition, that e-governance by itself is a differentiated concept, needs to be firmly put on the mapof e-governance planning. There are dangers in letting e-governance, become a bandwagon.

Any use of the electronic media, useful as it may be, in the learning/teaching process, for example, is notby itself as an extension of e-governance. Whereas it seem reasonable to assume that electronic modedeepens and widens the educational reach ,it is at best a support mechanism for e-governance instruments.There is a difference in use of electronics medium for education and education for the use of electronicsmedium.

E-mode, is often a matter of individual choice and a matter of life style. The recognition of the socialeconomic and educational context in which individuals and social sub-units operate is central to theuniversalisation—if at all—of e-governance. An era which saps so much energy, time and resources indiscussing and attempting to undo, perceived, educational and social deprivations of the past, cannot findthe full resources of ushering in universal e-governance. The answer lies in going back to the DirectivePrinciples of state policy which had prescribed universal education till the age of fourteen. This is somethingwhich free India in its rampant decision making climate of ‘stealing-a–march-while-you-can 'seems to haveconsistently forgotten'.

A series of situations have been reported/projected/ flagged as critical breakthroughs: ‘Money order isnow digital’; ‘Instant access to right to information’; ‘Quick redressal of grievances online’; ‘G2C servicesbecomes citizen friendly’; ‘Disseminating pricing information to farmers’; ‘Software streamlines bankoperations’; ‘Web enabling Rajasthan land records’; ‘One window access to government services’;‘Computerization of land records in Madhya Pradesh’ and believe it or not, even ‘Common platforms for zoomanagement’. The list has been endless. But one cannot get off the sequence without mentioning a few othercritical breakthroughs. ‘Government urban properties management’ moved over to ‘Automated decisionmaking systems’. The project ‘e-dharti’ dealt with land related issues like granting of substitution, mutation,sale permission, gift permission, mortgage permission. The latest information has it that now modules such asdemand generation, court case monitoring and land allotment are being added to ‘e-dharti’. Then the listincludes quicker delivery of land records. Information in the form of electronic ‘bhu-lekh’ is available in UP;land administration went online in Gujrat. Central infrastructure was provided for e-governance applicationsand it was even claimed that food grain management was streamlined and the rural water supply coverage hadMIS monitors.

It is not surprising therefore that e-governance consulting has became a flourishing business and officeprocedure automation was typical of several comprehensive packages developed for government officers(all as per the manual of office procedure of the Department of administrative reforms and public grievances).It provided services like monitoring pending cases, easy tracking of letters/files, disposal of letters/files on

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time and record management and 'lok vani' was claiming to give people a voice. (One wonders what happenedto the media, printed or otherwise!)

All these projects were clearly breakthroughs in governance procedures. Perhaps a competent agency inthe government will create a website on each of the successful breakthroughs each quarter to establish:

a) If it was still alive and being usedb) Where all it was in usec) How many people used it daily for 'glitches', if any, in its maintenanced) What is the reach, in other words, which parts of the country were actually using it

It is obvious that applauding successful interventions designed for e-governance have to go beyond therhetoric of ‘this is possible’. It has to respond to the management requirements of establishing the art-of-the-possible or map whom, how many, where and why were affected or left untouched.

When paradigms have to be revisited, a certain degree of annotated field experience is useful in establishing‘what needs to be re-examined?’ since it is fashionable and, one might add, prudent to keep citing Canadianand American example, one might mention that this is how, much of the system, works there. Illustratively, ifthere is talk of 'joined government', a paradigm that has to be put in place will have to do with the assumptions,it takes to ensure seamlessness.

In a governance system, where battles over 'territories' rage between departments, to envisage integrateddelivery of processes and services to citizens and businesses across jurisdiction is difficult in the best of timeand impossible under, normal conditions .It is akin to the plea of making ‘gandhigiri’ the natural ethos ofintergroup dynamics.

Some day, this Bharat, i.e., India will wake up to the need of designing and executing its activities basedon paradigms which are indigenous and integrated to the ground reality. Incidentally, the reference to Bharat,i.e, India, is neither flippant nor directed towards creating mirth. One is merely using a constitutional phrasewith due respect, because one lives in an era when even industry associations have drawn up alternatescenarios for India’s future in the following terms: Pehle India, Bollyworld, Atakta Bharat. First being theoptimistic scenario the second a middle scale one and the third a pessimistic scenario. Put simply India islabeled as the destination of the progressive. Bharat is the destination of the archaic and the defunct. Howthe electronic medium can stride across the two is a challenge of paradigm development which awaits fargreater operational recognition in terms of the planning process. It is not just a question of the digital divide.

The fallouts of e-governance on political leadership styles, social leadership styles and financial leadershipstyles is large. It also, seeks redesign of not just the structure of governance but indeed the architecture ofthe administration.

In the meanwhile, slogans of public private partnership are rife. Nothing wrong with that, the onlyrequirement would be to back up the slogan with contents and operational strategy. While connecting thecitizens directly to government (not something which by itself requires the electronics medium) by itself isdesirable, creating a framework of interactions is just as important. To do so, a careful clearing up of conceptsis necessary. To give just one illustration: How does the process of Business Process Re-engineering applyto a work environment which is essentially non-business oriented in its core and is social welfare prone?

Many documents talk of project management and change management as the core of the managementaspects of e-governance, surely a plausible approach, but then change management is a slogan as popularand as confusing as the utilitarian slogan of ‘greatest good of the greatest numbers’.

Revisiting paradigms has to do with the identification of the domains where either none exist or the onesthat exist need up-scaling.

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That much good work being done is obvious, be it in the form of guidelines for capacity building, aninstitutional framework for e-governance under NeGP or through other interventions of the planningcommission, or the department of Information Technology. The requirement seems to go beyond the concernsof security, privacy, integrity, critical as they are. The need seems to be really to target the potential, be itgyandoot of the Dhar district of MP, or Warana in the Kolhapur and Sangli districts of Maharashtra of e-governance in NOIDA. All these are only good so far as they go. Bringing e-governance in panchayats inKerala or ‘raj-SWIFT’ of the Rajasthan government, one has to see what all this is adding upto and in whichdirection.

The examples of coming in of computerization in the banking sector comes easily to mind. There aftermuch hype of the coming in of the universal banking and computerization, various banks woke up to therealization that their branch offices could not communicate with the regional offices,in the electronics modedirectly, but data had to be transferred physically, on a floppy.

Put simply, it is not only the paradigms of ‘electronification’ which need a continual review but also ofsupport systems which sustain and nourish it. One needs constantly to, also, keep in mind the managerialand administrative pre-requisites and consequences.

In the ultimate analysis,some home truths need to be remembered: national demographic profile is not thedemographic profile of many organisations. Unless the age profile of the various civil services change e-governance will be governed by the habit of yester years. Also e-governance will progress only at the paceat which it can be absorbed.

Answers will come by taking small and deliberate steps within an all-embrasive e-governance paradigm.Thisparadigm itself need to be systematically tackled and continuously renewed.

Sourcs:

1. Analysis-Industry-PC workstation and server, Networking, Services, Packages software, software exportsPeripherals, Maintenance, Training, Data Quest August, 15, 1998/July, 2004

2. Black Sandra E. and Lisa M. Lynch; How to compete: The impact of workplace Practices and InformationTechnology on Productivity, the Review of Economics and Statistics, August 2001, 83(3):434-445.

3. Gautam Vinayshil and Sanjay Sinha (2002). The way to responsible regulation. Indian Management,volume 14(3) June. Pp.62-64.

4. Gautam Vinayshil and Sanjay Sinha (2004). Understanding Telecom Management, Concept PublishingCompany, New Delhi.

5. Gautam Vinayshil (2006)Digital Imperatives ,Hindustan Publishing Company, NewDelhi

6. Hearn G., Mandeville T. and Anthony D. (1998). The communication Superhighway: Social and economicchange in the digital age, Allen and Unwin, Sydney.

7. Information for Development Authority of Singapore- Annual Report- 2004-05, pages 11, 12.

8. Ntiro S. (2000) e Government in Eastern Africa, KPMG, Dar-es-Salaam

9. Report of the working group on convergence and e-governance for the 10th five year plan by GOI, PlanningCommission, New Delhi.

10. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, 9th December, 2005, Press release No. 100/2005.

11. http://delhigovt.nic.in

12. http://informatic.nic.in/archive.nif2003jan/products_services.htm accessed on15,16 Nov 2006.

13. http://persmin.nic.in/arpg/egov.htm#6 accessed on15,16 Nov 2006.

14. http://persmin.nic.in/arpg/egov1.htm accessed on15,16 Nov 2006.

15. http://www.ap-it.com/egovernance.html accessed on15,16 Nov 2006.

16. http://www.economictimes.com/050600/05econ03.htm accessed on15,16 Nov 2006.

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17. http://www.expressindia.com/newsline/daily/20000823/ige23209.htm accessed on15,16 Nov 2006.

18. http://www.hindubusinessline.com/2000/08/12/stories/141260r1.htm accessed on15,16 Nov 2006.

19. http://www.mit.gov.in/eg/locentre.htm accessed on15,16 Nov 2006.

20. http://www.mit.gov.in/eg/ms.asp accessed on15,16 Nov 2006.

21. http://www.mpgovt.nic.in/it accessed on15,16 Nov 2006.

22. http://www.rahgovt.org/news/singwindow.htm accessed on15,16 Nov 2006.

23. http://www.rajgovt.org/news/nraj.htm accessed on15,16 Nov 2006.

24. http://www.rajgovt.org/news/RajNidhiTrg.htm accessed on15,16 Nov 2006.

25. http://www.rajgovt.org/SovArticles.htm accessed on15,16 Nov 2006.

26. http://www.westbengal.gov.in/it_policy_egovernance.htm accessed on15,16 Nov 2006.

About the Author

Vinayshil Gautam is an internationally acclaimed Organization Management, Strategic Managementand Information Systems expert. His experience of contributing at top levels of policy formulation anddecision making has been widely sought both in corporate world and the government. He has been onsignificant administrative reform committees of government of India including that on performancemanagement, promotion, training and that which drew up the terms of reference of the AdministrativeReforms Commission. Amongst other assignment he has served as the Consultant In-charge, ProjectDirector and Founder Director of the fifth Indian Institute of Management at Kozhikode (Calicut)-IIM(K). He is the leader consulting team for IIM (Shillong). He was the first Head of the ManagementDepartment of Indian Institute of Technology,Delhi and the Founder Coordinator of the EntrepreneurshipProgramme at IIT(D). Dr.Gautam was also the Founder Coordinator of Industry Sponsored ResearchProgramme on Comparative Management Practices in Asia, which has a significant focus on InformationSystems. He is a past Director of the International Federation of Training and Development Organization.He is an International Advisor of the Huaxia Institute of Management, Beijing, Member, Executive Board,and Asia Pacific ARTDO-HRD Centre. A past of President Manila based ARTDO International. He hasserved as the Chairman of the All India Board of Management Studies of AICTE. He has received variousawards and recognitions for his writings. His books include titles such as ‘Information Systems,Organizations and Comparative Management‘, ‘Organization Management: Predilictions and Potential.‘Digital Imperatives‘ His management expertise has been sought in Middle East, Europe and elsewhere.He was an invited speaker to conference the International Federation of Training & DevelopmentOrganization, London’87, Plenary speaker of the 9th International HRD Gulf Conference’92 and has beeninvited a Plenary Speaker to ARTDO International Conference at Penang l994, Melbourne 1995, Manila1996, Sarawak 1997, Bali 1999, Penang 2005; Bahrain 2006. He has addressed International Conferences/Seminars amongst other places, at Canberra; London; Quebec; Vancouver; Mexico; Kathmandu; Dubai,Leipzig, Paris. He has been conferred the fellowship of the Royal Asiatic Society (London) and the IndianSociety for Training and Development (Delhi) and All India Management Association, (Delhi). He hasreceived a best paper (in Human Resource Development) Award (IJTD-1984) (IJTD-1987) (IJTD-1990)(IJTD-1991) and a certificate and plaque of appreciation from ARTDO International. He has also beenconferred distinguished leadership award 1998, of the Calicut Management Association for outstandingcontribution to the profession. The 7th World Environment Congress Committee in association withEnviro-International 1998 and International Association of Educators for World Peace (IAEWP) an NGOAffiliate of United nations – ECO SOC, UNESCO, NDPI UNCEPD, UNICEF, having decided to identityand facilitate extra-ordinary mean and women having the vision, idealism and commitment in a Trans-generational sense for management the twenty first century, presented to him the “G51 MillenniumAward”.

Ten Emerging E-government Challenges Today: The Future May beSober and not Hype

D.C. Misra1

ABSTRACT

This paper overviews the e-government scenario as it obtains at the end of year 2006 and identifiesten emerging e-government challenges which can help policy makers in e-government policyformulation and implementation highlighting the central position of efficient public service deliveryand certain e-government developments like global and national league tables, informationexplosion, technology forecasts, management information systems (MISs), e-government projectmonitoring, wiki technology, semantic web and artificial intelligence (AI) and concludes that thefuture of e-government may be quite sobering after the initial hype surrounding it settles down.

Keywords: E-government, Public Service Delivery, Technology Forecasts, Global and National League Tables,Information Explosion, Management Information Systems (MISs), Search Capabilities, Wiki Technology.

It is useful from time to time to ask certain questions about the state of art, craft, practice and research ine-government and their policy implications so as to assist decision-makers in taking appropriate policydecisions in a fast-changing global environment. When one looks at the vast, emerging and often problematicterrain of e-government worldwide at the end of year 2006, one is struck by the mixed scenario of almostuniversal acceptance of e-government, many notable successes and perhaps equally notable failures, anunprecedented information explosion, heavy public investments and waste in e-government and verypromising e-government research notably in artificial intelligence (AI). An attempt is made in this paper tocapture some of the important contours of the vast e-government terrain as they obtain at the end of year2006 by way of identifying ten emerging e-government challenges.

At the end of the twentieth century, there was loss of confidence in governments worldwide. For example,in the U.S. in the ‘Visions of Governance for the Twenty-First –Century’ project, Nye (1999, p-v) noted thatconfidence in U.S. government has sharply declined. ‘In 1964, three-quarters of Americans said that theytrusted the federal government to do the right thing most of the time. Today only a quarter do so.’ Nye furthernoted: ‘Government is not alone. Over past three decades, in America, public confidence had dropped by halfor more for many institutions: from 61 to 30 per cent for universities; 55 to 21 for major companies; from 73 to29 per cent in medicine; and from 29 per cent to 14 for journalism (ibid., 1999). A subsequent study for othercountries edited by Norris (1999) showed that the U.S. was not alone.

It is in this environment that the e-government appeared on the scene and was widely subscribed to byvarious stakeholders in government. However, the experience of last more than a decade shows that the

1 Retired Indian Administrative Officeer (1965-2001) and now an Independent E-government Consultant,New Delhi, India(Phone : +91-11- 2245 2431, Email: [email protected])

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D.C. Misra / Ten Emerging E-government Challenges Today: The Future May be Sober and not Hype

expectations aroused by e-government, by and large, continue to remain unfulfilled. What are then theemerging challenges e-government faces today? The following ten appear noteworthy.

Challenge No. 1: How to achieve the objective of efficient public service delivery whichis not yet being successfully met by e-government?

E-government is being driven by a number of stakeholders – the politician who would like to offer something new to the people, the civil servants who at the senior levels perceive it as a promising field where theycan make some meaningful contribution, the technology vendors who see the prospects of earning profitfrom e-government projects, the civil service organizations (CSOs), who perceive it as an unique opportunityto serve the people by acting as intermediaries between the state and its citizens. Citizens too endorse thewidespread acceptance of e-government as it promises to be government online and not inline.

Yet what drives e-government today are not these stakeholders, important as they are, but the need forefficient public service delivery. Governance has become a key concept in the international developmentdebate (Hyden, Court and Mease 2004, p-7). Public services are widely perceived as unproductive, dilatoryand insensitive to the changing needs of citizens. The application of private sector model to public sector,characterized by the emergence of new public management (NPM) in 1980s and subsequent call given byOsborne and Gaebler (1992) to reinvent government and such other efforts also did not succeed.

Dealing with government remains a hassle (Holmes 2001).The emergence of e-government in mid-1999stherefore caught the imagination of different stakeholders and e-government was subscribed to by all andsundry in almost an unquestioned way. It is the need for administrative reforms, which incorporates businessprocess reengineering (BPR), that drives e-government to-day. The first and foremost emerging e-governmentchallenge, therefore, is: how to achieve the objective of efficient public service delivery which is not yetbeing successfully met by e-government?

Challenge No. 2: How to make e-government anticipate emergence of new technologiesand respond to them quickly?

Governments are usually taken up by surprise by new technological developments. (This of course is trueof private sector too.) While it is not expected of governments to be technology blazers, it is also not expectedof governments to be technology trailers either. The earlier forecast of computing becoming a utility, likeelectricity, has so far not materialized, yet an influential and popular publication still confidently claims:Despite early failures, computing will eventually become a utility (Standage (ed.) 2006, p-19). In developingeconomies, for example, demand is gradually building up for m-government (mobile government) and somepublic services are also being made available (for example, railway reservation status, school result, bankbalance, etc.). In India demand for m-government may escalate as mobile phones start penetrating deeply itsrural hinterland, thus exerting pressure for launch of m-government.

It is essential that legislators, as policy makers, are trained in e-government generally and in technologicaldevelopments in particular. A recent study of governments across North America indicates fewer than 7percent of legislators have even the most basic understanding of technology – and these are the verypeople addressing information technology policy and strategy issues, notes Thronton (1997, p-48). Thepercentage of such legislators is expected to be much lower in developing countries with seriousconsequences for e-government policies and programmes. This author’s attempt to launch an eMLA prgrammesome time back in India, to train members of state legislators in e-government on pilot basis, had to beabandoned at the planning stage as it could not muster sufficient support despite every one endorsing theidea.

One way out to be technologically up to date is to scan the technology horizon and identify technologiesof relevance to e-government which are likely to emerge in near future. For example, one of the technology


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forecasts of 2005 BT Technology Timeline (Table 1) is that all government services will be deliveredelectronically by 2008-2012. While this could be the case in developed economies, this may not be the casefor many developing economies where e-government efforts are still to gather necessary momentum. Suchtechnology forecasts nevertheless are useful in alerting us as to the direction to which technologies areunfolding. The second emerging e-government challenge, therefore, is: how to make e-government anticipateemergence of new technologies and respond to them quickly?

Challenge No. 3: .How can global and national league tables contribute to e-governmentpolicy formulation and implementation?

The last decade has seen emergence of many global e-government and related information andcommunication technology (ICT) league tables. Five important streams have contributed to this development:(a) international organizations (for example, ITU 2006, UNCTAD 2005, UNDESA 2005a, 2005b, UNESCOORBICOM 2005 and World Bank 2006), (b) national organizations (for example, DIT 2003), (c) universities(for example, Holzer and Kim 2005, West 2005 and WU 2005), (d) private companies (for example, Accenture2005, BAH 2005 and Brainbench 2005) and (e) private organizations (for example, WEF 2006).

Such reports have made e-government competitive and benchmarked. However, their contribution to e-government policy formulation and implementation, where the future of e-government is often decided, hasso far not been very significant. It is imperative to make such reports more e-government policy-oriented sothat they can provide independent inputs to crucial e-government policy formulation and implementation.The third emerging e-government challenge, therefore, is: how can global and national league tablescontribute to e-government policy formulation and implementation?

1 Computers that write most of their own software 2013-2017 2 Most software written by machine 2013-2017 3 Human knowledge exceeded by machine knowledge 2016-2020 4 All government services delivered electronically 2008-2012 5 Email used to communicate with most social service

claimants 2008-2012

6 Academic learning is argued to be unnecessary in the age of smart machines

2013-2017

7 Retirement age raised to 75 2013-2017 8 95% of people in advanced nation computer literate 2030s 9 1Bn internet users 2006-2010 10 Personal remote web servers 2006-2010 11 Automated Stenographer 2008-2012 12 Chips with 1 billion transistors 2006-2010 13 Chips with 10 billion transistors 2011-2015 14 Personal memory sticks replace hard drives for everyday files

(HD used as archive) 2008-2012

15 Public storage provided by local government to support social use of IT

2008-2012

16 100GB memory sticks (typical 2005 HD capacity) 2008-2012 17 DNA computer 2011-2015 18 Desktop computer as fast as human brain 2013-2017 19 2nd internet with guaranteed security for email, with no spam 2011-2015 20 AI member of parliament 2016-2020

Table 1 : E-government and Selected Technological Forecasts

Source: Neild and Pearson (eds.) (2005): 2005 BT Technology Timeline

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Challenge No. 4: How to set up dependable management information systems (MISs) ingovernment the light of information explosion and other developments?

An unprecedented information explosion has taken place. Almost 800 MB of recorded information isproduced per person each year equivalent to about 30 feet of books for storage (SIMS 2003). Print, film,magnetic and optical storage media produced about 5 exabytes1 of new information in 2002 and 92% of thenew information was stored on magnetic media, mostly in hard disks (ibid.). On face of it one expects thatdecision-making in government, based on abundant information, to have vastly improved. But this has nothappened.

The reason why decision-making in government has not significantly and visibly improved is the factthat appropriate management information systems (MISs), making use of information explosion, exploitinginformation and communication technologies (ICTs), breaking inter-departmental communication barriersand utilizing principles of change management (CM) and knowledge management (KM) including settingup of communities of practices (COPs), have not so far been put in place. The fourth e-government challenge,therefore, is: how to set up dependable management information systems (MIS) in government in the lightof information explosion and other developments?

Challenge No. 5: How not to keep on overloading government websites with all sorts ofinformation but to anticipate and meet information and/or transaction needs of the citizensquickly and in user-friendly manner?

There has been an explosion of government web pages. The US .gov top-level domain, for example,accounts for 368 million pages, according to Wagner et al. (2006). They report that no other governmentcomes close. But even smaller e-government sites, such as .gov.uk (9.28 million pages) or .gov.au (7.2 millionpages) exceed the size of major company sites such as IBM (3.93 million for ibm.com), eBay (3.14 million forebay.com) and dwarf sites of companies such as Ford (55,700 for ford.com) or Barclays Bank (24,200 forbarclays.co.uk). Even Slovenia, a country with only 2 million citizens, maintains a vastly larger e-governmentwebsite of over 380,000 pages. (ibid, p-20)

The increasing volume of e-government web pages is, however, no indication that they are meeting thefelt information and/or transaction needs of the citizens, notwithstanding the familiar rhetoric of e-governmentbeing citizen-centric. In fact, the increasing volume of e-government web pages has made the task of citizenof finding the desired information on government websites a difficult task. This indeed becomes dauntingwhen viewed in context of multiplicity of websites, lack of uniformity in their presentation and absence ofsuitable guidelines for setting them up. Such a situation has led private sites like Government Info Finder(http://govinfofinder.com/) to be launched. The fifth emerging e-government challenge, therefore, is: hownot to keep on overloading government websites with all sorts of information but to anticipate and meetinformation and/or transaction needs of the citizens quickly and in user-friendly manner?

Challenge No. 6: How to set up appropriate search capabilities on e-government websitesto ferret out the required information?

FirstGov.gov (http://www.firstgov.gov/), US Federal Government website, went online on September 22,2000. Its database has shot up from 8 million to 40 million pages. It offers access to content from U.S. federal,state, local, tribal and territorial resources. How does then one ferret information from such huge databases?Well, the answer is: launch a search engine, not a general purpose Google-type but a specialty search enginebased on government databases. No wonder, therefore, that the U.S. government launched a new search

1 One exabyte is 1018 bytes. 5 Exabytes: All words ever spoken by human beings (SIMS 2003)

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engine in January 2006 based on “dynamic clustering” (clustering of information on the fly) and “metasearch.” (based on searches of other search engines).

On October 17, 2006, FirstGov.gov added new image and news search capabilities to its site making it “themost comprehensive and accessible source of government-related images and news.” (Vivisimo 2006). Itssearch now covers government web, images, news and FirstGov. In near future other features like RSS feedsand blogs/vblogs may also be added to e-government websites. If this development becomes a trend-setterfor other countries in e-government, as it is likely, coupled with increasing volume of information on e-government websites worldwide, then appropriate search capabilities are required to be set up on e-governmentwebsites. The sixth emerging e-government challenge, therefore, is: how to set up appropriate searchcapabilities on e-government websites to ferret out the required information.

Challenge No. 7: How to make use of semantic web in e-government websites to improvethe quality of the required government information?

Semantic web is being promoted by W3 Consortium (http://www.w3.org/) and Tim Berners-Lee, theinventor of World Wide Web which now has links to 10 billion pages (Shadbolt, Hall and Berners-Lee 2006).It is “not a separate Web but an extension of the current one, in which information is given well-definedmeaning, better enabling computers and people to work in cooperation” (Berners-Lee, Hendler and Lassila2001): Governments face the difficulties of “management of too much information, created by too manyheterogeneous, distributed sources. Resulting issues such as inconsistent terminologies, information overloadand too little maintenance of outdated knowledge are only too frequent.” (Wagner et al. 2006).One way out isto develop “semantic web” for e-government.

A recently concluded (March 27-29, 2006) international symposium on the semantic web and e-government,at Stanford University, CA, claimed to be the first event of its type, noted: the e-Government domain canprovide an ideal test bed for existing SW research, and SW technologies can be an ideal platform to achievethe vision of a knowledge-based, user-centric, distributed and networked e-government” (SW=semanticweb). (http://imu.iccs.ntua.gr/sweg/). There are other interesting developments too. For example, possibilitiesof use of artificial intelligence (AI) agents in deciding legal cases (say, to begin with, minor traffic violations)and teaching/training in e-government. The seventh emerging e-government challenge, therefore, is: “how tomake use of semantic web in e-government websites to improve the quality of the required governmentinformation?

Challenge No. 8: How to make use of wiki technology in e-government if public sector isconstrained by resources as it is?

First wiki was established by Ward Cunningham more than a decade back on March 25, 1995. Wiki (fromHawaiian word wiki wiki, meaning fast) is “ a type of website that allows users to easily add, remove, orotherwise edit all content, very quickly and easily, sometimes without the need for registration.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki). “This ease of interaction and operation makes a wiki an effective tool forcollaborative writing. The term wiki can also refer to the collaborative software itself (wiki engine) thatfacilitates the operation of such a website.” (ibid.).About 1,000 public wiki communities existed as of December6, 2004 (Turnbull, Yim and Niemann 2006). US Federal CIO Council’s Semantic Interoperability Community ofPractice (SICoP) has a wiki. NASA’s WorldWind, an open source software for viewing satellite imagery, has awiki. Any one can suggest code modification.

As noted earlier, US top level domain has 368 million pages. To cope with this information overload,Wagner et al. (2006) have suggested a two-layer web. The first layer is the traditional web. The second layeris wiki. Any one can edit information. If public sector organizations have constraints of manpower andfinancial resources, government websites can set up wiki on their websites allowing citizens to edit information

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and also guide each other in ferreting requisite information from the government websites. Wiki technologythus offers an interesting way out for governments working under financial and manpower constraints. Theeighth emerging e-government challenge, therefore, is: how to make use of wiki technology in e-governmentif public sector is constrained by resource as it is?

Challenge No. 9: How to monitor investments in e-government as serious problems ofunproductive investments in e-government have started surfacing?

Heeks (2003) brought to our attention the high failure rate of e-government projects. His working estimatesthat 35% of e-government projects in developing/transitional countries were total failures, 50% were partialfailures and 15% were successes (Heeks 2003) were and, still are, widely quoted in e-government literature.But bad news keeps coming from other sources as well from the developed world.

Gauld and Goldfinch (2006), for example, study a number of e-government project failures in New Zealand(the Shared Medical Systems (SMS) information system of Health Waikato abandoned in mid-2000s at a costof $17 million, the INCIS development in the New Zealand Police force, abandoned in 1999 at a direct cost of$100 million, etc.) and argue that New Zealand Government has not learnt one of the key lessons of continuingproject failure: that large projects generally fail and should be avoided if possible (ibid., pp 25-26).

It can be argued that, and with some substance no doubt, why e-government projects are singled out forpartial and total failures as such failures are quite common in other government sectors too. Even if thisargument is conceded for sake of argument, the fact remains that e-government projects are often total orpartial failures raising questions of advisability of investment in e-government projects. E-government projectfailures can, to a large extent, be addressed by setting up appropriate monitoring2 mechanisms which arecurrently not adequate. The ninth emerging e-government challenge, therefore, is: how to monitor investmentsin e-government as serious problems of unproductive investments in e-government have started surfacing?

Challenge No. 10: How to put proper customer relationship management (CRM) and/orelectronic customer relationship management (eCRM) programmes in place in e-government in developing/transitional economies?

A dissatisfied customer is the norm and not a exception when it comes to citizen satisfaction from publicservices. To tackle this problem, public grievance commissions (PGCs) have been set up in India but theprocedure followed by them often results in serious delays in redressing the grievances. Similarly by October2006, 113 citizens’ charters, originally introduced in United Kingdom in 1991, stood formulated by centralministries/departments/organisations in India (DARPG 2006). Citizen’s charters appear to have been overtakenby recently legislated Right to Information (RTI) Act in India.

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have complicated and have not made any significantcontribution to the solution of the largely intractable problem of efficient public service delivery. The initialefforts are far from reassuring. The problems of privacy/security are yet to be resolved to the satisfaction ofcitizens and non-citizens. Harris (2001)’s remark that there are snakes in the virtual garden is still true.Thewidely-used interactive voice response system (IVRS) is not only time-consuming, as it follows apredetermined path, but often exhausts patience in reaching a human being at the end of a long line.

Telephone, and not the internet, is still the best friend of a citizen as far as public services are concernedeven in developed countries (see, for example, Newcombe 2005). Proper customer relationship management

2 Monitoring must be distinguished from review. Monitoring takes into account the feedback from users also whilereview is generally an internal administrative process confined to physical and financial inputs.

3 The office of eEnvoy in United Kingdom, formed in 1999, was replaced by e-Government unit in 2004.

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(CRM) and/or electronic customer relationship management (eCRM) programmes are urgently required tosecure the loyalty of citizens and non-citizens to e-government. The tenth emerging e-government challenge,therefore, is: how to put proper customer relationship management (CRM) and/or electronic customerrelationship management (eCRM) programmes in place in e-government in developing/transitionaleconomies?

Concluding Remarks

Public interacts with government in 3 ways: (i) as consumers of government information, (ii) as customersof government services, and (iii) as citizens participating in government decision making and policy making(Abramson, Breul and Kamensky 2006, p-20). In none of these three aspects e-government has made anysubstantial contribution though modest attempts can be seen here and there. It is believed that identificationof emerging e-government challenges described above can assist in development of appropriate e-governmentpolicies and programmes. These are then ten among many emerging e-government challenges at the end ofyear 2006. The list is not exhaustive but indicative of the growing complexity of the field of e-governmenttoday. Many more items can be added. An overview of the field of e-government, however, does show thatthe field is devoid of any intense activity and its champions too have disappeared3. After content analysisof 84 egovernment papers, Heeks and Bailur (2006, p-18), among other things, also found ‘A strong themeof overoptimism, even hype, and a consequent lack of balance in considering the impact of egovernme’ Allthis does not bode well for the future of e-government as its enormous potential for improving the internalprocesses of government as well as for providing seamless public service delivery remains largely unrealizedand e-government may land up as yet another channel of public service delivery and not as an instrumentof transformation, or even revolution, in government as many of us liked to believe in mid-1990s, and stillwould like to see e-government develop this way in the first decade of the twenty-first century. A realisticassessment of e-government, however, shows that the future of e-government may be sober and not hype.

References

1 Abramson Mark A., Jonathan D. Breul and John M. Kamensky (2006): Six Trends TransformingGovernment, Washington, DC, IBM Center for The Business of Government, http://www.businessofgovernment.org/pdfs/SixTrends.pdf

2 Accenture (2005): Leadership in Customer Service: New Expectations, New Experiences, April, https://www.accenture .com/NR/rdonlyres /081E84B0-E655-4F9B-95DF-94A3F34B09FA/0/leadership_customerservice

3 BAH (Booz Allen Hamilton) (2005): Beyond e-Government: The world’s most successful technology-enabled transformations, Report of a study commissioned by UK Cabinet Office, November, available:http://extfile.bah.com/livelink/livelink/151607/?func=doc.Fetch&nodeid=151607

4 Berners-Lee Tim, James Hendler and Ora Lassila (2001): The Semantic Web, Scientific American, May,http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=00048144-10D2-1C70-84A9809EC588EF21

5 Brainbench (2005): 2005 Global Skills Report, http://www.brainbench.com/globalskills2005/

6 DARPG (Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances), Government of India (2006):Citizen’s Charter in Government of India, http://www.goicharters.nic.in/charter.htm

7 DIT (Department of Information Technology), Ministry of Communications and Information Technology,Government of India (2003): INDIA: E-Readiness Assessment Report 2003 for States/Union Territoriesand Central Ministries/Departments, New Delhi, the Author.

8 Gauld, Robin and Shaun Goldfinch (2006): Dangerous Enthusiasms: E-government, Computer Failureand Information System Development, Dunedin, New Zealand, Otago University Press

9 Harris Blake (2001): The Dark Side of E-government, http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3a7dc578751c.htm (originally published in Government Technology, February 4, 2001, http://egov.govtech.net/reports-summer/darkside/darkside.phtml )

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10 Heeks Richard (2003): Most eGovernment-for-Development Projects Fail:How Can Risks be Reduced?,Manchester, United Kingdom, University of Manchester, Institute for Development Policy andManagement (IDPM), iGovernment Working Paper Series, Paper No.14, http://www.sed.manchester.ac.uk/idpm/publications/wp/igov/igov_wp14.pdf

11 Heeks Richard and Savita Bailur (2006): Analysing eGovernment Research: Perspectives, Philosophies,Theories, Methods and Practice, Manchester, United Kingdom, University of Manchester, Institute forDevelopment Policy and Management (IDPM), Development Informatics Group, iGovernment WorkingPaper Series, Paper No.16, http://www.sed.manchester.ac.uk/idpm/publications/wp/igov/documents/iGWkPpr16.pdf

12 Holmes Douglas (2001): eGov: eBusiness Strategies for Government, London, Nicholas Brealey

13 Holzer Marc and Seang-Tae Kim (2005): Digital Governance in Municipalities Worldwide: A LongitudinalAssessment of Municipal Websites Throughout the World, Newark , NJ, Rutgers, the State University ofNew Jersey, http://newark.rutgers.edu/~egovinst/Website/100%20City%20Report%202005%20—%20Final.pdf.

14 Hyden Goran, Julius Court and Kenneth Mease (2004): Making Sense of Governance: Empirical Evidencefrom Sixteen Developing Countries, Boulder, CO, Lynne, Rienner Publishers.

15 ITU (International Telecommunication Union) (2006): World Telecommunication/ ICT Development Report2006: Measuring ICT for Social and Economic Development, Geneva, Switzerland, Eighth Edition,Executive Summary, http://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-d/opb/ind/D-IND-WTDR-2006-SUM-PDF-E.pdf

16 Neild Ian and Ian Pearson (eds.) (2005): 2005 BT Technology Timeline, August, http://www.btplc.com/Innovation/News/timeline/TechnologyTimeline.pdf

17 Newcombe Tod (2005): Want E-Gov? Pick up the Phone, Government Technology’s Public CIO, May,http://www.public-cio.com/story.php?id=2005.04.29-93838

18 Norris Pippa (ed.) (1999): Critical Citizens: Global Support for Democratic Governance, New York,Oxford University Press

19 Nye Joseph S. (1999): Foreword, in Norris (ed.) (2005) (q.v.), pp v-vi Osborne, David and Ted Gaebler(1992): Reinventing Government: How the Entrepreneurial Spirit is Transforming the Public Sector, NewDelhi, Prentice-Hall of India Shadbolt, Nigel, Wendy Hall and Tim Berners-Lee (2006): The Semantic WebRevisited http://eprints.ecs.soton.ac.uk/12614/01/Semantic_Web_Revisted.pdf

20 SIMS (School of Information Management and System), University of California (UC), Berkeley (2003):How much information? 2003 Executive Summary, October 27, http://www2.sims.berkeley.edu/research/projects/how-much-info-2003/execsum.htm

21 Standage Tom (ed.) (2006): The Economist: The Future of Technology, London, Profile Books, First SouthAsian Edition

22 Thronton Kenneth R. (1997): Rethinking Government, Washington, D.C., IBM Corporation

23 Turnbull Susan, Peter Yim, and Brand Niemann (2006): Communities of Practice, Wiki’s and a KnowledgeReference Model: Collaborative wiki technology, Special Training Session for the Knowledge ManagementWorking Group, January 20, http://web-services.gov/10

24 UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development) (2005): Information Economy Report2005: E-commerce and Development, New York and Geneva, the Author, http://www.unctad.org/en/docs/sdteecb20051_en.pdf

25 UNDESA (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs) (2005a): World Public SectorReport 2005: Unlocking the Human Potential for Public Sector Performance, New York, the Author,October, http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/un/unpan021616.pdf

26 UNDESA (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs), Division for Public Administrationand Development Management (2005b): Global E-Government Readiness Report 2005: From E-Government to E-Inclusion, New York, the Author, http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/un/unpan021888.pdf

27 UNESCO ORBICOM (2005): From the Digital Divide to Digital Opportunities: Measuring Infostate forDevelopment, Montreal (Quebec), Canada, Orbicom International Secretariat, Université du Québec à

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Montréal, George Sciadas, Editor http://www.orbicom.uqam.ca/projects/ddi2005/index_ict_opp.pdf

28 Vivisimo (2006): Vivísimo’s Velocity Powers New Image and News Search Features at FirstGov.gov,Pittsburg, PA, 17 October, Press Release, http://vivisimo.com/html/firstgovimagesnews-20061017

29 Wagner Christian, Karen S.K. Cheung and Rachael K.F. Ip Stefan Bottcher (2006): Building SemanticWebs for e-government with Wiki technology, Electronic Government, 3 (1) 36-55

30 WEF (World Economic Forum) (2006): Global Information Technology Report (2005-2006), Summary,http://www.weforum.org/pdf/Global_Competitiveness_Reports/Reports/gitr_2006/summary

31 World Bank (2006): Information and Communications for Development 2006: Global Trends and Policies,Washington, D.C., the Author,

32 h t t p : / / w e b . w o r l d b a n k . o r g / W B S I T E / E X T E R N A L / T O P I C S /EXTINFORMATIONANDCOMMUNICATIONANDTECHNOLOGIES/0,, content MDK: 20831214~ page PK:210058~piPK:210062~theSitePK:282823,00.html

33 WU (Waseda University) (2005): 2006 Waseda University E-government Ranking, Tokyo, December 16,2005, http://www.obi.giti.waseda.ac.jp/e_gov/2nd_rankings_en.pdf (accessed: July 14, 2006) .pdf ,Rankings, http://www.weforum.org/pdf/Global_Competitiveness_Reports/Reports/gitr_2006/rankings.pdf

34 West Darrell M. (2005): Global E-Government 2005, Providence, Rhode Island, United States, BrownUniversity, Center for Public Policy, September, available: http://www.insidepolitics.org/egovt05int.pdf

About the Author

D.C. Misra is an An Independent E-government Consultant, New Delhi, India. Formerly ChairmanTask Force for IT Policy for Delhi (1998-99) and of the Indian Administrative Service (1965-2001). D. C.Misra was Chief Secretary, Government of Arunachal Pradesh, Chief Secretary, Government of Goa,Chief Secretary, Andaman and Nicobar Administration, Deputy Secretary, Director and Joint Secretary,Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, Government of India, Development Commissioner,Delhi, Chairman, District Rural Development Agency, Delhi, Chairman, Delhi Energy DevelopmentAgency, Member-Secretary, State Council of Science and Technology, Delhi, Member-Secretary, StateEnvironment Council, Delhi, Additional Relief Commissioner, Ministry of Agriculture, Government ofIndia, Extension Commissioner, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, Central Registrar of Co-operative Societies, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, Additional Relief Commissioner,Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, Chairman and Managing Director, Delhi Financial Corporationand President, Council of State Industrial Development and Investment Corporations of India (COSIDICI).

E-services in Government: Why do we need Strategiesfor Capacity Building and Capacity Utilization?

Girija Krishnaswamy1

ABSTRACT

Governments all over the world are spending millions of dollars in making services availableonline for its citizens. The capacity building initiatives have been looked into by the major researchbodies and they have lauded government efforts of various nations. Australian e-governmentstrategies and level of sophistication have resulted in international recognition. Australia isacclaimed as a leader in e-government, typically rated second or third across a range of measuresof e-government maturity, readiness, take-up and impact. This paper argues that looking at capacitybuilding initiatives is addressing only one side of the equation and that both the supply anddemand sides of the equation need equal attention. It is easy to get carried away with the macroindicators showing Australia’s supremacy in implementing e-government applications. And nowis the time to ask the basic question of what strategies are in place for addressing capacityutilization efforts.

Keywords: Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), E-government, Capacity Building, Capacityutilization, Life events and Stages of growth approach.

1. Introduction

This paper is organized in five sections. Section 1 discusses the pervasive and the ever increasing role ofInformation and Communication Technologies (ICTs) as the e-government imperative. Section 2 brings in thedifferent definitions to e-government used by different researchers. The paradigm shift and the resultanttransformation of bureaucracy are discussed in section 3. Section 4 describes the changes from stovepipes tointegrated service delivery that is emerging in the e-government domain. The last section looks at assessmentstrategies for addressing capacity building and capacity utilization efforts

Technology has always been a catalyst for change. In the industrial age, the innovation of railwaysand airlines expanded the markets and boosted economic efficiency. These two innovations and theinvention of electricity at the end of the 19th century have been the drivers of commercial, governmental,social and personal change. But the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are consideredprobably the most far-reaching technological innovation of the late twentieth century. Not since theindustrial revolution has any technology fundamentally changed the way ICTs have, by breaking downbarriers of time and distance, bringing down costs, improving efficiency, augmenting innovation andexpediting globalization. In the Information Age, ICT enabled e-business is redefining businessrelationships, opening up new markets and facilitating effective business models hitherto unimaginable.

1 School of Business and Informatics, Australian Catholic University, North Sydney, NSW2059(Phone: +61-2 97392376/61 402823871, Email : [email protected])

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ICTs have changed and continue to increase the degree of connectedness between formerly discretecomponents of the world, facilitating integration. According to Mulgan, this interdependency, or “connexity,”is the defining characteristic of the world today (Mulgan, 1997). The Internet has revolutionized personalcommunication and the diffusion of digital technologies is leading to public service reforms.

The International Conference on e-government for Development (Italy, April 2002), organized by theGovernment of Italy with the support of UN/DESA, raised awareness of the opportunities offered by ICTsin the process of economic and social development, to foster democracy, efficiency and transparency. ICTshave a long history of utility in improving international management processes of government – transferringpaper files to databases and manual procedures to huge information systems. The inward looking ICTintervention “initially limited to support internal bureaucracy” (García-Arribas, G. and López-Crespo, F.(2003) is now taking centre stage to achieve radical modernization of public service. As the renownedAmerican sociologist, Manuel Castells has argued, ICTs potentially enable an entirely new organisationalform, the ‘networked enterprise’, defined as a “specific form of enterprise whose system of means is constitutedby the intersection of segments of autonomous systems of goals” (IPPR, 2003).

At a time when globalization, deregulation, removing trading barriers, opening up of economy are thepopular buzzwords, virtual space is constantly redefining real space by dramatically transforming the worldof information and services. Governments today are expected to, and do play a key role in the convergenceof industrial society to information society. Apart from determining policy and regulatory structure,governments deliver information and services, online, using ICTs. All over the world, e-government hasrecently been a significant part of national and political agenda. e-government is widely hailed as governmentthat is more open and inclusive of its citizens and government that is more efficient and effective. Defined asan ‘extension of e-commerce to government procurement’, e-government as the governmental counterpart toe-business is the natural and inevitable transition from e-commerce (Krishnaswamy, 2004). Analogous to e-commerce, which allows businesses to transact with each other more efficiently (B2B) and brings customerscloser to businesses (B2C), e-government facilitates faster and effective interaction between government,business and citizens. Drawing analogy to e-commerce which increases efficiency in B2B and B2Ctransactions, Fang goes further to observe that ‘e-government aims to make the interaction betweengovernment and citizens (G2C), government and business enterprises (G2B), and interagency relationships(G2G) more friendly, convenient, transparent, and inexpensive’ (Fang, 2002). Both e-commerce and e-government result from the use of, or integration of the Internet into the operations of business, taking placein a ‘technology mediated environment’ (UN, 2003), and are part of ICT enabled digital economies of ‘depth’and ‘coordination’ (Krishnaswamy, 2005). However, besides introducing technological innovation as in e-commerce, government, enabled by ICT, is in the process of reinventing itself for better informationdissemination and improving quality of service delivery.

The possibilities opened up by e-commerce have raised the level of expectations of citizens, demandingfaster, better and more access to government services (Propylon Corp., 2004), to provide the flexibility andclient focus of the private sector’s e-commerce endeavors ( McCalla, 2001). E-commerce has been a modelfor e-government as is reflected in the promise of a UK council that ‘customers will receive a service that iscomparable with the best of the private sector’ (McCalla, 2001). The public expects that the ‘governmentwill look more like private industry than it does today’ and the expectations of the citizens are driven byprivate sector (Novell Corp., 2001). Citizens expect convenient and instant access to public services 24hours a day, 7 days a week, like commercial entities, through multiple channels like PC, webTV, mobilephone or wireless service (Netcaucus, 2001). Apart from the citizen demand for e-government being driven bythe quality, ease and cost effectiveness of e-commerce, the need for private sector to cut through governmentred tape has also been ascribed as an equally important driving factor (Mello, 2000).

E-commerce has led to the emergence of e-citizens, customers who challenge the legislators andtheir government officials to force the government to change. The private sector led revolution has resulted

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Girija Krishnaswamy / E-services in Government: Why do we need Strategies ....

in citizen being renamed, reconceptualized and reperceived as customer. Governments across the worldborrow lessons from the private sector initiated e-commerce for refining an e-government vision. Institute forPublic Policy Research even goes to the extent of warning that the ‘failure to add value through e-governmentnow could undermine public and political support for the public services, especially given ever morepersonalised electronic services being offered to consumers by the private sector’ (IPPR, 2003). Eggers (2005)raises the question as to why government websites cannot be like amazon.com and believes that “One-size-fits-all” government can be transformed into “government you design.”

2. Defining E-government

At present, e-government, as rightly pointed out by Seifert and Relyea, is a largely amorphous conceptwith different meanings for different people (Seifert and Relyea, 2004). A consensus on definition is absent.E-government has been defined as specific actions; using government kiosk to retrieve information, oreffecting transaction through stand alone or integrated portals or automating delivery of government services.OECD has defined e-government as “the use of information and communication technologies, and particularlyinternet, as a tool to achieve better government” (OECD, 2003a, 2003b). The National Office of the InformationEconomy defines e-government as “the use of available and emerging technologies to create seamless,responsive and citizen-focussed government for the benefit of all” (NOIE, 2002). According to Di Maio andothers, “E-government is the transformation of public-sector internal and external relationships throughInternet-enabled operations and information and communication technologies to optimise government servicesdelivery, constituency participation and internal government processes” (Di Maio et al, 2002).

E-government is still in its infancy, despite the leading e-government portals having achieved higherstages of e-government evolution. As of now, the literature on e-government reflects more of vision, hope,wishful thinking and possibilities digitalization of government could offer. This is being reflected in most ofthe definitions put forward by the various researchers. To some, e-government is smarter government usingtechnologies to empower “public services of tomorrow” (Netcaucus, 2001). To Kearns, at IPPR, the ultimategoal of e-government is nothing short of the creation of a new digital state. Kearns believes that e-governmentcould address “historic problems of over-centralization, over-secrecy and inflexibility in government” (IPPR,2003). Wyld is of the opinion that “a definition of e-government should encompass many different types andforms of interaction, both between government and the people and within government itself”. To this effectWyld’s definition of e-government is the “use of electronic processes by citizens, businesses, and thegovernment to communicate, to disseminate and gather information, to facilitate payments, and to carry outpermitting in an online environment” (Wyld, 2004).

At the same time, any standard definition of e-government centres on the recipients, shifting the focusfrom an inward looking public service to one that is outward looking. For example, according to World Bank“E-government refers to the use by government agencies of information technologies (such as Wide AreaNetworks, the Internet, and mobile computing) that have the ability to transform relations with citizens,businesses, and other arms of government” (World Bank, 2003), (emphasis added). The Center for Technologyin government, University of Albany, defines e-government as “the use of Information Technology to supportgovernment operations, engage citizens, and provide public services”. E-government, in their view, cansupport more “streamlined and responsive service, and wider public participation” (emphasis added).European Commission’s Information Society goes to the extent of emphasizing that ‘e-government is forpeople to be online, not in line’ (Europa, 2001). According to Reinermann, “Electronic government is thetransformation of public institutions into ‘cyber-space’ – an area without restrictions caused by space, timeor hierarchies’ (Reinermann, 2001).

All the above definitions underscore the impact of technology in the delivery of e-government services.Like the words development or progress, e-government denotes something better, an improvement in qualityof services, and a better government. There is this notion of e-government incorporating the use of strategies

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and technologies to transform governments by improving the delivery of services and enhancing the qualityof interaction between the citizens and all branches of government. The perceptions of government officialsall over the world on government services also seem to be undergoing change. A survey among seniorgovernment officials across North America, Europe and Asia, conducted by Accenture, IT consultancy firm,revealed that 93 per cent found ‘improving citizen satisfaction’ as a key driver behind online government.(Accenture, 2003).

Despite the lack of agreements on defining e-Government, researchers would agree that e-governmenthas come to stay, though the possible developments it would take is hard to imagine or predict now.

3. Paradigm Shift

Todays’ organizations are bombarded with changing scenarios affecting their day to day operations.Sustainability if not competitiveness is on the agenda and the tools organizations look for to help themsurvive include those that allow them to retain their agility and flexibility. The overly bureaucratic arrangementsand the subsequent red tape have always come under criticism. The hierarchical and bureaucratic Weberianmodel has been found incapable of dealing with the chaos and turmoil created by the networked society. Thetransition to networked society has also been characterized by liberalization, privatization and globalizationsince the last decade. In order to survive in the turbulent external environment, public administration andhence bureaucracy have to abandon the perceived notion of stability, and embrace the idea of ‘limitedinstability’ (Kiel, 1994). Organizational paradigm is shifting from the vertical stovepipes of Weberianbureaucracy to complex chaotic and dynamic behaviour. The organizational values are undergoing changes“from hierarchy, tradition and obedience to bounded instability, interorganizational cross-industry integration,interorganizational alliances and networking in the transition from industrial society to information societyand from government to e-government (Peristeras et. al, 2004).

Analyzing e-government as a paradigm shift, Peristeras and others propose a four level schema reflectingthe evolutionary phases of impact of IT on private and public sector organizations (Peristeras et. al, 2004).According to the authors, the transition begins with islands of automation. The automation of small processeshas only a small impact on organizational change. In the second phase of automated process chains,reengineering using IT begins. In both these phases, the authors argue that legacy system remains ‘vertical,closed and introvert’. In the third phase of reengineering through IT, while the organizations produce thesame products and provide same services, innovation affects internal structure, functions and informationflows. The authors argue that Total Reinvention, the fourth stage we are experiencing now, led by internettechnologies results in merging of ICTs and leads to interorganizational collaboration and integration. Thefourth phase makes the existing organizational paradigms like ‘scientific management’ (Taylor and Fayol) and‘bounded rationality’ (Simon), among others obsolete due to the ‘newfound internal organizational complexityand the interaction with a constantly changing world’ (Peristeras et. al, 2004). As a result organizations arenow being perceived as a ‘chaotic complex autoacting system’ (Morgan, 1997). In the next section we look athow this paradigm shift and the transformation of bureaucracy is helping deliver integrated services in the e-Government domain.

4. From Stovepipes to Integrated Service Delivery

Bureaucracy is essentially characterized by vertically organized, hierarchical and partitioned structureof government, designed for many administrative and political reasons and not often for service deliveryreasons, “organized to bring internal managerial efficiency and specialization of the service processes”. Thishas resulted in ‘silo effect’ and ‘stove pipes’. All through history, citizens’ perception of bureaucracy hasbeen less than glowing, images of long queues filled with stress, delays and frustration, cumbersomeprocedures, inefficiency and red tapes. Homburg remarks that “bureaucracy is a bad word in the last decadesof the 20th century and in the beginning of the 21st century” (Homburg, 2004). Bureaucrats are perceived as

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“faceless small-minded pen pushers” misusing the discretionary powers vested upon them (Bovens andZouridis). The different government departments work independently to meet their goals rather than that ofthe citizens.

In its infancy, governments transferred its organizational, agency-by agency and program by programpresence on to the internet. Replicating the brick and mortar structure, e-government sites were not connectedacross the agency or government to the other systems. The silo or the stovepipe approach where the businessand system is viewed up and down and not across, was the website model during the initial few phases of e-government evolution (Vigne, M.L. (2002). But this is rapidly changing. Governments across the world areimitating the private sector’s e-business experience to develop a vision for their e-government initiatives.Rowan observes that a common vision of a number of governments is “based on the seamless integration ofback-office applications with new web portals that permit electronic commerce and citizen services” (Rowan,2000).

The paradigm shift started when e-government was envisaged to breakdown the silos, integrating verticallyand horizontally the business processes, service programs and streamlining information management. Themysteries and hierarchy of information characterized by bureaucratic structure of traditional governance arebeing challenged in online government. E-government facilitates new partnership-driven organizationalnetworks, less hierarchy and more flexibility (Netcaucus, 2001). ICTs, distinguished by its networkingcharacteristic challenge hierarchy, ‘the most traditional of cultural values of bureaucracy’ (NAO, 2002), anddemand, flatter, less hierarchical structures and enhanced flexibility and fluidity (Bach and Sisson, 2000,cited in Clark, Eugene, 2003). The transformative power of ICT enables governments to change fromcentralized, bureaucratized, paper-based, impersonal, rule based, disconnected departmentalization, todecentralized, digital, personalized, client-focused, interconnected networks (Clark, 2003).

While the public administration, even before the advent of internet technologies was aware of the structuralconstraints of departments in improved service delivery, ICT provided the necessary tools to breakdown thesilos. Governments have a troubled history of leading in IT provisions in 1950s and 1960s, encounteringmore problems than other organizations and progressively slipping from the leadership role (NAO, 2002).Though ‘reinventing government’ movement in the late 1980s tried to reorient the focus of governmentoperations to an outward looking one to reflect the needs and concerns of users (Ho, 2002), it was ICT thatfacilitated improvements to the way work could be done better, reorienting the focus using internettechnologies. Enterprise architecture developed during the 1980s to improve large complex organizationshas significantly evolved into government enterprise architecture exploring wide range of new approachesfrom inter-organizational co-operation ‘through highly centralised planning and control arrangements’,facilitating joined up decision making processes (AGIOM, 2004).

Unlike the physical set up of a government office responsible for providing a series of services on aspecific activity (tax returns/building permits/social welfare benefits), a single point of internet access(government portal) can integrate several services into a single window. Online service offerings fromindividual departments transcend the many organizational boundaries. This is essentially facilitated by theintegration of various departmental silos. This transformation is referred to as a whole-of-government approachand reflects the paradigm shift). As Fountain argues, “one of the chief effects of advances in informationtechnology on bureaucratic organisation has been the ability to structure information using informationsystems rather than through strict delineation of role and organisational subunit” (Fountain, 1999). Theparadigm shift is reflected in a sophisticated government portal where the user would have easy access toinformation and services from a single point of access, circumventing the complex arrays of departments. IT,as Fountain observed, alters the capacity and control features of traditional bureaucracies. E-governmentfocuses on customers’ needs rather than on the organizational structure of government agencies reflecting“the bottom-up reality of citizens and businesses” contacts with government (Europa, 2001). As Van Wertargues, by allowing the individuals to access information and services from the bureaucracy, the internet is

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shifting power from the institution to the citizen. ICT facilitates and augments empowerment of the citizen bycreating a citizen-centered government in lieu of bureaucracy-centered government, one that is result orientedrather than process oriented, relying on the market, promoting innovation and competition. The goal for e-Government has been reset to tailor service delivery to meet citizens’ needs, as opposed to approaching fromthe government side (Accenture, 2003), offering choice of when and where to access government servicesvia online government, unlike in the offline government (Holzer, M. and Kim, S.T. (2003). Ho (2002) finds theshift from a bureaucratic paradigm to an e-government paradigm transforming the organizational principles ingovernment. While the bureaucratic model emphasizes top-down management and hierarchical communication,the new model emphasizes team work, multidirectional networks and direct communication (Ho, 2002).

5. Assessments in Capacity Building and Capacity Utilization

5.1. Capacity Building

Capacity building initiatives could be assessed based on the ‘life events approach’ and ‘stages ofgrowth’ approach.

• Life events approach: One of the clearly identifiable indicators of user-friendliness of an e-governmentportal is the presence of life events approach, at times, centered on life phases (childhood, adult life,and retirement, for example). Life events approach derives from an individual’s stages of life, similar tothe three critical ashrams in Hindu philosophy - life of a student, progression to that of a householderand then to a life of retirement.

One way of ensuring effective and efficient online services to customers is to design the site aroundmajor life events of an individual. Life events driven navigation reduces the number of clicks to findinformation and access to a service. The life events approach re-categorizes governmental role from thepoint of view of the citizen, reflecting users’ as against authorities’ needs, facilitating easy informationretrieval and access to service. The structure of bureaucracy is demystified, and several services bydifferent government departments, in relation to a life event (for example, birth, building a house) areintegrated into one key point of access, resulting in better, quicker service and greater customersatisfaction. Unlike the concept of single window introduced during the pre-ICT phase of publicadministration, which resulted in just an additional window, seamless integration is possible now usingsophisticated architecture. The possibilities of a citizen-centric site thematically organized around lifeevents from cradle to grave are immense. The extremely user-friendly e-citizen portal of the Singaporegovernment, a pioneer in e-government adoption is a case in point (see Singapore government, 2003).

• Life events approach ensures service provision, usability and accessibility of the content from the pointof view of the customer. The list of life events is not fixed, but constantly evolving on the basis of newand impending life situations. Along with the extent of possible scenarios of life events, a critical test isto verify how mature the interactive and transactional provisions made available are.

• Stages of growth approach: Gartner’s model of e-government identifies four phases, not necessarilysequential - presence, interaction, transaction and transformation (Gartner Group, 2000).

The first phase of e-government is a basic website, filled with static webpages, with limited options,providing basic information about government agencies. The website is similar to that of a brochure,and lacks interactive capabilities.

In the second stage of development, the website offers enhanced capabilities. While providinginformation, downloadable forms for printing are made available and email contacts incorporated forbasic interaction.

The transactive phase goes much beyond information provision, enabling the visitor/citizen to effect

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transactions like paying taxes online.

Transformational stages centre on Customer/Citizen Relationship Management (CRM) principles, wherethe interdepartmental boundaries blur, organizational barriers disappear, government goes virtual,transforming the way governments interacts with customers.

In 2001, European Commission evolved a four-stage methodology for assessing the level of availabilityand sophistication of e-government services (Europa, 2001).

Stage 1 - Information: online information about public services;Stage 2 - Interaction: downloading of forms;Stage 3: Two-way interaction: processing of forms, including authentication;Stage 4: Transaction: full case handling, decision and delivery (payment).

The use of the stages of growth approach would help identify the transaction maturity with onlinetransactions in e-government applications.

5.2. Capacity Utilization

To assess capacity utilization efforts, there needs to be systematic studies of citizens’ acceptanceand use of e-government applications. The two pieces of theoretical framework that would help assess theuptake of e-government applications are the ‘diffusion of innovation’ (Rogers, 1995) to explain user adoptionof new technologies and the ‘technology acceptance model’ (Davis, 1989) to study user acceptance oftechnology.

Roger’s diffusion of innovation theory is being widely used by IS researchers to help explain user adoptionof new technologies. According to Rogers, diffusion is “the process by which an innovation is communicatedthrough certain channels over time among members of a social society”. Diffusion of innovation theorystates that the rate of diffusion is affected by an innovation’s ‘relative advantage’, ‘complexity’, ‘compatibility’,‘trialability’ and ‘observability’.

Davis’ technology acceptance model is widely used to study user acceptance of technology. Accordingto this model, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use influence one’s attitude toward system usage,which influences one’s behavioural intention to use a system, which in turn determines actual system usage.

These two theories in combination could help assess the acceptance, utilization and further adoption ofe-government applications by different citizen groups. There needs to be continuous monitoring ofassessments in e-government capacity building and capacity utilization so that they don’t fall short ofexpectations and or potential.

6. Concluding Remarks

The chaos and turmoil created by the networked society continues to impact e-government initiatives ofgovernments. Governments are redefining its service delivery processes and structure from procedure orientedsilos to integrated delivery services with customer focus. E-government has evolved through various phasesof growth from presence through transformation. The evolution continues with personalization of servicesas in e-business. The process of the continuing, evolving paradigm shift can be synthesized only through alongitudinal comparative study of capacity building and capacity utilization of national and regional e-government applications with specific focus on different citizen groups across various regions.

References

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2 AGIMO (2004). Future Challenges for E-government publication: Overview”, Haligan, J. and Moore, T.Available at: http://www.agimo.gov.au/__data/assets/file/33192/AGIMO-FC-Overview.pdf. Accessed onJuly 27, 2006.

3 Centre for Technology in Government (2002). Enabling E-Government. Available at: http://www.ctg.albany.edu/themes/themes?chapter=egov. Accessed on July 27, 2003.

4 Clark E. (2003). Managing the transformation to e-government: An Australian perspective. ThunderbirdInternational Business Review, Hoboken, Jul 2003. Vol. 45, Iss. 4, pp. 377-97.

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6 Davis F. (1989). Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use and User Acceptance of InformationTechnology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), pp. 319-40.

7 Di Maio A., Baum C. Keller B. Kreizman G. Pretali M. and Seabrook, D. (2002). Framework for E-government Strategy Assessment. Gartner, Stamford, Connecticut, USA.

8 Eggers, W. (2005). Made to Order. Government Technology Magazine. Available at: http://www.govtech.net/magazine/story.php?id=92875. Accessed on September 4, 2005.

9 Europa (2001). e-government - Electronic access to public services. Available at: http://europa.eu.int/information_society/eeurope/action_plan/egov/text_en.htm. Accessed on July 27, 2003.

10 Europa (2001). eGovernment indicators for benchmarking eEurope. Available at: http://europa.eu.int/information_society/eeurope/action_plan/pdf/egovindicators.pdf. Accessed on July 27, 2003.

11 Europa (2004). Green Paper on public-private partnerships and Community law on public contractsandconcessions.Available at: ttp://europa.eu.int/smartapi/cgi/sga_doc? smartapi! celexapi! prod! CELEXnumdoc & lg = EN&numdoc=52004DC0327&model=guichett. Accessed on July 27, 2003.

12 Fang Z. (2002). E-Government in Digital Era: Concept, Practice, and Development, International Journalof The Computer”, The Internet and Management, Vol. 10, No.2, 2002, p 1-22

13 Fountain Jane E. (1999). The Virtual State: Toward a Theory of Federal Bureaucracy in the 21st Century.In Elaine Ciulla Kamarck and Joseph S. Nye (eds), Democracy.com? Governance in a Networked WorldHollis, NH, Hollis Publishing.

14 García-Arribas G. and López-Crespo F. (2003) Landscape of e-Government at the Dawn of the 21stCentury. UPGRADE. Available at: http://www.upgrade-cepis.org/issues/2003/2/up4-2Presentation.pdf.Accessed on September 4, 2005.

15 Gartner Group (2000). Key issues in e-government strategy and management. Research Notes, KeyIssues.

16 Ho A. (2002). Reinventing Local Governments and the E-Government Initiative. Public AdministrationReview, 62(4), pp. 434-44.

17 Holzer M. and Kim S.T. (2003). Digital Governance in Municipalities Worldwide-An Assessment ofMunicipal Web Sites Throughout the World. Available at: http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~egovinst/Website/Report%20-%20Egov.pdf. Accessed on September 4, 2005.

18 Homburg V. (2004). E-Government and NPM: A Perfect Marriage?, Proceedings of the Sixth InternationalConference on Electronic Commerce ICEC’04, Janssen, M., Sol, H.G. and Wagenaar, R.W. (eds.)

19 Institute for Public Policy Research (2003). London Connects: Public Value and Electronic Service Delivery.By Kearns, I. and Taylor, M.

20 Krishnaswamy G. (2005). Integration as a Key Concept in Information Systems Management – Implicationsfor Just in Time e-Business. Proceedings of the Fourth Global Conference on Flexible SystemsManageement, December 26-29, pp. 446-51.

21 Krishnaswamy G. (2005). User-friendliness of e-Government Portals – a study of Integrated ServiceProvision at Australian State Governments Online. in Gupta, M.P. (ed.). Towards E-Government:Management Challenges, Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited, pp. 516-23.

22 Letch N. (2001). The Emerging e-Government Research Agenda: a Report on Recent International Research.

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Available at: http://wawisr01.uwa.edu.au/2001/Letch.pdf. Accessed on September 4, 2005.

23 McCalla J. (2001). E-Government in Ontario: Faster Access to Improved Services, EcDevJournal.com.Available at: http://www.ecdevjournal.com/pubs/2001/art04_01.htm. Accessed on September 4,2005.

24 Morgan G. (1997). Images of Organization, Sage Publications.

25 Mulgan G. (1997). Connexity: How to Live in a Connected World, London: Chatto and Windus.

26 NAO (2002). Better Public Services through e-government: Academic Article in support of Better PublicServices through e-government. Available at: http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/nao_reports/01-02/0102704-III.pdf. http://www.ecdevjournal.com/pubs/2001/art04_01.htm. Accessed on September4, 2005.

27 Netcaucus (2001). Introduction – The Purpose of Transforming Government – E-Government as aCatalyst in the Information Age. Available at: http://www.netcaucus.org/books/egov2001/pdf/EGovIntr.pdf. http://www.ecdevjournal.com/pubs/2001/art04_01.htm. Accessed on September 4,2005.

28 Novell Corp. (2001). The Future of eGovernment. Available at: http://www.govtech.net/govcenter/solcenter/pdfs/futureofegov.pdf. http://www.ecdevjournal.com/pubs/2001/art04_01.htm. Accessed onSeptember 4, 2005.

29 OECD (2003a). The e-government imperative: main findings. Available at: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/60/60/2502539.pdf. http://www.ecdevjournal.com/pubs/2001/art04_01.htm. Accessedon September 2, 2005.

30 OECD (2003b). Engaging Citizens Online for Better Policy-making, OECD Policy Brief, March 2003.Available at: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/62/23/2501856.pdf. http://www.ecdevjournal.com/pubs/2001/art04_01.htm. Accessed on September 4, 2005.

31 Peristeras V. Tsekos T. and Tarabanis K. (2004). Analyzing E-Government as a Paradigm Shift. Availableat:http://www.eurice.de/infocitizen/PUBLICATIONS/instabul%20iasia.pdf. http://www.ecdevjournal.com/pubs/2001/art04_01.htm. Accessed on September 4, 2005.

32 Propylon Corp. (2004). A Service Oriented Approach to e-Government Architecture. Paper by McGrath,S. and O’Reilly, C. Available at http://www.idealliance.org/papers/dx_xmle04/papers/02-06-04/02-06-04.html. http://www.ecdevjournal.com/pubs/2001/art04_01.htm. Accessed on September 4, 2005.

33 Rogers E.M. (1995). Diffusion of Innovations, The Free Press, New York.

34 Rowan M. (2000). The Building Blocks of a Digital Government Strategy. Government Finance Review,16 (5) pp. 9-13.

35 Schedler K. and Scharf C. (2001). Exploring the Interrelations Between Electronic Government and theNew Public Management. In Schmid, B. Stanoevska-Slabeva, K. and Tschammer, V. (eds.), Towards theE-Society : E-Commerce, E-Business and E-Government, Kluwer Academic, Dordrecht, pp 775-89.

36 Seifert J.W. and Relyea H.C. (2004). Considering E-Government from the U.S. Federal Perspective: AnEvolving Concept, A Developing Practice. Journal of E-Government, Vol. 1 (1). Available at http://www.haworthpress.com/store/SampleText/J399.pdf. Accessed on September 4, 2005.

37 Singapore government (2003). Available at: http://www.ecitizen.gov.sg/. Accessed on July 27, 2003.

38 Vigne M.L. (2002). ELECTRONIC GOVERNMENT: A VISION OF A FUTURE THAT IS ALREADY HERE.Syracuse Law Review, Volume 52, Number 4, 2002. Available at http://www.ctg.albany.edu/publications/journals/electronic_government/electronic_government.pdf. Accessed on September 4, 2005.

39 Worldbank (2003). Available at: http://www1.worldbank.org/publicsector/egov/definition.htm. Accessedon July 27, 2003.

40 Wyld D. (2004). The 3 Ps: The Essential Elements of a Definition of E-Government. Journal of E-Government, Vol. 1 (1). Available at: http://www.haworthpress.com/store/SampleText/J399.pdf. Accessedon September 4, 2005.

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About the Author

Girija Krishnaswamy started her career as an electrical engineer working for Kerala State ElectronicsDevelopment Corporation Ltd. After her MBA, she started teaching at Cochin University of Science andTechnology. Girija acquired MSc in Information Systems Management from Hong Kong University andScience and Technology and is currently finishing her PhD at Murdoch University, Western Australia.Girija teaches at the School of Business and Informatics, Australian Catholic University in Sydney. Herareas of teaching are Information Technology Project Management, Current Issues in Information Systems,Systems Development Methodologies and Technology Management. Girija’s research interests lie in thediffusion of internet technologies with special reference to e-Government., website management strategiesand implementation of secure technologies. She has presented her research in Australia, Egypt, HongKong, India, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, Spain and the US.

Capacity Building for E-government

Piyush Gupta1

ABSTRACT

This paper has been written in context of the National e-government Plan being implemented inIndia. It discusses the key issues involved in Capacity Building at a State/Federal Governmentlevel and, the need for developing the Capacity Building Roadmap. It also outlines a strategy tobe adopted for developing the Roadmap. The author is of the opinion that a similar frameworkand strategy would be essential for other countries who are in the process of building a Nationale-government Plan.

Keywords: NeGP (National e-Government Plan), Capacity Building, Roadmap, e-governance, InstitutionalFramework, Change Management.

1. Introduction

E-government is about providing services to its stakeholders in a most convenient and efficient manner.Based on the potential of e-government to improve the quality of life of the masses and the lessons learnedfrom earlier initiatives, the Government of India is implementing a National e-Government Plan (NeGP), whichwas approved in 2004. The National E-Governance Action Plan comprises of 10 components and 25 MissionMode Projects (MMP) to be executed over a four-year period (DIT 2002). These MMPs are to be implementedby the line ministries at the national level, or by the State/Federal Governments at the State level or asintegrated projects. In this context, the national program has identified several e-governance MMPs at theCentre and State level, which are to be implemented by the respective Line Ministries. Under NeGP there are15 areas, which are within the domain of the State Governments (including local bodies) including coreprojects, core infrastructure projects apart from Capacity Building (DIT 2002). Considering the nature andscale of e-governance initiatives planned under NeGP, the State Governments presently do not have enoughcommitted manpower and supporting infrastructure to manage the e-governance projects.

2. Need for Capacity Building

E-government is a fairly complex process of creating and harnessing the right environment that consistsof People who are committed to the cause and who have the right skill sets; Processes that are re-engineeredand transformed; Technology that is appropriate and Resources that are channelized to be used in a cost-effective manner. NeGP has an integral component of “Capacity Building”, in which the State Governmentsare required to build capacity (resources of people, process and tools) for conceptualizing, developing andmanaging the e-government projects.

1 National Institute for Smart Government (NISG) Hyderabad- 500 019, Andhra Pradesh, India (Phone: +91-9849914466, E-mail: [email protected])

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One of the critical factors responsible for the slow growth and uptake of e-government Projects is the lackof champions who have the right skill sets, knowledge, aptitude, leadership qualities, and who occupydecision making management positions. This is leading to several factors like failure to take advantage of theexciting opportunities offered by e-government for improving quality of service to the citizens and businesses,inability to conceptualize and design the appropriate financial, technical and business models, and deficienciesin project management skills and capabilities needed to execute these projects.

Many states do not even have an IT/e-government department or just have a skeletal department that isnot designed to deal with the complexity of issues involved. For any NeGP to achieve its goals, this is the firstgap that needs to be addressed. Other gaps seen are(DIT 2002):

• Lack of correct information on the human resource requirements to support the State e-governancemission

• Lack of personnel with appropriate background and aptitude• Inadequate skill sets of personnel already deployed• Lack of appropriate institutional framework to handle the capacity building• Lack of proper policy to fill the gap through sourcing from private sector• In-adequate expertise and skills within the state training institutions to lead training programs for the

policy makers• Lack of thrust on institutional capacity building in the domain of e-governance

Through the Capacity Building (CB) focused initiatives, the State Governments would be better placed inenvisioning and steering the NeGP program in a “projectized mode” (DIT 2002). This will result in the Statesbuilding a strong base for the State Governments to develop sustainable e-government projects. To accomplishthis need in an appropriate way, it is desirable to develop a State e-government Roadmap for CapacityBuilding, which will represent a realistic approach for the realization of the NeGP at the State level. Thestrategy for the realization of the plan is to develop a Comprehensive E-government Human Resource. Thecore competencies of e-government Human Resource may be described as: knowledgeable (technical andprofessional skills and combinations thereof), with communication skills (ability to share that knowledge),and with interpersonal skills (ability to motivate in a group leadership and teamwork environment). The CBRoadmap should address the four key stages of the programme management life-cycle i.e. current situation,vision/mission, strategy/action and sustainability (NISG 2005). One of the important components of this willbe building an institutional framework with CB requirements at different levels. The stress is on buildingcapacity at all the three levels – Institutional level, Organizational level, and Individual level as illustrated infigure 1.

Therefore, for implementing an e-government plan in a sustainable manner, it will be essential to fill the e-readiness gap between the capacities actually present and the capacities needed for pervasive e-governance.The Government’s should be required to develop a roadmap for capacity building (blueprint) which will guidethem and provide a strategy for implementing the State and National e-government Plan. The author iscurrently leading the effort in developing the Capacity Building Roadmap for the States in India. This paperpresents the approach adopted in developing the Roadmap.

Before proceeding with the details on the approach and strategy used for CB, it is critical to address theimportance of ‘people’ and Institutional Framework in CB.

The UK local e-government model defines the ‘people’ dimension as: “the internal organization andmanagement practices required to help deliver the people changes necessary for e-government, including

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Piyush Gupta / Capacity Building for E-Government

committed and effective leadership, access to appropriate skills and a responsive programme of training andchange management”. It recognizes that success in local e-government will depend, fundamentally, on thecreative deployment of appropriately-skilled and knowledgeable people (Idea-Gov 2004),.

The report of the Office of Public Management (OPM), commissioned by Office of Deputy Prime Minister(ODPM), UK, identified e-government related gaps as “including lack of knowledge about how Informationand Communication Technology (ICT) can be applied, lack of people who understand how to respondstrategically and corporately to the e-government agenda and lack of skills in procuring ICT”. (OPEM 2005)

An Institutional Framework with Capacity Building requirements at different levels from the politicalleader to project management levels need to be addressed. A broad view of the roles and skills requirementat these levels is illustrated in figure 2. (DIT 2002)

Fig. 2: Institutional Framework

Fig. 1: Capacity Building Framework

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Fig. 3: Capacity Building Roadmap Stages

3.1. Where We Want To Be (Stage 1: Developing the Vision/Mission)

Focuses on looking into the future. This is done by developing alternative future scenarios that wouldresult from the implementation of the State e-government programme, selecting a most appropriate scenario,then developing a vision and mission for the programme, as along with its objectives. Specific tasks anddeliverables at this stage would include(Adrien 2003):

• Developing a vision and mission for CB in concurrence with the e-governance Roadmap• Identifying the level of capacity that needs to be developed in line with the State e-government roadmap• Detailing out the Governance Structure to be followed for Institutional Capacity Building at the State

level for all program management, department level for all projects, and defining the roles & responsibilitiesat all levels

• Developing a structure for training institutions and level of competencies needed

To meet these requirements, the job categorizations are various and diverse, ranging from strategicconsultants and other external competencies on the one hand, to e-Champions and Chief Information Officerswithin the Government on the other. It is essential to plan the job categories in a systematic manner andenable development of capacities to take the State e-government plan forward.

3. Capacity Building Roadmap Study Methodology

The Capacity Building RoadMap (CBRM) for e-government should be in accordance to the specificGovernments’ e-government Road Map. The scope of the design of CBRM includes: assessment of theexisting capacities – individual and institutional; assessment of the capacity needs for the State e-governmentPlan; suggesting a concrete plan for undertaking CB initiatives in a sustainable manner; makingrecommendations on the strategies and methodologies to be adopted for implementation of the CB Plan. TheCBRM study may be addresses in the four key stages as illustrated in figure 3 (NISG 2005).

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• Developing a structure for leveraging private sector resources for manpower and consultancy services

3.2. Where We Are Now (Stage 2: Assessing the Current Situation)

Examines the current situation within which the CB program is to be cast. Here, it is important to examinethe current situation in a broader systems context and not simply from the perspective of only one organizationthat may be responsible for the programme. Specific tasks and deliverables at this stage would include thefollowing (Adrien 2003):

• Analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the existing institutions (institutional structure) mandated toplan and implement e-governance initiatives. This would include:

• Command, control and reporting mechanism of e-governance initiatives in the State• Interface with key Government decision-making bodies in the State• Interface with individual project/ component teams/ structures at the State Government level and the

State Department level• Mechanisms to ensure integration, consistency and coordination across and within the projects and

components• Institutionalizing processes and tools for effective management of e-governance initiatives• Assessment of the capacity of the nominated State Nodal Agency, State e-governance Mission Team

and Project e-governance Mission Team under NeGP.• Training Need Analysis (TNA) for all the Departments being covered under the State e-governance

Roadmap.• TNA at the political level, policy makers, and other officials (Secretariat level).• Review of the strengths and weaknesses of the existing Government training institutions, like State

Administrative Training Institute, Rural Development, Health, etc. which will fall under the preview ofproviding e-government training.

3.3. How To Get There (Stage 3: Implementation Strategy and Actions)

Defines the implementation strategy and all actions required to achieve the CB programme objectives.This is the most important stage in any programme as this is where the bulk of the resources are applied.Specific tasks and deliverables at this stage would include developing the following (Adrien 2003):

• Strategy for institutional capacity building for existing Government training institutions• Options to address substantive weaknesses. These might include provision of trainer-training in specific

topics or the provision of twinning or mentoring support• The State Government strategy and plan for the composition of the core governance structures. Detailed

strategy on how the designated agency would undertake CB by following the option to judiciously mixavailable options

• An overall training strategy. In developing the training strategy, the consultant is required to determinewhether training is needed; determine causes of poor performance; determine content and scope oftraining; determine desired training outcomes; provide a basis of measurement and a plan for gainingmanagement/administration support

• Framework for identification of partnerships for effecting the training needs and strategy• Mechanisms for augmenting capacity using various options of internal sourcing or external sourcing,

and the time frames• Training calendar for the State and for different set of stakeholders• Personal development policy to encourage employees to take-up training programs

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• Budget requirements and forecasts• Strategy for funds and other resource mobilization

3.4. How To Stay There (Stage 4: Sustainability)

Addresses the sustainability of the CB programme and its outcomes, once the programme has beenimplemented. This is often an overlooked stage, which is of extreme importance to the planning of CBdevelopment. Therefore, an important part of the programme planning process is to determine how theprogramme (its mission, objectives, outcomes) can become sustainable, how it can remain relevant byresponding to changes in the system as and when they occur, and how it would no longer need externalassistance. Specific tasks and deliverables at this stage would include developing the following

• Structure and policy for building an environment for people to apply their skills, an environment that isconducive in mobilizing social groups and motivating individuals, and is the basis of requirements forpromoting capacity utilization and retention

• Structures for strengthening management systems for improved capacity utilization• Policies for strengthening by leveraging the private sector human resource• Training policy in context of the e-governance• Legal and regulatory environment changes for HR policies• Mechanisms for involving and getting political and bureaucratic commitments.

4. Training Interventions

Training will be one of the most important components of CB initiatives, which will spread across differentlevels. A focused training framework should be evolved using the internal and external training institutionnetwork of a particular State. Considering the scope and gaps to be addressed in the CB exercise, thefollowing framework illustrates the possible partnerships and decentralized approach (NISG 2005). It is importantto build on existing capacites first.

There are quite a few civil servants who are enthusiastic about implementing the e-government initiatives.They also have some of the skill sets needed. However, it is rarely that such enthusiastic officers come acrossthe right e-government opportunities and have the mandate and tenure to implement projects that can makesignificant impact, all at the same time. It is necessary for the Government to ensure that success in e-government does not happen by accident, but by design. The unquestionable conclusion is to develop acadre of e-government Champions from among the civil servants who have the right aptitude and basic skillsets required for the success of e-government. There is an imminent need for creating a cadre of e-governmentChampions among the civil services with a view to ensure that the investments in e-government results inbetter dividends to the stakeholders.

In UK, the ODPM and the Local Government Association (LGA) established the Capacity Buildingprogramme in April 2003, as part of a three year initiative to support improvement in local government. Theprogramme aimed to enhance and develop councils’ confidence, leadership, and skills to drive forwardimprovement as well as develop their capacity to learn, innovate and share knowledge and expertise aboutwhat works and how. This has provided the opportunity to take a longer-term look at capacity building inlocal government. The task now is to support local government to drive forward its own development. TheProgramme is underpinned by 4 areas of focus:

• Leadership - focusing on elected member and officer capacity both collective and individual;• Corporate capacity - examples are peer support, performance support, and transfer of knowledge and

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Fig. 4: Framework for Training Across Levels

learning;• Workforce capacity - focusing on issues around recruitment and retention, strategic HR, and people

management; and• Support for generic skills - example are procurement, performance management, and financial and project

management.

A Framework Contract is in place and consists of 51 suppliers of varying sizes, ranging from largeconsultancy firms and academic institutions to niche providers from the private and public sector. Thesuppliers were selected to provide expertise in some or all of the seven capacity building theme areas and willwork in partnership with the ODPM, LGA and Councils to develop and deliver projects and support. Suchpartnerships with the private and public sector for capacity building will be another important steps for anyGovernment. (OPEM 2005)

5. Change Management for e-government

Any e-government project will bring in tremendous change, in terms of processes, people, organizationalstructures and use of technologies. All of a sudden the connected people are required to perform a differentrole with altogether different set of tools. The changes to be brought in by e-government, the expectedresponses and the suggested management measures have to be clearly identified and accordingly handledwith utmost care in the whole process. Changes due to e-government will directly impact someone in thesystem – internal or external stakeholder. Somebody’s job is going to change. The change may be small ormassive. Either way, people don’t like to have change imposed on them – “People want change, they don’twant to be changed”.

Civil servants may resist e-government projects, and may refuse to adopt new procedures. This problemmay be more severe in developing countries where human resources may be less robust, the economy lessstable and other job opportunities less plentiful. The Working Group on E-Government in the Developing

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World, APRIL 2002, setup by the Pacific Council on International Policy suggests a set of key issues whichshould be addressed to overcome the resistance from within the Government: (1) understand why officialsresist (2) seek “buy-in” (3) explain (4) train (5) evaluate through an external agency (6) force (7) solicit (8)reward (9) praise and (10) celebrate. (Pacific-Council 2002)

The Suffolk County Council in UK is one of the good models for talking change management for e-government. The council has taken the initiative to use change champions network and setup learning labs.The council is aware that e-government is about cultural change and capacity building across the wholeauthority and every member of staff should be involved. The change champion’s network is used to encourageemployees at all levels to be a catalyst for change. Learning Labs are workshops that enable front line staff,managers and external agencies to share their ideas and explore new ways of working by testing theireffectiveness in a controlled, creative and non-judgmental environment. The learning lab process is anextremely effective way of getting the best from front line staff, and using their experience and expertise toimprove council performance to take forward the changes in e-government. (Suffolk 2005)

5.1. Fifteen Steps to Tackle Change

As an e-government process initiator there are specific steps one should take to manage this change.Listed below are few of these steps:

• Establish a sense of urgency – identifying and discussing transformation needs, political crises andmajor opportunities

• Form a powerful guiding coalition – getting a group with enough power to lead the change effortEncouraging the group to work together as a team – involve the right people

• Make a Business case – demonstrate directly how the new systems will improve quality, decrease thetime required to complete a process and cut operating costs or increase productivity – move for thechange, based on data, not based on gut feel

• Create a vision for e-government – creating a vision to help guide the change effort• Communicate the vision – using every vehicle possible to convey the vision to all stakeholders, especially

the internal ones• Empower others (internal members) to act on the vision - getting rid of obstacles to change• Plan for and create short term wins – Think Big, Start Small, Scale Fast• Demonstrate a Proof of Concept (POC) – most people need a concrete demonstration before they can

fully understand or accept a new way of doing things. This also handles the importance of the newsystem for the Government and its stakeholders – not just something that’s fun and of personal interestfor the people implementing it

• Don’t demand a lot of participation from people for a “blue sky”, at least till POC is demonstrated• Measure results – standardization - identify the hidden costs and hidden benefits for the employees and

other stakeholders• Pilot the project – picking the right pilots after successful POC demonstration to the key players• Institutionalize the new systems and approach• Consolidate improvements and communicate to stakeholders• Not forming large and number of committees from the start – that would be a good way to kill the change

or delay the change• Publicize the success – honor the teams for their success

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6. Key Issues to Be Addressed

Some of the key issues which may seek immediate attention would be :

• Internal capacity having appropriate skill-sets and aptitude• Sourcing personnel from the private sector

− Recruitment Techniques: Short-term Staff Hire for Specialist Assignments; Public-Private Sharing− Retention Techniques: Innovative Career Development Paths; Non-Financial Rewards; Remuneration

Revision• Public-Private Partnership framework

− Strategic consultancy− Business model

• Institutional Capacity building framework• Political & bureaucratic commitment• Training intervention constraints and facilitating factors: Course Objectives, Content, and Methodology;

Faculty/Speakers; Identification of Participants; Adequate infrastructure; Budget and Funds; and TrainingAssessment


The e-government is a journey for any Country, which has to be aligned across the Country. Keeping inview the enormous task of driving a National e-governance Plan in accordance with the overall spirit ofservice orientation, most States are inadequately equipped in terms of personnel and the skill-sets needed tohandle the host of issues involved. It will be of utmost importance for any Government to steer the e-government initiative in a focused way, by developing a Capacity Building Roadmap (CBRM). CBRM is adocument that enables development or sourcing of the human resources required to design, develop andimplement large-scale e-government program and projects and to sustain these capacities. The capacities canbe internal or external as appropriate and possible. The capacities are to be built in individuals and ininstitutions. Even new institutions can be contemplated as e-government is relatively a new discipline. It isalso essential that the CB initiatives address the change management issues for a sustainable e-governmentplan. An e-government Capacity Building Roadmap, once developed for one country can be tailored andapplied to any other country’s e-government program.

References

1 Adrien M.H. (2003). “Guide to Conducting Reviews of Organizations Supplying M&E Training”, ECD

Working Paper Series No. 9, , February 2003 The World Bank Washington, D.C. [online],

www.worldbank.org/oed DIT (2005) “Guidelines for Capacity Building under NeGP”,India.

2 Idea-Gov (2004). e-Government Strategic Support Unit thematic area: people-based issues, “People in e-

Government: change, capacity and skills for e-government”, [online], www.idea.gov.uk

3 NISG (2005). “Capacity Building Roadmap for e-Government”, India, [online], http://www.nisg.org/

empanelment/ScheduleA.htm

4 OPEM (2005). “Capacity Building Programme”, [online], www.idea-knowledge.gov.uk/idk/core/

page.do?pageId=1701521#members

5 Pacific-Council (2002). “Roadmap for E-government in the Developing World 10 Questions E-Government

Leaders Should Ask Themselves”, a report prepared by The Pacific Council on International Policy, the

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Working Group on E-Government in the Developing World, [online], www.pacificcouncil.org

6 Rogers W. U. (2004). “The Roadmap to eGovernance Implementation: Selected Perspectives”, Presented

at a Commonwealth Regional Pacific Workshop on Law and Technology, 1 – 5 November 2004, Wellington,

New Zealand.

7 Suffolk (2005). “An e-government case study: Change Management” [online], www.idea.gov.uk/knowledge

Broadband in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Factors AffectingAttitudes Towards Adoption

Yogesh Dwivedi1* and Vishanth Weerakkody2

ABSTRACT

Utilising a survey approach, this research explores the reasons for the slow progress inbroadband adoption in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and investigates the factors that maybe affecting the adoption of broadband by KSA consumers. Particular emphasis was placed onindividual level factors such as social and cultural influences. The key findings were that thefactors with the main influence on attitude towards adoption of broadband were (i) Usefulness,(ii) Service quality, (iii) Age, (iv) Usage, (v) Type of connection and (vi) Type of accommodation.Contrary to prediction, although socio-cultural factors such as regulation through filtration ofbroadband were found to have no significant influence on the adoption of broadband, consumerswere aware and largely did not like the regulation. The paper also provides a discussion onresearch implications, limitations and future directions.

Keywords: Broadband; Adoption; Socio-Cultural; Factors; Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

1. Introduction

Broadband is commonly used to refer to high-speed Internet access via cable modems or Digital SubscriberLine (DSL), which is faster than dial-up (or narrowband). Broadband is considered vital for the growth anddiffusion of emerging e-services including e-learning and e-government services (Bose, 2004; Choudrieand Ghinea, 2005; Choudrie and Dwivedi, 2005a; 2006a). This is because broadband users are more likelyto be aware of new e-government services (Dwivedi et al., 2006e). However, the Internet in general has notbeen adapted globally at the same time or the same rate. Some countries are the leaders and others simplyfollow them. The adoption and diffusion literature suggests many factors that are likely to influence theprocess of adopting the Internet. Such factors include cultural, social, economical, skills, service quality,resources and technological factors (Choudrie and Dwivedi, 2005a; 2006ab; Oh et al., 2003).

This research paper is concerned about the adoption of broadband in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia(KSA); therefore there is a need to have some background information about KSA. The following offers abrief description and discussion on the development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)in general in the KSA, with specific focus on broadband technology. The Internet is a relatively newtechnology in the region. King Abdulaziz city for Science & Technology is responsible for starting theInternet service in 1997. It has put in place the policies and procedure for using the Internet in arrangement

1 School of Business and Economics, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP, Wales, UK *Corresponding Author: ( Phone +44 1792 602340, [email protected])2 School of Information Systems, Computing and Mathematics, Brunel University, Uxbridge, UB8 3PH, UK

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with other related government and private sector organisations. The city also trained its staff and put inplace the layout and design of the new network that become the main vessel that transfers information allover the kingdom (King Abdulaziz city for Science & Technology). Currently, there are three main types ofInternet access that are available in KSA: (1) dial up, which is the most common one; (2) DSL broadband,which is the focus of this research and (3) satellite, which is comparatively expensive but not as popular.

The Internet Services Unit (ISU) in King Abdulaziz city for Science & Technology has many roles toplay, such as connecting the service provider with the Internet so they can provide it to the customer, connectingall the Saudi colleges and universities to the Internet and the most important role is the filtration of websites.In 2001, Council of Ministers Resolution prohibited users within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from publishingor accessing certain content on the Internet. The ISU operates the high-speed data links that connect thecountry to the international Internet. While Saudi Internet users may subscribe to any of a number of localInternet service providers, all web traffic is forwarded through a central array of proxy servers at the ISU,which implements Internet content filtering roughly in line with parts of the Resolution. The ISU blocks anywebsite that contains sexually explicit content and sites that are related to drugs, bombs, alcohol, gambling,pages insulting the Islamic religion or Saudi laws and regulations.

In KSA the Internet has taken a while to diffuse and is therefore seen as a relatively new technology. TheKSA first started with dial up connections and then moved on to adopt broadband and satellite connectionsto provide better data communication services to its citizens. However, even with broadband technology thenumber of Internet connections is considered to be relatively poor in comparison to other developed countriessuch as the UK as well as newly industrialized leading broadband users such as South Korea (Oh et al.,2003). This poor connectivity is often claimed to be caused by website filtration in the region. Consequently,broadband adoption has been slower than expected in the region. Furthermore, research that examinesbroadband adoption from the individual perspective has not yet been undertaken in the KSA and otherdeveloping countries in the region. Therefore, this research aims to explore the reasons for the slow adoptionby examining the individual level factors affecting the adoption of broadband in KSA. The research willthereby seek to identify individual level factors, and attempt to examine why and how the identified factorsaffect consumers’ attitudes towards the adoption of broadband in the region. The paper then provides someimplications and recommendations to the government and ISPs for encouraging broadband adoption withinKSA.

Having introduced the topic of interest this paper now proceeds to provide a brief discussion on thebackground literature in Section 2. Section 3 provides a brief discussion on the theoretical basis for thisresearch. Section 4 provides a brief discussion of the utilized research methods. The findings are presentedin Section 5 and a discussion in Section 6. Finally, a conclusion including the contributions and limitationsto the research are provided in section 7.

2. Background Literature

The primary aim of this study was to investigate the factors that affect the adoption of broadband byconsumers of the KSA. There are relatively few studies that have examined broadband adoption from themicro perspective (i.e. individual level) in general and as far per our awareness and understanding no suchundertaken in the KSA. This section briefly discusses the available literature in the area and outlines thetheoretical basis of this study.

The adoption literature discussed henceforth provides discussions of both macro and micro factors thatdrive the success or slow uptake of broadband deployment in the context of leading countries in terms ofbroadband penetration. As stated earlier, research on the topic of broadband adoption at the micro level ingeneral (Crabtree, 2003; Oh et al., 2003; Stanton, 2004) and particularly in developing countries such asKSA is minimal. In an initial study of broadband deployment in South Korea, Lee et al. (2003) identified

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Yogesh Dwivedi and Vishanth Weerakkody / Broadband in the Kingdom of Saudi ....

three major factors comprising public sector actions, private sector actions and the socio-cultural environmentfactors that explained the high rate of broadband adoption in South Korea. Further research suggested thatsix success factors are responsible for driving the high penetration rate of broadband within the SouthKorean residential consumers (Choudrie and Lee, 2004). These six key factors consist of the government’svision, strategy and commitment, facilities-based competition, pricing, the PC Bang phenomenon, cultureand geography and demographics (Choudrie and Lee, 2004).

Amongst initial studies to understand the adoption of broadband, the work by Oh et al. (2003) is of highrelevance. This study examined the individual level factors affecting the adoption of broadband access inSouth Korea by combining factors taken from Rogers’ diffusion theory and the technology acceptancemodel (Oh et al., 2003). The findings of this study suggest that congruent experiences and opportunities inadopting a new technology affect user attitudes through the three extended technology acceptance modelconstructs; namely perceived usefulness, perceived skills and perceived resources (Oh et al., 2003).

In a recent study Stanton (2004) emphasized the need to conduct an inquiry that addresses the accessquestion and the demographics that would be useful to observe any changes in the likelihood of socioeconomicgroups when adopting broadband. Following on from these studies demographics of the UK broadbandconsumers were examined at both local level (Choudrie and Dwivedi, 2005a) and national level (Choudrieand Dwivedi, 2006a). Both the aforementioned studies highlighted the role of demographic variables suchas age, income, education and occupation in broadband adoption (Choudrie and Dwivedi, 2005a; 2006a).Further exploratory studies by the same authors examined attitudinal (i.e. relative advantage, utilitarianoutcomes and hedonic outcomes) and control (skills, knowledge, facilitating conditions resources) variablesto understand behaviour of broadband adopters and non-adopters. These studies suggested that theaforementioned variables are important for understanding broadband adoption behaviour (Choudrie andDwivedi, 2006b). Building upon previous studies, a confirmatory study was also conducted to develop andvalidate a reliable survey instrument for measuring the perception of consumers regarding adoption ofbroadband in the UK (Dwivedi et al., 2006a).

While the abovementioned discussion suggest that although both macro and micro level studies wereconducted to understand deployment of broadband in the developed world and leading broadband users(countries) such as South Korea, no studies have focused upon developing countries (Dwivedi et al., 2006b).The reason could be slow infrastructure development in these countries and the very low rate of adoption asmentioned before. This has provided the motivation for the researchers to undertake this exploratory studyin order to understand the perception of consumers regarding broadband adoption and its usefulness in theKSA. Its worthwhile contribution would be to understand reasons for consumer adoption and non-adoptionof subscription based technologies such as broadband in the developing world. The next section brieflydiscusses the theoretical basis for examining the factors of consumer adoption and non-adoption of broadband.

3. Theoretical Basis

The theoretical constructs included in this study are based on discussion presented above. This studyconsidered that the constructs such as usefulness, resources, skills, service quality, compatibility, relativeadvantage of technology, usage social cultural factors (for example language and regulation through filtration)and control variables such as age, gender, education, occupation and income (Choudrie and Dwivedi, 2005a;2006a; Dwivedi, 2005; Dwivedi et al., 2006cde; Oh et al., 2003; Rogers, 1995), type of accommodation andwhether one works from home or not (Choudrie and Lee, 2004) may influence consumers’/citizens’ attitudetowards broadband adoption in the context of KSA.

All aforementioned metric constructs were expected to have a positive impact on attitude towardsbroadband adoption, with the exception of socio-cultural factors that are expected to have a negative impact.However, the impact of each of the constructs (factors) was likely to vary that means some factors have more

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impact than others. Detail discussion on each factor is not possible within the scope of this paper due tolimited space. However, interested readers may refer original sources that have successfully utilised theaforementioned constructs in existing studies.

4. Research Methodology

For such purpose of examining broadband adoption in the KSA, the researchers considered a survey asa suitable research method (Cornford and Smithson, 1996; Choudrie and Dwivedi, 2005b). A number oftechniques are available to capture the data, however, a self-administered questionnaire was considered tobe the primary survey instrument for data collection in this investigation. This is because it addresses theissue of reliability of information by reducing and eliminating differences in the way that the questions areasked, and how they are presented (Cornford and Smithson, 1996). Furthermore, questionnaires facilitatethe collection of data within a short period of time from the majority of respondents and this was a criticalissue for this research (Fowler, 2002). Therefore mainly multiple and closed questions were included in thequestionnaire. The literature review provided an initial understanding of the broadband adoption and usage,and the basis for the development of a draft. The final questionnaire consisted of a total of 18 questions thatincluded close-ended, multiple and likert scale type questions. The Likert scale type (5-point scale) questionswere adapted from various sources mentioned in theoretical basis subsection and demographic categorieswere adapted from Choudrie and Dwivedi (2005a, 2006a).

Due to the uncertainty regarding personnel using the broadband facility, the researchers adopted thesnowball or chain sampling (Fridah, 2002) method when selecting the respondents for the survey. In orderto identify the first few respondents with Internet connection, researchers approached friends and colleagueswho possess the broadband connections at home using email in order to complete the questionnaire.Aforementioned respondents were also requested to recommend their friends and family contacts that hadInternet connections at home. This strategy led to the questionnaire being administered to a total of 150broadband users via email attachment during the periods of July and August 2005. Majority of respondentswho replied were located in two of the big cities of the KSA which are Riyadh, the capital, and Jeddah. Ofthe 150 questionnaires administered, 138 respondents returned the completed questionnaire, which helpedto obtain a response rate of 92.0%.

4.1. Data Analysis

The initial stage of data analysis involved checking the responses, and providing a unique identificationnumber to each response. Using SPSS (version 11.5) the researchers generated the descriptive statistics (i.e.percentage and tables) and conducted regression analysis to analyze and present the research data obtainedfrom the questionnaire in order to determine the extent to which the factors that have been proposed inSection 2 influence individual’s attitudes towards broadband adoption in the KSA. Multivariate linearregression has been selected as the most appropriate technique because it allowed examining the impact ofthe factors on broadband adoption. In order to measure the influence of adoption factors on attitude towardsbroadband adoption, the data had to be transformed in the following manner. For the factors with Likertscale questions – (i.e. Usefulness, Skills, Resources, Compatibility, Technology, Service Quality and Social/Cultural Factors), the average for each factor was computed and then subsequently used. For example,usefulness had 4 key statements or items, which were averaged to compute a mean score and a new IV wascreated, which was called usefulness.

The control variables with multiple type questions were transformed to binary format. In the case ofMale/Female, the control variables were allocated 1 (Male) and 2 (Female) and treated as categorical dataformat. The similar categorisation was done for accommodation type (i.e. house/flat). Variable with multiplecategories were transformed into two categories (binary format) as follows. For age, those below 25 yearswere grouped as 1 (young) and those above 25 (middle to old) were grouped as 2. For education, those up

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to secondary level were put in 1 (less educated) while those above secondary (undergraduate andpostgraduate) were put as 2 (highly educated). For usage, those who use up to 2 hours were classified as 1(low users); while those who use more than 2 hours per day were classified as 2 (high users). For the use ofInternet, broadband and satellite were combined as 1 (high speed), while dialup was classified as 2 (slowspeed).

5. Research Findings

This section begins by presenting demographic profile of respondents. This is then followed by a detailedstatistical analysis, namely linear regression. Linear regression identified the variables that had significantimpact on the individual’s attitude.

5.1. Respondents Profile

Of the 138 completed questionnaires that were returned, two questionnaires were discarded becausethey were not completed in full. This meant that a final sample of 136 questionnaires was used for allsubsequent analysis. Of the 136 respondents, 92 (68%) used broadband, while 32% did not use broadband,although all respondents had knowledge about broadband technology. This meant that about 32% of Internetusers still used dialup as opposed to broadband. The respondents were also fairly well represented, withwomen being 44% of the respondents. The majority of the respondents were aged between 18 years and 50years. With regard to education, only 5% were educated to secondary level, while 57% were graduates and38% had postgraduate levels of education. The usage level (number of hours on the Internet per day) wasnormally distributed and majority of respondents spend on average 3 hours a day on the Internet. Of these,72% also work from home, while the remaining 28% only work away from home (i.e. in an officeenvironment). About 23% of them use the Internet for personal use, while the remaining 77% use it for bothbusiness and personal use. Of the respondents, 67% live in houses, while 33% live in flats. With regard tothe connection type, 55% use broadband, 12% use satellite, while 32% still used dial up. This means that68% use high-speed connections.

5.2. Adoption of Broadband: Descriptive Statistics

Before conducting any tests to determine the impact of factors affecting broadband adoption on therespondent’s attitude to adopt broadband, it is important to do a descriptive analysis of the data. Descriptivedata analysis is important because it provides the reader with an appreciation of the actual numbers andvalues, and hence the scale the researcher is dealing with. This assists in the conceptualization of the resultsof advanced statistical tests such Linear Regression analysis with reality. This assists the user to select astrategy, which is not just based on statistical significance, but on the practical significance and implications.Hence this subsection presents the basic descriptive analysis results.

As shown on Table 1, the average scores for respondents’ attitude towards broadband ranged from 4.43to 4.72, (where 1 = minimum and 5 = maximum). Descriptive statistics show that these scores are quite high,and that respondents tend to have a positive attitude towards broadband. As shown on Table 1, the scoresfor ‘Usefulness of Broadband’ the scores ranged from 4.19 to 4.26, indicating that the scale is quite uniform.These scores are also quite high. For ‘Skills’ the score ranged from 3.99 to 4.10, which are average scores.This means that respondents find it relatively easy to use broadband, and that they can also learn bythemselves. With regard to ‘Resources’, the results show that the scores ranged from 3.63 to 4.04. The lowestscore of 3.63 indicates that quite a few of the respondents have some limitations on resources, indicating thatthey may find the price of broadband to be too high for them. Other limitations could be access and someunspecified barriers of some sorts. However, on balance, the majority of the respondents do not find theselimitations to be a hindrance to broadband adoption. The scores for ‘Compatibility’ were quite high- with anaverage of 4.15. This indicates that most people find their situations (both home and work) to be compatible

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with the use of broadband.

With regard to ‘Relative Advantage of Technology’, respondents strongly agree that broadband is faster thandialup, with an average score of a very high 4.67. However, a sizeable proportion of respondents do not thinkthat broadband is a very secure technology, with a neutral score of 3.36, which is quite low compared to therest of the scores described thus far. For most respondents, broadband is readily available. The ‘ServiceQuality’ scores were neutral, ranging from 3.29 to 3.54. This indicates that a significant proportion of therespondents do not think that the service quality of broadband is not satisfactory. This may not be surprising,given the fact that in the KSA, there is only one broadband provider. Both reliability and the level of technicalsupport had low scores, indicating there are important issues relating to technical efficiency and reliabilitythat the provider should address. A few respondents also do not home broadband in their areas (work orhome).

‘Social and Cultural’ scores are the important tenet of this study. Table 1 presents the mean scores foreach of the key statements (i.e. items). As shown on Table 1, on balance, respondents tended to score thesocial and cultural factors quite lowly, with scores ranging from 2.11 to 2.75, with only one factor scoringabove 3.46. Respondents do not think that religion has important influence on the slow rate at which broadbandis being adopted in KSA (mean score = 2.11) despite the fact that KSA is one of the most religious countriesin the world, with religion having strong influence on the day to day lives of people. The respondents also donot feel that Saudi traditions (mean score = 2.59) have influence on the rate at which broadband is adoptedby individuals. A similarly low score (mean =2.58) was recorded for conservatism, in which the respondentsdo feel that conservatism has a negative influence on the slow adoption of broadband. Resistance to changealso has a low score (mean = 2.53), which means that although KSA has always been associated withresistance to change partly explained by the country’s culture, respondents do not feel that this resistance tochange influences the adoption of broadband. The same applies to the nature of the society influencingbroadband awareness (mean score = 2.75). However, there is one socio-cultural factor that respondents feelaffects the adoption of broadband. This factor is the regulation of broadband through filtration, whichrespondents believe has strong influence on the slow uptake of broadband. Preliminary evidence seems toindicate that regulation appears to have negative influence on broadband adoption. However, given that thisscore is 3.46, just above the neutral score, its impact can only be measured using advanced statisticaltechniques, which is the subject of the next section.

Table 1 also illustrate the average means of above discussed constructs and rated according to theiraverage score. Average scores of all items for each construct suggest that the respondents consideredusefulness of broadband most important (Average Mean = 4.3). Following this, two constructs, namelyskills and compatibility were considered equally important with average mean of 4.1. The relative advantageof technology was considered third most important (Average Mean = 4.0) factor amongst seven that influencesattitude towards broadband. Resources construct was considered fourth most important (Average Mean =3.8) followed by service quality (Average Mean = 3.4). The least important rated construct was socio-cultural factor with average mean of 2.7.

To conclude this section, descriptive statistics have provided the indications of the levels of agreement ofrespondents on the various broadband adoption factors. The next section presents findings from regressionanalysis, which was conducted to assess the overall impact of the adoption factors on attitude towardsbroadband adoption.

5.3. Regression Analysis: Factors Influencing the Attitude Towards Adoption of Broadband

A regression analysis was conducted with attitude towards broadband adoption as the dependent variableand usefulness, skills, resources, compatibility, technology, service quality, social/cultural and control factorsas predictor variables. A total of 136 cases were analysed. From the analysis, a significant model emerged (F

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Table 1. The Descriptive Statistics for the Attitude and Factors Affecting Attitude TowardsBroadband Adoption

Factors Mean AM SD ATTITUDE TOWARDS BROADBAND

Using broadband is a good idea 4.72 0.66 Using broadband is beneficial 4.65 0.73 Using broadband is pleasant 4.43

4.6 0.95

FACTORS AFFECTING ATTITUDE TOWARDS BROADBAND ADOPTION Usefulness of Broadband

Using broadband generally increases my productivity 4.30 0.75 Using broadband improves my work performance 4.26 0.87 Using broadband makes my work easier 4.26 0.79 Using broadband is useful for my work 4.19

4.3 (1)

0.89 Skills

Learning to operate broadband is easy for me 4.10 0.96 I find broadband easy to use 4.10 1.02 I clearly understand how to use broadband 3.99

4.1 (2) 1.24

Resources I would be able to use broadband if I wanted to 4.04 1.14 I have access to resources that I need for broadband 3.72 1.24 There are no barriers to me using the broadband 3.66 1.27 I have the resources, opportunities and knowledge for using broadband

3.63 3.8 (4)

1.16

Compatibility Using broadband is compatible with my work and life 4.19 0.75 Using broadband fits well with the way I like to work 4.10

4.1 (2) 0.95

Relative Advantage of Technology Broadband is very fast compared to dial up 4.64 0.69 Broadband is a very reliable and robust technology 3.90 0.82 Broadband is a very secure technology 3.36

4.0 (3) 0.79

Service Quality Broadband is readily available in the area that I live/work 3.54 1.41 The broadband technical support is very efficient 3.41 0.99 The broadband service providers are very reliable 3.29

3.4 (5) 1.09

Social and Cultural Factors Regulation of broadband through filtration has strong influence on the slow uptake of broadband

3.46 1.12

The nature of the Saudi society has strong influence on the low levels of awareness about broadband

2.75 1.31

Saudi traditions have a strong influence on slow adoption of broadband

2.59 1.30

The conservatism of Saudis has influence on the slow adoption of broadband

2.58 1.32

Resistance to change in the Saudi society has strong influence on the slow adoption of broadband

2.53 1.27

Religion has a strong influence on the slow adoption of broadband

2.11

2.7 (6)

1.28

NB SD = Standard DeviationScores range from 1 to 5, where 1 = Strongly disagree, & 5 = Strongly agree

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(16, 136) = 4.544, p < .001) (Table 2). The second important statistic that was obtained from the analysis isthe R2, which ranges from 0 to 1, with 1 being a perfect fit model. The R2 for this analysis was found to be0.396. This means that the factors (IVs) explain 40% of the changes in the attitude. Other unidentifiedfactors account for the remaining 60%. The R2 of 0.4 (40%) is considered as a good value for a cross-sectional data involving many predictor variables. The overall regression analysis results suggest that outof the variables that were identified in the broad literature as having an impact on attitude towards broadbandadoption in the context of KSA, the significant variables were – the respondents perceived usefulness ofbroadband, the service quality, the age of the respondent, the type of connection and the type ofaccommodation. The remaining variables were found to have insignificant or no impact on dependentvariable. Table 2 shows that of all the factors, the following have significant impact on attitude towardsadoption of broadband: usefulness (b?= .205, p = .015); service quality (b?= .20, p = .036); age (b?= -.384,p < .001; usage (b? = .213, p = .009); connection type (b ?= .220, p = .010) and type of house (b ?= -.204, p= .013). Also, as shown on Table 2, the socio-cultural factor was found to be insignificant. This indicates

Table 2: Regression Analysis Results

ANOVA Sum of

Squares df F S

Regression 19.50 16 4.54 .0Regression Model

Model Ra R Square Adjusted R Square

Std. Ethe Est

1 .629 .396 .309 .52 Factors Affecting Broadband Adoption

Broadband Adoption Factor

Beta Standardized Beta

T statistic Signif

(Constant) 2.201 2.293 .0Usefulness .249 .205 2.467 .0Skills .111 .136 1.347 .1Resources .038 .049 .512 .6Compatibility .088 .109 1.210 .2Technology .151 .119 1.403 .1Service quality .152 .200 2.123 .0Socio-Cultural factor -.005 -.006 -.072 .9Age -.502 -.384 -3.612 .0Education .017 .005 .063 .9Usage .294 .213 2.676 .0Purpose -.049 -.033 -.433 .6Connection type .292 .220 2.622 .0Gender -.051 -.041 -.493 .6Language -.299 -.102 -1.299 .1Home working -.003 -.002 -.027 .9House type -.273 -.204 -2.537 .0aPredictors: (Constant), House Type, Language, Home Working, Resources, PurposeUsefulness, Gender, Education, Connection, Socio-Cultural, Technology, ServiceCompatibility, Skills and Age; Dependent Variable: Attitudes; * Variable is significa0.05)

that while Saudis feel that there is some level of control of broadband by the authorities (the state); they donot feel that this control affects their attitudes adopting the broadband technology.

6. Discussion

This research established that the key factors that affect attitude towards broadband in the KSA are

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usefulness, service quality, age, usage, type of connection and the accommodation type. The rest of thevariables were found to have insignificant impact. The findings differ as well as complement previouspublished work by other authors. That is, some of the findings from this research support some previousresearch, while the other findings do not support previous empirical research by other authors. The literaturehas identified all the above variables to affect the adoption of a technology such as broadband (Choudrie andDwivedi, 2005a; 2006b; Choudrie and Lee, 2004; Oh et al., 2003). However, in this study, only a few ofthese many factors were found to significantly influence KSA consumers’ attitude towards the adoption ofbroadband. The following paragraphs attempt to provide explanations for the findings.

The usefulness construct of a technology is important in the decision process, and findings clearly indicatethat KSA consumers ranked this factor strongly. It may be an indication that the service provider is notcreating enough awareness on the products and services that broadband can offer (Dwivedi, 2005; Oh et al.,2003). Despite the fact that the service quality has been identified previously as being critical to the adoptionof a new innovation including broadband (Dwivedi et al., 2006c) on a larger scale, there is strong evidencethat the KSA broadband service provider is not satisfying customers with the service quality they provide.A possible explanation for this poor service is the lack of competition since the KSA has only a singlebroadband provider. Early studies carried out in the UK on the broadband market suggest that possibly lackof competition caused by incumbent monopolist of the market was leading to poor quality service, and alsothat consumers were not getting value for money (Choudrie and Lee, 2004). On the other hand, studies carriedout in South Korea where broadband penetration was most successful in the world (Oh et al., 2003), showedthat the quality of service was excellent. This indicates that high quality of service has a very influentialimpact on the mass adoption of broadband technology. Therefore, it can be argued that the situation in KSAcould be mirroring that in the UK in compare to the South Korea, where services were seen to be of highquality. In South Korea the high level of broadband penetration was partly attributed to the level of competitionand also the general level of education that broadband users possessed.

In line with the arguments presented in Section 3, age was found to be significant, with younger peoplebeing more likely to adopt broadband compared to older people. It was also found that demographic variable‘type of accommodation’ significantly influenced the attitude towards broadband adoption. Those who livein flats are more likely to adopt broadband compared to those who live in houses. Although it is not entirelyclear why this is the case, a possible explanation can be that often the young and more educated are likely tobe city workers and therefore more likely to live in flats. Hence, they are more likely to adopt a new innovationthan for instance citizens who live in houses in more rural areas. Another important demographic variable,which has an impact on the attitude to adopt broadband, is the usage factor. High users (more than 2 hourson the Internet per day) are more likely to adopt broadband compared to low-level users. This finding isconsistent with literature predictions (Choudrie and Lee, 2004; Oh et al, 2003). The important fact here isthe identification of the cut off point of 2 hours, which providers can use to identify low users from highusers.

However, contrary to expectations, many of the demographic variables did not have an impact onbroadband adoption attitudes as claimed by previous studies outlined in Sections 2 & 3. For example, in thisstudy education was not significant. A possible explanation for this is that only 7 of the 136 respondents hadsecondary education or lower. Their influence in the regression may have been small because of their smallrepresentation. Another possible explanation is that Internet technology is now a standard technology; hencethe impact of education may have declined because of the blurring of the gap between the educated and non-educated in their knowledge of Internet. Therefore, the overall conclusion is that in the KSA education hasno significant impact on attitude towards broadband adoption. Other demographic control variables thatwere not significant include gender, purpose, language and home working. With regards to gender, thisresearch has provided indications that the KSA women do get involved in innovative products at the samerate as men. While society, particularly in developing countries, expects men to know more about technological

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innovation, it may be that since most people who use broadband are educated, and that women too are welleducated in KSA, the gender differences when it comes to innovative products are not as important. Thereare an increasing number of women in IT jobs in KSA, which may explain why gender is not as importantfor explaining the attitude towards adoption of broadband. As for language, most educated Saudis cancommunicate in English as well as Arabic. Home working is not an issue because the respondents useInternet both at home and at work. Again, this may be because the Internet is becoming a standard service athome, similar to television, for example.

With regard to the insignificant constructs such as skills, resources, compatibility, technology and socio-culture, there could be some possible explanations for these. For skills, it may be possible that broadband isperceived as an extension for the Internet; and consumers are very familiar with the technology and areconfident that they can learn this as they adopt the technology. This is the view that the researcher observedduring some interviews conducted during the data collection process. Saudis are confident of being able touse broadband to the extent that it does not affect their attitudes towards adoption of broadband. This is anindication that broadband technology may not be as innovative as we perceived, but just an extension of atechnology that consumers are well familiar with.

With regard to resources, our findings show that these have not adversely affected the attitude to adoptbroadband. While price was identified as a potential deterrent, in the KSA, this does not seem to be the case.This is not surprising, given the comments by Crabtree (2003) that the price of broadband had fallensubstantially since its introduction, and this should provide some stimulus for take up. Crabtree (2003)argues that there are many micro barriers that were preventing consumers from migrating to broadband.However, the assumption here is that there should be a natural shift from dialup to broadband. However, thisassumption needs to be tested and research done to find out why dialup users may not migrate to broadband.Indeed, the KSA still has 32% of those on dialup who have not migrated to broadband although they can,and resources are not the limiting factor in this case. This means that these consumers may need to beconvinced of the benefits of broadband for them to migrate to broadband. Furthermore, compatibility is notan issue because consumers have access to broadband both at home and at work, and the consumers findthat their lifestyles are not affected by broadband, hence there is no or minimal impact on attitude to adoptbroadband.

The findings on socio-cultural factors were unanticipated, because the prediction was that these factorshave a negative influence on broadband adoption. The previous literature also identified that the SouthKorean culture in general was a critical factor in the success of broadband adoption (Oh et al., 2003). Giventhe strong traditional and conservative nature of Saudi culture, and the general information that was gatheredduring brief interviews with some of the survey respondents, there was strong and persuasive argument topredict that these factors have a negative impact on the broadband adoption attitude. A possible explanationfor the lack of impact by socio-cultural factors could be that most Saudis may have in fact learnt to live withthe problems imposed by their socio-cultural background in the region. While they are aware of regulations,most Saudis are determined not to let this affect their attitudes towards the adoption of broadband – they willuse the permissible aspects of a technology to their best ability. In this context, it is possible to suggest thatmost consumers are convinced that the benefits of broadband far outweigh the limitations caused by regulationssuch as filtration of Internet content. Another explanation could be that some consumers see filtration as anecessity to protect their socio-cultural values and their children in particular from harmful Internet content.However, the extent to which this is exercised raises important issues for government in being more up-fronton what exactly is filtered. This coupled with an effective publicity campaign by the government will nodoubt encourage further take up of broadband in the KSA.

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Broadband technology has been heralded as a natural successor to dialup Internet technology. However,migration to broadband has not been as fast as predicted. This research set out to investigate the factors thataffect the individuals’ attitude towards the adoption of broadband in the KSA. Using survey data from theKSA Internet users and employing multivariate regression analysis, the study found that factors that have asignificant influence on the adoption of broadband are usefulness, service quality, age of consumer, connectiontype and the accommodation type. The research established that the service quality provided by the monopolistprovider in KSA was having a negative impact on the adoption of broadband. The research also establishedthat contrary to prediction, the socio-cultural factors, although being important for consumers, did notnegatively affect the adoption of broadband in the KSA. This research has important implications for academicresearch, the government and the broadband service provider in the KSA. The important implications arediscussed below.

7.1. Implications for the Government

It is quite clear in this study that the government has an important role to help both the single broadbandprovider and the consumers. The implication for the government in terms of the broadband provider is toensure that the company provides a better service quality. In a monopoly situation like this, it is often verytempting for the monopoly supplier to be inefficient. The government should therefore consider increasingthe number of service providers and help create a more competitive market for broadband provision. TheUK has done this in two ways in efforts to breakdown BT’s monopoly of broadband. In the UK, the firstaction has been to allow cable providers such as NTL and TeleWest to provide broadband services. This hasworked well as quite a substantial proportion of consumers, including public services such as schools andhospitals use NTL/TeleWest broadband. Although BT still dominates the market, there has been a significantmigration to NTL by both businesses and domestic consumers. However, in the KSA broadband is providedby only one supplier due to government regulation that seems not to encourage competition in this sector.The second action in the UK has been to ‘force’ BT to sell broadband at wholesale price to many localproviders who use the BT system to run their own broadband. This has proved very popular, with theemergence of companies such as Wanadoo and VirginNet supplying broadband at cheaper prices and tailoringpackages to individuals depending on their need levels. For example, there are very cheap packages for lightusers (limit on download megabytes per month) to expensive high-speed services for those who downloadlarge volumes of content such as music and multimedia. These tailored packages are proving to be verypopular with consumers. This action has been encouraging as these companies are also offering other telephonyservices; and this industry is growing rapidly resulting in a higher uptake rate of broadband. In contrast inthe KSA, there is no wholesale pricing of broadband by their sole supplier.

At the individual level, the government has to conduct a publicity campaign to make consumers moreaware of the benefits of broadband. Of particular importance is the need for the government to address theissues relating to filtration. It was quite clear in this study, that while regulation through filtration has nosignificant impact on adoption of broadband in the KSA, quite a significant proportion are not happy withthis regulation. The government has to therefore conduct a strong publicity campaign that will explain andeducate consumers as to why filtration is necessary and highlight the long-term benefits of this action to theKSA society. There is ample evidence in literature (Lee et al., 2003) in which parents fear for Internetsecurity, especially when children can access and download adult material with less effort using broadband.The government should be more forthright when handling what exactly is filtered so that they can gainpublic confidence, which will ultimately lead to the increased adoption of broadband. Finally, governmentresponsibility to increase awareness with regard to the usefulness of broadband among citizens is alsoimportant particularly in relation to addressing the critical issue of digital divide (Yu and Wang, 2004;Ifinedo and Davidrajuh, 2005).

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7.2. Implication for KSA Broadband Provider

The usefulness of broadband was found to have an important influence in the KSA. As such the broadbandprovider needs to convince potential users of the benefits that they can gain from using broadband. To dothis, the company has to continually produce and disseminate information about the benefits of broadbandand the products and services that can be accessed using broadband. It is important for the company torealize that content cannot be separated from infrastructure matters, and hence both need to continuallydevelop. Also, the speed of broadband connections need to continually evolve like in the case of SouthKorea where broadband speeds are up to 10 times faster than those in the UK (Oh et al., 2003). Regrettably,the broadband speed is quite limited in KSA and the KSA provider therefore has much to learn from theSouth Korean experience.

Also, the service quality was identified as being a significant factor in influencing the broadband adoptiondecision. The service quality had low scores, indicating that the provider has to improve significantly. Althougha monopoly can lead to inefficiency, an advantage of a monopoly is that the single provider can divertresources aimed at fighting off competition to improving the service quality. In this context, it may benecessary for the provider to seek the services of, or partner with external organisations to provide highquality, value added services to consumers like in the case of BT in the UK.

Finally, the KSA broadband provider also needs to target specific groups of people. First, there is evidencethat younger people are more likely to adopt broadband compared to older people. Therefore, the providerneeds to devise marketing strategies to target older people in order to increase migration to broadband.Secondly, the provider needs to target people who live in houses compared to those who live in flats, sincethis research indicates that those who live in flats are more likely to adopt broadband compared to those wholive in houses. However, the provider may first need to conduct surveys to determine why this is the case.Finally, the provider needs to target low users (less than 2 hours on the Internet) as high users are more likelyto adopt broadband anyway.

7.3. Research Limitations and Suggestions for Future Research

Like most research, a study can hardly be perfect. As such, this study has two main limitations. However,these limitations also present opportunities for future research. The first limitation is that the majority of thefactors were identified from literature developed in the West, as there is hardly any academically eminentliterature on broadband adoption that has focused on KSA. As such, it may be that some variables were notsignificant simply because they are less relevant to KSA, and that some important variable may have beenomitted, which may partly explain why the explanatory power of the model (R2) is not 100%. Therefore anopportunity exists in which the variables that are relevant to the KSA are further explored (in addition tosocio- economic issues) so as to come up with a more refined set of variables/factors that affect the KSAconsumers. This needs a large scale and expensive survey, which this study did not have the resources for,but that which creates an opportunity for others in the future. Furthermore, due to resource constraints, thisresearch did not investigate the individual products that would make people migrate to broadband. A newsurvey can be conducted, where the impact of specific products on the adoption of broadband can be measured.This is important because research in Korea (Oh et al., 2003) showed that the adoption of broadband wasstrongly influenced by the products that were provided by the broadband providers.

Acknowledgement

The authors wish to thank you Mrs. Shatha Makki for administering the survey questionnaire in theKingdom of Saudi Arabia and acknowledge the overall contribution made to this research.

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About the Authors

Yogesh Kumar Dwivedi is a lecturer in the School of Business and Economics, Swansea University.He obtained his PhD on ‘Investigating consumer adoption, usage and impact of broadband: UK households’and an MSc in Information Systems from Brunel University. His research interests include the adoption,usage and impact of telecommunication technologies, the Internet and e-commerce. He has co-authoredmore than 30 papers in academic journals and international conferences. He is a member of the Associationof Information Systems (AIS) and Life Member of Global Institute of Flexible Systems Management,New Delhi.

Vishanth Weerakkody is a Lecturer in Information Systems at the School of Information Systems,Computing and Mathematics at Brunel University in the UK. He holds an MSc in ‘Business SystemsAnalysis and Design’ from City University in London and a PhD in ‘Business Process and InformationSystems Reengineering’ from the University of Hertfordshire. Dr. Weerakkody currently teaches InformationSystems Strategy and Management at Brunel University and has been involved in project managing anumber of research assignments on e-business, application outsourcing and web services. His currentresearch interests include e-government, cross-organisational process redesign (X-engineering) and webservices, and he has guest-edited special issues of leading journals on these themes. Dr Weerakkody hasalso held various IT positions in multinational organisations and his final appointment in industry was asa ‘methods and process analyst’ at IBM UK.

Continual Innovation E-governance Through InformationTechnology and Knowledge Management

Varuna Godara1

ABSTRACT

Web and Information technologies have brought with themselves a revolution of change in socio-political and economic interdependencies of different countries. The effective network structuresare forcing alliances and people from different countries to work together. One of the major rolesof government now is to facilitate these individuals and business entities to live, communicateand work together. Here comes e-governance that can use web technologies, Computer-mediatedcommunications, IT tools and knowledge management to play a bridging role in managing thishuge change in attitudes of people e-commuting and communicating. Continual innovation canlead e-governance to succeed in identifying key innovative strategies and providing more thanexpected services in a cost effective and efficient way to the stakeholders. E-governance canachieve this capacity by understanding the nature of stakeholders, national and internationalenvironment through the new high-tech tools. In this paper importance of innovation in e-governance and a conceptual model for sources of innovation in e-governance is explained. Theidea is to test suitability of this model on developing and developed nation’s governmentdepartments.

Keywords:E-commerce, Computer-mediated communications, e-business, e-marketing, competitive advantage,data, databases, information, knowledge management and e-market

1. Introduction

Web and Information technologies have brought with themselves a revolution of change in socio-politicaland economic interdependencies of different countries. The effective network structures are forcing alliancesand people from different countries to work together. One of the major roles of government now is tofacilitate these individuals and business entities to live, communicate and work together. Here comes e-governance that can use web technologies, Computer-mediated communications, IT tools and knowledgemanagement to play a bridging role in managing this huge change in attitudes of people e-commuting andcommunicating. It involves fundamental change in way the government works. E-governance is to supportand simplify governance for e-governance community comprised of citizens, civil society organizations,private companies, government lawmakers and regulators on network (Tapscott and Agnew, 1999). Theobjectives of e-government range from those for internally focuses processes (operations) to the ones forexternally oriented services. The former relates to facilitating speedy, transparent, accountable, economic,efficient and effective processes for performing government activities. The externally oriented objectives ofe-government include fulfilling the public’s needs and satisfying the expectations of the people by simplifying

1 Information Systems, University of Western Sydney, Sydney, Australia (Phone: +61-02-96859445, Email: [email protected])

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and standardizing the procedure for interaction with various online services(Singh and Parashar,2005).

Continual innovation can lead e-governance to succeed in identifying key innovative strategies andproviding more than expected services in a cost effective and efficient way to the stakeholders. E-governancecan achieve this capacity by understanding the nature of stakeholders, national and international environmentthrough the new high-tech tools.

In this paper importance of innovation in e-governance and a conceptual model for sources of innovationin e-governance is explained. The idea is to test suitability of this model on Developing and developednation’s government departments.

2. Need of Innovation in E-governance

E-governance involves using e-business technologies in all the government processes and services toimprove efficiency and effectiveness. Mark A. Forman(2003), associate deputy director for IT and E-Government, OMB, says e-government includes three dimensions: first, use of the internet for on-line filingof forms and taxes; second, a government organization that uses the internet to connect employers, suppliers,and customers; third, the use of digital technologies to transform government operations in order to improveeffectiveness, efficiency, and service delivery. E-government is a form of e-business in governance and refersto the processes and structures pertinent to the delivery of electronic services to the public citizens andbusinesses), collaborating with business partners and conducting electronic transactions within anorganisational entity (Backus, 2001). E-governance involves the use of information and communicationtechnologies (ICTs) to transact the business of government. E-governance promises a full service available24 hours a day and seven days a week, greater accessibility, the capability to obtain government serviceswithout visiting government offices, and reduced service cost. It also contributes to the functioning ofdemocracy by online provision of government information which would otherwise be difficult to obtain orunavailable, and through online debates and plebiscites (Teicher et al., 2002).

E-governance is a way for governments to use the new technologies to provide people with moreconvenient access to government information and services, to improve the quality of the services and toprovide greater opportunities to participate in democratic institutions and process” (EzGov, 2000).”Electronicgovernance involves new styles of leadership, new ways of debating and deciding policy and investment,new ways of accessing education, new ways of listening to the citizens and new ways of organizing anddelivering information and services” (Ferguson, 2000). So e-governance require innovation in almost everyaspect of governance right from managerial styles, communication, administrative processes, technologyusage to dissemination of information, etc.

Van de Ven (1986) said, "Innovation is a new idea". Or it is an adoption of idea or behaviour new to theorganisation. The innovation is a process that includes the generation, development and implementation ofnew ideas or behaviours. (Daft 1978, Damanpour and Evan 1984). It is conceived as a means of changing anorganisation, either as a response to changes in the external environment or as a pre-emptive action toinfluence the environment (Damanpour 1996). There has been a dramatic change in the environment in termsof the way companies do business, individuals work and communicate. We are living in a surge economydominated by Information Technology and are moving towards digital society in which information will bethe basic resource for survival of organizations and individuals. In digital society almost all the workers willbe knowledge workers who will gather, store, analyse and disseminate information. All the organizations willbe learning organizations that accumulate and analyse knowledge and learn from the knowledge warehouses.Therefore e-governance also needs to be learning organisation and needs to invest in innovative processesthat can fulfil need of these learning organisations and knowledge workers (Godara, 2005).

A new synergistic approach towards innovation needs to be developed from multi sources and multidisciplines working together –E-business technologies, Marketing, Computer Science, Statistics, Mathematics,

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Knowledge management and Information Systems. This approach is required to organise statistically, processspeedily and store safely data so that it can be further used for research and development in innovation.Knowledge management with help of IT can play an important role in innovation. We should defineKnowledge management to understand its important role. In simple words knowledge management is aprocess through which organisations generate value from their research based or transaction based intellectualassets. According to Stewart (1997), “Knowledge has become the pre-eminent economic resource-moreimportant than raw materials; more important, often than money. Considered as an economic output,information and knowledge are more important than automobiles, oil, steel, or any of the products of theindustrial age”. Knowledge management is “a set of practices that includes identifying and mappingintellectual assets within organizations, generating new knowledge for competitive advantage, making vastamounts of corporate information accessible, sharing best practices, and applying management strategiesand technology that support all of the above.” —CAP Ventures( http://www.capv.com/index.htm). Thereforewe can say that knowledge management is an important tool in managing the innovative ideas from thesources of innovation.

3. Development of model of sources of innovation in e-governance

After a comprehensive literature review on e-governance, innovation and sources of innovation inorganisations, a conceptual model for sources of innovation in e-governance has been developed (fig 1).

Awareness in Society

Customer’s, marketers, suppliers, management, staff and competitors are important sources of innovationin organisations (Stark 2005). Sveiby (2001) says that people use their capacity-to-act in order to create valueby transferring information and converting it into knowledge. This value grows with the number of transfersand conversions. More the awareness among people more will be the number of transfers and conversionsand therefore more is the growth of value. A skilled work force is critical to company’s abilities to innovate.Training and education strategies are essential in the development of a skilled work force (innovation onhousing industry). Similarly awareness is critical for citizens and stakeholders to be proactive and participate

Fig. 1: A conceptual model of Sources of Innovation in e-governance

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in innovation process of e-governance by information and idea sharing and accumulation of knowledge.Education is helpful in making citizens more aware of rights and duties.

Research and Development

Innovation is something new or improvement done by an organization to create significant value eitherdirectly for customers or organization itself (Carnegie and Bultlin, 1993). Also a significant impact of verticalR&D is important for innovative behaviour (Harrabi 1999). Also horizontal R&D can lead to reduction ofwasteful duplication in R&D and create synergies between national and international organizations. Accordingto “Innovation on housing industry” R& D support is an important element in the range of activities neededto foster innovation in housing. In context of e-governance we can say R&D can be important source ofsynergies in innovation processes that can reduce costs and add value to the services they offer to theircitizens and stake holders.

Information Transfer

Sveiby (2001) says that people use their capacity-to-act in order to create value by transferring informationand converting it into knowledge. Effective information transfer is critical to promote the adoption of the newproducts, processes, services and equipment that are continually been introduced in the industry. The mosteffective approach is to use multiple techniques, but they should include word or mouth, seminars and tradeshows (innovation on housing industry). Innovative organizations must form linkages to others, upstreamand downstream, lateral and horizontal. Advanced technology can not be developed and implemented inisolation. The communication and co-ordination requirements are often stupendous, and in practice the pricesystem alone can not achieve the necessary co-ordination (Teece, 1986). We are in the phase of change andmoving towards digital economy when common people will manage their affairs with high-tech tools. Proactiveflow of information and information sharing among different government and non-government organizationsand national and international organizations can lead to awareness and result in new ideas for government toaccommodate change in its own system to facilitate this change and provide infrastructure for digital economy.Therefore information transfer can be another source innovation in e-governance.

Opportunities and Threats

According to Drucker(1994) some of the sources of innovation are “changes in perception mood andmeaning, changes in industry structure or market structure, demographic changes, new knowledge, bothscientific and non-scientific, the unexpected success or failure”. These changes in environment and withinorganization bring opportunities and threat for the organization and force it to change processes or productsand services in an innovative way. Same are the consequences for the government organizations that facechange within and in environment. Opportunities and threats from these changing situations can lead toinnovation in processes, services and infrastructural facilities they are offering.

Needs

From marketing perspective(Szeto, 2000), innovation relies on the need and expectation changes of markets,which are then incorporated in the process of product development and emerge as marketable new products.One of the important sources of innovation identified by Drucker (1994) is process need. Innovation is theprocess of taking new ideas effectively and profitably through satisfied customers (DTI, 1996). The ideasthey give are about there needs or how to satisfy their needs. In context of e-governance it is the need ofcitizens, government organizations and stakeholders that leads to innovation. Need can be for cutting costs,better communication, quality and efficiency etc.

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International Relationships, Cooperation and Dependence

With different cooperative network types, innovation capacity will be improved with various impacts onproduct development. For successful innovation business organizations need to form horizontal and verticallinkages. Advanced technologies cannot be created and implemented in isolation (Teece, 1986).According toSzeto (2000); the inter-organisational cooperative network facilitates the improvement of innovation capacitythat comprises the resource and knowledge factors for cooperative networks. These days’ e-collaborations,e-alliances and joint-ventures between government and non-government organizations of different countriesfor different reasons make the relationships of participating countries and economic inter-dependence morecritical. The success or failure of these cooperation depends also on the support provided by governmentand this support has to be innovative. Therefore these International relationships, cooperation anddependence are another source of innovation in this model.


With Globalization interdependence of nations and organizations has grown. We are operating in a surgeeconomy, where various risks like rapid growth, unpredictable challenges, and extreme competition raise thestakes. In this environment, e-governance needs to be innovative, open, adaptable and flexible. In this papera conceptual model of sources of innovation for e-governance have been proposed. After review of literaturea direct relationship between awareness in Society and capacity to innovate was found. Education and skillsmakes a society innovative. Then transfer of information was found critical to promote the adoption of thenew products, processes, services and equipment and new ideas. It helps in knowledge accumulation andsharing which leads to further innovation. Also threats and opportunities from changing situations can leadto innovation in processes, services and infrastructural facilities e-government is offering. The changes canbe in moods, perception, beliefs, expectations, technology or success and failure situations. Another importantsource of innovation was found to be need. Need of any kind (for example to fulfil expectations of the citizens,process, cutting costs and communicate, etc) can lead to innovation in e-governance. Literature depictedInternational relationships, cooperation and dependence as the sources of innovation. Vertical and horizontallinkages are very important in today’s environment and can lead e-governance to innovate and then sustaininnovation. The model needs to be tested for its suitability for developing and developed nation’s governmentdepartments.

References

1 Backus Michiel. (2001). E-governance in developing countries. IICD Research Brief - No 1, March 2001

2 Carnegie R. and Butlin M., (1993). Managing the Innovative Enterprise: Australian Companies Competingagainst the Worlds Best, Business Council of Australia, Melbourne.

3 Daft R.L.(1978). A Dual-core Model of Organizational Innovation. Academy of Management Journal.Vol.21. 193-210

4 Damanpour F. (1996). Organizational Complexity and Innovation: Developing and Testing MultipleContingency Models. Management Science, Vol 42, Vo.5, 693

5 Damanpour F and Evan W.M. (1984). Organizational Innovation and Performance: The Problem ofOrganizational Lag. Administration Science Quarterly, Vol. 29, 392-409

6 EzGov. (2000). Realizing e-Government. EzGov White Paper. Access at: www.ezgov.com/white_papers_art3_1.jsp.

7 Drucker P.F. (1994). Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Practice and Principles, Butterworth Heinemann,Oxford.

8 Fletcher P. D. (2002). The Government Paperwork Elimination act: Operating

9 Instructions for an Electronic Government.” International Journal of Public Administration, 25(5): 723-736.

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10 Forman A. Mark.(2003). Statement of Mark A. Forman Associate Director for Information Technologyand E-Government Office of Management and Budget before the committee of Government reformSubcommittee on Technology , Information Policy, Intergovermental relations, and the census U.S. Houseof representatives. April 8, 2003

11 Godara Varuna.(2005). E-commerce, CMC, IT and Knowledge Management: Finding new horizons in e-Research. International Conference on Cognitive Systems, 14-15 Dec 2005

12 John Stark Associates, (2005) innovation management, www.johnstark.com

13 Kerry Ferguson (2000). World information flows and the impact of new technology: is there a need forinternational communication policy and regulation?, Social dimensions of information technology: issuesfor the new millennium, Idea Group Publishing, Hershey, PA,

14 Singh R and Parashar S. (2005). An Andhra Odyssey: From In-line to Online Citizens. ICEG 2005

15 Stewart T.A (1997). Intellectual Capital: The New Wealth of Organizations. Nicholas Brealey Publishing.

16 Sveiby (2001). A knowledge-based theory for strategy formulation: towards a knowledge-based theory ofthe firm, Journal of Intellectual Capital, Volume 2 Number 4.

17 Sveiby K.E. (1994). “Towards a knowledge perspective on organisation”, PhD dissertation, Universityof Stockholm.

18 Sveiby K.E. (1997). The New Organisational Wealth - Managing and Measuring Knowledge-Based Assets,Berrett-Koehler, San Francisco, CA.

19 Szeto (2000). Innovation capacity: working towards a mechanism for improving innovation within aninter-organizational network, The TQM Magazine, Volume 12 Number 2, pp. 149-158.

20 D. Tapscott, D. Agnew (1999). “Government in the digital economy,” Finance and Development, pp 84-87 December,

21 Teece D. (1986). “Profiting from technological innovation: implications for integration, collaboration,licensing and public policy”, Research Policy, Vol. 15.

22 Teicher J. Hughes, O. and Dow, N.(2002). E-government: a new route to public sector quality. ManagingService Quality, Vol. 12 No. 6, pp. 384-93.

23 Van de Ven A.H.(1986). Central problems in Management of innovation. Management Science, 32:590607

http://www.capv.com/index.html

About the Author

Varuna Godara is working as a Lecturer in Dept. of Business systems in University of WesternSydney, Australia since 2003 and is consulting in E-Business Management. She received her Bachelordegree in Computer Science in 1997, MBA in 1999, MCA and PhD in 2003.Her research interests aremainly in E-business management, e-governance, innovation and computer-related waste management.

Challenges of Taking E-governance to Grass-root throughLocalization Process: An Indian Perspective

Swaran Lata1 and Somnath Chandra1*

ABSTRACT

Localization is the prime mover for successful implementation of G2C and G2B e-governanceapplications towards wider proliferation of the benefits of ICT. In a multilingual and multi-scriptcountry like India, where majority of population is not conversant with English, localization ofcitizen interfaces in Indian Languages would catalyze enhanced access of knowledge and wouldhelp in moving upward in the knowledge chain. However, the challenges of implementation ofLocalization process needs to be addressed in national perspective encompassing all issues whichcauses perturbations for interoperability and accessibility of applications across various platforms.In this paper we have addressed various issues of localization pertaining to constitutionallyrecognized Indian Languages and focus on need for evolution or adoption of standards for betteraccessibility of G2C applications.

1. Introduction

Language is the primary vector for communicating knowledge and thus the opportunity to use one’slanguage on any information networks such as the Internet will determine the extent to which one canparticipate in the emerging knowledge society [2]. Thus true success of e-governance would not be possiblewithout language interface or broadly without localization of e-governance applications.

In a recent study conducted by World Bank and United Nations, it has been mentioned that , althoughIndia has made significant progress in ICT, It is still lagging in many respects as far as access to knowledgeand information is concerned [2]. The World-Bank Knowledge Access Readiness Index (KAM) shows thatIndia is at 99th position among 128 participating countries. Also United Nations e-governance ReadinessIndex 2005 keeps India at 87th position (2004 position is at 86; change in position -1) [3]. Moreover, theNational e-readiness survey report [4] mentions about large disparity amongst various states in India. Thequestion thus boils down to access of information and knowledge is the key indicator for success of any e-governance applications.

Considering the multilingual and multi-script diversity in India with 22 official Languages and 11 Scripts,where majority of Indian population is not well conversant in English; it is imperative that, E-Governanceapplications need to adopted in localization framework and all the proposed e-governance applications needto be ideally multilingual or at least bilingual (English and Official Language of the State). Localization wouldact as a catalyst for providing better access for citizen centric applications. However, Localization is amammoth task which needs to be addressed in national perspective.

1 Department of Information Technology, Government of India , New Delhi, India *Corresponding Author: (Phone: +91-11-24301811, Email: [email protected])

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The paper is organized as follows. In section 2, we have presented broadly the definition of Localizationand need for Localization. The Section 3 presents a snapshot of e-governance Localization activities initiatedin India. The need for standardization of Localization solutions in e-governance perspective is discussed inSection 4. The Challenges in addressing these issues are presented in Section 5. Finally the conclusions arepresented in Section 6 with a view on future requirements.

2. Localization and Localization Process

What is Localization?

Localization (sometimes shortened to “l10n standard”) is adopting a product to meet language, culturaland other requirements of a specific target market “Locale”. Locale is a geo political place or area whichhas its own language and cultural preferences which need to be adequately represented in the application.Localization does not merely involve translations of user interfaces or internationalization of products buttranslation of culture and migrating the use of products across cultures. In the perspective of e-governance,Localization effort involves whole gamut of Language Engineering process which includes localization ofInput, Output, Data-Structure, Storage, Display and Access mechanisms. This task involves capturing thehuman knowledge of written/spoken language representations and cannot be done without the assistance oflinguists and language experts. A successfully localized service or product is one that appears to have beendeveloped within the local culture and would act as catalyst for better access of Information and Knowledge.It also gives a sense of belongingness and confidence to the common citizen who is a bit IT friendly.

Localization and Internationalization

The design and development of a product, application or document content that enables easy localizationfor target audiences that vary in culture, region, or language is termed as Internationalization. Theinternationalization and Localization are mutually dependent on each other ad one is not possible withoutimplementation of the other.

Pre-requisite of Localization

A global application, i.e. internationalized application conforming to Internationalization I18n Standardcan be easily localized if we adopt Localization Standard l10n. The Localization process involves followingmajor steps as described below:

Localization Process:

Localization process involves translating an application’s text elements and adjusting the user interfacefor a specific language or region. In broader terms, localization is the adaptation of a software product,together with its online help and documentation, for use in one or more regions of the world. Localization ofsoftware can include translating user-interface text, resizing text-related graphical elements, and modifyingimages and sound to conform to local conventions. The Localization Process is schematically represented asbelow:

We shall now describe the major steps in Localization:

i) Setting up the localization environment: The Localization process starts with an InternationalizedApplication following Internationalization Standard I18n. In the first step, localization environment iscreated by setting up Input, Output , Storage Access and Retrieval and Display stubs by proper definitionof Language modules and incorporating standards for the above mentioned stubs.

ii) Translating and adjusting the User Interface: After setting up of Localization environment, the localizablestrings of the application and the GUI pieces of the application are localized.

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iii) Testing: Localization process should be incrementally tested for proper integration of all localizationaspects in the GUI environment set up for localization.

After all testing, packaging is done to complete the localization process of a particular application.

It is thus evident that, broadly the localization needs to be done with reference to following aspects (1)Data storage and retrieval (2) Menus and messages (3) Help and user guides (3) Locale data repository.

In all the aspects of Localization, Standardization thus plays a crucial role because all the componentsand sub-systems need to be implemented with standards in place in order to implement applications whichcould be access seamlessly across all platforms. As mentioned previously, Localization process need to bein conformity with l10n standard.

3. E-governance Localization Initiatives in India

In recent years, E-governance has gained importance in India. Several, niche applications have beendeveloped and deployed for better citizen services. We list out here some of them as given below

3.1. E- Choupal of ITC Ltd.

Through the e-Choupal initiative, ITC aims to confer the power of expert knowledge on even the smallestindividual farmer, thus enhancing his competitiveness in the global market. The e-choupal initiative started inthe year 2001. Presently it is implemented in 9 states covering 36000 villages. This is one of few successful e-citizen initiative. The e-choupal model has been implemented in 5 Indian Languages Real-time informationand customized knowledge provided by ‘e-Choupal’ enhance the ability of farmers to take decisions andalign their farm output with market demand and secure quality & productivity. The aggregation of thedemand for farm inputs from individual farmers gives them access to high quality inputs from establishedand reputed manufacturers at fair prices. As a direct marketing channel, virtually linked to the ‘mandi’system for price discovery, ‘e-Choupal’ eliminates wasteful intermediation and multiple handling. Thereby it

Fig. 1: Schematic Diagram of Localization Process

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significantly reduces transaction costs. This unique effort to bring the benefit of ICT Localization has beenwidely acclaimed and recently has been awarded with Stockholm Challenge Award in e-Governance. Thecore of the success of e-choupal model is that, it provides localized solution in Indian Languages. Theapplication is localized to a large extent, though not completely in all Indian Languages. The e-choupalmodel is replicated in other states.

3.2. Bhoomi E-governance Project of Govt of Karnataka

Under this prestigious Bhoomi e-governance project of the Government of Karnataka, all 20 million landrecords of 6.7 million land owners in 176 talukas of Karnataka have been computerized. This software providesfor printing of land records as and when required. It incorporates process of online updating to ensure thatthe data provided to the farmers is in sync with the time. Bhoomi provides localized solution to land recordmanagement system in Indian Languages and the application is localized to a great extent. The Bhoomi modelis also being replicated in other Indian States.

3.3. E-seva of Govt of Andhra Pradesh

Under this project, 46 e-seva centers (with 400 service counters) spread over the Twin Cities and Ranga Reddy District. It provides ‘One-stop-shop’ for over 66 G2C and B2C services. such as online services: e-forms, e-filling, e-payments. The representative screen shot of e-seva is depicted in Fig 3. Here also we findthat though the portal provides a slew of citizen services, most of the services are in and english and thecontent is not available in Indian languages.

Fig. 2: (a) E-choupal Site

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3.4. Jan Mitra

Jan Mitra is an Integrated e-platform through which rural population of Rajasthan can get desiredinformation and avail services related to various government departments at kiosks near their doorsteps. Toachieve this end, a system has been integrated using IT tools. This project has been successfully implementedon pilot basis in Jhalawar, Rajasthan. Jhalawar is the first district among five project location districts inIndia, where the project has been implemented before schedule.

It provides various e-governance Services such as Public Grievance Redressal System, Online Submissionof Application forms and Land & Revenue Records. The Public Information Services that are available areOngoing Development Works, Public Distribution System, Electricity Priority Connection List, DrinkingWater Resources, Village Schemes, Citizen Charters and Immovable Property rates etc.

Some of the other notable applications in the domain of e-governance area are:

Public Works Department (Maharashtra State) - Covered Works, Accounts, Employees and Tendermanagement modules networking the various 250 state offices to lead to an improved, transparent andefficient system of works services. Involved an outlay of Rs. 10.5 crores (U.S. $ 2.0 Million) to addressWorks Services of an average Rs. 2500 crore (US$ 500 Million) of the PWD - Maharashtra. This is nowproposed for other States also.

Stamp Registration (Maharashtra and U.P. States) - Provided on-line property registration, valuationand report generation across 366 offices at various state administrative units, reducing time from severaldays to mere 20 minutes for an individual, and increasing number of registered documents from 16 to 40per day with 10 - 15% revenue increase. Involved an outlay of Rs. 5.5 crores (US$ 1 Million) to addressa Statewide annual revenue of Rs. 2000 crores (US$ 400 Million).

Fig. 3: E-seva portal

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Fig. 4: Jana-mitra portal

Municipal Corporations (Karnataka) - Computerized major functions of property tax valuation/collection, issue and record of death/birth certificates, water supply billing, consumer complaints andinternal MIS functions providing improved citizen services. Involved an outlay of Rs. 2.5 crores (US$0.5 Million) in the first phase of six Corporations to address a budget of Rs. 2000 crores (US$ 400Million).

Octroi collection (Nashik - Maharashtra) - Dispensed with cash collection at remote check posts,providing instant valuation, receipt and reconciliation of accounts in a transparent manner. Total outlayRs. 60 lakhs (US$ 0.1 Million).

Decision Support System (Andhra Pradesh State) - Implemented a data warehouse of land and persondata of 60 million population to enable well informed, timely and accurate policy decisions by theGovernment officials across various departments. Involved an outlay of Rs. 5 crores (US$ 1 Million)to address the total State data.

Hospital Management System (Specialty and Government Hospitals) - Implemented to improveHealthcare services for the patients. Involved an outlay of Rs. 1.5 crore (US$ 0.3 Million) over twohospitals of 500 beds and 1500 beds respectively.

GIS based Land Management (Industrial Development Corporations) - Implemented at a cost of Rs. 55lakhs (US$ 0.11 Million) to provide web-based access to land data covering allotment, transfer, mortgage,surrender, etc. of industrial development units, in the particular case for MIDC, Maharashtra.

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Archives Computerization - This application enables effective scanning and archival of various typesof old documents with proper enhancement, indexing and retrieval facilities. This application has beensuccessfully deployed for Department of Archives, Govt. of Maharashtra.

All the above applications have content does not have language interface or Localization framework.Even if the applications have the language interface, all these web based applications have problems relatedto input, output, storage and retrieval problems in Indian Languages and thus seamless access of knowledgeand information is very difficult.

Since different tools and methodologies are adopted to develop these web services, we need to adopt andfollow standards on the language technology components (Input, Output, Storage /Retrieval and Display)for successful Localization and wider access of Information and Knowledge.

4. Need for Standardization of Localization aspects in E-governance Solutions

It is evident from our discussion the previous section that there is an urgent need of Standardization ofLocalization solutions for uniform and seamless access. However, use of proprietary solutions that areprevalent these days prevents uniformity in the implementation of Localization Solutions. For example, useof True Type Fonts which are proprietary in nature and not UNICODE compliant results in discrepancies indisplay of web-content across various platforms. Similar discrepancies arise due to absence of standards invarious input, output, storage, retrieval mechanisms. We shall try to elucidate in some of these aspects.

4.1. Constraints Due to Data Lock-in

Vendor lock-in is often used in the computer industry to describe the effects of a lack of compatibilitybetween different systems. Different companies, or a single company, may create different versions of thesame system architecture that cannot interoperate. Manufacturers design their products so that replacementparts or add-on enhancements must be purchased from the same manufacturer, rather than from a thirdparty. Due to Vendor Lock-in, data available in one platform would be difficult to be migrated to anotherplatform. The problem of vendor lock-in results in non-uniformity in running legacy applications, already inplace. To overcome the data lock-in problem use of open domain solutions may be adopted.,

4.2. Standardization in Encoding

The national standard, IS13491:1991, Indian Standard Code for Information Interchange (ISCII) is in-vogue, however, number of vendors while using ISCII still do data storage in their own font codes. Due tothe limited market size, many vendors implement their proprietary codes to protect their market segment.However , there is a need to migrate to UNICODE standard in the wake of globalization.

UNICODE as global standard of encoding: Unicode is the universal character encoding. This encodingstandard provides the basis for processing, storage and interchange of text data in any language in all modernsoftware and information technology protocols. Unicode provides a unique number for every character, nomatter what the platform, no matter what the program, no matter what the language. The Unicode Standardhas been adopted by such industry leaders as Apple, HP, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, SAP, Sun, Sybase, Unisysand many others. Unicode is required by all modern web standards such as XML, Java, ECMA-Script(JavaScript), LDAP, CORBA 3.0, WML, etc., and is the official way to implement ISO/IEC 10646. It issupported in many operating systems, all modern browsers, and many other products. Incorporating Unicodeinto client-server or multi-tiered applications and websites offers significant cost savings over the use oflegacy character sets. Unicode enables a single software product or a single website to be targeted acrossmultiple platforms, languages and countries without re-engineering. It allows data to be transported throughmany different systems without corruption. Unicode 4.0, brought out in 2004 in which Indian languages arealso represented. DIT is a voting member of UNICODE consortium and most of the changes suggested by

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DIT are accepted by UNICODE consortium. UNICODE 5.0 standard currently in press , would include morecharacters such as Chillu Character of Malayalam. Most of the e-governance applications are intranet/internet based, hence, the need to migrate to Unicode is now being felt, so that data can be seamlessly portedand accessed across the platforms which is not possible using ISCII. However, as a supplementary measure,code converters may also be integrated with applications to enhance its usage.

4.3. Standardization in Key-Board

INSCRIPT keyboard layout has been adopted in India which is widely used, however many other variantslike

Remington, Phonetic, Godrej etc. are also in use, because of the availability of trained manpower onexisting typewriters. Major multi-national vendors are providing INSCRIPT keyboard facility and otherkeyboard layouts depending on the user requirement. In this context, we need to focus on one point that ,Key-board layout is independent on storage code and multiple keyboard entries for a particular charactershould map to a single storage space. Specifically, if for example, a particular character in Indian languageinputted through three different layouts should map to the specified UNICODE location for that particularcharacter. A key board manager involving all three types of Key-board namely (i) Type-writer, (ii) INSCRIPTand (iii) Phonetic may be integrated as plug-ins with applications for ease of users.

4.4. Standardization of Data base entry

Data entry for large e-governance applications is decentralized and handled by partially trained data entryoperators. Due to linguistic characteristics of Indian languages, similar names are entered in different phoneticstyles. Indian names such as Nayak and Naik, Shiva and Siva etc., though phonetically pronounced,similarly, but are stored differently due to variation in data entry. The searching of data base causes problems,in case full text search is employed. Though soundex i.e. phonetic technique for near match search of datais a successful technique for retrieving similar sounding words for English, however, this technique is yet tobe successfully developed for searching name data bases in Indian languages. The data generated usingnonstandard font based and vendor dependent fonts needs to be converted to ISCII or Unicode for easyinteroperability. It is observed while entering data non-permissible combination of Matra is also entered bythe data entry operators which do not appear on the display as error. This causes problems while searchingthe data base. There is need for availability of such utilities for checking and modifying the data stored innon-permissible combinations.

4.5. Transliteration

Most of the e-gov and other national applications need to be developed in multiple Indian languages forcitizen interface across the country. Due to the multilingual data to be handled, there is need for transliterationof stored data from one language to another. The applications developed in ISCII are easily transliterated,however, necessary utilities must be provided by the software vendors for transliteration utilities in Unicode.Before migration to Unicode such tools need to be developed and made available. ITRANS is one of thepopular schemes. ITRANS provides choice and uses capital letters also. The scheme is not suitable forsearching the contents on the Internet. There is a need to evolve a Case-insensitive transliteration scheme tofacilitate searching on web.

4.6. Information Retrieval

Various National e-governance applications like National ID of Election Commission, Census dataapplication etc. require search and retrieval capability switching between one language to another language.Absence of searching and retrieval mechanisms causes non-uniform access of required information. Use andAdoption of existing standard search engines with proper language interface in Indian Languages is one ofkey requirement for national level e-governance applications.

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5. Challenges

5.1. Challenges related to Web and E-mail

Though the presently available technology facilitates developing website in Indian languages there arestill certain technological glitches which need to be addressed for deploying multi-lingual content on thewebsites. The content developed using ISCII or other 8bit proprietary softwares requires either the use ofdynamic font or the facility to download the font for proper display of the content which is cumbersomeprocedure. Over an above this, different browsers display the content by rendering in a different way andhence, the content does not reproduced with 100% correctness. The popular search engines available on theweb are unable to search the Indian language content. The web content developed in Unicode does not havesearch issues, however content cannot be accessed through older machines which do not support UNICODE.The present day browsers which are not integrated with the specific operating systems are not able to displaythe UNICODE content authentically due to rendering issues. Sending e-mails in Indian languages with anattachment is not an issue if the recipient also uses the same software which was used for typing the e-mail.The e-mail sent in Indian languages are font dependent, hence, this issue could be resolved if messagingsystem use Unicode as standard for sending e-mails.

5.2. Challenges related to Translation

Terminology Standardization: The terminology of e-governance application even for the same applicationvaries across the country. Hence, there is a need to build domain specific terminology and dictionaries alongwith their mapping of authenticated translation of terminologies Indian languages there by covering regionaldiversity as well.

Linguistic support: Moreover linguists are not familiar with Information Technology which sometimesputs a constraint in making them understand the user requirements of this domain. There is a need to providelinguistic support across the Indian languages for large e-governance applications so that authenticatedterminologies are used for data integrity.

Translation tools: There is a need to build quick translation tools which aid the human translators to meetthe large translation requirement of the e-governance domain. The e-governance application developers arefrom the IT field and lack linguistic background, hence raising proper linguistic support for successfulimplementation of the project becomes an issue.

5.3. Adoption of World Wide Web Consortium Standard (W3C) in respect of Localization andInternationalization

Future web based applications need to be developed in such a way that, applications should be interoperablefor seam-less access of knowledge. World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) develops interoperable technologiesalong with specifications, guidelines, software, and tools. Adoption of W3C Internationalization Standards isnecessary for developing inter-operable e-governance solutions in India. The Internationalization Activity,I18n, W3C Working produces specifications such as the Character Model for the World Wide Web, WebServices Internationalization Usage Scenarios, and Ruby Annotation Markup. It also provides upfront inputto reviews Last Call Working Drafts on a wide range of topics, including Unicode character normalization,international typographic requirements, script issues in text-to-speech implementations, internationalizationand localization requirements for schemas, usage scenarios and requirements for the internationalization ofWeb services, implementation of international resource identifiers, and many more. Specifically forLocalization aspects, W3C has developed a Working Draft on Language Tags and Locale Identifiers for theWorld Wide Web. This document describes mechanisms for identifying or selecting the language of contentor locale preferences used to process information using Web technologies. It describes how documentformats, specifications, and implementations should handle language tags, as well as data structures that

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extend these tags to describe international preferences. In order to enable multi-locale operation of Webservices and to create the ability for locale negotiation, this specification describes a standardized method foridentifying locales and locale and/or language tags on the Web,To boost the adoption of W3C standards inIndia, Department of Information Technology, Govt of India has become member of W3C and work in closecollaboration with W3C for adequate solutions pertaining to Indian Language Localization aspects.

5.4. Internationalization of Domain Name (IDN) in Indian Languages

Internationalization of Domain Name (IDN) in Indian Languages is another key area which needs to beaddressed so that the future web pages get registered in Indian Languages. Internationalizing Domain Namesin Applications (IDNA) is a mechanism defined in for handling internationalized domain names containingnon-ASCII characters. Such domain names could not be handled by the existing DNS and name resolvinginfrastructure. Considering the complexity of Indian Languages, it would be extremely difficult to implementIDN structure in India. However, efforts in this direction have already initiated.

5.5. Adoption of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) and Open Standard

Adoption of Free and Open Source Software and Open Standards with Indian Language Localization,would help in boosting the e-Governance application development in Indian Languages and its proliferation.Free and Open Source Software(FOSS), which is liberally licensed to grant the right of users to study,change, and improve its design through the availability of its source code would be useful for non-proprietarysolutions and this would specifically useful for innovative e-governance solutions. Additionally, OpenStandards, which are publicly available and implementable standards, can increase compatibility betweenvarious hardware and software components, since anyone with the necessary technical know-how andresources can build products that work together with those of the other vendor-specific products.

Thus, Open source coupled with Open Standard offers greater freedom at a lower cost, despite costlycustomization and maintenance requirements.

For wider proliferation of language technology solutions especially in the e-governance domain, it isnecessary that language software tools and solutions be available in open domain. Efforts have been alreadyinitiated in this direction by both Government and Open Domain industry organizations such as REDHAT,SUN and IBM.


In this paper we have discussed major parameters for successful e-governance implementation. It hasbeen shown that lack of local language interface is a major detrimental effect for wider proliferation of e-governance applications in India. A limited number of Indian language based applications are developed anddeployed in e-governance domain. Most of these applications still have English interface. Static reports aregenerated using Indian language template. Few applications are enabled at data input-output in local languages.Thus the deployment of applications in local languages is necessary for greater access of information andknowledge. For successful deployment of e-governance applications in Localization framework, variousstandardization aspects related to Input mechanisms, Storage and Retrieval, and Output and Display mechanismneed to be addressed in a national perspective for standards to be in place and seamless access of informationand access. Moreover, various research aspects for futuristic applications in a knowledge society such asDevelopment Cross-Lingual Information Retrieval between Indian Languages and Indian Language Web-Browsers need to be initiated in an urgent basis.

Acknowledgement

The authors acknowledge support provided by Department of Information Technology to investigatevarious issues related to e-governance. The authors also wish to thank team of National Institute Smart

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Governance for useful discussion.

References

1 United Nations E-Governance Readiness Report 2005: From E Government to E-inclusion’. Accesed on

August 2006.

2 United Nations E-Governance Readiness Report 2004. Accesed on August 2006.

3 http://portal.unesco.org/ci Accesed on August 2006.

4 National E-Readiness Report 2004, National Informatics Centre, Department of Information Technology

5 http://developer.apple.com/Accesed on August 2006.

6 http://www.lionbridge.com/lionbridge Accesed on August 2006.

7 http://egovstandards.gov.in. Accesed on August 2006.

About the Authors

Somnath Chandra has obtained his B. Tech and M.Tech. with distinction from University ofCalcutta .He has submitted his Ph.D. thesis from IIT Kharagpur and about to obtain Ph.D. shortly. He ispresently working as scientist –C at Department of Information Technology, Govt. of India. He iscurrently working in the domain of Technology Development for Indian Languages (TDIL) and involvedin the national coordination for implementation of mission mode project ‘Development of cross-lingualinformation access’. He has 24 publications to his credit in reputed national /international journals andconferences.

Swaran Lata has obtained her B.Tech and M.Tech in Computer Engineering from TIET Patiala andIIT Delhi respectively. She is presently working as Additional Director Department of InformationTechnology, Govt. of India. She is working in the domain of Technology Development for Indian Languages(TDIL) since last 12 years and presently a member of ‘National E-Governance Standards Committee’.She is also acting as Govt. of India’s representative in UNICODE and World-Wide Web (W3C) consortiaand working towards adequate representation of Indic languages in the emerging UNICODE and W3Cstandards. She has a wide expertise in language computing, localization and e-governance domains.

Twenty Five Steps to Successful E-governance

Sameer Sachdeva1

ABSTRACT

E-governance is said to be pill of all ills of governance. However many e-governance projectsare not succeeding or are facing bottlenecks. This paper analyzes the various essentials forsuccesses of e-governance from the prospective of developing nations. It emphasizes that the firststep towards e-governance is understanding governance. It looks into Vision, Objectives andRoadmap of e-governance. It identifies that leadership, Strategy, institutional framework, processand legal reforms are few ingredients of successful e-governance. The paper looks into cost benefitanalysis of e-governance, service delivery paradigm, infrastructure and interoperability for e-governance success. It also highlights importance of issues like architecture, privacy, security,Universal Accessibility, People’s Participation, and Communication Campaigns for e-governance.It further highlights interventions like Change Management, Project Evaluation and FeedbackMechanism. Last but not the least the paper suggests that from e-Gov we have to evolve to i-Gov, i.e., Integrated Government.

Keywords: E-governance, E-government, Universal Access, NII, Strategy, Institutional Framework,Interoperability, Strategy, Process Reforms, Legal Reforms, Vision, E-governance Roadmap

1. Introduction

Success of e-governance depends on many factors. The foremost being that the government processesneed to be clearly studied and understood. These processes need to be then reformed such that non necessaryprocesses are removed and inefficiencies are reformed. There is also a need to define the vision and objectivesthat are practical, achievable and measurable in a comprehensive timeframe. Defining objectives is followedby defining an e-governance roadmap which answers the questions of why, what, who, how and where of e-governance. Success of e-governance also depends on a strong leadership at all levels – political, bureaucraticand local government level. A strong institutional framework strengthens the success of e-governance.Process re-engineering, organizational reforms, legal reforms and constitutional reforms are also importantcomponents that lead to success of e-governance. The above components are important aspects of thechange management strategy. A sustainable business model ensures that the system is sustainable over aperiod of time and public private partnership may be one of the options for the same. Collaboration ofdifferent departments, citizen interaction and universal accessibility are important factors for the successfulimplementation. National information infrastructure, technology architecture, security and privacy are a fewtechnological aspects which need to address for the successful implementation. The success of e-governanceproject is also dependent on program management, application development and evaluation of the projects.

1 National Institute for Smart Government(NISG), Q2, New Delhi YMCA Tourist Hostel, 1, Jaising Marg, New Delhi, India (Phone: +91-9312013622, Email: [email protected])

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Sameer Sachdeva / Twenty Five Steps to Successful E-governance

In essence the success factor for an e-governance initiative is beyond technology. The paper enlists a few ofthose success factors.

2. Twenty Five Steps Towards Successful E-governance

Based on author’s experience of working with various government departments and people involved in e-governance, twenty five steps towards successful implementation of e-governance can be enlisted. Howeverthe steps listed may not be a comprehensive list and even more success factors may evolve with time. Thesteps listed may not be in serial order but is an attempt to capture as many areas wherein the e-governancerevolves. The twenty five steps as identified by the author are:

i) Understanding Governance

Understanding Government and the process of Governance is the first step in e-governance. In majorityof the cases e-governance is visualized to be an IT initiative but it in reality it is a Governance issue. In aholistic view e-governance consists of Change Management, Resource Management, Process Reforms,Administrative Reforms, Organization Re-structuring, Information Management, Knowledge Management,Legal Reforms, Technology Management and many more component. IT is just a part of the TechnologyComponent and therefore just a fraction of what the complete picture of e-governance is. E-governance is notabout translation of existing processes in computerized form but it is more of transformation of processes. E-governance is not a job of IT experts but of domain experts. Therefore in order to be successful in e-governance we need experts who are skilled in Governance.

ii) Definition of Vision and Strategic Objectives

E-governance vision of the country must be driven from the development vision and objective of thecountry. For true results of e-governance the development impact is the key. Any e-governance project willbe mission less if there is no improvement in governance process. It will be called pointless if there isimprovement in governance process but no development impact. It will be truly meaningful if it has adevelopment impact. Further if an e-governance application is closely linked to the priority developmentneeds of the society than it brings with it broad support and overcomes the resistance. However a closeranalysis of Vision for e-governance for various countries it was observed that many counties made statementslike Complete Government Services Online by Year 2010, etc. Such statements in the vision statement lead tojust making information online to a small community of netizens. With online features the complexity ofdealing with Governments increased rather than getting decreased. It was thought that e-governance canresolve all the problems of Governance. However later it was realized that e-governance is just a tool that isapplied to meet various challenges of Government. Soon the reality came to the e-governance implementersand the statement changed to, “Think Big, Start Small and Scale Fast”. The various essentials for a goodvision and objectives for e-governance are as follows:

• Citizen should be center of the e-governance vision of the country• The Vision should be close to reality and not rhetoric• Even though the citizen is at the center the other stakeholders should not be forgotten.• Citizen should have access to various delivery channels and should not be limited to being online.• Service improvement and process efficiency are key objectives of e-governance• The objective should be of collaboration of various organs of the Government• The outcomes must be clearly defined and the performance should be measured against those outcomes.• Partnerships with the private sector may also be highlighted in the objectives.• One of the objective must also recognize citizens as customers of the Government and the customer

relationship programs may be evolved further.

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Fig. 1: Twenty Five Steps to successful e-governance

iii) Formulation of e-governance Roadmap

The e-governance Roadmap for a country should answer the questions of Why, What, How, Who, Whenand Where of e-governance.

S.No. Questions Answers will be found in 1 Why e-Governance? Policy 2 What to e-Govern? Strategy 3 How to e-Govern? Plan 4 Who should do it? Capacity Building 5 If not e-Governance – what

could have been done ? Opportunity Cost

6 Where Area

The first step in e-governance is identifying the areas for e-governance intervention and prioritize e-governance in those areas. The various points that can be of help in prioritizing the initiatives include thefollowing:

• Strengthen the pressure points (which will have maximum impact)• Choose projects which can be easily replicated• Identify projects which have a scope for Public Private Partnerships (PPP)• Choose projects which will get citizen and leadership support• The chosen projects must evolve from the development agenda of the country• The Projects should have a sustainable business model can be evolved• The identified projects should be and based on standards• The selected projects should have low cost of development and less opportunity cost.

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2 Cole, Martin and Vivienne Jupp., Leadership in Customer Service: New Expectations, New Experiences.(April 2005):The Government Executive Series. Accenture3 Process Re-Engineering – An Overview : A Presentation by Sh. V.Subramanium, Vice President, National Institute for Smart Government, Hyderabad, www.nisg.org

iv) Leadership for e-governance 2

Leadership is an important aspect of e-governance. The commitment of top leadership is important for e-governance. Leadership commitment is not only important at Political and Bureaucratic level but at theproject implementation level as well. The leadership provides the role of reformers who will help the e-governance Initiatives sail through. The leadership may as well come from the private sector wherein thePrivate partners may drive the whole initiative for the Government. Despite the importance of technologicaland skill infrastructures, it is the politics of e-governance initiatives that probably hold the key. E-governanceprojects have made slow progress in many countries because they do not serve the political self-interests ofthe major stakeholders, particular senior public officials. The views of senior public officials are thereforeabsolutely critical; hence the emphasis laid on the issues of leadership and commitment, the emphasis onbuilding awareness and confidence, and the emphasis on ‘winning hearts and minds’. Public officials mustbe convinced that e-governance is in their self-interest. Other civil society stakeholders – managers, users,citizens in some cases – have less power but can still delay, skew or block e-governance initiatives. Buildingcapacities, listening, addressing self-interest and motivation, and devising adequate incentives will all havea role to play here. “The Roadmap for e-government in the Developing World – 10 Questions e-governmentleaders should ask themselves” by Pacific Council on International Policy identifies a few questions for thee-government leadership

• Why are we pursuing e-government?• Do you have clear Vision and Priorities for e-government?• What kind of e-government are we ready for?• Is there enough political will to lead e-government effort?• Are we selecting e-government Projects in best ways?• How should we plan and manage e-government Projects?• How will we overcome resistance from with in the Government?• How will we measure and communicate progress?• What should be our relationship with the Private Sector?• How can e-government improve citizen participation in public affairs?

The above questions must be answered in order to achieve true e-governance. Specifically for success ofe-governance the country should create an office for e-governance and designate a senior officer assisted bya complete team in charge for planning e-governance initiatives. Direct support should be solicited from theoffice of President, Prime Minister or the Head of state as the case may be.

v) Institutional Framework for e-governance

The various Organization structures that will be required for the successful implementation of e-governanceinclude the following:

• E-cooperation Commission (to ensure cooperation amongst different Departments and different levelsof Government)

• Interoperability Commission• Information Security Commission• Data Protection and Privacy Commission• E-governance Audit Commission• Legal and Administrtive reform Commission

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• Internet Consumer Rights Commission• National e-governance Planning Commission• Local Language Commission• Telecom Commission• e-governance Implementation Commission• National Infrastructure Commission• National Commission for Internet Content• Online Quality Assurance Commission• National Commission for International Cooperation

vi) Government Process Re-engineering 3

Reengineering is the fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes to achievedramatic improvements in performance -cost, quality, service, and speed. E-governance is distinct fromcomputerization as automation by itself will not eliminate all sources of errors, avoidable costs delays. It mayeven add its share of errors and costs. Therefore process re-engineering must precede the computerization.The various steps in the Process Re-engineering may include the following:

• Identify candidate Processes• Understand the processes• Document the process• Decompose the process in smaller processes• Analyse the processes• Eliminate the processes which are of low criticality but difficult to implement• Reform the process which are of high criticality but difficult to implement• Continue the processes which are of high criticality but easy to implement• Integrate the processes• Automate the Process Steps• Ensure Change management

GPR study includes examining the health of each Department and analyzing its ability to accept change,constructing an inventory of the processes involved and determining the critically important core processes,assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of the existing processes in order to determine improvementpriorities. The decisions on priorities in a GPR should be on based on three factors - importance, opportunityand feasibility.

T he e-governm ent H andbook fo r develop ing C ountries pub lished b yhighlights the fo llo w ing recom m endatio ns fo r P rocess R efo rm s • P lan carefully -s tream line and consolidate o ffline processes befo

them o nline. • D on’t auto m ate ine fficiencies - elim inate them . • R espond to local needs - d raw o n the ideas o f those w ho w il

system and enlist the support. • T ry to focus p ro jects fro m the user perspective. • D ispel resistance o f c ivil servants by tra ining and incen tives t

reform . • E nsure co m m itm en t o f resources fo r the long term .

vii) Legal Reforms

A successful implementation of e-governance requires the following to be achieved:

• E-governance legislation: A comprehensive legislation which may facilitate for closer cooperationbetween all authorities providing e-governance services.

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• Right to Information: A legislation that may that contains provisions on access to public informationfor the Government Agencies.

• Data Protection: Data Protection Legislation may regulate the pre-conditions for the lawful usesharing and transfer of data.

• Privacy legislation: This legislation may provide a right to privacy with respect to the processing ofpersonal data which entails the right to information, rectification of incorrect data and erasure ofunlawfully processed data.

• E-identity legislation: The legislation may legally recognizes electronic signatures satisfying certainsecurity requirements.

• E-procurement legislation: The e-Procurement-Regulation may govern the electronically based creationand delivery of offers in the area of public procurement. It may specify the rules applicable tocommunication, storage of data and use of specific procedures, e.g. e-auctions and dynamic purchasingsystems.

• Databases legislation: The legislation may regulate the creation and maintenance of electronicdatabases by public sector bodies and creates a state register of databases.

viii) Human Capacity Building

The human capacity building involves not only IT skill building but also skill sets in management, changemanagement and communications. There should be clear plans for human capacity development. Gap areasmay be identified and possible interventions may be suggested. In general terms, priority human capacitiesfor e-governance are ‘hybrids’: those who understand the technology and the business of governance andthe role of information in governance. It is they – as individuals or small teams – who can most successfullychampion e-governance in the target organizations. Key implementation capacities to be developed for pilotprojects would be likely to include:

• Capacity to develop information systems.• Capacity to manage projects and to manage change.• Capacity to be an ‘intelligent customer’: able to raise project finance, specify needs, manage

procurement, and manage vendors.• Capacity to operate and maintain information systems.

Training should also give a high priority to attitude change since a key stumbling block to e-governanceis the lack of motivation amongst those involved. Such training should aim to speak to both ‘hearts andminds’. School of e-governance or its equivalent, may be established which may likely play a lead role in thetraining to develop human capacities.

ix) Cost Benefit Analysis

Any e-governance initiative must start with a clear understanding of the various costs involved in theproject. We must also look into the Cost-Benefit-Analysis of the project. The investments in a project mustlook forward to the returns on the investments. Short term and long term plans with expected expenditures,income streams and deadlines may be worked out. The benefits of e-governance range from improvement inservice delivery and social welfare of citizens.

The various net benefits arising out of e-governance are as listed below:

• Net Financial Benefit to the Government Agency = Operation Cost Reductions + Revenue Increased– Costs of development of the application

• Net Financial Benefit to the Citizen = Cost reduction (Less Delivery Charges) + Increased Citizenrevenue (due to efficiency) – Cost of deployment of new system

• Social Benefit = Increased Health, Education, Employment, Social Upliftment benefits• Governance Benefit = Increased transparency, accountability, efficiency and participation in Government

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The projects may be evaluated for all above benefits and corresponding costs.

x) Sustainable Business Model

The various business models as operating in the e-governance area are described below. For the successof the project it is necessary that a sustainable business model is chosen from amongst the following referredbelow.

• Government Owned: In a Government Owned business model the Government, or its Agency or a PSUis involved in designing, building, funding, owning and operating the project. The project is built onpublic money and Government may charge a transaction fee from Citizens or subsidize it from publicfunding.

• Private Partners: In a private partner model the Government funds and owns the project but thedesigning, building and operation of the project is vested with a private partner. At time the Governmentmay take the operations to itself after initially getting the project developed by private party.

• BOO (Built-own-operate): With the build-own-operate model, a private company is granted the rightto develop, finance, design, build, own, operate, and maintain a transportation project. The privatesector partner owns the project outright and retains the operating revenue risk and all of the surplusoperating revenue in perpetuity.

• BOOT (Built-own-operate-transfer):A BOOT funding model involves a single organization, orconsortium (BOOT provider) designing, building, funding, owning and operating the scheme for adefined period of time and then transferring this ownership across to an agreed party.

• SPV Model: In a Special Purpose Vehicle model the Government in collaboration with a private agencyor Government Agency or International Agency or itself forms a special purpose vehicle to fund theproject.

• Externally Funded Projects: In externally funded projects the international donor agencies funds thevarious projects by giving grants to the Government or its agencies and the project is executed as amutually agreed methodology.

xi) Service Delivery Paradigm

The Government Service Delivery paradigm is facing tough challenges. On one hand there is a challengeof regulatory compliance and cost cutting on other there is a challenge of service improvement. In corporateworld the world’s best companies have done it, and the Governments are now following the suit in improvingthe service delivered to the citizen on dimensions such as speed, quality, reliability, convenience and cost.Information Technology will have a big role to play in the same; the services can be delivered from 24-hourone-stop Government shops. Clearly, governments are putting the foundations in place for multi-channel,inter-connected government and they are starting to adopt many of the customer relationship managementcapabilities more commonly seen in world-class customer service organizations.With e-governance the servicedelivery paradigm in Government is fast changing. The following table compares the past and presentparadigms

Past Present Departmental Centric Approach Citizen Centric Approach Process Orientation Service Orientation Output based Assessment Outcome based Assessment Departmental View Integrated View

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Integrated Service Delivery is another service delivery mechanism which may further be explored. Sincethe penetration of PCs and Internet is very low in the country, some framework needs to be worked out fordelivery of the e-Services that would be accessible to the poorest of the poor. What will be the Government’snetwork to deliver those services? Could we have something like a single stop shop of the Government? Aproposed mechanism may be delivery of the same through the Government Post Offices, establishing ofCommon Service Centres, Providing services at Village Panchayats.

xii) Collaboration for e-governance

Collaboration is must for e-governance. The collaboration may include the collaboration with followingstakeholders:

• Centre, State and Local Government Collaboration• Collaboration with NGO’s• Collaboration with Businesses / private sector• Inter-Government Agency Collaboration• Citizen- Government Collaboration• Government – Employee Collaboration• Government – Academics Collaboration (for capacity building)

First step in any e-governance project is to establish a consultative process with all stakeholders that maybe directly or indirectly affected by the initiative. The Project team may have discussions with GovernmentEmployees, Businesses, NGO’s and other agencies. Collaboration with private sector will help to get theexpertise of private sector as applied to Government sector. Cooperation between various agencies ofGovernment is also necessary. There must be efforts to create business opportunities so that the privatesector may be attracted to invest in e-governance Projects. Create local leadership and ownership whereverthe project is implemented.

xiii) E-content

People today are using maximum e-governance services for online search for information. People look forinformation that will help resolve their problems of daily dealing with Government. Keeping the citizeninformed, providing him with details of Government activities. The citizen will act as watch dog to Governmentif the information will be available to him. Certain interest groups like the journalists, opposition will alwayskeep an eye on the expenditure of the Government, status of which will be available on-line. The same willbring accountability amongst Civil Servants. The rationale is to increase the pressure on staff to perform welland to improve public understanding of government. The Government needs to be transparent in its functioningand for the same it needs to introduce a legislation if required. The Right to Information should become thefundamental right of the citizens.

• Information Government wishes to disseminate: press notices, consultation papers, policies, WhitePapers, news, health and safety advice, benefits and entitlements, applicable regulations

• Information Government may make available: geographical data, demographic data, economic data,information collected, information generated routinely, value added services

• Information Government will be required to supply: performance indicators, environmental indicators,audited accounts, personal data, internal policy documents, correspondence, management reports

xiv) Building National Information Infrastructure

National Information Infrastructure is more than just the physical facilities used to transmit, store, process,and display voice, data, and images. It encompasses:

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• A wide range and ever-expanding range of equipment including cameras, scanners, keyboards,telephones, fax machines, computers, switches, compact disks, video and audio tape, cable, wire,satellites, optical fiber transmission lines, microwave nets, switches, televisions, monitors, printers,and much more. The NII will integrate and interconnect these physical components in a technologicallyneutral manner.

• Information is another major component of NII. The information may be in the form of videoprogramming, scientific or business databases, images, sound recordings, library archives, and othermedia.

• Applications and software that allow users to access, manipulate, organize, and digest the proliferatingmass of information that the NII’s facilities will put at their fingertips.

• The network standards and transmission codes that facilitate interconnection and interoperationbetween networks, and ensure the privacy of persons and the security of the information carried, aswell as the security and reliability of the networks.

• The people who create the information, develop applications and services, construct the facilities, andtrain others to tap its potential. Many of these people will be vendors, operators, and service providersworking for private industry.

• The delivery points will be the Information Kiosks in most cases.• Data Centers are another component of the e-governance implementation. The data centers will store

the various databases etc at National, State and Local Level. The key databases may include databasesfor citizens, property, vehicles and companies.

xv) E-governance Technology Architecture

E-governance Architecture is a set of guidelines, concepts, principles, rules, patterns interfaces andstandards to follow when building a new IT capability. It is a description of a complex system, its purpose,structure, components, as well as how these interrelate, at one point in time. A good e-governance Architecture

• Allows for a multitude of different technologies• Is based on open Standards• Provides adequate security and data protection• Is Accessible to all stakeholders• Is interoperable• Can be Scaled for future

Interoperability, Security, Openness, Flexibility and Scalability are the foundations of an e-governanceArchitecture.

xvi) Privacy and Security

The e-governance application needs to build the trust of citizens in the system. It needs to ensure that thedata and transactions of the citizen are secure. The information shared by the citizens should also remain safeand the privacy of the citizen needs to be protected. Whenever a citizen gets into any transaction with aGovernment agency, he shells out lot of personal information, which can be misused by the private sector andanti-social elements. Thus, the citizen should be ensured that the information flow would pass throughreliable channels and seamless network. Secured ways of transactions for the Government services areanother issue of concern. The various levels of security that are important are:

• Physical security: which may extend from a locked computer room to access control systems, toclosed circuit cameras, to key lock to power supply. Physical security is must for environmentaldangers like fire, smoke, earthquake, etc The security features may range from locks to tagging.

• Information security: is security to protect information from unwanted exposure, tampering ordestruction. various mathematical techniques called cryptography are used to protect data. The process

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of using cryptography to scrambling data is called encryption and unscrambling is called decryption.• Authentication: is establishing the validity of an identity and the rights and privileges attached to it.

This may include physical identification, password based identification, biometrics, digital signatures,digital certificates and network based authentication

• Server Security: is the security of servers which may include mail servers, file servers, web servers,database servers, name servers etc. There are various security tools available for enhancing securityof the servers. Apart from that Tools like network scanning programs, intrusion detecting systems,virus scanners, firewalls may be added 4

xvii) People’s Participation / Civic Engagement

All Governments work for people and therefore people’s participation is very crucial for any e-governanceinitiative. People’s Participation can be ensured by the following methods.

• E-inform: The government informs its citizens about its policies and programme, budgets, laws andregulations etc with use of e-participation tools like websites. The various tools that may be includedfor people’s participation particularly informing them are the use of web forums, e-mail lists, news-groups and chat rooms.

• E-consult: Here in the Government takes feedback from the citizens about various legislatures, proposedpolicies etc. The web tools offer a choice of public policy topics on line for discussion with real-timeand archived access to audios and videos of public meetings.

• E-decisions: The government indicates it will take citizen input into decision-making and providesactual feedback on the outcome of specific issues.

• Local Language Content and Local Language Interface is important for success of e-governanceInitiative.

xviii) Universal Accessibility

All citizens of the country bear the opportunity of introducing a e-governance initiative. However amongstthe complete population there is only a fraction of population who have access to internet; there is still asmaller fraction that is skilled to use internet; there is further a smaller fraction which is using are usinginternet for Government services. We must bear in mind that any e-governance application is not for thissmall fraction of population and therefore we need to ensure such delivery channels which are universallyaccessible. There are many causes of the digital divide. This may include the linguistic barriers wherein thecontent may be created in language for the majority population but the content for the minority populationmay not be there. Further the online services which are deigned are made so sophisticated that they becomeinaccessible to the common man. Further a few services are now charged online which are available freeoffline. The population in villages may be provided with the Internet Kiosks for community access to e-governance. The access needs to be combined with the training.

xix) Awareness and Communication Strategy

Marketing and publicity are integral parts of successful electronic government initiatives. Marketingefforts should focus on creating brand awareness of the online presence. Using traditional media methodsand outlets to create the right image for this new delivery channel can accomplish this kind of “branding.”One branding strategy is to use an advertising agency, such as those employed by many states for lotteryadvertising. The customer would learn to identify a particular slogan or message with e-governance activities.

4 Sadowsky, G.,Dempsey, J.X., Greenberg,A., Mack,B.J., Schwartz,A. (2003). Information Technology Security Handbook:Infodev, The World Bank

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Another important strategy is for agencies across the enterprise to present a unified front. All collateralmaterials sent to “traditional” customers should stipulate the source and location of the alternative electronicway of doing business. For example, on a tax form there should be the location of its source like a websiteaddress. Agencies should encourage front-line employees to promote to customers going online next timethey wish to transact business. Community outreach programs, including seminars, educational programsand speakers’ bureaus, offer other potential channels to reach the public. Another customers are theGovernment employees. Unless they are convinced, they will not communicate the message to the citizen.Therefore they should be specifically targeted. Business Groups for E-Commerce can be specifically targeted.Develop publicity campaigns and training material that will engage people in e-government efforts.

xx) E-governance Program Management

An effective e-governance Program management will be in control of scope, time, quality, scope, humanresources, communications and risks .Effective program management has also to ensure that the stated goalsare accomplished. The program includes multiple projects and project scoping include scoping the deliverablesof the projects and incorporating, documenting and communicating change requests of stakeholders. Thetime required for a project is total of the time for completion of various components, which may be brokendown and estimated on time. A project schedule based on project scoping is worked out in the beginning ofproject. The cost is calculated based on cost of various resources including cost of services. The effort is toensure that the project is completed on time and within budget. Multiple projects in an integrated manner willcontribute to an effective program. Quality Management ensures that the e-governance program will satisfythe needs for which it was undertaken. In order to achieve quality a quality plan is necessary and controlsover the activities need to be carried out. Quality standards have significant impact on time and cost. Sometasks may become exceptionally good if given more time. As part of HR Management the Program Managementensures that the most effective use of the people involved within the program takes place. Therefore theHuman resource planning and development is an essential part of program management. A communicationplan is necessary to ensure effective communication between the team members and key stakeholders. TheProgram Management Team needs to ensure that project risks are identified, analyzed, and responded to.Most risks or potential failures can be overcome or resolved, given enough time and resources. The risksmitigation plans can be put in place so that the necessary action is taken on time. The various activities ofProgram Management may include:

• Scope Definition• Cost Estimation• Project Planning• Assessing Risks• Estimating resources• Organizing the work• Acquiring human and material resources• Assigning tasks• Directing activities• Controlling project execution• Reporting progress• Analyzing the results based on the facts achieved• Quality Assurance• Monitoring and Evaluation• Feedback and Improvement

xxi) E-governance Application Development

Software Development is an important aspect of Project Management. It is a phase beyondconceptualization and architecture. At the Government end if the project is outsourced then it starts with bid

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process management which includes call for Expression of Interest, Release of Request for Proposal (RFP),Call for bids, their evaluation and selection of successful bidder. If the project is developed In-house allabove steps are curtailed.

The various steps in software development lifecycle include the following:

• Requirement Analysis: In this phase the development team visits the Client and understands therequirement. The team studies the systems with in the new scenario of Business Process Re-engineeringbeing already implemented. In this face the requirement analysis is focused specially on software.

• System Analysis and Design: In this phase the overall structure is designed. This may include preferencein terms of say the client/server technology, the package architecture, the database design, the datastructure design etc. At this stage a software development model is created which becomes basis ofcode generation.

• Code Generation: Generation of code is the next step in SDLC and uses programming tools likeCompilers, Interpreters, Debuggers to generate the code. Various high level programming languageslike C, C++, Pascal, Java are used for coding.

• Testing: Testing is the next step in after code generation. The various testing methodologies are usedto locate the bugs in the system.

• Maintenance: Any software delivered to customer will undergo changes due to various reasons. Thesoftware should be developed to accommodate such changes.

xxii) Change Management in Government5

The delivery of Government services through the e-governance will lead to administrative, process andlegal changes. Therefore e-governance demands fundamental changes in the way Government works. It maynecessitate empowerment of employees, De-layering of decision making levels. These changes need notonly be accepted by the Government and citizens but also be accepted by various interests groups likeEmployees unions. Under such circumstances bringing in a change will involve changing the mindsets of thepeople, and a complete Reengineering process needs to be carried out for the same. There will also be a lossof vested interests and power amongst the legislature and the executive, which may lead, to resistance tochange. Therefore a Change Management Strategy is a beginning point of e-governance. The variouscomponents of Change management are:

• Define and identify the various areas of reforms• Identify Champion of Change• Ensure Commitment to Change• Facilitate the Participation of Stakeholders• Device a Communication Strategy• Enable a IT Training• Set up a Mechanism for Continuous Learning• Monitor, Evaluate and Analyze the Change Process• Provide Support whenever required

xxiii) Evaluating E-governance Projects 6

Clear project objectives need to be set and projects need to be evaluated based on those objectives. Thesuccess of the project will depend on how far the stated objectives have been met. Another parameters whichmay define project success is the sustainability of projects over a long period and return on investments. The

5 Robbins, Stephen P. (1999). Organizational Behavior (8th Edition). Prentice Hall of India6 Adamal, A., Lanvin B.,& Schware R. (2005). E-strategies Monitoring and Evaluation Toolkit : Global ICT Department,

The World Bank

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e-governance project successes may also be studied on service delivery, technology , reliability and replicabilityattributes. The projects need to be evaluated as a constant improvement model even while implementation isunderway. The interventions may be carried out at each stage of implementation. Bottlenecks and causes ofdelays should be documented, even though they may be removed later. The successful projects /pilotsshould be replicated over the nation with members drawn from the implementing team. The projects, whichcould not achieve the desired outcome, should be documented for possible causes of failure. Variousbottlenecks and causes of delay should be identified.

xxiv) Continuous Feedback

Feedback is the process of gathering the inputs of others. In e-governance scenario it will be the perceptionof various stakeholders towards performance of project and achievement of various outcomes. The feedbackprocess actually starts at the conceptualization of project or at the vision state itself. Initially, it will becomments / observations on documents / reports as prepared. At a later stage it will be actual experience onthe e-governance application and at final stage it will be citizen satisfaction on the same. The feedback cycleonce started has to be maintained throughout the project for success. The purpose of feedback is improvement.This whole process of improvement requires reviewing, communications, discussions, observations,brainstorming, listening, testing and more.

E-governance Feedback impact also depends on maturity levels of stakeholders. In most cases the feedbackis taken from the Project In charge at the Department implementing the project without realizing that feedbackobtained will be limited. This feedback will serve only individual interest or in best cases the interests of theDepartment. It may not satisfy all the stakeholders. However another issue is that how many stakeholdersactually know with clarity what they should expect from the Department and what is the process of selectingright set of stakeholders. Citizen surveys are a good method of getting feedback. However such surveyswould be analyzed qualitatively and not quantatively. The responses which are non serious should bediscarded straight away. However the process of feedback has to be continuous.

xxv) Integrated Government (iGov)

Integrated Government or iGov is evolving concept wherein an integrated approach to Government isachieved. It is integration of services across Federal, State and Local Government. It is also integration ofGovernment across various Departments. In short it may be defined as a single window for Governmenttransactions. The foundation of Integrated Government is a single identity to all citizens through which theycan access all services. The backend integration of various Departments / levels of Governments is necessaryfor achievement of Integrated Government. However in a country where the constitution provides thedistribution of powers with Centre and States, it may be a big challenge to achieve such integration ofservices. Nevertheless a few states in India have started such initiatives with limited services. E-Seva ofAndhara Pradesh and Bangalore One of Karnataka are a few examples which have started with limitedservices and are scaling fast. Another important issue in integration of services is that it cannot be spearheadedfrom a Department like IT. It has to be specifically spearheaded from a unit under the Prime Minister so thatit has an authority across all Departments at Centre and parallel units need to be created under the ChiefMinisters of the states. A complete national consensus needs to be built for the concept. Various projectswhich are implemented separately will be made interoperable and an integration achieved.


The paper thus concludes that e-governance Application Development is just a small component of ITarchitecture of any e-governance project. It highlights that e-governance is more about Governance than thee therein. ‘E’ in e-governance is just an enabler. There may be more such enablers. But we must not forget ourkey objective of improving the Governance processes. We must take only those e-governance initiatives that

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align with our key objective of the Governance. Just to take an initiative for purpose of IT implementation isnot recommended. We need to understand that unless we understand Governance we may not succeed in e-governance. For successful e-governance implementation we need to focus on all above twenty five stepsand many more and not just Hardware or Software.

References

1. Adamal A., Lanvin B. and Schware R. (2005). E-strategies Monitoring and Evaluation Toolkit : GlobalICT Department, The World Bank

2. Cole Martin and Vivienne Jupp., Leadership in Customer Service: New Expectations, NewExperiences.(April 2005):The Government Executive Series. Accenture

3. Robbins Stephen P. (1999). Organizational Behavior (8th Edition). Prentice Hall of India

4. Sadowsky G., Dempsey J.X., Greenberg A., Mack B.J. and Schwartz A. (2003). Information TechnologySecurity Handbook : Infodev, The World Bank

5. e-Government at Crossroads (2003), UN World Public Sector Report 2003 - e-governance at Crossroads

6. The Working group on e-Government in Developing World (April 2002), Roadmap for e-Government inDeveloping World: 10 Questions E-Government Leaders should ask Themselves: Pacific council onInternational Policy

7. Satyanarayana J. (2005), E-government – the science of the possible : A Presentation ,available atwww.nisg.org

8. Satyanarayana J. (2005), E-government Security : A Presentation , available at www.nisg.org

9. Subramanium V.(2005), Process Re-Engineering – An Overview : A Presentation, www.nisg.org

10. Sachdeva S.(2001), E-governance Strategy for India, http://topics.developmentgateway.org/egovernment/

Twenty Five Steps Towards E-governance Failure

Sameer Sachdeva1

ABSTRACT

Twenty five steps towards e-governance failure is a sequel to the paper Twenty five steps towardssuccessful e-governance. e-governance projects may fail due to multiple reasons and the reasonslisted are neither comprehensive nor complete. A few individuals may feel that certain causes arenon existence while others may feel that more can be added. The paper is an attempt to enlistpossible causes of failure of various e-governance projects. The reasons for failure of e-governanceprojects are anything but technological. Technology solutions are available and developed forany problem. But as they say, it is not the machine but the man behind the machine that leads tosuccess or failure. This paper looks into the various causes that leads to e-governance failure.Most of the causes are derived from authors’ experience in the Indian environment but may beapplicable in other developing nations as well.

Keywords: E-governance, E-government, Failure, Steps, Bottleneck, Vendor, Front Office, Back Office, Strategy,Interoperability, Strategy, Process Reforms, Legal Reforms, Vision, Roadmap

1. Introduction

A number of e-governance projects do not get the desired outcome. Some projects end up being partialfailure while others are complete failures. Only a fraction of projects are actually successful i.e., they achievethe stated outcome and lead to satisfaction of all stakeholders. At times a few projects engage governmentresources but no results on optimization are achieved. There are other projects which are termed as pointlesswherein government optimization is achieved but no development takes place even after optimization. A thirdcategory is of the meaningful projects wherein both the optimization of government projects and developmenttakes place. The number of projects in the third category is very small. The paper shares a few experienceswherein he relates how current system leads to difficulties in project implementation and killed the innovation.The key reasons for failures are identified in poor planning, keeping unachievable targets / timelines and highexpectations. The e-governance project implementation team focuses more on electronic aspect than ongovernance issues. Governance process is at times mis-understood at various levels especially by theoutside consultants. There are certain projects which are entirely driven by vendors and not based on needsof departments. Such projects which are not based on government needs are bound to fail. Further theprojects at times are conceptualized based on perception of employees of the department and all stakeholdersare not consulted. There are few project leaders who make the projects as personality driven rather thandependent on the institutional framework. Egos of certain individuals may also derail a few projects. There islot of procedures existing in the system which leads to delays in processing of project which is another causeof failure. Media also plays a negative role in the implementation at times by creating hype on small

1 National Institute for Smart Government (NISG), Q2, New Delhi YMCA Tourist Hostel, 1, Jaisingh Marg,New Delhi–110001, India (Phone: +91-9312013622, Email: [email protected])

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Sameer Sachdeva / Twenty Five Steps Towards E-governance Failure

achievements. A few projects are driven towards hardware procurement and at times during the end offinancial year a lot of hardware is procured fearing a lapse in budget. Another cause of failure is reverse re-engineering wherein a solution is already suggested and then it is analyzed what is the need for that solution.The paper identifies multiple causes of failures but the key cause of failure can be explained in the followingquote in a nutshell.

“Administrative culture is one reason why Indian innovates better abroad than they are able to do inIndia. The Indian system is such that all officials are expected to obey rules or follow precedence. Innovationinvolves changing the rules of the game and/or breaking with tradition. Both ways, the Indian ethos rulesout originality and innovation.” 2

2. Twenty Five Steps Towards E-governance Failure

The twenty five steps towards e-governance failure are based on author’s experience of working withvarious government departments and people involved in e-governance. The paper is sequel to the paper“Twenty Five Steps to Successful E-governance”. The steps identified leading to failure are helpful if studiedwith steps of success. Even though the steps listed may not be a comprehensive or in serial order and moresuccess factors may evolve with time. The following paragraphs try to capture as many areas wherein the e-governance revolves. The twenty five steps as identified by the author are:

i) Planning To Fail or Fail to Plan

The first step in any project is to plan the project. The success of the project will depend on the skill andexpertise with which it is planned and conceptualized. It is often felt that Government Department shy awayfrom spending a few lakhs in preparation of project plans for e-governance projects worth hundreds ofcrores. And at times unskilled individual decides the plan and they plan fail. The plans are made without clearobjectives, unclear roles and responsibilities. There are no parameters for financial controls. Areas like riskassessment, feasibility assessment, prioritization and strategy are not even thought lest be addressedcompletely. So, whereas there exists no plan in some projects, in others the planning is done for failure.

ii) Mission Impossible

Another cause of project failure is to visualize the impossible. The project consultants as hired by variousGovernment Departments generally promise the moon to the departments. They expect that whatever theysuggest will be implemented in Government without realizing the fact that the Government has its on limitations.At times there are procedural and departmental constraints, other times legal constraints and at times evenconstitutional constraints. Consultants without even realizing the ground reality propose solutions whichare redundant, non practical and non achievable. As a result their reports lie in the shelves of GovernmentOfficers catching dusts. There always exists a vision and reality gap between what is proposed and what canbe implemented. The initial over expectations created by consultants leads to difficulties in managing customerexpectations later. The reality and Vision gap is the second step towards e-governance failure

iii) Misunderstanding Governance

The consultants taken by the Government at time totally misunderstand the Governance process and theinstitution of Government. They do not realize that the Government will be governed by constitution and thelaws therein. A simple example from India is that the consultants most often suggest centralized e-governancesolutions without realizing that India is a federal state and there is clear distinction of subjects between stateand centre in the constitution. To implement a solution as suggested by them will require constitutionalamendments which are not easy to implement. Consultants feel that Government will change according to the

2 Presentation by Sh. Chandrababu Naidu, the then Chief Minister of State of Andhra Pradesh, India

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solution suggested by them. They have an impression that Government has to fit into their solution and notvice versa. In reality they have to actually ensure that their solutions fit into Government needs. Further theconsultants do not realize that Government is a complex structure which has existed over years and any bigchanges are very difficult to implement. There are other political, social, economic, security constraints forthe Government leading to certain changes totally unacceptable. Therefore whatever solutions are suggestedhave to be after proper understanding the Government and its complexities. Misunderstanding Governmentand Governance is third step leading to e-governance projects to fail.

iv) Bottleneck is at the top of Bottle, Always

It is often sited that the project has failed because the staff at the lower level is not ready to adapt to thecomputerized environment. However in Indian scenario the success of computerization in Indian Posts,Indian Railways and Public Sector Banks has proved otherwise. Therein the staff at the bottom is also usingcomputers and the changes are very fast. Then why the changes in various Government Departments are nottaking place. It is more because of the top leadership. The departments in Government of India are mostlyheaded by individuals who are near to their retirement. Majority of the Secretaries, as they are termed havejust few months in service and therefore they are not keen on any new initiative or a reform process. This hasbeen happening since many years. The top officials are lovers of status quo and develop resistance tochange. With no support from the top leadership the e-governance projects do not get encouragement andtherefore meet death. Further even if one secretary is reformist there will be new secretary to take his placewithin two months who will bring back the British legacy of working. Further at times there are individuals andvested interests who try to de-rail the projects. At time the leadership appointed for project coordination isinadequate and unskilled. The resistance created by top leadership is the fourth step towards e-governancefailure.

v) Vendor Driven E-governance

It was a shock to the whole nation when one of the leading names in consultancy published a report andstated that e-governance in India is Vendor Driven. It was then realized that in multiple e-governance projectsthe vendors for hardware, databases, operating systems, software applications etc were driving e-governance.The Government Officials in most cases were mislead to believe that the vendor’s solutions were the e-governance solutions. Not to say what made Government Officials to believe those vendors. Vendors in aquest to sell their solutions, sold anything and every thing to the Government. The author recalls that in aninstance multiple copies of Voice to Text software were bought by a Department as e-governance application.Needless to say, they were never used and Personal Secretaries continued to take dictations. Vendor drivenE-governance therefore is the fifth cause that leads to failure in e-governance projects.

vi) Focus on ‘e’ than Governance

Every seminar, every author, every Government Officer stresses that e-governance is more aboutGovernance than ‘e’. However the implementers in Government have not realized the importance of same.Majority of the nations across the world have their e-governance initiatives spearhead from the Ministries ofInformation Technology, as if e-governance is about IT and not Governance. It is not realized that forsuccessful implementation of the e-governance program the program managing unit must be placed underthe Prime Minister or the President to lead to successful implementation. The team for this program managementunit must comprise of individuals with experience in diverse Government background. In many countries ithad been observed that the teams are drawn from electronics and IT background which may lead to skewedimplementation challenges. Further it must be realized that e-governance is beyond Internet Governance. Ina nation there are very few people who have access to internet and very few who are internet users amongstthem and further few who use internet for e-governance. Therefore e-governance solutions must be plannedwith multiple access facilities. Focus on IT and electronics is the sixth and most important causes of failure of

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e-governance.

vii) Employees as Stakeholder Universe

Majority of the projects take Government employees as the only stakeholders. The consultation processhappens with the Senior Government Employees and rest stakeholders are neglected. The GovernmentDepartments feel that they know all the requirements of the stakeholders and therefore it is useless spendingtime on such project. Despite the lectures on outside in approach, the projects are actually conceptualized oninside out approach only. It is only the Senior Employees who take the decision. Further at times the Departmentsare even scared that if they get into stakeholder consultations there will be lot of resistance from otherstakeholders and the project will end before it takes off. The Departments in this case do not realize that theywill face higher resistance from these stakeholders at the time of implementation and they will also not be ableto capture their needs properly. The Department/ Client remains satisfied with the consultant for it is givinganswers to all the problems of one stakeholder that is the project leader or in better case his Department,neglecting other stakeholders. The consultant is happy because it is saving its time and resources onstakeholder consultation. Therefore the stakeholder universe limited to employees is another cause of failure.

viii) Lets Build Rome in a Day

Most e-governance Projects are given unachievable timelines. Most of the time Ministers or leaders makeannouncements and the deadlines than the quality become key challenge in project implementation. For aproject to be successful and error free minimum time is required. Taj Mahal the Best Project in the world took17years and 20,000 workers to be completed. Even though we may not require 17 years now but two to threeyears is minimum time for an e-governance project to actually be ready to be launched from its planning. Itmay take another two to three years for training and adoption of the project by all stakeholders. A change isnot easy to implement and we must be patient in implementing change via e-governance. The time taken willfurther help to improve and rectify the project. Unachievable timelines and race to achieve them is further acause of e-governance failure.

ix) Individualized (not institutionalized) Projects

Most of the e-governance projects are individual driven. There are even statements and suggestions byvarious Government Departments that the tenure of e-governance project leaders should be fixed for thetimeframe of the project. But the approach of individualizing the projects is not appropriate and leads toproject failures. The project leaders who institutionalize projects are better project leaders than anyone else.The projects which are driven by individuals die after the individuals leave the organizations. But projectswhich have been institutionalized stay for ever. The National e-governance Plan in India has beeninstitutionalized by setting up of an e-governance Program Management Unit (EGMPU) which is one of theinitiative towards institutionalization of e-governance in India. However the states still follow the individualizede-governance which leads to failure after the e-champions leave.

x) Procedural Loops

The procedural loops are another hindrance in the e-governance project implementation. All projectsneed to go through a competitive bidding process which may take even more time than the implementation ofthe project. At times the project approval time is even more than the implementation time. There will be an EOIadvertised, there will be an expert committee to evaluate, RFPs will be released, Pre bid Conferences held,Project consultant is selected than financial approvals are taken and so on. There will be a steering committee,a standing committee, a working group and many others who will involved in just the approvals and proceduresof the projects. At times the project files keeping on moving between one department and another or one tableto other. Such procedural delays often lead to failure of projects. The Government procedures are highlightedin following statement:

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“The Government has this morning formed an anti-corruption squad to look into the conduct of theanti-corruption commission, which has been overseeing the anti-corruption task force, which was earlierset to investigate the affairs of a Government ad hoc committee appointed earlier this year to look into theissue of high-level corruption among corrupt Government officers.” 3

xi) Witch-hunting reformers

Witch hunting of the reformers is another constraint in e-governance implementation. The reformistsgenerally take decisions for quick implementation of the projects but later face various inquiries from variousagencies and seniors. But that does not mean that the individuals who commit frauds in name of reformsshould be let free. One criteria that can easily distinguish a true reformist from a fraud is the success/ failureof e-governance initiatives. Individuals who collide with private sector will not be able to give any result inthe projects. Author recalls from his personal experience that one of the Department finally closed many suchinitiatives by individual who was misleading nation in name of reforms and e-governance. However authoralso recalls certain vested interest launching a media campaign, e-mails against true champions of change.Should we decide the project success based on the feedback or satisfaction of two crore population onground or comments of two individual online is to be thought of. Such misleading stories about individualsactually lead to a hindrance in development of nation and dampen the spirit of change leaders. No, individualthereafter comes forward to support the change. These vested interest who loose with change actuallylaunch such campaign for their on personal gains and the vested / politicized media supports such individualswho sabotage the change process. Based on such reports the government agencies launch witch hunting thereformists and thereafter every new project leader is sacred to take projects. The e-governance actually fallsflat on such witch hunting.

“The reformer has enemies in all those who profit by the old order, and only lukewarm defenders in allthose who would profit by the new.” 4

xii) Front-office vs Back Office e-governance

Unless the back end integration of systems take place, the front end efforts may not lead to any success.The integration of various departments, supporting applications and databases is must for true front officeresults. However in most cases various kiosks are established as example of e-governance in states. Suchkiosks devoid of any backend integration just act as internet cafes or movies theatres. The true e-governanceapplication will be achieved only when the front office is integrated with the backend application. Creatingfront offices without any back office integration is another cause of e-governance failure.

xiii) Unsustainable Business Model

Any business model which is not self supporting is never everlasting. The same applies to e-governanceprojects as well. The Government Subsidized / funded projects may sail through for sometime but in long runmay not sustain themselves. The projects actually require a business case, wherein even the private partnerscan participate and take the responsibility of project success.

xiv) Media Hype and Media Bite

Many project leaders today are taking projects to create media hype. They announce various initiativesjust to remain in news. Projects are announced even before they are ready to be launch thereby creating lotof hype and over expectations amongst stakeholders. And as they say the bubble burst sooner or later, thetrue picture of projects is revealed with time. Not only the media hype is disadvantageous, so is the media

3 Presentation by Sh. Chandrababu Naidu, the then Chief Minister of State of Andhra Pradesh4 Presentation by Sh. Chandrababu Naidu, the then Chief Minister of State of Andhra Pradesh

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bite. Many projects face problems wherein media over blows small errors. We must realize that e-governanceis emerging area and it will be with these errors that the future systems will improve. However with falsereporting in various media the projects many time faces lot of problems leading the project leaders into lot ofproblems.

xv) E-governance – vernance = EGO5

If we remove “vernance” from e-governance only e-Go is left. And one of the important cause of failure ofe-governance is EGO. Herein ego is not only of the individuals but of Government Departments as well. Attimes the line departments do not cooperate with the IT Department and feel that it is interference in theirfunctioning. At times there is even conflict amongst various Departments for the subject allocation of e-governance. All this lead to lot of EGO clashes and at times failure of e-governance implementation. And incase a junior officer hurts the ego of a senior officer than he may be even thrown out leading to jeopardizede-governance.

xvi) Silos of Success

There are many e-governance projects which are successful as silos but when the integration with largeprojects is required these projects fail to deliver. Therefore the projects need to planned in such a way thattomorrow they may be integrated with other projects. It is easier to achieve a pilot say, on e-district but whenit comes to full scale roll out of the same it is difficult. Similarly hundreds of NGO’s have implemented manypilot projects based on kiosk model in India but have failed to roll out such projects. The projects succeed inthe controlled environment but fails beyond it. The failure is evident not only with exceeding boundaries butalso with time. One of the international award winning project of India died a natural death within few years.Therefore much e-governance failure may be attributed to silos of successes.

xvii) Politics of e-Governance

The vote bank politics and politics of governance is another cause of e-governance failure. One of theformer Chief Minister in one of the states of India, discarded computers as fad of riches. His voters whoconstituted mostly of illiterate population of the state would not have got any advantage of e-governanceand therefore he would not have got any votes out of IT. No doubt the state remained the last in the annuale-readiness assessment done by the Union’s Department of Information Technology. Many initiatives initiatedby one of the reformer and former Chief Minister in a southern state in India were rolled back or scaled downby new CM. In one of the projects in the Capital state of India the opposition took charges of corruption upto the legislative assembly. In another case a PIL has been filed by certain vested interests to derail aprestigious project of a southern state. At times there are politics amongst the officers as well wherein oneofficer tries to sabotage projects initiated by another. At times rumors of corruption are spread by variousvested interests. The politics of e-governance is a very important aspect and should not be neglected else itmay become a cause of e-governance failure.

xviii) Award driven projects

Certain e-governance projects are now started just for getting nominations in awards. They areconceptualized with a view that they fit into the category of awards of various international agencies andnational departments. More importance is given to writing project entries than the implementation of projects.The multiplicity of such awards have further added to above problem of award driven initiatives. In India thee-governance awards are instituted by many organizations – one of the GOI department, one national ITmagazine, one of the IT association, one of the consultancy organization and may be many more. Last year

5 Presentation by Sh. J. Satyanarayana, CEO, NISG, Capacity Building Program at ISB, Hyderabad ; 2004

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the Department award as many as twenty five awards. Further the awards are generally awarded by theproject entry as submitted and not by ground level investigation. This leads to e-governance leaders spendingmore time on making award entries than implementing projects. A project may be highlighted as an awardwinning project abroad but at ground level it may have failed to deliver any benefit to stakeholders. Furtherthe actual successful projects are not even awarded. The race for awards may at times become a stumblingblock in e-governance success.

xix) PPP Misinterpreted

The concept of PPP is often misinterpreted to mean Public Money for Private Partners. Infect the projectswhere the private partners are dependent on Government money are not true PPP projects. True PublicPrivate Partnership is an equal investment of private partners in Government projects. This partnership maybe in form of manpower, technology, resources etc. However various groups interpret that by involving theprivate partner the Government is draining public money to private partner. Therefore care must be taken onproper implementation of such partnerships. A failure in associating with a right partner may lead to projectfailure.

xx) Big Bang e-governance

One needs to learn to walk before one starts running. The radical changes in Government through e-governance may lead to lot of resistance to change and there Governments must opt for sequential change.Radical changes may fall as they are difficult to implement and may lead to lot of resistance. The bestapproach in e-governance implementation is to think big, start small and scale fast. The big bang approachmust be avoided as it may lead to failure.

xxi) Neglected Advocacy

Inadequate stakeholder communication and lack of advocacy is another step towards the failure of e-governance initiatives. The neglected advocacy may lead to gaps in perception in various stakeholders andtheir expectations. The advocacy efforts right from the beginning will help the project acceptability at a laterstage. Advocacy is necessary even for the internal employees of the organization. The champions of changemay lead an advocacy campaign for the e-governance project acceptability. Neglected Advocacy is a bigcause of e-governance failure.

xxii) Budget Utilization Syndrome

The annual budget allocation for any head in Indian Government lapses at the end of each financial year.Further if funds allocated in one year remain un-utilized it is very difficult to get funds under the same headin the next financial year. Majority of the Government Departments who have IT funds allocation thereforespend a lot of funds on purchasing of Hardware in month of March without realizing that the hardware aspurchased will be required for future or not. This race to spend funds without purpose defeats the purposeof many e-governance initiatives. The project runs into costs overshoots because of purchase of unnecessaryhardware. The hardware becomes technologically outdated by the time the application is developed. Thebudget utilization syndrome is therefore another cause of e-governance failure.

xxiii) Large, complex Centralized systems

Visualizing large complex centralized projects may also lead to project failure. Such projects not only takelong time to implement but because of their cross departmental linkages are difficult to implement. Projectswhich spread over various levels of Government are further complex and complicated. The integration ofFederal, State and Local Government is not only complex but difficult to implement. Therefore the feasibilityof such projects is the most important in the whole process. The projects have to be implemented with properplanning otherwise these large, complex and centralized systems may fail to deliver the local needs.

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xxiv) Reverse Re-engineering

Reverse Engineering is a concept wherein a solution is already suggested and then the need for thatsolution is analyzed. In one of the project a department suggested they have decided to give smart cards toits stakeholders and wanted an organization to suggests which cards may be given and what application maybe incorporated. The department failed to understand that the smart cards may not actually be the rightsolution for the needs of their stakeholders. Such reverse re-engineering is not only fatal but leads to projectfailure.

xxv) Blame game e-Governance

Everyone takes credit for success and no one takes responsibility for failure. There are e-governanceprojects which may end up in some bottlenecks and at time are handed to new teams. New teams instead ofbuilding already fallen system generally start a blame game that the previous team this and that. The systemlacked such multiple applications, is having security loop holes etc. The first team blames the second andsecond the first. The blame games ends up in complete failure of the project.


Even though the papers highlights the various causes of failure but the effort will be incomplete withoutenlisting the possible solutions for the various causes of failure. Firstly the e-gov projects should be properlyconceptualized and planned. If required help of an external agency may be taken. While defining the scope ofthe project the situation on the ground may be considered and efforts must also be taken to ensure tounderstand the limitations in which the Government operates. The top leadership should be highly motivatedfor the project. The efforts should be to concentrate on Governance than on IT component. Vendor drivenprojects should not be considered at all. Further it is better to lapse the Department Budget than to purchaseunwanted stuff from the same. The consultation should be spread over all stakeholders and proper timelinesshould be kept. Efforts should be to institutionalized the projects than individualize it. The projects shouldautomatically continue even after the individuals leave. Government must respect innovation and protect thereformers. The politics of e-governance must be avoided and it should be ensured that there are no blamegames. Radical and big changes must be discouraged and sudden surprises must be left out of scope of e-governance. Efforts should be there to have right public private partners who may lead to e-governancesuccess. In short the twenty five pitfalls as mentioned above must be avoided to succeed in e-governanceimplementation.

About the Author

Sameer has a graduation in Electrical Engineering from CRSCE, Haryana and Post Graduation inManagement from IIT Roorkee. He has over four year of work experience which includes his associationwith Tata Consultancy Services, Department of Information Technology, GOI and Department ofAdministrative Reforms, GOI. He has also been awarded by National IT Council, Malaysia for hiscontribution in online discussions. Sameer has co-authored two books in e-governance – “e-governance inAsia” and “State, IT and Development”. He is currently point of contact for NISG in Delhi.

One-Stop Source of Government Services through the NationalPortal of India

Neeta Verma1*, Alka Mishra1 and Pechimuthu Thangamuthu1

ABSTRACT

An important dimension of good governance in any Country is provision of ‘Anytime-Anywhere-Access’ to government information and services through optimum utilization of ICT. These servicesare often provided through a number of different departments working in different sectors ofdevelopment. This implies that citizens have to visit a large number of websites for differentservices. Sometimes, one also has to visit multiple websites to avail a single service. Differentwebsites follow different Technology Standards, Design Lay-outs, Navigation Architecture etc. Thisresults in a lot of inconvenience at the citizens’ end and requires a lot of learning on their partto avail these services, thus defeating the very purpose of the various initiatives. Under theMission Mode project of the National e-governance Plan, National Portal was envisaged as anideal solution to address all the above issues. It acts as a comprehensive one-stop source ofgovernment information and Services. Government Services are an important component of thePortal. To facilitate convenient and efficient access to services by citizens and other stakeholders,services have been efficiently categorized & classified based on certain parameters & theirpresentation in multiple ways to suit the varying requirements of the users.

Keywords : National Portal, Citizen Services, Integration of Services

1. Introduction

An important dimension of good governance in any Country is provision of ‘Anytime-Anywhere-Access’ to government information and services through optimum utilization of ICT. These services are oftenprovided through a number of different departments working in different sectors of development. Thisimplies that citizens have to visit a large number of websites for different services. Sometimes, one also hasto visit multiple websites to avail a single service. Different websites follow different Technology Standards,Design Lay-outs, and Navigation Architecture etc. This results in a lot of inconvenience at the citizens’ endand requires a lot of learning on their part to avail these services, thus defeating the very purpose of thevarious initiatives. Under the Mission Mode project of the National e-governance Plan, National Portal wasenvisaged as an ideal solution to address all the above issues. It acts as a comprehensive one-stop source ofgovernment information and Government Service delivery.

Considered as the gateway to Government of India on the Web, National Portal of India was formallylaunched by the Union Minister for Communications and IT, Thiru Dayanidhi Maran at a public function on10th November 2005. Deputy Chairman Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia presided over the

1 National Informatics Centre, A Block, CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi, India*Corresponding Author:(Phone: +91-11-24363692,9811299934, Email. [email protected])

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function. It is one of the biggest portals in the world. 5000 websites of various Ministries of Union Government,State Governments, UTs, including Districts, Blocks, Panchayats and other Government Organizations &Institutions are linked through this portal. It is organized to caters information requirements of four majorstakeholders viz. Citizens, Business, Overseas and Government.

2. Objectives of the National Portal

• To establish a one point source for availability of services and information pertaining to any Governmentof India constituent, be it the Central Government Ministries, Departments, State/UT Governments,Districts, Panchayats or even organizations and affiliates, for the benefit of the Citizens, Businesses,Government, Overseas community and other stakeholders.

• To define standards for electronic delivery of government services, in-turn facilitating a unified interfaceand seamless access to a wide variety of services for citizens from all walks of life and from varieddemography.

• To provide a ready Infrastructure to launch the Government Services either through the Portal or usingthe state-of-the-art, 24*7 infrastructure set up for the National Portal.

• To provide a platform to the common citizens and other stakeholders for participation in the process ofGovernance by facilitating On-line consultation, Feedback/ Suggestions, discussion on policy documents,Budgets & issues of national concern, online submission of public grievances etc.

3. One-Stop Source of Citizen Services through the Portal

As mentioned in the previous section of the paper, it is the mandate of the National Portal to provide thecitizens access to all the Government services under a single umbrella. The architecture of the portal is CitizenCentric. Presently government Ministries/ Departments/ States/ UTs provides different services in differentways using different processes, platform, technologies, which makes the citizens visit a large number ofwebsites for different services. Sometimes, one also has to visit multiple websites to avail a single service.This results in a lot of inconvenience at the citizens’ end and requires a lot of learning on their part to availthese services, thus defeating the very purpose of the various initiatives. Hence there was a need to design,develop a unified interface to deliver these government services, besides adding more value, which has beenachieved through the National Portal.

Central repository of the services in the national portal itself has over 1000 services in its present form andthe count is continually growing. A series of discussions and deliberations were held to organize and presentthe content in the services section and thereafter the content has been classified, categorized and packagedin a form which is conveniently delivered to the citizens, overseas, business community and also Governmentusers through an easily accessible user interface through the Services (How do I?) module of the NationalPortal. The same is described in the subsequent sections of this paper.

Services delivered through the National Portal of India to the Citizens, Business, Overseas, Governmentand its Employees are categorized and classified on the following basis: -

• Nature of Services – Services are classified according to the nature of services, which are commonlyrequired by the Citizens are in the category like Obtain (Birth Certificate, Caste Certificate, DomicileCertificate, Driving Licence etc), Apply For (PAN Card, TAN Card, Ration card and many more), Register(Land/Property, Vehicle, Company, etc), Check/Track ( waiting list for government housing., speed post,parcels, seat availability in train/flight etc), Book/File/Lodge (Income Tax Return, Complaint and manymore), Contribute (towards PM Relief Fund etc).

• Location & Region – India being a large country with diversified culture, different languages and varied

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socio-economic parameters, it is not feasible to have generalized, common services model across thecountry. These services have to be customized incorporating the varying rules, regulations and policiesfor the particular state. National Portal classifies the services offered to its end users on the basis of theirchoice of location to be more valuable. Services have even been classified into different regions of thecountry. The portal is also delivering state specific services.

• Audience - Based on the target users like, Government, Business, Citizen or Employees, students etcservices are further classified into

• G2C – Classification of Government to Citizen Services have been incorporated. For example: serviceslike application of passport, registration of birth etc,

• G2E – All the employees working in the Government be it Central or State avail a number of serviceslike GPF Status, LTC Claims, etc,

• G2B – There are a number of services offered by the Government like Registration of companies,Obtaining Broadband Licenses, etc which cater to Business or dealer community. These serviceshave been classified into G2B.

• G2G - All Government to Government Services have been classified as G2G Services. For example:Status of different Schemes launched by the Government (Central, State or Shared),

• People and Profession– It has been felt that the interest of the viewers depend largely on the age groupthey belong to, their sex, profession and hobbies. Providing information and services catering to theinterest of the audience is one of the prime focuses of the portal. For Example, Students are provided withservices like online textbooks, school results, counseling and admissions to colleges, etc .

• Sector – There are a number of development Sectors like Agriculture, Health, Transport, education etccatering to different requirements of the Citizens. Sector-wise classification of services has also beenincorporated.

4. Information Architecture

The Services offered by the Central and State Government are contributed to the National Portal using asecure web-based Content Management Interface developed by NIC. Once a service is registered with thePortal, a unique number is generated which is subsequently used to pave the way for integration of servicesprovided by different departments. The Metadata is stored in a database preserving the ownership of theservice along with the validity period of the service contributed.

• Content Definition – As mentioned earlier, the Services belong to different Ministries/Department/Sectors/categories/classifications and it is mandatory to capture all the metadata to incorporate fasterretrieval of services under various options from the central services repository. The Information pertainingto the Concerned Ministry, its Department, Category (G2G, G2C, G2B, G2E), Title, language and descriptionof services, ownership etc are all stored in a database. The state-of-the-art infrastructure enables one tolaunch its services either through the portal or using the infrastructure directly. It is hence essential tocapture the availability of the service, be it link based (storing the Universal Resource Locator, URL) orText based (providing the location). The Validity of the services is very crucial information; hencemetadata of year-of-start and period of validity is also stored. Keywords play a very important role inbuilding up effective search results therefore, there is also a provision for capturing the multiple keywordsabout each service.

• Service Integration - Apart from delivering contents centric to citizen, National Portal of India (NPI) alsoacts as a service centric gateway to its contributors, websites and other portals. Though the services arealso available from various

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government departments (state/central) on website, other portals, and applications, and these are difficultto integrate due to various design development patterns. It facilitates registering any citizen centricservice on this portal and they can be further integrated with any other applications. All registeredservices are given a unique service identification number so that they can be securely consumed/integrated using their access credentials. For example, Government Tenders, Exam Results, Passport,Income tax, Land Records, and various schemes, forms and documents are registered as a service withNPI service gateway and subsequently they are integrated everywhere.

• Service Contribution, Moderation and Publishing - The Services which are contributed to the portal areinitially compiled at the Central Ministries/Departments or the States/UTs. These services are furtherverified by the concerned Nodal Officers and thereafter uploaded to the Portal through the commonContent Management Interface, which is then passed to second level of moderation before being finallypublished. The Content team of the National Portal in turn moderates the services to be subsequentlypublished for the users of the portal.

• Unique Service Registration Number – A well defined eight digit unique number is generated whichdenotes the type of service, category, whether Central or State service, the sector to which it belongsalong with a running number.

5. Presentation of Services

There are different types of services offered for different target groups dispersed across the country. TheNational Portal of India has a vast scope. Central repository of majority of the services itself has over 1000services and is continually growing. To present the right service to the right people at the right time is one ofthe fundamental objective of this initiative. Considering the diversity of profile of users in our country, it is

Fig. 1: Work Flow for Service Contribution, Moderation and Publishing

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Fig. 2: Participatory Approach & Feedback Analysis

Fig. 3: Registration of Services through the Portal Content Management System

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just not possible to devise one presentation scheme that suits all. Therefore it was felt that there is a need topresent the services in various ways to cater to the needs of variety of users. Some of the major presentationschemes are highlighted below:

• Broad Category– The basic services are categorized and presented under the broad categories likeObtain (Birth Certificate, Caste Certificate, Domicile Certificate, Driving License etc), Apply For (PANCard, TAN Card, Ration card and many more), Register (Land/Property, Vehicle, Company, etc), Check/Track ( waiting list for government housing., speed post, parcels, seat availability in train/flight etc),Book/File/Lodge (Income Tax Return, Complaint and many more), Contribute (towards PM Relief Fundetc).

• Life –Cycle Based - Presentation of the services depending upon the age group like children, students,youth and senior citizens are on the cards.

• Location Wise – Services pertaining to different locations, regions, states and sector are presented in adifferent view.

• Community - Presentation of services for communities like business, citizens, government and overseas.

• Alphabetical (A-Z) - Services are indexed so that they can also be presented alphabetically for faster andeasier retrieval of services.

• Context Specific - Services are also presented to the end-users pertaining to their areas of interest. Forexample, if a user is viewing the service being offered by the Finance Ministry, then he is also given theoption of being taken to other related services like Income Tax, PAN etc.

• Time Specific – At a specified time, there are a few services which are very critical like during May to JulyCitizens require services related to Taxes such as filing of returns, PAN cards etc. Results, admissionsand elections are another examples of time specific events and services related to them are made easilyaccessible to the citizens during those periods.

Fig. 4: Partial List of Services contributed by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology

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Fig. 5: Rating of Services

6. Rating of Services

Registered and non-registered users of the Portal are empowered with the facility to rate each serviceincluded in the central repository of the portal after they avail the service. Services can be rated on a scale of1 to 10. Provision has also been made for the users to submit their comments and also their view/ reason ofrating the service that way. The National Portal Team regularly analyzes the rating of the services andnecessary remedial/corrective action is taken to further strengthen the Service.

In addition to multiples presentation schemes, it also has ‘Advance search’ feature for services repository.This shall help in customized the access further as users can formulate their own search criteria to access theservice they are looking for. They can conduct search by making by combining various parameters such asCategory, Nature of Service , Department owning / delivering the service, location etc. It is further facilitatedas search results can be matched with all the words, with the exact phrase, with at least one of the words &without the words. Beside this, one can also search for a service registered with the Portal within a specifictime period.


Easy access to Government Services is a critical factor. National Portal has organized the services,categorized and presented them in a convenient and efficient manner for the end users. However, we understandthat it is a complex and challenging task and has to constantly evolve. We have established a number ofchannels to receive feedback and suggestions for further refinement. Provision for ‘Rating of services’ byend users enables us to comprehend the users’ views and thus add further value in providing the rightservice to right user at the right time.

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References

1. Kurniawan, Sri. Zaphiris, Panayiotis. Title of Book Advances in universal web design and evaluation :research, trends and opportunities

2. Publication Division, Ministry of IB, GOI Title of the Book India 2005

3. Publication Division, Ministry of IB, GOI Title of the Book India 2006

4. Louis Rosenfeld, Peter Morville Title of Book Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, SecondEdition Designing Large-Scale Web Sites

5. Jakob Nielsen Title of the Book Designing Web Usability: The Practice of Simplicity

6. Donald Avondolio, Joe Vitale, Kevin T. Smith, Peter Len, W. Clay Richardson Title of Book ProfessionalPortal Development with Open Source Tools: Java Portlet API, Lucene, James, Slide

7. Elleithy K., Iskander M., Karim M, Mahmood A, Sobh T. (2005). Title of the book Advances in Computer,Information, and Systems Sciences, and Engineering Proceedings of IETA.

8. Catherine O’Dowd , Gerry Mcgovern Rob Norton, Title of the book The Web Content Style Guide

About the Authors

Neeta Verma is presently working as Senior Technical Director at National Informatics Centre,Government of India. Her major areas of Responsibility include WWW Services at National Level,National Portal of India, Data Centres etc. She has over 20 years of experience in the field of InformationTechnology. She has worked on various assignments during her career right from Software Development,Software Engineering to Interface Design, Multimedia Technologies and Internet Technologies. Her currentresearch interests include Internet Technologies, Electronic Governance & delivery of citizen services.

Alka Mishra is presently working as Technical Director at National Informatics Centre, Governmentof India. Her major areas of Responsibility is the National Portal of India. She has over 18 years ofexperience in the field of Information Communication Technology and has vast experience inConceptualization, Design and implementation of ICT projects.

Pechimuthu Thangamuthu is presently working as Senior Systems Analyst at National InformaticsCentre, Government of India. His major areas of responsibility is Web Application Development, Security,Performance Auditing and Web Server Administration. He has over 10 years of experience and his areas ofinterest is Relational & Object Oriented Database Management System ,Semantic Web, SoftwareEngineering & Parallel computing.

Community Information Centres (CIC's) – e-governance forDevelopment

Nandita Chaudhri1* and Shefali S. Dash1

ABSTRACT

The eight North Eastern states of India have traditionally been less developed due to geographicremoteness and difficult hilly terrain. The Government of India in 2002 set up 487 CommunityInformation Centers (CICs) at the block level in the eight North Eastern states. They are equippedwith computer communication equipment and are Internet enabled. The CICs besides offeringbasic services like Internet browsing, E-mail and Training in computer fundamentals, also providecitizen centric or G2C services.

Keywords: E-governance, Development, Computer, Communication, Internet

1. Introduction

The Community Information Centres (CICs) in the eight North Eastern states of India were launchedand dedicated to the people of the North East on 17 August, 2002. These citizens were to never look backafter that landmark day. The North-East is attached to the Indian mainland by a slender strip of land. Thisremoteness and the mountainous topology of the region account for its comparatively poor developmentand lack of a strong communication infrastructure. Information Technology (IT) has been known toconsistently catalyze socio-economic development. It was envisaged by the government that establishingIT infrastructure would give a boost to the socio-economic development of the region.

Under the CIC project CICs have been set up in all the 487 blocks of the eight North-Eastern states viz.Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. 68 additionalCICs are in the process of being set up. The project goals are to set up ICT Infrastructure at the Block level,to provide Web Access and Internet Services such as E-mail, Market Access and E-commerce facility, Accessto Socio-Economic Databases. Other services aimed to be offered are E-learning (Computer Aided LearningProcesses) and E-education,

E-medicine, E- consulting, E-governance applications, Government to citizen (Citizen Centric) services,Weather Information. It was envisaged that the CICs would create. It awareness among local people, conductComputer Training Programmes and disseminate Tender Notification and E-employment Notification.

Each Centre is equipped with state of the art computer communications equipment: a Server and fiveClients connected to a VSAT on Local Area Network (LAN). A TV has also been provided for edutainmentpurposes. The CIC infrastructure is depicted pictorially below. Each CIC has two CIC Operators for managingit and providing services to the public.

1 National Informatics Centre A - Block CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi, India*Corresponding Author: (Phone: +91-11-24305757, 24305520, E-mail: [email protected])

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2. Project Implementation and Monitoring

The project is a joint effort by Department of Information Technology (DIT) under Ministry ofCommunications and Information Technology (MCIT), National Informatics Centre (NIC) and the StateGovernments of the North-Eastern states. As a result of a gigantic and unique team effort, agencies associatedwith the project have surmounted all hurdles to make the project a genuine success. Basic services providedby CICs include Internet Access and E-mail, Printing, Data entry, Word processing and Training for the localpopulace on fundamentals of computers. In addition, several citizen-centric or Government to Citizen (G2C)services are delivered from the CICs.

Services offered by CICs may be divided into five main categories viz.

• IT Education and Training• E-mail and Internet access• Information Dissemination• Citizen Centric applications• Entertainment and News

i) IT Education and Training

CIC Operators conduct training on computer basics for the benefit of the local community. They alsoconduct Awareness generation programs. Select CICs conduct the Course on computer Concepts (CCC) ofDOEACC and the Computer Literacy Program (CLP) of IGNOU. Online examinations are regularly conductedfor candidates appearing for CCC using NIC’s Computer Assisted Paperless Examination System (CAPES)technology.

ii) E-mail and Internet Access

In addition to regular visitors using the e-mail facility, the CICs are also being used to transfer vitalinformation to and from government offices. Web browsing enables access to the endless rich repository ofInternet resources

iii) Information Dissemination

CICs provide access to government websites with rich content on government services and activity;government forms, rules, procedures and notification; government tenders for employment opportunities;schemes for citizens in social sectors; job portals and education portals. NIC has developed a Block

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Community Portal (BCP) or individual website for each of the 487 CICs. The BCP acts as a gateway forinteractive collaboration within and outside the community and enables the user to connect to knowledgesources and services tailored towards local needs. The BCP of a CIC contains information of relevance onlocal resources like schools and colleges, activity, infrastructure etc. Users can barter products, debate onkey issues and view information on the district and state. Results for an exhaustive group of school boards,college and entrance examinations for educational institutions are available for immediate access at the CICspromptly as they are declared. Market information especially in the area of agriculture is available. CICsprovide massive support for local and Lok Sabha elections allowing the free flow of information from blocksto district, state and central levels. Data entry for BPL schemes is done at CICs, sometimes by CIC operators.Status of court cases, general information on municipal councils and awards, scholarships are also available.Information on the Internet is disseminated to NGOs, SHGs and farmers. Census information, electoral rollsadministrative and syllabus related information on educational institutions and instant weather forecastingfor farmers are examples of some of the information available at the CICs.

iv) Citizen Centric services

E-Suvidha: E-Suvidha is a one stop service facilitation window application which has been developed byNIC and implemented in the CICs in the North East with a view to achieving the objective of taking governanceto the citizen’s doorstep. This Web-based application enables citizens to submit requests for governmentservices and to monitor the status of their applications. E-Suvidha attempts to automate some of the processesand provide a mechanism to the applicant to monitor the status of the application after submission. E-Suvidha also provides the government officials with a tool to monitor the status of applications.E-Suvidhahas been implemented in about 50 CICs. It has obviated a great deal of travel, effort and inconvenience of thecitizen and brought the citizen closer to the government thus rendering governance more efficient, effectiveand transparent. A nominal amount is charged per applicant at for the service, which serves as a source ofrevenue for paper used for printing in this process. Online submission of forms and public grievances,delivery of Land Records, Printing and distribution of e-mails to the local population, Health Tele-consultation,Data Update of Treasury data are some of the other citizen services provided. In Tripura, under the service forHospital Appointment Booking, patients can book appointments for specialist consultancy or medical testsat the Government hospital in Agartala, from the CICs. This accounts for a big saving in expense and effort onthe part of the patient as he/she does not have travel repeatedly to the hospital for information on availabilityof appointments or cost of services. Rural Bazaar has been implemented in Meghalaya, which is an E-commerce solution to address the marketing need of rural producers of handicraft and other products.Showcasing or full E-commerce may be used.

ASHA: NIC Assam in partnership with Assam Agribusiness consortium has developed a model “ASHA-Making Farmers Prosperous through CIC using ICT” for facilitating agribusiness in the state of Assam. Theportal used for this is http://www.assamagribusiness.nic.in CIC operators update the website regularly andare helping promote it. A Registration Process for Farmers and unemployed youth has been initiated whichhas been very successful. ASHA has received appreciation from NRIs in addition to local citizens.

v). Entertainment and News

TV sets are used for entertainment as DD-I and DD News are broadcast from NIC Hqrs. Special events areoften video broadcast over the CIC network to all CICs. Electronic delivery of Newspapers in areas where thenormal delay in receipt of the printed versions is considerable, has a huge impact for the local populationwhich desires currency of news.

3. Best Practices

The CICs provide some very novel and innovative services for the benefit of the local populace which area result of the dedication of the CIC operators, Local NIC officials and local government. These Best Practices

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may be categorized as follows:

• Electoral Activity• E-Governance Services• Examination Results• Other Multifarious Activities

3.1. Electoral Activity

The Electoral process in India - the world’s largest democracy - requires an efficient communicationsinfrastructure. Thus, in a region where the traditional communication modes are not effective, the satellite-based connectivity provided by the Community Information Centres plays a crucial role. This wascomprehensively demonstrated by CICs all over the North Eastern states during the recent Lok SabhaElections.

With the online declaration of the polling results, citizens congregated at the CIC Centres to get all theinformation from the voter list to the final results. The CICs also provided information details to the ReturningOfficers and Polling Officers on other pertinent election issues.

Despite heavy landslides and lack of an efficient communication system, election related informationwas easily sent and received via the CICs e.g. CIC, Nungba, District Tamenglong in Manipur. During elections,the local public visited the CICs to access election results on the Web and to watch the live telecast of theresults on TV. The results of the State Assembly, District Council and Parliamentary Elections weredisseminated over the Internet. In Meghalya, this attracted the communities of the West Khasi Hills andGaro Hills.

The CICs were used as Control Rooms during the counting of votes. Operators received poll results ofdifferent districts and constituencies and passed these to the Election Commission e.g. at Kolasib CIC. TheCICs have proven beneficial for the local populace. All information regarding the voters list and specificdetails to the Returning Officers and Polling Officers on Election matters were provided by the CICs. Even thefinal results of the Lok Sabha elections 2004 were declared online. A special mention must be made here of theCICs in Nagaland.

The CICs were also pressed into action for citizen awareness services. For example, many CICs, includingCIC Kabi in North District of Sikkim, demonstrated the use of the electronic voting machines to the localpeople using a NIC developed CD based tutorial. The CICs also helped individuals to check the voter list onthe Internet. The CIC Operators at Lachen and Lachung District of Sikkim authorized the local public toverify the presence of their names on the voters list. A remarkable turnout of approximately 70% to 80% ofthe eligible voters undertook the verification.

3.2. E-governance Services

The Indian government is using IT to facilitate e-governance. The effective use of IT services in Governmentadministration can greatly enhance existing efficiencies. It can help drive down communication costs andincrease transparency in the functioning of government departments. It also provides citizens with easyaccess. The convenience of downloading application forms, submitting online forms, online bills and paymentsare just some of the services that can touch citizen lives. Then, the government proposes more complex formsof e-governance such as distance education and telemedicine.

E-Suvidha is a one-stop service facilitation window for e-governance services developed by the CICDivision, NIC head quarters. E-Suvidha in the Northeast has received international accolades. It has beenawarded the e-ASIA Award 2004 in Taipei, Taiwan by Asia Pacific Council for Trade Facilitation andElectronic Business (AFACT).

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Many CICs have implemented a number of citizen centric services under E-Suvidha. E.g. in ArunachalPradesh, the BPL (Below Poverty Line) Income Certificate application has been implemented at allCommunity Information Centres (CICs) of Tawang district viz. Tawang, Lumla and Thingbu-Mukto underE-Suvidha. Many CICs have taken up block level computerization by creating BPL databases. TheCommunity Information Centre at Kakching in Manipur issues various certificates (SC/ST Certificate, IncomeCertificate, Land Ownership Certificate, Land Valuation Certificate, Natural Calamity Certificate, NonEncumbrance Certificate, Residential Certificate and Family Member Certificate) and collect Rs 10/- percertificate as printing charges. At the Community Information Centre at Samdong in Sikkim, the CIC isdistributing various forms for social welfare schemes to the local people under E-Suvidha. These includeold age pension, physical disability, opportunities for handicapped and widow pension. In addition, a 10-day free training is being provided to Panchayat members and handicapped persons.

3.3. Examination Results

The North East states have a large student population. The CICs have been beneficial in providingimmediate access to examination results. Students in these states have instant access to Central BoardExamination results, All India Entrance Examination results for various Engineering and Medical Colleges,State Bank Recruitment results, etc. The provision of printed CBSE results is another source of income forthe Community Information Centres. The students can get a hard copy of the mark sheet for as little as Rs 5.Droves of students throng the CICs to know their results. E.g. at Tikrikilla, District West Garo Hills, Meghalayathe SSLC results were accessed by nearly 1200 students.

Students enrolled at IGNOU, undergoing various courses such as B. Ed, Master in Tourism Management(MTM), Bachelor in Tourism Studies (BTS), etc, are regular visitors of the CICs like the one at Tezu wherethey can access information on the availability of study material, data sheets and examination results. In allthe states especially Nagaland, Tripura and Sikkim, all the results of National Competitive Exams at theschool, college and university level are disseminated from several CICs.

3.4. Other Multifarious Activities

The CICs have been equipped with TV sets for entertainment and edutainment purposes. This attractsmany visitors and generates awareness about CIC services. DoorDarshan Sports Channel was video broadcastover the CIC network and visitors were able to watch the Olympic Games, 2004 live at the CICs.

Market prices are being disseminated by many CICs. In Meghalaya, there is an agri-marketing portal inthat ensures that rural farmers are aware of the current prices of agricultural commodities thus, preventingthem from being exploited by unscrupulous middlemen. The portal is updated daily at the CICs and capturesthe current prices of various agricultural commodities from markets across the state.

The conduct of awareness programs for the potential benefits from the introduction of IT in general andservices offered by CICs in particular, is a major activity. At CIC Khawzawl, District Aizawl, Mizoram, anawareness campaign is organized once every week for Model High School and Higher Secondary (Pvt.)School. Besides printing documents for the public, the examination question paper for the Governmentprimary school, Government high school and private schools was compiled and printed at Mizoram CICs.The operators of CIC Kobulong, Nagaland take prints of local, national and international news from thewebsites (4 – 5 pages on regular basis) and paste them on the Youth Bulletin Board for the general publicevery week. CIC Khagam, District Changlang, Arunachal Pradesh, the Department of Power is using CICs tosend FBMS meter reading of weekly power consumption to their concerned offices.

The prospectus, forms, syllabi of different universities and colleges, driving license, treasury vouchers,NPSC and IGNOU forms, SC/ST certificates etc. are downloaded at the CICs in Nagaland. The CICs provideutility forms and certificates of the state government to the government employees and general public.

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Many Government officials visit the CICs to learn the basics of computers and to type official documentsand reports. Many also use computers for chatting and net browsing. Interestingly, at the Yuksam CIC, inSikkim, the youngest visitor, aged 10 draws pictures and the oldest visitor is aged 78 and uses the facility toread newspapers.

The CIC operators in Tripura are actively involved in extending services like Health Booking InformationSystem and Data Update for Gramodoy (Gram Panchayat level Planning Database), BPL Survey Database,Sampoorna Gramin Rozgar Yojana (SGRY) and allied Rural Development solution implemented by NICTripura. The CICs regularly contribute towards the total sanitation campaign. Workshops on Social issueslike Total Literacy, Total Sanitation and Citizens participation in preparation of Block level yearly MasterPlan for Development are also organized. Since the flood-affected areas at Dhakuakhana produce superiorquality of rice, the CIC at Dhakuakhana, Lakhimpur District, Assam, has taken up an ambitious project tomarket organic rice in the region. The Dhakuakhana CIC has involved students in this project. The students,with the help of an NGO, have set up a portal and a Community Development Forum to make this venturea success. The project is expected to benefit the rural economy in the region where agriculture is the onlymeans of livelihood.

The members of the Community Development Forum propose to visit the local farmers to establish astreamlined marketing process. The members also plan to put the entire rice production process on theportal. As soon as the portal is functioning, the orders will be acknowledged through e-mail and the communityvolunteers will carry out the packaging and payment procedures. The members plan to convert the portalinto a secure online financial transaction system in the next two –three years.

4. Some Similar Initiatives

It is worthwhile to examine more closely the business models used for rural kiosks by some privateentrepreneurs. Some of the IT initiatives that have been undertaken by private entrepreneurs are describedbelow. The purpose of carrying out such an analysis is to compare and contrast these initiatives with theCICs and in the process draw valuable lessons.

One is Drishtee which is a franchise based telecentre initiative for delivering information and services to therural and semi urban populations of India. Its objective is to develop and manage a series of partnerships thatwill: Work together to deliver both governmental and private services to the rural citizens in an efficientmanner and generate revenues to maintain the economic viability of the operation by charging fees for theseservices. The project was initially implemented in Sirsa district (Haryana). Drishtee has successfullydemonstrated its concept in 309 kiosks across six Indian states. Drishtee functions as a three-tier structurethat comprises the management (Drishtee staff), district operators (hub owners) and the village operators(kiosk owners, called Soochak). The project is claimed to have low cost operation self sustainability and localentrepreneurial ownership.

The other project work sufering is n-Logue set up by the Telecommunications and Computer NetworkingGroup (TeNeT) at the Indian Institute of Technology (Madras). It was set up with an aim to provide andoperate telecom and Internet services in the small towns and rural areas of India, as the existing telecomoperators have their business model tuned to the urban areas of the country and are not exploiting the ruralmarket. The project has been implemented in 11 cities of the country with 3 live projects in Tamil Nadu andMaharashtra each, and one each in AP, Karnataka, Gujarat, Rajasthan and MP. The business model is basedon the belief that delivery and management of Internet services should devolve to the level of the supplychain that comes closest to the user of the service. In this decentralised model of operation, n-Logue identifiesand partners with a local entrepreneur (also called a Local Service Provider or LSP) in every area it wishes tooperate. These LSPs find subscribers, provide services and collect payments. n-Logue provides equipment,training and support to the LSP, and also takes care of regulatory and connectivity issues.

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E- Choupal is another initiative started by one of India’s leading private companies – ITC. ITC’s AgriBusiness segment markets India’s agricultural produce internationally and also sources agricultural rawmaterial for its domestic FMCG business (e.g. branded wheat flour, rice etc). A large portion of India’s 150million hectares of agricultural land is distributed in small holdings of only one or two hectares each.Procurement from such a fragmented farmer base compounds the problem of control over quality that isnatural in agricultural produce. Infrastructure bottlenecks and a large dependence on middlemen add avoidablecosts to the products. Aiming to integrate more closely with its rural suppliers, while also developing newmarkets for its own and third-party goods, ITC began deploying its e-Choupal network in early 2000 throughits International Business Division. Starting with six e-choupals, by the end of 2002, it had succeeded inlinking 6,000 villages with over 1,200 choupals.With Internet access in rural farming villages; the e-Choupalsserve as both a social gathering place for exchange of information (Choupal means gathering place in Hindi)and an e-commerce hub. What began as an effort to re-engineer the procurement process for soya, tobacco,wheat, shrimp, and other cropping systems in rural India has also created a highly profitable distribution andproduct design channel for the company.

M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF)

The other agencies worth sufering here is a non-profit Trust engaged to impart a pro-nature, pro-poor andpro-women orientation to a job-led economic growth strategy in rural areas through harnessing science andtechnology for environmentally sustainable and socially equitable development. MSSRF has operated sinceits inception on the principle of partnership with rural and tribal women and men. Consciously; the Foundationchose not to have its own experimental farm, but to work with farming families in their fields in a participatoryresearch mode. It has considered the tribal and rural families working with its young staff members as partnersand innovators, and not as “beneficiaries”. The aim is to encourage young researchers to respect all knowledge,whether emanating from an illiterate or semi-literate rural woman or man, or from a Ph.D-holding scientist.

Another Project is Akshaya initiated in Kerela State, to facilitate the access to technology to all sectionsand regions of the state, to facilitate the development of competence and skill-sets to enable use of IT by allsections of society, and to facilitate the development of content in regional languages on topics of localrelevance. The centres are created and run by entrepreneurs and manned by trained personnel. They havesupport facilities like web-cams, scanners, printers, fax machines etc. In addition to opening up a wealth ofdata, Akshaya also offers specific information tailor-made to the requirements of the Keralite. A wide range ofsubjects including education, career development, agriculture, health, Information Technology, law andjustice etc. have been targeted. Self-development modules covering spoken English, vocational training,personality development, career planning, accounting etc. are available. The content is available in locallanguage.

CICs may draw on lessons learnt in private initiatives as those detailed above. Private participation maybe invited. Entrepreneurs may be offered a stake. Job work e.g. data entry for BPL which is currently beingdone free of cost could be taken up more aggressively and charged. The CICs could host web pages anddistribute content owned by private vendors to augment their income. As development of Internet applicationsand content is invited from the private sector, the collaboration could work on the basis of increasing Internetusage.

5. Social Cost Benefit Analysis

The National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER) was assigned a study of Social CostBenefit Analysis for the CIC project. The study reveals the following experience in the four years since thelaunch of the CIC project in the North Eastern states and suggests some solutions for viability:

Social benefits considered here are training etc, which in the case of the counterfactual scenario wouldnot be realized, and this confirms that social profit does emanate out of such activities. It may not be possible

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to quantify this as people may not be able to recollect actual gains but they are certain that some benefitshave resulted.

Most CICs charge nominally for services rendered to the local community and the revenue thus generatedhas so far been judiciously used towards expenditure for day-to-day running such as electricity bill,consumables etc. As revenue generated by CICs is a critical factor for sustainability, the study has someinputs/suggestions in this context. It was found that, 80% of BDOs used the CICs but only 50% paid for theservices, hence revenue was not optimum. Therefore, it is necessary to emphasize the need for payment ofservices rendered by the CICs, by all users.

The significance of sustainability has warranted analysis of the viability gap. CICs fill in the viability gapfunding requirement of the government by operating in areas where private vendors do not operate due tolow financial viability. Also, CICs can be categorized so that some can be funded for 7 years and some for 14years under viability gap funding. It may be noted that, in other countries, such kiosks are functioningthrough total government funding or viability gap funding. These are called Community Learning Centres

It has been observed from the individual user survey that around 20 per cent of the individual feel thattheir average monthly income/savings have increased as much as 10 per cent in the last one year. Around 9per cent report a 10 to 20 per cent increase and 4 per cent say that their monthly income or savings haveincreased by more than 20 per cent. This reveals that benefits do occur to the segment using these CICs overa period of time. Thus, in addition to financial viability, there is another extremely important factor to beconsidered. It is the social benefit to the region. In very remote areas, where communication facilities arepoor, not many people can access the CICs. In such cases, it is a challenge for the CICs to meet theirobligation. In such remote areas, where other private players are not available, the CICs serve an immensesocial purpose.

An attempt was made in the report to provide some suggestions for a viable model for CICs after theimminent handing over to state governments. A Lite PPP model may be considered, where government setsthe agenda and priorities, but the CICs are run by private franchisees. Alternatively, a more Formal PPP modelcould also be adopted. Social benefit may decrease as making money will be the main objective of thefranchisees, in this case.

A CIC has recently been launched in Sherathang, Nathu La Pass at the Indo-China border. It is 13,600 ftabove sea level and is the highest cyber café/Internet kiosk in the world. It is strategically located to facilitateIndo-China trade as the route has recently been opened after a long passage of time.

The CICs have helped to accelerate IT usage in the rural areas of the North Eastern states of India.Internet is now emerging as the principal medium of communication for every state. The CICs have providedinnumerable benefits to the citizens of the North East. Some of the more popular usages have been careerguidance and distant learning opportunities, online admissions at various educational institutes, results ofvarious examinations, online railway reservation booking and status, email and chat, TV viewing forentertainment and information, access to exam results, citizen centric services and access to governmentdepartments.

The CIC operators teach the villagers how the Internet can help them to obtain necessary informationregarding farming, agriculture, health, education etc. Most of the CICs have been organizing occasional freeInternet camps, training camps and computer awareness camps to familiarize the local people especially thestudent population with usage and benefits of IT. The establishment of CICs has helped bridge the digitaldivide between the North East and the rest of the country. Their services entail an IT-enabled interface forpublic dealings of the government. Some examples are Comprehensive Household Survey, MPLAD Schemes,Schemes for the underprivileged, Local Market information and so on.

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Evaluation studies and social cost benefit analyses conducted for the CIC project indicate tangibledevelopmental benefits accruing to the local community. Income levels have been seen to increase andstudents who have received training at CICs have found gainful employment. G2C services offered by CICshave brought the government to the citizen’s doorstep. Communication enabled by CICs has opened up theNorth East to the rest of the nation and indeed the whole world. Services offered by CICs have favorablyimpacted the lives of the local denizens in a myriad different ways. CICs have demonstrated how e-governancecan be a cutting edge tool for development.

References

1 ‘Enriching local content of North-Eastern states through the CIC Network’ By Mala Mittal, SurinderKumar, Shefali S Dash Proceedings of Conflux (2005). The e-government Conference, 17-19 October2005, New Delhi.

2 ‘Critical Evaluation of the Community Information Centres in the North-East: Achievements and Prospects’By Samantak Das, Dripto Mukopadhyay.

3 Social Cost Benefit Analysis of the CICs in the North-East, A Report of National Council of AppliedEconomic Research. Sept 2006.

About the Authors

Nandita Chowdhury is Senior Technical Director, at National Informatics Centre, New Delhi. Shehas experience of design, development and implementation of computer systems at both private andgovernment sector. Currently she is working as project leader for the Community Information Centres(CICs) project. She is life member of the Computer Society of India.

Shefali S. Dash is currently working as Deputy Director General at National Informatics Centre,New Delhi. She has about twenty years experience in Managing, Implementing and Developing large scalee-governance applications at national and international levels. Some of the projects implemented by herare- Implementation of ICT aided postal services across India, Informatics Development Services for Rural Areas, Land Records Computerisation Project upto Tehsil Level, Computerisation of Rajiv GandhiNational Drinking Water Mission upto division level, Setting up of Community Information Centres at allblocks of North Eastern States and Jammu and Kashmir, GRAMSAT project in all the blocks of Orissaand preparation of eGovernance Action plans for the Government of Lao PDR and many state governmentsof India.

Akshaya – A Grass Root Level IT Project in Kerala - An UniqueExperiment with Broadband

Ch. Radhakumari1

ABSTRACT

Recognizing the potential of broadband services in enhancing the quality of life of citizens, thegovernment of Kerala has taken a big leap by leveraging Broadband application for taking ITto the grass roots. An integrated project “Akshaya” has been conceived by the State for ‘bridgingthe digital divide’. The study is undertaken to analyse the impact of broadband deployment intwo districts, based on the information gathered from the heads of the districts and the traineesof the project, through questionnaires. The Study identifies the initiatives made by the districts,defines the associated features and improvements that occurred both internally and externally.The study also brings to focus the critical success factors which created the necessary environmentfor successful implementation of the project.

Keywords: Digital divide, Broadband deployment, Leverage, Akshaya Project, Critical success factors

1. Introduction

The demand for technological progress is constantly growing. Localities are planning to upgrade theircurrent telecommunications infrastructure and are preparing to install new infrastructure for considering thefuture needs of their citizens when examining the most appropriate systems to install. Current generationtechnologies do not meet the high bandwidth requirements for emerging applications that combine voice,video and data transmission. The advent of broadband technologies has enabled new forms of communicationto become a reality throughout the world and made the world realize that Broadband is an accelerator ofeconomic development. The emerging broadband applications led by businesses, and government users, arethe real drivers of economic, technological and the overall societal growth. Since physical infrastructure andgeography are vastly different from locality to locality, technology that works well in one geographic areamay not work as well in another. Therefore, it is up to each locality to determine the technologies like digitalsubscriber line (DSL), fiber, satellite, and fixed and mobile wireless and so on, that best meet its needs,keeping in mind the most important factor that cuts across every region that broadband technologies enablemany applications that provide enormous benefits to citizens.

Broadband connectivity implies more than just high speed email, web surfing, music downloads andgames. While these applications are popular with many consumers, generally speaking, they do not requirea broadband connection. Nor are these applications the likely drivers of the kind of demand necessary tospearhead significant growth in broadband networks and advanced services. They represent only a verysmall amount of what can be achieved with true, interactive, high-speed voice, video and data communication

1 Sri Sathy Sai Institute of Higher Learning Anantapur Campus, Anantapur-515001, Andhra Pradesh, India(Phone: +91- 9440045717, E-mail: [email protected])

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capabilities. Beyond simply being a high-speed Internet connection, broadband connectivity enables a widearray of applications that support dramatic advances in tele-working, distance learning, education, e-government, agriculture, public safety, national security and so on. They require two-way high-speed voice,video and data transmission capability, which only the broadband can deliver.

Keeping in view the present status, broadband connectivity is defined as, “An always-on data connectionthat is able to support interactive services including access, and has the capability of the minimum downloadspeed of 256 kilo bits per second (kbps) to an individual subscriber from the Point of Presence (POP) of theservice provider intending to provide broadband service, where multiple such individual broadbandconnections are aggregated and the subscriber is able to access these interactive services including theinternet through this POP. The interactive services will exclude any services for which a separate license isspecifically required, for example, real time voice transmission, except to the extent that it is presentlypermitted under ISP license with Internet Telephony.” (BB policy-2004)

Recognizing the potential of broadband services in the growth of GDP, and enhancement in the quality oflife through societal applications, governments all over are framing policy initiatives to accelerate the growthof Broadband services. The Government of Kerala too is moving towards a revolution in InformationTechnology (IT) to bring a massive change in all spheres of life of the citizens. Envisaging betteradministration, speedier and more transparent through e-governance which in turn would augment the qualityof life of citizens in Kerala, the government has taken a big leap by leveraging Broadband application.

In this backdrop, an integrated project called the “Akshaya” has been conceived by the Kerala State ITMission, which is the nodal agency for the development of Information Technology,(IT) in the State ofKerala, for ‘bridging the digital divide’.

Several studies published over the last two years have detailed the economic benefits of broadbanddeployment. In August 2002, a study by Dataquest Inc., a unit of Gartner Inc., estimated that theimplementation of “true” broadband infrastructure could result in an incremental increase in the U.S. grossdomestic product of as much as $500 billion annually for each of the next 10 years1. A July 2001 studyconducted in the United States estimated the benefit of broadband to the United States to be upwards of$500 billion per year within the next 15 to 20 years if broadband were to become nationally available2.Much of this growth could be driven by new investment in network infrastructure, routers and switches,web-based applications, end-user devices and the related applications that would be able to take advantageof the new capabilities afforded by broadband. Another study by the Yankee Group predicted $223 billion incost savings with universally available broadband in the United States3.

A fourth study has indicated that improved efficiencies in business and government operating expensesin the United States have saved nearly $155 billion already and have the potential to produce $500 billion insavings by 20104. Additionally, a 2002 new Millennium Council study quantifies the benefits of nationwidebroadband deployment for employment, projecting that the expansion of broadband has the potential topromote an increase of 1.2 million U.S. jobs5.

According to Gartner Dataquest, the deployment of “true” broadband also has the ability to accelerategrowth in the goods and services sectors relating to the broadband industry. The technology consultancyconjunctures that ubiquitous broadband deployment could result in sales of as much as $500 billion worthof products and services in the next 10 years6. The Corporation for Education Network Initiatives in California(CENIC), projects the benefits of broadband for the State to be quite substantial. California’s “One Gigabitor Bust” broadband initiative promises to add 2 million jobs and an estimated $376 billion growth in grossstate product (GSP) by 2010. This would mean a 17 percent increase in GSP per capita, as opposed to a mere3 percent increase without expanded broadband deployment7. Potential fiscal incentives for broadbandbuild-out such as tax credits, grants, subsidized to low-interest loans, support for research and developmenton broadband technologies—particularly for rural and underserved areas—can make broadband network

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Ch. Radhakumari / Akshaya – A Grass Root Level IT Project in Kerala - An Unique ....

deployment a reality8.

The present study aims to highlight as to how deployment of broadband technology can facilitate bridgingthe digital divide, besides conferring various socio-economic benefits, and thus contribute to improvementin the quality of life of citizens, with the help of a case study pertaining to implementation of broadband ina developing district, of a developing State of a developing country.

2. Need and Significance

With the emergence of decentralization policy in the country and new generation of technologies, thelocal governments i.e., grama pachayats and the district panchayats now have the freedom to use newtechnology methods and resources to interact with their citizens, constituents and other jurisdictions, andthus help improving the quality of their life.

In this back drop, the local and district administrators of Malappuram, one of the developing districts ofKerala, took the initiative and proposed for the deployment of Broadband technology to make the district acent percent e-literate district, by taking IT to the grass roots, to begin with. Accordingly, proposals weresubmitted to the state administrators who accepted the same, and with the help of Kerala IT mission, thenodal agency for development of Information Technology (IT) in the State of Kerala, introduced a uniqueproject in the district ‘Malappuram’, under the name ‘Akshaya’- ‘Bridging the Digital Divide’ Project. Theproject is in its second phase of implementation in the district which is rolled out to six more districts whichin turn will be taken to the remaining districts of the State, during the third phase of its implementation.

The study of the implementation of Akshaya Project and how it is contributing to bridging the digitaldivide, and conferring various socio-economic benefits, has its relevance now, particularly when the policymakers world over, are considering broadband as the instrument for accelerating the economic development.The study is also significant as it highlights the technological transformation the districts have undergone,besides examining various economic and social benefits the broadband deployment could confer on thecitizens.

More importantly, the State of Kerala is the first one in India that has attempted to deploy broadbandunder the name “Akshaya project”, taking IT to the grass roots through cent percent e-literacy programme,and thus is preparing the people of the entire state to be a part of the knowledge revolution, which is theresult of the IT revolution. Therefore, a research study, analyzing the impact of the project, from social andeconomic angles, is considered very essential, to scientifically quantify the benefits, in its entirety.

The present research study is divided into two parts. The first part deals with highlighting the functioningof the unique ‘Akshaya project’ of the state in its totality, and the second part deals with the scientificanalysis of the impact the project on the target audience i.e. the selected trainees.

3. Study Design

The ‘Akshaya’ project, as the second major e-government initiative of the State of Kerala is underimplementation since 28th November 2002 with the objective of bringing about total e-literacy in the entireState through broad band deployment. Under this background the present research work is undertaken withthe following objectives:

• To highlight the functioning mode of the unique Akshaya project in

its totality.

• To make a scientific analysis of the functioning of the project by measuring the impact the broadbanddeployment on the citizens in relation to certain selected variables such as basic awareness about the

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existence of computers, knowledge of use of computers, method of selection of trainees for the AkshayaTraining, source of knowledge about the project, experience in the first training class, perceptions aftercompletion of training, reasons for undergoing training, generation of income using the Akshaya trainingand so on, in comparison with three independent factors like sex, marital status and age.

• To bring to light the uniqueness of the Akshaya project and assess the general changes broadbanddeployment brought to the citizens of the districts.

The study is mainly based on primary data. The trainees, private entrepreneurs and the governmentofficials concerned with the implementation of the project mainly constitute the data source for primarydata. The Akshaya project’s policy proposal and the other documented information supplied by the ITmission of the Kerala State, becomes the secondary data source.

Two districts i.e., Malappuram and Calicut, where the project is under implementation, are taken foranalyzing the functioning of the project.

• To fulfill the first objective, a specially drafted questionnaire* was served to Sri M. Salim, the districtsecretary, Akshaya State Project Cell, Malappuram, who represents the Kerala Government, forimplementation of the Akshaya project.

• Towards achieving the second objective, information was collected from 100 citizens/trainees, whohave undergone training at the Akshaya centers of the selected districts at 50 trainees from each of thetwo districts. A questionnaire, developed for the purpose, was administered to the selected trainees andthe information thus gathered was used for statistical analysis (Annex I-questionnaire for trainees).

• Towards furtherance of the third objective, the information gathered from the tri-party, besides the ITmission, through direct oral interviews, is analyzed and used.

For testing the significant difference between the proportions of different variables among the two selecteddistricts, “Z” test is used. If Z calculated value is < table value, we accept the H

0, otherwise reject it. H

0 =>

P1= P

2; H

1 = P

1 ̀ ” P

2. Where P

1 represents the proportion of selected sample females and married in Malappuram

and Calicut on the other hand P2 represents the proportion of the sample males and unmarried in the same

areas.

4. Results

The results of the study are divided into two parts as under:

• Highlights of the functioning of the entire Akshaya project.

• Analysis of the experiences of the trainees/beneficiary citizens pertaining to pre and post Akshayaparticipation period.

4.1 Functioning of the Akshya Project

Initiation of the project: The ‘Akshaya’, meaning ‘perpetuating prosperity’ marks the beginning of adrive to “bridge the digital divide”, in the State of Kerala. The initiation for the project unlike any other ITprojects, has not come from the government as an imposition, but came as a result of the initiation taken bythe three-tier Panchayats i.e., the Local/block panchayat, Village/grama panchayat, and the district panchayat,making the project a unique one among the other IT projects in the Kerala State in particular and all the otherStates in general.

* Questionaire may be made available on request

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The Grama Panchayat of Malappuram proposed a plan for spreading the e-literacy to every family. Withthe support of block panchayat and the district panchayat, the Malappuram local panchayat approacheddifferent agencies to undertake this project by setting aside Rs. 60 lakhs during 2001-02 plan period. Whenthe State IT mission was finally approached, it took up this project proposal as a novel idea and extended fullcooperation and the needed support for the materialization of the plan. Thus, none other than the Presidentof India, Sri A.P.J Kalam, launched the Akshaya project in Malappuram district on 28th November 2002, on apilot basis. The project is being implemented by the local bodies, with support and monitoring from thedistrict and State administration.

Objectives of the Akshaya project: Akshya’s main aim is to transform the lives of 6.4 million families inKerala, cutting across the social, cultural and linguistic barriers, and to bring home the benefits of InformationTechnology to the common man by familiarizing at least one person from each family in Kerala with computersand empower him or her to access relevant e-content in the regional language.

Achievement of the objective: Envisaging a 15 hours training for 10 days at one and a half hour durationper day to train the citizens, the Government of Kerala sought to create 6,000 modern community informationcentres called the ‘Akshaya centres’, and provide convenient access to information services within a radiusof 2-km from the citizens’ residence.

Implementation of the project in the State: The government conceived a three stage implementation planfor taking the Akshaya project to the entire State.

During the first stage, the project is implemented in one district i.e., Malappuram, on a pilot basis whichhas benefited 5,83,264 people spread over 78 panchayats and the municipalities in the district, with at least1,000 persons from a panchayat, who are converted into e-literates and are ready to use this knowledge totake full advantage in the use of internet.

Based on the successful implementation of the project during pilot scheme, the project is rolled out toanother six districts, which constitute the second phase of the Akshaya project’s implementation. Kozhikode,the second district selected for the study, is covered under the second stage of implementation of the project.By setting up 176 Akshaya centres including two centers for each for a grama panchayat, 10 for the Kozhicodecorporation, seven for Koilandy municipality and five for Vadakara municipality, the district is coveredunder second stage of the project’s implementation.

Presently, the project is completing its second stage of implementation, and is all set to take off to thethird stage of its implementation by covering the remaining six districts in the State. With the completion ofthe second stage of implementation, the project is able to convert people from seven districts of the State, ase-literates.

Functioning of the project: The functioning mode of the project is the Public-Private Partnership (PPPmodel) where in the three tier panchayats take the lead role in planning for the project and the execution partof it is taken care of, by the selected private entrepreneurs of the area. The project has set for itself a threephase implementation strategy. The first phase deals with the achievement of cent percent e-literacy in thestate.

The second phase covers “e-vidya” programme. Under the e-vidya programme, all those citizens whohave undergone training in the first phase besides the others, and who are ambitious in furthering theirknowledge of computers are given an opportunity to take part in the 30 hour computer training programmethat offers knowledge relating to the entire basic computer operation. This course offers a certificate to allthose candidates who complete the e-vidya course successfully. The Government of Kerala recognizes thecertificate.

The third phase would comprise an ‘internet package’ which envisages a 10 hour comprehensive training

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to each person in using email, chat and other internet facilities, so that they become familiar with the use ofinternet including browsing. After completion of this training, each trainee is given a free e-mail account.

Financial implication to the citizen: The learner has to pay only Rs. 40 out of the total fees of Rs. 120/-. The remaining is shared by the grama panchayat, block and the district panchayats in the ratio of Rs. 60 andRs. 10 each respectively, during the first stage of the project’s implementation. Learners belonging to SC/STcommunities are exempted from paying even this nominal amount. During the second phase of Akshayaimplementation, the cost of the total e-vidya course comes to Rs. 450/-, which is met totally by the trainees.The total cost of the internet package programme of the project during the third phase is estimated to be Rs.140 per person, of which Government proposes to contribute Rs. 100, leaving the remaining Rs. 40 as theshare of the trainee.

Financial implication to the government: Government is required to make no investment in providingthe connectivity and for the coordinator the establishment cost of co-ordinating office will be the annualinvestment required to be made by the govt. besides the above.

Private entrepreneur–selection, training and motivation: All the educated unemployed youth whohave secured minimum 12th standard degree with basic computer knowledge and with the minimumentrepreneurial abilities like capacity to take certain amount of risk, manage the Akshaya center set up, andfinally with minimum zeal to serve the citizens, are all eligible candidates to become the entrepreneurs forrunning the Akshaya centers. The final selection however is made on the basis of interviews and the opinionof the local bodies.

Every selected entrepreneur should be ready to make an initial investment of Rs. 3 lakhs to set an Akshayacenter requiring a built up area of 4,000 sq.ft. and five computers. In order to promote the entrepreneurshipdevelopment, the government also assists those entrepreneurs who are fulfilling all the other formalities butare unable to secure financial support, in getting the loans from banks by standing as their sureties.

Entrepreneurs who appear for interviews are also given an opportunity to file complaints, if any, with theAppeal Committee. The selected entrepreneurs have to file an undertaking on a Rs. 50 stamp paper at theAkshaya project office.

The selected entrepreneurs are trained in different batches in two day and three day workshops andseminars, in management skills to run the Akshaya centers. Experts from C-DIT (Center for Developmentof Imaging Technology) become the trainers for this training programme.

The entrepreneur is expected to recover his investment by conducting the e-literacy course and providingvarious utility services.

Selection of trainers/instructors: In all, 176 Akshaya centers in Kozhicode district and 600 in Malappuramare set up. Every Akshaya center has minimum five instructors one of who is required to possess eitherPGDCA or MCA or B.Sc. computer science, degree. The others can be persons with computer knowledgeand a minimum of Plus Two education background. All the instructors are given training by C-DIT expertswho introduce them to contents of four CDs developed by C-DIT for the e-literacy campaign. These CDsmeant for e-literacy learners contain self-study materials, besides some computer games and certain simplecomputer programmes. Three instructors are selected at one for every 500 learners and paid by the entrepreneurhimself/herself.

Selection of beneficiaries or trainees: Trainees are selected through household surveys. Entrepreneurs,local body representatives, volunteers of Kudumbasree (a poverty alleviation programme of the LocalGovernment), and Nehur Yuva Kendra and the Literacy Mission, are undertaking the e-literacy campaign tocreate awareness among the public about the entire Akshaya project’s motive.

Link between FRIENDS Janaseva Kendras and Akshaya cetres: Friends Janaseva Kendras are functioning

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as ‘one stop service centers’ where the citizen can access most of the government department services suchas payment of utility bills, renewal of licenses, and filing of income-tax returns, and so on. These Kendras areoperating at the moment as one in every district headquarters.

The Akshaya centers, which are spread to every nook and corner of the villages with full networkconnectivity, are linked to these FRIENDS Janaseva Kendras. As such all the government department serviceswill be extended to the citizens through these centers, which in turn will be networked to FRIENDS, centerswhich are finally routed to the different departments and the State head quarters.

4.2. Assessment of the Impact of the Akshaya Project

In order to assess the impact of the Akshaya project on the lives of citizens in two chosen districts, certainvariables like basic awareness about the existence of computers, knowledge about the use of computers,decision to undergo training, source of knowledge about the project, experience in the first Akshaya class,preference of time for attending the classes, specific reasons for undergoing training at the Akshaya centers,perceptions on completion of the training, utilization of Akshaya training for generation of income, method ofselection of family members for the training, aspirations after completion of training and so on; are selectedand compared with two independent variables viz. sex and marital status.

Basic awareness about the existence of computers: The study revealed that the degree of ignoranceabout the IT developments is same irrespective of sex ie. female or male and married or unmarried in both thedistricts. On the other hand awareness is more in a larger proportion of females in the district, which iscomparatively more developed i.e. Calicut as against the other district which is less developed, whereawareness among the males is high. Higher proportion of females than males are aware about the technologydevelopment in developed region as against their counterparts in developing region reflecting that if givenan equal exposure, females have greater tendency to make maximum use of the opportunity. (Annex- I-Table1)

As per the marital status, the z values revealed that (Annex-I- Table 2) equal proportion of married andunmarried people lack basic awareness about the existence of computers in both the places, while higherproportion married in Calicut and unmarried in Malappuram have knowledge about the existence of computers.This indicates that in developed areas more married and in developing areas more unmarried get exposed tothe current technology trends.

Knowledge about the use of computers: The amount of knowledge about the use of computers is not thesame between females and males in both the areas. While more females in Calicut and males in Malappuramare ignorant about the use of computers, an equal number of females and males are aware about the use ofcomputers in both the places. The marital status comparison of the same variable reveals that an equalproportion of married and unmarried are ignorant about the use of computers while higher proportion ofmarried represent ‘ with knowledge’ category in Calicut, about the use of computers, more unmarried inMalappuram belong to the same category. (Annex-I- Table 3 & 4)

Source of information about the Akshaya project: Z values (Annex-I- Table 5&6) indicate that forfemales and married people, household surveys constitute the major source of information in both the placeswhile other sources like Kudumbasree, friends and so on, constitute an insignificant portion in supplyinginformation.

Decision to undergo training: Majority of married and unmarried people decided to undergo training outof willingness than out of compulsion, as is seen in table 7(Annex-I). Analysis of sex-wise decision toundergo training indicates that more proportion of female in Calicut and male in Malappuram decided toundergo training out of their own willingness. (Annex-I- Table 8)

Experience in the first Akshaya Class: There is varied opinion among female and male in both the areasregarding the experience in the first Akshaya Class. Higher proportion of female in Calicut and male in

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Malappuram feel that the experience was exciting in the first class while equal proportions of female and malein both the areas express that the experience in the first class is discouraging, as it was difficult to understand.(Annex-1-Table 9)

The comparison of marital status with the variable reveals that more proportion of married in Calicut andunmarried in Malappuram express that the first class at the Akshaya center is exciting as against the equalproportions of married and unmarried people in both the places expressing that the experience wasdiscouraging. (Annex-1-Table 10)

Preference of time for attending the class: Akshaya classes were held both in the morning and evenings.While majority of female in Calicut and male in Malappuram opted for morning classes; an equal proportionof females and males opted for evening classes in both the places. (Annex-1-Table 11 & 12)

Method of selection of members for the training: Even when the number of persons in a family whowere willing to undergo training at the Akshaya centers is more, as the training offered is restricted to oneperson per family, the survey showed that on the basis of common understanding and unity of opinion, onemember from each family was sent for the training. (Annex-1- Table 13)

Reason for undergoing Akshaya training: Analysis of data in tables (Annex-1- Tables 14 and 15) indicatethat all trainees of the Akshaya project i.e. female, male, married and unmarried proclaim that they joinedthe classes with a desire to have control over their children in the use of internet. Satisfaction of attendingclasses along with other children and grandchildren in the family, and learning the use of internet to chatwith their family members most of whom live in Gulf countries also contributed to their willingness toattend the Akshaya training classes.

Perceptions after completion of the course: Analysis of the perceptions of the trainees/beneficiaries ofAkshaya classes indicated that they derive satisfaction from more than one angle such as a). acquiring thebasic knowledge of computers which otherwise would not have been possible b) eligible to participate in theremaining two phases of Akshaya project implementation, c) learn the use of internet to have contact withtheir kith and kin living outside the country, d) could use this knowledge to manage a system at home andimprove the existing knowledge and use it for managing the family business, and so on. (Annex-1-Table 16&17)

Utilization of knowledge obtained through training: Higher proportion of female in Calicut and male inMalappuram district have put the knowledge acquired through Akshaya training to further use like joiningthe e-vidya classes, while the rest have used it to inspire the other young members of the family to learn moreabout computers and its application. (Annex-1-Table 18) In contrast to this, higher proportion of unmarriedpeople in Malappuram district and the same proportion of married in Calicut, have put their knowledge ofAkshaya classes to further use, though an equal proportion of married and unmarried in both the places, haveused the knowledge to inspire others to acquire more computer knowledge. (Annex-1-Table 19)

Generation of income after the training: Analysis of the data (Annex-1-Tables 20 & 21) revealed thatequal proportion of female in Calicut and male in Malappuram are trying to use the knowledge acquired atthe Akshaya centres for creating a permanent source of income while majority of female and marriedpopulation in Calicut and male in Malappuram are trying to make future plans for generation of income.

Aspirations after the training: The process of judging the aspirations of the trainees after the trainingbrought to focus that an equal proportion of females and males in both the areas express the aspiration thatthey want to depend more on computers. It also revealed that higher proportion of females in Calicut andmales in Malappuram expressed the desire to become the total beneficiaries of the Akshaya project, asrevealed by the z values. (Annex-1- Tables 22 & 23)

Suggestions to the Government as offered by the trainees: Higher proportion of females in Calicut and

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males in Malappuram suggested that the existing training with 15 classes can be increased by adding moreclasses which will give the trainees more confidence. On the other hand, equal proportions of female and malein both the places suggested that the proposed e-vidya classes can be combined with basic e-literacyprogramme so that in one go the trainees can be made to become computer educated rather than merecomputer literates as per the original plan of the Akshaya project. (Annex-1- Table 24)

Hardware and Software architectures of the each Akshaya centers and the overall Akshaya project:The client Desktop @ 2.0 GHz or higher, 256 MB RAM , 1.44 MB FDD, CDROM drive, Scroll mouse ,Keyboard,40 GB HDD (ATA/SATA) or above, 15"SVGA colour monitor , Parallel, Serial and USB ports ,10/100 MBPS Ethernet Interface, 16 Bit Sound (Duplex), Headphone , Microphone and preloaded GUI OS(MS Windows or Linux ); with 512 MB RAM, 40 GB HDD or above, 52X CD/DVD drive and two EthernetInterfaces with 10/100 MBPS for Networking and GUI OS (MS Windows or Linux); Internal CD Re-Writer52X 48X 52 X ; Printer –Color Inkjet 720 DPI/12 PPM; Switch –12/16 Port 10/100 MBPS; WebCAM OR Digital Camera; 56 kbps DATA/FAX Modem; UPS ( Individual); Network –Cat 5 cabling withInformation outlets, patch chords and casing & capping conduit; A4, Flatbed Scanner with USB interfacesand drivers –1200/2400 DPI; Lamination Equipment –4" variable temperature controlled; AC –Windows orSplit Unit with capacity to suit the room dimensions and antistatic floor for the facility.

5. Discussion

The data reveals that specific efforts directed to different groups of participants keeping in view theirbackground and development of the regions will go a long way in making the implementation of the projectvery effective. The background as revealed by the study includes:

• Wide gap in basic awareness about the computer world / IT world, is seen among males and females;married and unmarried in different regions. To bridge the ‘awareness divide, ‘area-wise public awarenesscampaigns’ can be arranged. For this purpose the services of educated unemployed males and femalesof the region can be effectively used.

• Household surveys constitute the major ‘source of information’ for females and married in both developedand developing regions, and for males in developing areas; while the other sources like internet,newspapers, friends etc., also play a significant role for males in developed regions.

• High proportion of female in Malappuram and male in Calicut expressed that they are attending theAkshaya training out of compulsion than out of willingness. A separate strategy needs to be adopted tocreate inspiration among these groups prior to launching of the project to enable them accept the use ofthe IT services offered.

• Since females and males together express that the experience in the first Akshaya class is discouragingas the course content was difficult, the content of the course may be modified to suite the group specificinterests such as games or spiritual concepts, to kindle the interest to understand the simplicity ofworking with the computers.

• Since different groups of citizens like married, unmarried, males and females, opt for different timingsfor the training classes, organisation of Akshaya class timings should be suitable to the specificrequirement of these groups.

• Survey also revealed that though there were many members in the family who were willing to attendthe Akshaya classes, as the number per family is restricted to one, families decided on one person forthe training, out of unity of understanding. Scope for allowing more members from each family couldbe explored to avoid cutting out an interested member.

• Varied perceptions are responsible for the trainees to attend the Akshaya training, as is revealed by the

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study. The goal of launching the project if made clear, prior to its launching, there will be homogeneousgroup of trainees and the trainers.

• Since majority of the females, males, married and unmarried, are using the knowledge acquired throughAkshaya training only to inspire others to learn more about computers, and very less proportion ofthese groups are putting to further uses like job creation or enhancement of knowledge and so on, thereshould also be a strategy included in the project at every stage of implementation to make trainees awareabout the various avenues available for making use of the acquired knowledge.

• Another interesting feature of the Akshaya project is that some females and males in both the districtsare able to generate income ranging from Rs. 1000 to Rs.2000, by using the knowledge acquired.While some are hiring out the systems to their neighbors on rent, some others are purchasing systemand appointing trainers and converting a room in the house as computer center.

• Analysis of aspirations revealed that majority of trainees wants to become the total beneficiaries of theAkshaya project. It is left to the policy makers to adopt a flexible strategy that would unify the goal of thegovernment and the aspirations of the citizens.

• Analysis of the suggestions made to the government brought to focus that all females and males in boththe areas feel that e-vidya training can be consolidated with the basic training of the first phase andoffer the same by increasing the number of classes of the first phase of the project.

The homogeneity of the progress of all the groups collectively is very essential for achieving uniformdevelopment, which will have a bearing on the sustenance of the project, and utility of the effort, in thelong run.

5.1. Benefits of the project

The benefits of implementing the Akshaya project are experienced from two angles as, a) direct and b)incidental. The following paragraph describes these benefits in brief.

a. Direct:

Achievement of hundred percent e-literacyLow-cost of e-governanceAll age groups and all sexes have equal preferences in participating in the Akshaya programmeSince the initiation came from the Local bodies, there is active involvement of the local bodies infinancing and monitoring the entire functioning of the project and thus reducing the involvement ofthe government to large extent.Akshaya centers are acting as common service providers and information centers.

b. Incidental benefits:

• Promotion of Self-Employment Strategy• Entrepreneurship Development• Backward communities are given the opportunity of acquiring computer knowledge and participation

in the knowledge revolution.• The enthusiasm and zeal of the elderly citizens in enrolling and attending the classes, are serving as

a great inspiration to all the youngsters who fail to make use of the opportunities knocking at thedoors.

5.2 Uniqueness of the project

• Initiation and monitoring of functioning of the entire project by the local bodies• Implementation with the help of Kerala IT mission

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• Active role of the local educated unemployed youth who play an important role in the functioning of theproject

• Contribution to Entrepreneurship Development• Generation of self-employment for the educated unemployed youth and thus preventing the brain drain.• Reduction of levels of frustration and suicidal tendencies among the youth on account of severe

unemployment problems.• Increase in the number of jobs and creation of a source of regular income especially for the entrepreneurs

and the instructors and assured source of income for the trainees, in future.• Sense of achievement and satisfaction of participating in the government programmes to the entrepreneurs

and trainers, which otherwise would not have been possible for these category of people.• Setting an example for “broadband deployment for bridging the digital divide”, and taking the State to

achieving the cyber fluency.• Contribution to breaking the age old social and cultural barriers in the tradition bound areas.

5.3. Critical Success Factors

The following factors are considered as most important ones which contributed to the successfulimplementation of the Akshaya project in the State of Kerala.

• Active involvement of the Local Bodies and local people of the district: Realization by the local bodiesthat leveraging information technology for the overall development of the district has made the entireproject functional by elimination of any resistance problem from the local people. This has also contributedto the adoption of technological with ease by the people of the district.

• Involvement of local educated unemployed as partners: At the preliminary stage of moving the districtforward, the policy makers created partnerships with the talented, educated unemployed youth of thedistrict through Tulip Pvt. Ltd., the private service provider, for the adoption of proven knowledge andtechnology. This has become the most important sustainability factor for the perpetual functioning ofthe project.

• Connectivity: Without the broadband network, the district would not have been able to establishintranet and internet ‘connectivity’ with its various Akshaya e-centers, nor fully leverage informationtechnology applications for its operations. Neither the organizational restructuring nor the StrategicTechnology Plan would have been feasible.

• Organisational Review: Decentralization of plan process has given the necessary impetus to the localbody’s active role in the development of the district. As a result, the local panchayat’s involvement insetting up of Akshaya e-centers, selection of private entrepreneurs, monitoring of the functioning of theproject etc. have made the project highly a successful venture.

• Adoption of Strategic technology plan: Based on the geographical scenario of Malappuram district,provision of connectivity became a major hurdle. Many private and public sector enterprises includingBSNL could not come forward to help the State to cross the hurdle. Finally,M/S Tulip Pvt. The serviceprovider ventured and provided the wireless broadband network connectivity.

• Speed of Plan and Implementation: With the close involvement, supervision, and scrutiny of the localbodies, which comprised of members from three tier panchayats i.e., the local, grama and the districtpachayats, the decision to bring broadband network to the district, by crossing all the hurdles such astechnical, geographical, political, social, cultural and other non-technical factors, and investing in IT,was quickly followed with implementation of the project.

• Hand in hand programme of selection, training and motivation: Once the project proposal was finalizedand implemented, private entrepreneurs and the trainers were selected, trained and motivated,

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simultaneously, without loss of time for designing, planning and implementation of the programmes,individually. This was only possible because the same enthusiastic team of officials and non-officialswere allowed to be involved in the project from the conception of the idea till the final stage of itsimplementation.

• Training: A significant and sustaining commitment from the initial stage to staff training was made by theorganizers of the project. The adoption of new software required for training the private entrepreneursand the trainers, and the initial intensive training designed and delivered through workshops and seminars,developed the staff knowledge to a proficient level by promoting individual skill sets. This has also madethe entrepreneurs and the trainers to embrace the sudden technological change in the district withwillingness and enthusiasm.

• Government conceding the plea of local bodies and revoking the transfer orders: When the Akshayapilot project in Malappuram district has reached the final take off Stage, transfer orders were issued toone of the important officials, without whose presence, the project would have collapsed. The localbodies, then in unison, made a plea to the Government to revoke the transfer orders at that crucial stagewhich was immediately conceded. This constituted another critical success factor for the implementationof the project.

• Leadership: Senior administrators and elected officials set the precedence for the technological changethrough their ‘leadership by example’. They were the early technology adopters. This cultural changewas one of the most important building blocks for success of the Akshaya project.


The Akshaya project which is the ambitious e-literacy programme of the Kerala State, has won theAustria-based Golden NICA award for “Innovative Service Delivery in Municipalities”. The critical successfactors created the necessary environment for achieving the results the project intended. ‘Leadership byexample’ policy of the State of Kerala served as motivation for the staff and the local people to embrace thetechnological transformation and seek ways to utilize technology to drive home the efficiencies. The adoptionof a citizen centric approach by the district planners and the involvement of local bodies in the entirefunctioning of the project is emulation worthy. The involvement of private entrepreneurs, besides promotingentrepreneurship development and self-employment, has contributed to the sustainability of the project’simplementation. For citizens the opening of Akshaya e-centers has brought an opportunity to become part ofthe current knowledge revolution, besides bringing about a great technological transformation to the district.Moving from a manual to electronic process with broadband technology as an enabler for bridging the digitaldivide, the State of Kerala has set an example, which is worthy of emulation.

Acknowledgements

The author submits this work at the Lotus Feet of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, whose unseen blessingsand grace guided her in all the endeavors. The author expresses her deep sense of gratitude to Sri Sathaya SaiInstitute of Higher Learning, her parent Institution, for encouraging her to take up the on-going UGC sponsoredMajor Research Project and to the UGC for supporting the project financially. The author acknowledges theexcellent support extended by the IT Mission of Kerala, and the concerned authorities of Akshaya Project inMalappuram and Calicut districts, in writing this paper. Special thanks are due from the author, to Prof.K.L.A.P Sharma, Department of Statistics, S.K University, Anantapur, for his constant guidance in StatisticalAnalysis pertaining to the paper.

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Annexure I

Table 1: Relation between sex and basic awareness about the existence of computers

No Knowledge With Knowledge Awareness Sex Malappur

am Calicut Total Malappu

ram Calicut Total

Female 18 10 28 13 29 42 Male 11 6 17 20 13 33 Total 29 16 45 33 42 75 Z-1 = -0.0285480395 Z-2 = 0.0285478421 Z-1 = -2.5680837631 Z-2 = 2.5680840015

Table 2: Relation between marital status and basic awareness about the existence of computers

No Knowledge With Knowledge Awareness Marital Status

Malappuram Calicut Total Malappuram Calicut Total

Married 20 13 33 8 28 36 Un Married 9 3 12 21 14 35 Total 29 16 45 29 42 71 Z-1 = -0.8920198083 Z-2 = 0.8920197487 Z-1 = -3.2376301289 Z-2 = 3.2376296520

Table 3:Sex and knowledge about the use of computer

Knowledge Sex

No Knowledge With Knowledge

Malappuram Calicut Total Malappuram Calicut

Total

Female 19 16 35 5 26 31 Male 27 3 30 5 11 16 Total 46 19 65 10 37 47 Z-1 = -3.1560044289 Z-2 = 3.1560039520 Z-1 = -1.2002410889 Z-2 = 1.2002410889

Table 4: Marital status and knowledge about the use of computers

No Knowledge With Knowledge Knowledge

Marital Status Malappuram Calicut Total Malappuram Calicut Total

Married 24 8 32 3 34 37 Un Married 25 12 37 3 4 7 Total 49 20 69 6 38 44 Z-1 = 0.6786069870

Z-2 = -0.6786072254 Z-1 = -2.4566965103 Z-2 = 2.4566967487

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Table 9: Sex and experience in the first Akshaya class

Exciting Experience Sex Malappuram Calicut Total MalappuFemale 6 11 17 15

Male 24 6 30 18

Total 30 17 47 33

Z-1 = -3.0648808479 Z-2 = 3.0648808479 Z-1 = -0.9099368453

Table 5: Relation between sex and source of knowledge relating to Akshaya Project

House hold survey Others Source Sex Malappu

ram Calicut Total Malappuram Calicut Total

Female 22 38 60 5 6 11 Male 23 6 29 6 14 20 Total 45 44 89 11 20 31 Z-1 = -3.7713053226 Z-2 = 3.7713055611 Z-1 = 0.8604727387 Z-2 = -0.8604725003

Table 6: Marital status and source of knowledge about the Akshaya Project

House hold survey Source

Marital Status Malappuram Calicut Total Malappuram

Married 25 31 56 8 Un Married 18 13 31 9 Total 43 44 87 17

Z-1 = -1.1991683245 Z-2 = 1.1991682053 Z-1 = -2.1693906784

Table 7: Association between marital status and the decision to undergo training

Compelled Willingness Decision


Married 7 1 8 23 28 51 Un Married 7 1 8 28 29 57 Total 14 2 16 51 57 108

Z-1 = 0.0 Z-2 = 0.0 Z-1 = -0.4182661474 Z-2 = 0.4182661474

Compelled Decision Sex Malappuram Calicut Total MalappuraFemale 4 1 5 19 Male 2 1 3 27 Total 6 2 8 46

Z-1 = 0.4216370583 Z-2 = -0.4216369987 Z-1 = -3.320707798

Table 8: Sex and the decision to undergo training

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Table 10: Marital status and experience in the first Akshaya Class

Exciting Discouraging Experience



Table 11: Sex and preference of time for attending classes

Morning Preference Sex Malappuram Calicut Total MalappuramFemale 10 17 27 11

Male 26 3 29 12

Total 36 20 56 23

Z-1 = -4.1062378883

Z-2 = 4.1062378883 Z-1 = -1.02706833765

Table 12: Marital status and preference of time for attending classes

Morning Evening Preference



Table 13: Number of members for family and method of selection

Common understanding Method Sex Malappuram Calicut Total Female 12 5 17 Male 14 18 32 Total 26 23 49

Z-1 = 1.7918467522 Z-2 = -1.7918463945

Table 14: Sex and reasons for going through the training

Desire for basic knowledge Control over children Reason Sex Malappuram Calicut Total Malappuram Calicut Total Female 15 24 39 6 8 14

Male 18 6 24 11 5 16

Total 33 30 63 17 13 30

Z-1 = -2.81994652275 Z-2 = 2.8199465275 Z-1 = -1.4278037548 Z-2 = 1.4278036356

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Table 15: Marital status and reasons for going through the training

Desire for basic knowledge CoReason

Marital Status Malappuram Calicut Total Malappura

Married 17 24 41 6 Un Married 16 7 23 11 Total 33 31 64 17

Z-1 = -2.1584508419

Z-2 = 2.1584510803 Z-1 = -1.4278037548

Mear satisfaction FurthPerceptions Sex Malappuram Calicut Total Malappuram CFemale 17 38 55 4 Male 16 10 26 13 Total 33 48 81 17

Z-1 = -2.6192145348

Z-2 = 2.6192142963 Z-1 = -2.1509232521 Z

Table 16: Sex-wise perceptions of the completed course

Mear satisfaction Further use Perception



Z-1 = -1.8202638626

Z-2 = 1.8202639818 Z-1 = 0.0999807715 Z-2 = -0.0999807715

Table 17: Marital status and perceptions of the completed course

Further utilisation Inspiration for others Utilisation Sex Malappuram Calicut Total Malappuram Calicut Total Female 11 19 30 14 22 36 Male 17 5 22 8 9 17 Total 28 24 52 22 31 53

Z-1 = -2.9018828869

Z-2 = 2.9018828869 Z-1 = -0.5634300113 Z-2 = 0.5634302497

Table 18: Sex-wise utilisation of knowledge after training

Further utilisation Inspiration for others Utilisation



Z-1 = -2.7286360264

Z-2 = 2.7286360264 Z-1 = 1.2011910677 Z-2 = -1.2011911869

Table 19: Marital status and utilisation of knowledge after training

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Table 20: Sex wise generation of income after training

Source of income FutuIncome Sex Malappuram Calicut Total Malappuram Female 5 15 20 14 Male 7 5 12 17 Total 12 20 32 31

Z-1 = -1.8856180906

Z-2 = 1.8856179714 Z-1 = -2.6275377274

Table 2: Marital status and generation of income after training

Source of income Future plan Income

Marital Status Malappuram Calicut Total Malappuram Calicu

t Total


Z-1 = -2.1375129223

Z-2 = 2.1375126839 Z-1 = -1.1919806004 Z-2 = 1.1919807196

Table 22: Sex-wise aspirations after the training

Desire to depend on computer Desire to become total beneficiary Aspirations Sex Malappuram Calicut Total Malappuram Calicut Total Female 9 11 20 15 30 45 Male 10 5 15 19 9 28 Total 19 16 35 34 39 73

Z-1 = -1.2733563185

Z-2 = 1.2733565569 Z-1 = -2.8753695488 Z-2 = 2.8753693104

Table 23: Marital status and aspirations after the training

Desire to depend on computer Desire to become total beneficiary

Aspirations

Marital Status Malappuram Calicut Total Malappuram Calicut Total Married 6 11 17 20 30 50 Un Married 13 5 18 14 9 23 Total 19 16 35 34 39 73

Z-1 = -2.1918709278

Z-2 = 2.1918709278 Z-1 = -1.6605499983 Z-2 = 1.6605501175

Table 24: Sex-wise suggestions to the government

Increase in classes Consolidation of training Suggestions Sex Malappuram Calicut Total Malappuram Calicut Total Female 5 28 33 19 16 35 Male 15 10 25 11 3 14 Total 20 38 58 30 19 49 Z-1 = -3.5586225986 Z-2 = 3.5586225986 Z-1 = -1.5761936903 Z-2 =

1.5761935711

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References

1. http://www4.gartner.com/5_about/press_releases/2002_08/pr20020826a.jsp.

2. Crandall, Robert and Jackson, Charles(2001). “The $500 Billion Opportunity: The Potential EconomicBenefit of Widespread Diffusion of Broadband Internet Access,” Criterion Economics, I.L.C., Washington,D.C., July.

3. “The collaborative Commerce Value Statement: A $223 billion Cost Savings Opportunity Over Six Years,”Module B-to-B Commerce & Applications, Vol. 6, No.6, Yankee Group, Boston, Mass, June 14, 2001

4. From a report conducted by Momentum Research Group, University of California at Berkeley and theBrookings Institution-netimpactstudy.com

5. “Understanding Broadband Demand: A Review of Critical Issues.” Office of Technology Policy, U.S.Department of Commerce, September 23, 2002.

6. Erin Joyce. “True Broadband Can Grow GDP: Gartner.” August 27, 2002.

7. http://www.cenic.org

8. Broadband Bringing Home the Bits. Washington D.C; National Academy Press, 2002, p.168.

A Case Study Approach to Model the E-commerce AdoptionCapability of Indian Rural Market Co-operatives

K.B. Saji 1

ABSTRACT

Electronic commerce is now widely believed to have the potential to make significant inroads intothe not-so exploited Indian rural market. Through an exploratory study, it has been attempted bythe author for the first time to identify the factors that govern the e-commerce adoption capabilityof Indian rural market cooperatives, for which a case study method involving three carefullychosen Indian rural e-commerce ventures has been employed. The present paper is an offshootof such a study, and is successful to the extent of developing a conceptual model for assessingthe e-commerce adoption capability of Indian rural market cooperatives.

Keywords: E-commerce Adoption Capability, Rural Market Cooperatives, Conceptual Modeling

1. Introduction

Internet related commerce, popularly referred to as e-commerce, is a much talked about buzzword thesedays. There are hundreds of definitions available for e-commerce. The OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) defines e-commerce transactions as “the sale or purchase of goods or services,whether between businesses, households, individuals, governments, and other public or private organisations,conducted over computer-mediated networks” (WPIIS Proposal, 2001). The goods and services are orderedover those networks, but the payment and the ultimate delivery of the good or service may be conducted onor off-line. The concept of e-commerce extends into communications, promotion, customer service, statistics,and usage patterns.

The concept of e-commerce is in fact conceptualized differently by different stakeholders (e.g. government,enterprises, policymaking organisations, and policymakers) in different ways (Saji, 2002). By ‘e-commerceadoption by rural market co-operatives’, it is defined for the present study as the implementation of e-commerce by firms with the intervention of modern means and traditional payment systems. It has beenchosen rural market cooperatives as the focus of this study because cooperatives, as an outstanding form of‘civil society organisations’ have the potential to play an important role in developing a strong social capitalin rural areas which is regarded as a pre-requisite for food security and sustainable development. This is fullyconsistent with the World Food Summit Plan of Action (FAO, 1996), which emphasized “the need forgovernments, in cooperation with the private sector and non-governmental organisations, to foster thesocial and economic organization of the rural population with particular emphasis on the development ofsmall-scale farmers’ / fisher men’s / foresters’ cooperatives, community organisations and developmentassociations, so that rural inhabitants may be actively involved in decision-making, monitoring and evaluation

1 Indian Institute of Management, Prabandh Nagar, Off Sitapur Road, Lucknow-226013, India (Phone: +91-522-2736653, Email: [email protected])

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of rural development programmes; and promote the empowerment of small-scale family farmers, fishermenand foresters, both women and men, to set up their own cooperatives and business undertakings, as well asfarmers’ and fishermen’s financial and mutual institutions”.

2. Theoretical Background

Several theories have been employed by the researchers to investigate the factors that affect the adoptionof e-commerce in general. These include diffusion of innovations (DOI) theory, Institutional Theory, theTheory of Planned Behavior (TPB), and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Reviews of e-commerceadoption literature have been attempted by many researchers in the recent past (Al-Qirim, 2005; De Klerk &Kroon, 2005; Hong, 2005; Lefebvre et al, 2005; Molla & Licker, 2005; Wymer & Regan, 2005; Yung-Chuan,2005; Al-Qirim, 2006; Hong & Zhu, 2006; MacGregor & Vrazalic, 2006; Nikolaeva, 2006; Thatcher et al, 2006).A number of studies focus on the adoption of e-commerce by consumers (De Klerk & Kroon, 2005; Hong,2005; Molla & Licker, 2005; Nikolaeva, 2006; Dash & Saji, 2006; Saji & Dash, 2006; Thatcher et al, 2006).Because an organization’s adoption of e-commerce is more complex than a consumer’s, such works can atbest provide only a partial explanation when the adopting entity is an organization (Rogers, 1995).

Although there are many papers available on the domain of e-commerce adoption in general, there are nospecific studies exclusively devoted to adoption and use of e-commerce among rural market cooperatives.This has indeed motivated the researcher to go in for the present research. It is worthwhile here to report thatthe enabling environment within which Indian rural cooperatives must operate today is markedly differentfrom that which existed a decade ago (Arunachalam, 1999; Saji & Dash, 2006). Rural cooperatives are amongthe poorest of India’s economy that appears to be making relatively the least progress in its modernizationefforts. Hence, a better understanding of the challenges they face is warranted; and the lessons learned maybe applicable to other areas of rural market, which clearly demonstrates the significance of the present study.Thus it has been decided by the researcher to track three organizations currently participating in the rural e-commerce in India. Having gone through this exploratory phase using secondary data, it is expected todevelop a conceptual model that could explain the feasibility of e-commerce adoption among the Indian ruralmarket co-operatives.

3. The Three chosen cases

In order to conceptualize a generic e-commerce adoption model, it has been decided to track theimplementation histories of three firms operating from India, which in due course of their operations havetried out their own unique e-business models for operating in the rural markets of India. The three firmschosen for the study include: (1) The Warana Wired Village Project, (2) Information Village Research Project(MSSRF) of Pondicherry, and (3) ITC’s e-choupal.

3.1 CASE-1: The Warana Wired Village Project

The Wired Village Project (WVP) implemented at Warana was conceived as a pilot project to bring benefitsof Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to rural India. Warana is a cluster of seventy villages,forty-six from Kolhapur and twenty-four from Sangli district, in the Western State of Maharashtra, India.There are several cooperative societies actively working in Warana complex like Sugar Cooperative, DairyDevelopment Society, Cooperative Bank, Women’s Cooperative Society, Super Market, and EducationalInstitutions (Bobde et al, 2001). Sugarcane is the major crop of this area; and most of its production inKolhapur and Sangli districts is processed at the Warana Sugar Co-operative factory. Each village has about200-300 farmers registered as members of various cooperative societies.

• Role of Organizational Mission: This WVP aims to utilize IT to increase the efficiency and productivityof the existing cooperative enterprises by setting up a state-of-the-art computer communication network.

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K.B. Saji / A Case Study Approach to Model the E-commerce Adoption Capability....

The project derives its advantage from the vision of a visionary from Warana called Tatyasaheb Kore,who four decades ago, propagated the idea of co-operatives as a means of achieving socio-economicdevelopment. Today’s flourishing Warana Complex is the result of his relentless efforts and vision.Many cooperative societies started in due course of time are now well established. This ushered in anera of rapid development in terms of infrastructure, irrigation facilities, factories, etc. This has led to anincrease in local employment opportunities, thereby bringing in an overall improvement in the quality oflife of the people. This foundation project took a start, with its objective to demonstrate the effectivecontribution of ICT in accelerated socio-economic development in rural India by adopting the WiredVillage concept.

• Role of Youth in Local Entrepreneurship: Warana societies have recruited local educated youths formanning the village kiosks. The staff, mainly youth of Warana Engineering College, where the networkhub is located maintains the network. The local staff of each of the business cooperatives maintains thehardware supplied under the project. The staff of the Engineering College handles the overall networkand system administration. All hardware upgrades are recommended by the concerned cooperativesociety to the Chairman of the Warana Complex, who accords necessary approval. The National InformaticsCouncil (NIC) has trained the local staffs, who update the information at regular intervals. The Villagekiosk operators were trained to download information from the Internet pertaining to child bearing andrearing. Free distribution of such information by them amongst the women had initiated greater interest,particularly among the economically backward section. Most of the village-level operators are eitherlocal residents or from Kolhapur.

• Role of Women in Local Entrepreneurship: The project increased the awareness among the women andempowered them to negotiate for their entitlements. Empowering women was expected to help inovercoming the traditional, social, economic, and cultural barriers (Bobde et al, 2001). Once these barriersare done away with, development is bound to happen. But what has been observed was, women are notactively involved in positions wherein their potential could be harnessed. Thus there is a ray of hopehere that demands tapping of this unused and huge potential.

• Role of Intrepreneurship: Community ownership and feeling of self possessing of resources is whatcan be better understood by intrepreneurship. This is a psychological factor, which can make or mar aproject’s success, more so when one talks of places like Indian Villages. Under the scheme of thisproject, each farmer is shareholder of factory, implying he too is a stakeholder of this project. So ensuringits success is his requirement. It is quite obvious that rural mass can appreciate the use of ICT only if ithelps to reduce drudgery and helps to address the basic needs and let them feel as owners. All theapplications in Warana were developed keeping these points in mind.

For centuries, farmers around Warana have cultivated sugar cane, and the cane fields dominate thecountryside, feeding the sweet tooth of one billion Indians. Farmers do pride themselves on producingmore sugar per acre than anywhere else in India. By participating in the government project to plug 70villages into the Internet, Warna’s sugar cane farmers were among the first in the country to embrace thehigh-tech wave, the fact being they embrace it because they own it, as they feel. Warna’s farmers relishtheir role as high-tech pioneers. In Jhadav village alone, about 450 farmers are accessing computers,using them to save time, avoid mistakes, and boost productivity. Now the farmers of Warana have nodesire to keep the advancements secret; they want the 700 million Indians who live in the countryside toalso have access to computers, believing it will help raise living standards across India as othersdiscover the economic benefits of high-speed information.

• Role of Government Agencies: The project was a joint venture of Government of India, NIC Maharashtra,and Warana Vibhang Shikshan Mandal. The Government of India set up The National Task Force onInformation Technology and The Software Development. The capital cost of installing the village kiosks

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was Rs.2.5 crores. This amount was shared by the Central Government, State Government, and theWarana Group of Societies in the ratio of 50:40:10. Besides Central / State Government policies, regulatoryenvironments are also conducive to promote the use of ICT. Affordability of long distance calls is alsoan important consideration in the rural belt. The Government’s decision, early this decade, to treat thetelephone calls within 200 km as a local call is highly commendable. This decision turned out to be a boonin the implementation of the Warana Wired Village Project. There are schemes of Employment of StateGovernment too. There are various applications developed, one such application provides details onvarious agriculture schemes where the Government offers financial help. Apart from this, a village databaseproviding socio-economic information of all the villages is also made available. The telephone numbersof various Government officials as well as the managers of the Warana Cooperative Societies are hostedon the Intranet, which had been made easily accessible during emergency situations. In case of naturalcalamities, e-mail could be sent to appropriate agencies from the village kiosk, thereby mitigating anyloss of life or property. The head of the district administration, which is responsible for mobilizingresources in case of disaster, is also accessible from the village kiosk.

• Role of Non-Government Agencies: The project was pioneered by the government of India andMaharashtra State Government, but no lesser has been the contribution of non-governmental agencies.The Wired Village Project was initiated in June 1998. The project was jointly implemented by theGovernment of India through The National Informatics Centre (NIC), Maharashtra State Government,and The Warana Vibhag Shikshan Mandal (WVSM) with the share of financial support in the ratio of50:40:10 respectively. For effective coordination and timely implementation of the project, two committeeswere set up.

The Coordination committee consisting of senior officers from NIC, the State Government, and theWarana group have formulated the overall guidelines for the project. The second committee withmembers from NIC and some of the Warana societies was responsible for the implementation of theproject. This committee worked under the overall guidance of Collector of Kolhapur District as Head ofthe District Administration. NIC had the responsibility towards project planning, software development,training, and implementation. The project was operationalized in November 1998. After continuoussupport for one year, NIC handed over the project to WVSM for further implementation/operation inDecember 1999.

Warana Societies have recruited local educated youths for manning the village kiosks. The staff ofWarana engineering college where the network hub is located maintained the network. NIC gave initialtraining to the staff. At present, the kiosk operators are paid a fixed salary by the Warana Societies.There are various additional facilities that are facilitated now, like obtaining loans to farmers from financialinstitutions and banks.

• Role of Technology: No doubt, to talk of feasibility of e-commerce, without the proper heed to technologyrequirement and improvement will be inappreciable. Digital divide has often been talked as the majorbottleneck in the way of setting up the rural e-commerce.

Of the twenty-five odd cooperative societies that form the Warana complex, the sugar factory is thelargest cooperative business institution. Sugar cane cultivators require information from the sugarfactory for sugarcane harvesting schedule. Any delay in harvesting reduces sugar content and weightof the sugar cane. Farmers are paid according to the crops’ weight and quality. ICT infrastructure set upunder the project has put an end to the farmer’s anxiety at harvesting time. Each farmer is a shareholderof the factory. Complete details regarding his sugar cane plantation, e.g., area, location, time are storedin the central computer at the sugar factory. The farmer gets their cane-harvesting schedule well inadvance at the village kiosk itself. This gives him sufficient time to organize workers to cut and transportthe sugarcane thereby helping to reduce sugar yield losses.

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Farmers’ interaction with the sugar factory through ICT has reduced the need to travel to the factory toa bare minimum, saving precious time and resources. About 22,000 farmers are benefiting from thisIntranet application. The Warana Dairy, another major business establishment, has also received a boostthrough the introduction of ICT. The Dairy application allows villagers to be immediately informed onthe fat and SNF (solid non-fats) contents of milk supplied to the Dairy, and also receive their paymentson the following day instead of waiting for about eleven days, as was in process earlier.

The ICT set up keeps track of farmers’ transactions with the sugar and milk cooperatives. It has madeseveral tasks easy and less tedious. For e.g., farmers now know how much they will be paid within hoursof taking their material (sugarcane/milk) to respective cooperatives. Thus, introduction of ICT has led toan overall increase in the productivity of various co-operative societies. Since most of the villagers areshareholders in these societies, an increase in the productivity of the business establishment would leadto higher profits, thereby giving them better earnings and higher standards of living.

• Role of Effective Marketing: With proper inputs already mentioned, the focus switches to marketing.Effective marketing plays an indispensable role in business and commerce, let alone e-commerce. Notmuch of efforts in this regard are noticeable here, nevertheless some initiatives were taken. The AgricultureProduce Market Information System (APMIS) provided the farmers the latest market rates of majoragricultural commodities prevalent in important markets in the State on a daily basis. This helped thevillagers to plan the sale of their merchandise in a market that would give them the best price. Theapplication is Web based and the information is provided in the local language.

Access to the web site (www.ruralbazar.nic.in) developed by NIC gave an opportunity to the rural massto host the artifacts and handicrafts prevalent in their region. Access to several other web sites is madeavailable to the village kiosks. It has been observed this initiative more as a government initiative;private efforts in this regard are unfortunately missing. Lot needs to be done in this direction, in order tomake this initiative a profitable e-commerce activity within the constraints of rural market cooperatives.

• Role of Effective Implementation: Thinking innovatively is great indeed, what is greater and moreimportant is to put what one thinks into action. Warana to an extent has put its policies into incorporation,but still there are many things to be achieved. The very fruit of the project is seen in an increase in thelocal employment opportunities, thereby bringing in an overall improvement. Sugar cane cultivatorsrequire information from the sugar factory for sugarcane harvesting schedule. Complete details regardinghis sugar cane plantation (for e.g., area, location, time) are stored in the central computer at the sugarfactory. The farmer gets their cane-harvesting schedule well in advance at the village kiosk itself. Thisgives him sufficient time to organize workers to cut and transport the sugarcane thereby helping toreduce sugar yield losses. The Warana Dairy, another major business establishment, has also received aboost through the implementation of ICT.

The project has contributed towards an increase in employment in the Warana complex on the followingactivities:

• Administer/manage and maintain information kiosks in each of seventy villages and six IT Centers• LAN management & database administration in seven business centers• Network administration at central hub• Support/enhance the application packages at seven business centers• Create/update/enhance various databases.

These employment opportunities are mostly availed by the local population. Then there are various otherfacilities that local population can avail like medical, education, and government related records and rights.For this, the Village kiosk operators were trained to download information from the Internet. Free distributionof such information amongst the women mass initiated greater interest particularly from the economicallybackward section. These women mass are normally relegated to the kitchen and home. It will not be out of

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place to mention that around thirty villagers on average seek information at a village kiosk every day, out ofwhich about 40 per cent are women. To ensure that all these initiatives remain relevant and useful to themasses, all the web sites and application packages developed for the project are in the local Marathi language.NIC has also developed a package that provides information on Land Records on Compact Disc (CD) atvillage kiosks. The data is updated on a regular basis and a new CD is issued to village kiosks. Villagers paynominal charges to the operator for issue of these land records. This resulted in less dependency on governmentofficials for information.

3.2 CASE-2: Information Village Research Project (IVRP) of MSSRF

The cyber revolution had already urban India in its grip; it is slowly but surely making its foray into thevillages and irrevocably changing lives. It is no longer a case of ‘access denied’ for eight villages aroundPondicherry. In an experiment in electronic knowledge delivery to the poor, they have connected ten villagesnear Pondicherry in southern India by a hybrid wired and wireless network — consisting of PCs, telephones,VHF duplex radio devices, and email connectivity through dial-up telephone lines — that facilitates bothvoice and data transfer, and have enabled the villagers to get information that they need and can use toimprove their lot (The Week, 31 December 2000). The project aims to set up village information shops (Villageknowledge Centres) that enable rural families to access information and communication technologies. Theproject trains educated youth, especially women, in rural areas in operating information shops and maintaininga system that generates locally relevant information from generic information;

• Role of Organizational Mission: The entire project drew its sustenance from the holistic philosophy ofDr.M.S.Swaminathan, the world-renowned agriculture scientist, which emphasized integrated pro-poor,pro-women, pro-nature orientation to development and community ownership of technological toolsagainst personal or family ownership, and encouraged collective action for spread of technology. M SSwaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) believed that information and communication technologiescould play a major role in environmentally sustainable rural development, not only reaching the poor butalso helping them to achieve food security and social justice (www.mssrf.org). The Foundation’s approachto dissemination of new technologies in rural areas was premised on the statement of its Founder,Professor M.S.Swaminathan: “whenever poor people derive some benefit from technology, the rich alsobenefit; the opposite does not happen”. Advantages for women also have an extensive effect, because“when women derive benefit, the whole family derives benefit”.

With its noble mission, MSSRF held an Interdisciplinary Dialogue on Information Technology: Reachingthe unreached in January 1992. The dialogue participants concluded that ICTs would have a major roleto play in promoting sustainable agriculture and rural development in the developing world. To be of useto farm families, the generic information found in the networks, including the Internet, should be renderedinto locality-specific knowledge that farm families, and rural women and men, could act on. This was themodel adopted for implementation in this project, which speaks volumes of its efficiency. And then theproject began in 1998 at the village of Villianur, 20km from Pondicherry, in the Union Territory ofPondicherry, South India.

• Role of Youth in Local Entrepreneurship: If development is the buzzword, the youth has to be the key.Training the rural youth in the organization and maintenance of a system that generates locally relevantinformation from generic information was one of the objectives of this project. But still, entrepreneurshipskills and entrepreneurial prospective of this class could be harnessed more. Prior to setting up theVillage Knowledge Centers, participatory rural appraisal was carried out in the hamlets. In each case, thecommunity had identified and provided an accessible place and two to four volunteers. The volunteerswere young men and women chosen by the community. They managed the village center on a voluntarybasis. These local volunteers gathered information and fed it into an intranet. The project paid no moneyto them. In turn, the project provided all the needed equipment, training and data.

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• Role of Women in Local Entrepreneurship: Women cooperatives do have bulk importance in the ruralcommerce. If they are provided with modern technology and information, they can go a long way on thepath of rural and national development. Once the women are mobilized and brought into the main streamof any commerce, not alone e-commerce, progress is likely to be noteworthy. As we noticed in this case,the volunteers were young men and women chosen by the community. It was also suggested by theproject staff that 50 per cent of them must be women and that they should have sufficient education (atleast up to high school). Gender sensitivity in the context of participation, content creation, and assessmentof information needs has been incorporated into the project. This has resulted in an increased participationby women, both in managing the centers and in use patterns. Consequently, most of these volunteerwomen gained status and influence in the society; it is quite easy to deduce that if illiterate and morebackward of the two sexes are brought to the main stream of business activity, no doubt the project willsucceed.

• Role of Intrepreneurship: An important feature of this project is the strong sense of ownership that thevillage communities have developed towards the village centres. This project depicts strong mobilizationand involvement on the part of the community. There is community of technology tools. The villagecommunities developed strong sense of ownership towards their village centers. Participatory ruralappraisal (PRA) was used as a method to identity information needs in the communities. PRA was alsoused to assess how far the community was willing to go in operationalising the local center, by way ofmaking in-kind or cash contributions. This was also used in the identification of a group of individualswho would be chosen by consensus by the community for managing the local center. Hence, thesuccess of the project, to a large extent, might be attributed to the capacity of the villagers to coordinateefforts to advance their own development. While MSSRF played a facilitator role in the project, importanttasks such as recognition of information needs, selection of volunteers, and arrangement of office spacewere done by the villagers.

• Role of Government Agencies: Seemingly small but really great contribution for this project is that theyhad easy access to government, and reasonable telecom infrastructure already existed there. TheDepartment of Science and Technology, Government of Pondicherry, gave their invaluable support tothis project.

The projects like IVRP of MSSRF helped gain considerable amount of attraction from the governmenttoward such developmental measures, government officials took keen interest in the proceedings of theproject, and policy makers were influenced. Personal contact of IVRP staff with officials in Pondicherryand in Tamil Nadu also helped to introduce the innovations to government officials at state level. TheIVRP relationship and collaboration with the Pondicherry Government provides opportunities for policyinfluence. The impact the IVRP has had on the government in Pondicherry is phenomenal, for examplebecause of the dissemination of information on Government schemes, veterinary information andagriculture – information valuable to the people and that the Government wants to get to the people. ThePondicherry Government feels that it needs the Knowledge Centres to get information to reach thepeople. It has also impacted on social (caste) systems. The Government is now encouraging people tolearn from the MSSRF IVRP and similar NGO ICT centres

• Role of Non-Government Agencies: IVRP started by the M.S.Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF)is an NGO by nature itself. IVRP is funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) inCanada. Companies like Motorola supported the project by donating two-way radio dispatch equipmentto improve connectivity. The project had also support from Canadian International Development Agency(CIDA) and Ford Foundation.

The Pan Asia Networking Programme (PAN) is known to be working with institutes and partnerorganisations in developing countries in Asia to adopt ICTs as a tool to deal with social and economic

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development problems. IVRP is one of the PAN projects, also known as ‘Impact of ICTs in Rural Areas– India (Phases I and II)’. According to PAN, IVRP is one of the very first ICT for Development (ICT4D)projects in India. The IVRP is based on a unique intervention design and implementation approach,which was recognised in 1999 through the Motorola (Dispatch Solution) Gold Award, and in 2001through the Stockholm Challenge Award (Global Village Category). Today it is one of only 50 ICT4Dinitiatives in India – a small number in a country with a population of more than a billion people. In manycases IDRC interventions are expected to influence public policy-making at national and local levels.This is often done through synthesis of field project experiences and other strategic material in supportof policy formulation and implementation. During 2002-2003, the IDRC Evaluation Unit undertook aseries of case studies as part of a more concerted effort aimed at understanding to what extent theorganization is succeeding in its efforts to influence public policy (www.idrc.ca). This study to determinethe influence of the IVRP on policy-making in India was commissioned to help improve PAN’s capacityto support applied research. Oganisations such as MSSRF working as he interface between communitiesand policy makers are therefore well positioned to play a significant role in informing relevant policiesand action plans.

• Role of Technology: Ten villages near Pondicherry in Southern India were connected by a hybrid wiredand wireless network — consisting of PCs, telephones, VHF duplex radio devices and email connectivitythrough dial-up telephone lines — that facilitates both voice and data transfer, and have enabled thevillagers to get information that they need and can use to improve their lot. The value addition center atVillianur could access to the Internet through three dial-up accounts. This also functioned as the hub ofa local area network for data and voice transmission covering the project villages. For power, a hybrid ofsolar photovoltaic plant with line power was used. All PCs were powered by solar devices and computerswere connected to LAN with Windows NT.

As in the case of most such wired village projects, lack of telephone lines and an erratic power supply doplay the spoilsport. However, MSSRF had been able to work around these difficulties. Wireless setsconnected the villages, thereby MSSRF solved the telecommunication problem. The impact of powerfailures was minimized as major chunk of the project work could be fuelled by solar power with asignificant back-up provision.

• Role of Effective Marketing: The role of marketing in this case is not that important at the present levelof functioning. However, as the project start delivering the real output, it becomes necessary to get themarketing done for the benefit of the stakeholders involved. The project at present could only beperceived as a development initiative. No doubt, it would turn out to be a commercial venture, but forwhich a marathon may have to be fought with.

• Role of Effective Implementation: The implementation of the project was effective to a larger scale. Theproject demonstrated that how ICTs could play a crucial role in enabling e-Commerce amongst the ruralmass. Information provided at the village knowledge centers was locale specific and related to prices ofagricultural inputs (such as seeds, fertilizers, pesticides) and outputs (such as rice, vegetables), market(potential for export), entitlement (the multitude of schemes of the central and state governments, banks),health care (availability of doctors and paramedics in nearby hospitals), cattle diseases, transport (roadconditions, cancellation of bus trips, etc.), and weather (appropriate time for sowing, areas of abundantfish catch, wave heights in the sea, etc.). Unique to this project happens to be the fact that mostinformation was collected and fed in by the local community itself. The centers were operated by thelocal volunteers.

Creation and updating of relevant content to suit local needs was a key factor in the programme. Unlesspeople get what they want - unless they get answers to their queries - they will lose interest in the wholeprogramme. The project was designed to provide knowledge on demand to meet local needs and wants using

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the World Wide Web. The process started with volunteer teams that helped poll the villagers to find out whatknowledge they want. The value addition center in Villianur had generated a number of databases to fulfillmany of these requirements, which were frequently updated. A considerable part of information was accessedfrom the local sources. All the databases were in local language of Tamil, which sounds effective.

3.3 CASE-3: ITC’s e-Choupal

E-Choupal is an initiative of ITC (a large agricultural processing company in India) to link directly withrural farmers for the procurement of agricultural / aquaculture produce like soya, coffee, and prawns. E-Choupal was conceived to tackle the challenges posed by the unique features of Indian agriculture,characterized by fragmented farms, weak infrastructure and the involvement of numerous intermediaries.Traditionally, these commodities were procured in ‘mandis’ (major agricultural marketing centres in rural areasof India). ITC has now established computers and Internet access in key rural areas where the farmers candirectly negotiate the sale of their produce with ITC. The PCs and Internet access at these centres enable thefarmers to obtain information on mandi prices, good farming practices and place orders for agricultural inputslike seeds and fertilizers. This helps farmers in improving the quality of produce, and also helps in realizing abetter price (Sivakumar, 2004).

• Role of Organizational Mission: Think big, but start small! ITC started with a modest and focused valueproposition -helping farmers get better prices for their crops. ITC’s endeavors suggest stay focused onneeds of farmers and on their ability to do business with farmers. The ITC bottom line is – roll out, fix it,and scale it up. The principle of the e-choupals is to inform, empower and compete. And through the e-choupal initiative, ITC aimed to confer the power of expert knowledge on even the smallest individualfarmer, thus enhancing his competitiveness in the global market (Rathore, 2004).

This mobilization of ITC to engage itself in these efforts can be linked to a small but interesting fact.“There is a single-storied house-cum-office in Mendki village. Except for the nondescript 2’x1’ ft signboardplaced above the entrance with a cryptic ̀ Soya choupal, Mendki’ written on it, there’s little evidence ofwhat’s inside. In fact, till the end of year 2000, few of his neighbours knew about Yugalkishore’s latestendeavor. But now, at least 800-1,000 farmers in the village have joined Yugalkishore’s e-choupalcommunity” (Businessworld, 04 February 2002). ITC could have taken a leaf out of this practical example.ITC in fact discovered a way to bypass the age-old mandi system and buy directly from the farmers. Bybuying directly from farmers, ITC derived excellent benefits; could get produce of a far better quality,which in turned ensured a higher price in the international market; and by avoiding the intermediariescould save a lot of money. The farmer, too, gained much more than what he would have got by sellingthrough the mandi. The best part of ITC’s business model noticed was economic empowermenthappens first in e-choupal model, Political empowerment and social empowerment follows it.

• Role of Youth in Local Entrepreneurship: Each ITC kiosk having an access to Internet was run by asanchalak — a trained farmer. The sanchalak bear some operating cost, but in return could getcommissions for the e-transactions done through his e-choupal. The warehouse hub would be managedby the middle-men called samyojaks. The samyojak could act as a local commission agent for ITC. Bymaintaining a role for the traditional commission brokers, who were now called samyajoks (thecoordinators), ITC had diplomatically implemented its plan. The samyojaks manage the physical flows inthe supply chain, such as logistics; and they collect pricing data from local auctions and maintain properrecords. But there are still challenges in scaling up; developing entrepreneurial capacity of rural communityto take up the role of sanchalaks and samyajoks is difficult and plenty of training is required.

• Role of Women in Local Entrepreneurship: ITC is encouraging the rural women entrepreneurship toothrough the e-choupal project implementation; and in turn it is itself helped by them. ITC empowered the

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rural women by helping them evolve as entrepreneurs in the system. The company has been organizingrural women into micro-credit groups, these groups extend financial support to their members to set upsmall businesses, and enabling them evolve into entrepreneurs. Over the next decade, these micro creditgroups would have about 60,000 members, creating thousands of women entrepreneurs (Businessworld,04 February 2002).

• Role of Intrepreneurship: Providing transparency and empowering local people as key nodes in thesystem, ITC helped increase the trust and fairness in information on transactions through e-choupal.When ITC began experimenting with the model, the masterstroke was to appoint a lead farmer as thecommunity leader for each e-choupal. This way, ITC did not have to invest in separate kiosks; farmersaccepted the concept better if the coordination was done by ‘one of them’. Due to the e-choupalservices, farmers experienced a rise in their income-levels because of rise in yields, improvement inquality of output, and a fall in transaction costs. Even the small farmers too gained. Customized knowledgewas offered to the interested farmers despite heterogeneity. Farmers could get real time informationdespite their physical distance from the mandis. The system saved procurement costs for ITC. The e-choupal model is quite different from the other models, as the farmers do not pay for the information andknowledge they get from e-choupals. In nutshell, a feel of community ownership and belongingness gotdeveloped among the farmers.

• Role of Government Agencies: The e-choupal model runs without any subsidy. There is no governmentmoney involved in this project. But there are serious challenges in scaling up of this ITC initiative likelack of infrastructure (such as power and broadband). It is here the Government could play a major rolein contributing to the development of this project. Then there is the slow policy reforms (e.g. Modificationof the Agricultural Marketing Act), which also would demand fair attention from the Government. Withthis and further, inroads to distant rural market can be expected to get opened up.

• Role of Non-Government Agencies: As we know e-choupal is an initiative of ITC to link it directly withthe rural farmers for the procurement of agricultural / aquaculture produce. ITC established computersand Internet access in key rural areas, where the farmers could directly negotiate the sale of their producewith ITC. The PCs and Internet access at these centers enabled the farmers to obtain information onmandi prices and good farming practices, and place orders for agricultural inputs like seeds and fertilizers.This helped farmers in improving the quality of their produce, and also helps in realizing a better price.Team from ITC ensured the content at e-choupals to be relevant, and updated. The system savedprocurement costs for ITC. The farmers need not pay for the information and knowledge they get from e-choupals, which of course is an appreciable thing done by ITC. The local agriculture universities, statemeteorological departments, banks, technical assistants in fact were the actual sources of informationand knowledge, which were made available free of cost. The company is now exploring the possibility ofpartnering with banks to offer the farmers access to credit, insurance, and other services, which otherwiseare a must.

• Role of Technology: The computer housed in a farmer’s house was linked to the Internet via phone linesor by a VSAT connection and served an average of 600 farmers in 10 surrounding villages within abouta 5 km radius. A hardware solution was designed that includes a desktop computer with power backupthrough batteries charged with solar panels. Then ITC took to itself the burden of computer, printer,VSAT, solar panels and batteries, back up services including web portals, training, and communicationcosts. E-Choupal as such, could act as an Internet kiosk, village gathering place and e-commerce hub,all rolled into one. Cost of appropriate technology acquisition, however, has remained an issue ofconcern even for a highly successful project like e-choupal. Yet e-choupal has been able to find valuepropositions that indeed created win-win situations for the beneficiaries as well as the stakeholders.

• Role of Effective Marketing: ITC linked farmers with consumers by leveraging ITC’s competency in

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marketing and distribution of agro-products. ITC’s tobacco and agribusiness divisions own a distributionand collection system with unparalleled reach into rural India. It also has strong relationships withfarmers and intermediaries in the agricultural supply chain. By ITC’s IT initiatives, farmers could orderagro-inputs too online. When the virtual aggregations of such demands are also met with through the e-choupals, production efficiency in agriculture could also be attained.

ITC could get revenue from each transaction. The participating company could get a direct channel tothe customer that is entirely pull-based. Farmer would now be aware of what to buy and when, and notdepend on the dealer, who is prone to giving incorrect information that sometimes ruins the crop.Farmers would freely choose to transact through e-choupal or alternative channel, so entrepreneurialsanchalak compete for the business. ITC preserved the integrity of the relationship with the farmers andcarefully monitored the products that flow through the supply chain. The company emphasized theimportance of resourcefulness and de-emphasized importance of resources.

• Role of Effective Implementation: ITC discovered a way to bypass the age-old mandi system and buydirectly from farmers; and derived benefits for farmers along with its own profit. Appointing a lead farmeras the community leader for each Choupal was a clever initiative. Then ITC also convinced the localtelephone exchanges to upgrade their equipment to support data transmissions, initially at the company’sexpense. To overcome the limited bandwidth, they cached static content locally so that only dynamiccontent needed to be streamlined. Their policy to “re-intermediate, don’t disintermediate” (instead ofeliminating the middlemen, ITC redefined their role by decoupling information flows from physical flowsin the supply chain) was a masterstroke. In this way, ITC mitigated all channel conflicts. By recruiting thesanchalaks from within the villages, ITC was able to get buy-in from the farmers.

ITC then established computers and Internet access in key rural areas where the farmers could directlynegotiate the sale of their produce with ITC. Due to the e-choupal services, farmers could notice a rise in theirincome levels because of the rise in yields, improvement in quality of output and a fall in transaction costs.After the network was put in place, ITC began exploring how to tap into the farm inputs market through it. Inlate 2000, it tied up with Monsanto to sell seeds directly. It also looked at gas lanterns and other assorteditems. The sanchalak could collect the money from farmers and places firm orders. The relevant companythen could ensure delivery. For this service, the sanchalak would earn a commission. The samyojak, in turn,received his share, depending on the product sold. ITC defined a clear value proposition for everyone.

The e-choupal model could run without any subsidy that speaks volumes of this effective effort. There isno government money involved in this project so far. ITC has extracted value in four steps: (i) elimination ofnon-value adding activities; (ii) differentiating product through identity preservation; (iii) value added productstraceable to farm practices; and (iv) e-market place and support services to future exchange. ITC’s managerialcompetence to execute a complex project and manage the associated cost structure has indeed contributed alot.

3.4 Summary of Cases Explored

The exploratory phase of the study has enabled the researcher to conclude that there are at least ninestructural variables that influence the functioning of the e-commerce model among the Indian rural markets,viz. (1) Role of Organizational Mission, (2) Role of Youth in Local Entrepreneurship, (3) Role of Women inLocal Entrepreneurship, (4) Role of Intrepreneurship, (5) Role of Government Agencies, (6) Role of Non-Government Agencies, (7) Role of Technology, (8) Role of Effective Marketing, and (9) Role of EffectiveImplementation. Table-1 summarizes the variables emanated through the exploratory phase of the study andassociates them with the previous researches of comparable nature.

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Case Explored Research Variables Previous researches

The Warana Wired Village Project

Role of Organizational Mission; Role of Youth in Local Entrepreneurship; Role of Women in Local Entrepreneurship; Role of Intrepreneurship; Role of Government Agencies; Role of Non-Government Agencies; Role of Technology; Role of Effective Marketing; and Role of Effective Implementation.

Al-Qirim, 2005; De Klerk & Kroon, 2005; Hong, 2005; Molla & Licker, 2005; Nikolaeva, 2006; Hong & Zhu, 2006; and MacGregor&Vrazalic,2006.

Information Village Research Project (MSSRF) of Pondicherry

Role of Organizational Mission; Role of Youth in Local Entrepreneurship; Role of Women in Local Entrepreneurship; Role of Intrepreneurship; Role of Government Agencies; Role of Non-Government Agencies; Role of Technology; Role of Effective Marketing; and Role of Effective Implementation.

De Klerk & Kroon, 2005; Hong, 2005; Lefebvre et al, 2005; Wymer & Regan, 2005; Yung-Chuan, 2005; Al-Qirim, 2006; Hong & Zhu, 2006; and Nikolaeva, 2006.

ITC’s e-Choupal Role of Organizational Mission; Role of Youth in Local Entrepreneurship; Role of Women in Local Entrepreneurship; Role of Intrepreneurship; Role of Government Agencies; Role of Non-Government Agencies; Role of Technology; Role of Effective Marketing; and Role of Effective Implementation.

Lefebvre et al, 2005; Molla & Licker, 2005; Wymer & Regan, 2005; Al-Qirim, 2006; Hong & Zhu, 2006; Nikolaeva, 2006; and Thatcher et al, 2006.

Table-1

4. Modeling the E-commerce Adoption Capability

Among the existing literature, some studies give more emphasis to the attributes of the e-commerce likerelative advantage, complexity, compatibility (De Klerk & Kroon, 2005; Hong, 2005) as major determinants ofadoption and thus demonstrate an e-commerce imperative perspective. Others stress the characteristics ofchief executive officers (CEOs), such as their innovativeness and commitment to e-commerce, and thusdemonstrate a managerial imperative perspective (Lefebvre et al, 2005; Molla & Licker, 2005). Still othersaccentuate organizational characteristics like specialization, functional differentiation, formalization, readiness,and centralization, and thereby demonstrate an organizational imperative perspective (Wymer & Regan,2005; Yung-Chuan, 2005; Nikolaeva, 2006; Thatcher et al, 2006). Several studies focus more on environmentalfactors related to competitive pressure, suppliers’ push, and institutional regulatory and influence actions,and thus demonstrate an environmental imperative perspective (Al-Qirim, 2006; Hong & Zhu, 2006; MacGregor& Vrazalic, 2006). It has been observed by the researcher that there are no studies available at present in thepublished literature with a balanced perspective on the consumer, organizational, and environmental aspectsof e-commerce adoption. To fill this critical gap, the present study conceptualizes a model for assessing thee-commerce adoption capability by focusing on the operational issues of e-commerce adoption. It is earnestlyhoped that the proposed model once validated will possess much better explanatory power than theconventional models presently available in the e-commerce literature.

The conceptual model arrived at for assessing the e-commerce adoption capability of Indian rural marketcooperatives by incorporating all the nine variables evolved through the qualitative analysis of the three

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cases explored by the researcher is presented in Figure-1.

Fig.1: The Conceptual Framework


The pace to succeed in rural e-commerce can be achieved by having a vision, thinking in terms of ruralcommunities, addressing the needs and wants of rural population, giving employment opportunities to ruralmass and making them participants to the operations, attaining the attention and support throughdevelopmental agencies, thinking innovatively, coming up with what can be locally accepted and adjusted,and giving the real stakeholders their due worth of toil by getting the unlinked world linked. The presentstudy is successful to the extent of identifying the nine variables that control the e-commerce adoptioncapability of rural market cooperatives, which has led to the development of a conceptual model for assessingthe e-commerce adoption capability of the Indian rural market co-operatives. It is earnestly hoped that theempirical validation of the proposed model will lead to germane outcomes, which could become yardsticks forfurther studies and advancement of knowledge on the significant domain of e-commerce adoption amongrural market cooperatives.

References

1 Al-Qirim N. (2006). Personas of E-Commerce Adoption in Small Businesses in New Zealand. Journal ofElectronic Commerce in Organizations, 4 (3), pp.18-45.

2 Al-Qirim N. (2005). An Empirical Investigation of an E-commerce Adoption Capability Model in SmallBusinesses in New Zealand. Electronic Markets, 15 (4), pp.418-437.

3 Arunachalam S. (1999). Information and Knowledge in the Age of Electronic Communication: A DevelopingCountry Perspective. Journal of Information Science, 25 (6), pp.465-476.

4 Bobde D. P., Deb A. and Rane, R.R. (2001). Work Experience with Warana Wired Village Project.Technical Journal of Institute of Engineers, Vol.33.

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5 Ching H. L. and Ellisib P. (2004). Marketing in Cyberspace: What Factors Drive E-Commerce Adoption?Journal of Marketing Management, 20(3/4), pp.409-429.

6 Dash S.B. and Saji K.B. (2006). Role of Effective Website-Design in Online Shopping: A Large ScaleEmpirical Study in the Indian Context. In Proceedings of the NASMEI International Conference onMarketing, Indian Institute of Management Indore, 18-20 December 2006.

7 De Klerk S. and Kroon J. (2005). E-commerce Adoption in South African Businesses. South AfricanJournal of Business Management, 36 (1), pp.33-40.

8 FAO (1996). Rome Declaration on World Food Security and World Food Summit Plan of Action. In theproceedings of the World Food Summit held at Rome during 13-17 Nov. 1996.

9 Henderson J., Dooley F. and Akridge J. (2004). Internet and E-Commerce Adoption by Agricultural InputFirms. Review of Agricultural Economics, 26(4), pp.505-520.

10 Hong C. L. (2005). E-Commerce Adoption in Brunei Darussalam: A Quantitative Analysis of FactorsInfluencing its Adoption. Communications of AIS, Vol.15, pp.61-81.

11 Hong W. and Zhu K. (2006). Migrating to Internet-based E-commerce: Factors Affecting E-commerceAdoption and Migration at the Firm level. Information & Management, 43(2), pp.204-221.

12 Lefebvre L.A., Lefebvre É., Elia E. and Boeck H. (2005). Exploring B-to-B E-commerce AdoptionTrajectories in Manufacturing SMEs. Technovation, 25(12), pp.1443-1456.

13 MacGregor R.C. and Vrazalic L. (2006). E-Commerce Adoption Barriers in Small Businesses and theDifferential Effects of Gender. Journal of Electronic Commerce in Organizations, 4 (2), pp.1-24.

14 Molla A. and Licker P.S. (2005). Perceived E-Readiness Factors in E-Commerce Adoption: An EmpiricalInvestigation in a Developing Country. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 10 (1), pp.83-110.

15 Nikolaeva R. (2006). E-commerce Adoption in the Retail Sector: Empirical Insights. International Journalof Retail & Distribution Management, 34 (4/5), pp.369-387.

16 Rathore A. (2004). An account of the Workshop on Scaling up ICT for Poverty Alleviation in India.In the proceedings of the workshop held at IIM Ahmedabad during 26-27 Feb.2004.

17 Rogers E.M. (1995). Diffusions of Innovations, 4th Edn. New York: Free Press.

18 Saji K.B. (2002). A Customer Satisfaction Model for e-Tailing Practice. In the refereed conference proceedingsof the 2002 European Applied Business Research Conference, held in Rothenberg, Germany during June17-21, 2002.

19 Saji K.B. and Dash S.B. (2006). Website-design as an Antecedent to Consumer Trust: An Empirical Studyin B2C Online Shopping. Working Paper of Indian Institute of Management Lucknow, IIML WPS-2006/24.

20 Sivakumar S. (2004). ICT for Poverty Alleviation in India. In the proceedings of the Workshop organizedat Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad during Feb. 26-27, 2004.

21 Thatcher S.M.B., Foster W. and Zhu L. (2006). B2B E-commerce Adoption Decisions in Taiwan: TheInteraction of Cultural and other Institutional Factors. Electronic Commerce Research & Applications,5(2), pp.92-104.

22 WPIIS Proposal (April 2001). OECD guidelines for the Interpretation of the Definition

23 Wymer S. and Regan E. (2005). Factors Influencing E-commerce Adoption and Use by Small and MediumBusinesses. Electronic Markets, 15(4), pp.438-453.

24 Yung-Chuan P., Trappey C.V. and Nai-Yu L. (2005). Internet and E-commerce Adoption by the TaiwanSemiconductor Industry. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 105 (4), pp.476-490.

About the Author

Saji, K.B. is presently Associate Professor of Marketing at Indian Institute of Management Lucknow.He has previously worked for multinationals in India and abroad, and taught marketing courses at topbusiness schools in Japan and Taiwan. He earned his B.Tech, MBA (Marketing), and PGDM (IB) prior

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to PhD in Management from Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management of Indian Institute of TechnologyBombay. He has 115 publications to his credit, which include 73 publications at international level. Hepresently serves on the editorial boards of three international journals, and as reviewer for seven otherinternational journals in marketing and technology strategy. He has so far served in the program committeeand on the editorial boards of the conference proceedings of twenty-seven international conferences heldin U.S.A. and Europe. He is a Fellow of U.S.Academy of Marketing Science; and his current areas ofteaching and research interests include: High Technology Product Marketing, Strategic Marketing, ManagingTechnology and Innovation, and Strategic Alliances Management.

Use of Smart Card Technology for E-governance Service Delivery

S.K.Sinha1

ABSTRACT

Smart Cards Technology has a great potential to play a critical role in smooth delivery of CitizenCentric Services. All kinds of service deliveries require authentic proof of identity and entitlementworthiness to be pre-established at the place of service delivery. Under Indian conditions whereconnectivity and access to remote information base in a vast chunk of geographical area is adistant possibility, Smart Card Technologies provide a most suitable solution for performing identityand entitlement verification before performing an off-line service transaction through Smart Cardin a most authentic manner. For web based delivery of different e-Governance services, thistechnology along-with bio-metrics verification, provides a robust mechanism of remotelyauthenticating the user in order to ensure the fail-proof accuracy of operations and deliveringthe service to rightful candidate. A powerful monitoring and operational system can be developedusing Smart Cards as Identity cards, in various Government Schemes of social and economicuplifting in rural areas, to enhance the efficiency of operations and plug various loopholes toachieve the basic objective.

Keywords: Smart Cards, Citizen Centric Service, Service Delivery, Remote Authentication, Off-LineAuthentication, SCOSTA.

1. Introduction

Smooth delivery of Citizen Services is an important agenda under e-governance program of Government.In order to smoothly undertake this task, few challenges are needed to be overcome before-hand, for asuccessful roll-out of any e-governance service delivery application. First challenge is in terms of technologyfor authenticating the Identity of the beneficiary at the field before delivering the service and the secondchallenge again in terms of technology, is to know the entitlement of the beneficiary, which is based on thecategory and sub-category. And the bigger challenge is to perform these two processes in an off-lineenvironment (without data connectivity with central database), as in many remote places data network is stilla distant reality.

Smart Card technology provides mechanisms to overcome these challenges, with the help of strongassociated technologies like SKI (Symmetric Key Infrastructure), PKI (Public Key Infrastructure), Biometricsand Digital Signature.

1 National Informatics Center, Department of Information Technology, A-Block, CGO Complex, Lodhi Road,New Delhi, India(Phone : +91-11-24365085, Mobile : +91 9818238658, Email: [email protected])

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S.K.Sinha / Use of Smart Card Technology for E-governance Service Delivery

2. Smart Card as a vehicle for delivery of E-governance Services

Smart Card technology has the required strength, to enhance the speed and authenticity of the process ofservice delivery of e-governance (G2C) services to citizen efficiently. This requires ready availability of proof-of-identity, authentic transaction history and entitlement details, at the point of service delivery. In Indiancontext they may be services like Ration card, Election Card, Passport, Land Records, Old age pension,different kind of subsidies and support in rural sector including health and education etc. All these kind ofservices require the on-site/field verification of proof of identity, entitlement details of beneficiary andapplication specific data. The one of the biggest benefit of usage of smart card for this kind of applications isthat, authentic application specific data from the individual’s card is made available at the place of businesstransaction, which otherwise would have been achieved only through creating an efficient data communicationlink and connecting to the central Service Database at some remote location. Therefore it not only eliminatesthe need of a vast data communication link across the country with very large number of nodes, but alsoenables the information access through temper proof Smart Card memory at the place where service is beingdelivered or transaction is performed.

3. Smart Card Technology – an overview

Smart card is a tamper-resistant security device that offers functions for secure information storage andinformation processing that relies on VLSI chip technology. A smart card contains a secure microprocessorchip embedded in the plastic card. The chip can implement an Operating System (OS) with secure file-system,and OS has the capability to compute cryptographic functions, and actively detect invalid access attemptsonto the card file system. With proper application of file system access permissions, a smart card can besafely used by multiple, independent applications.

A smart card is distinguished from a magnetic stripe card (e.g., typical credit card), and laser optical cards,in that it has VLSI circuitry, and Operating System and thus pro-active security procedures, enabling built-intamper-resistance. Anyone with an appropriate card reader can read whatever data is recorded on themagnetic stripe card or laser optical card, which is not possible in case of smart card with configured cardsecurity, implemented by Card Operating System, using various Cryptographic Algorithms.\

Reading and writing, information onto the card is carried out by the device called Smart Card reader. SinceSmart Card is a passive device in itself, it draws power supply and clock (Refer Figure 1) from smart cardreader. Through a predefined set of protocols, communication is established between a Computer (PC) andSmart Card through the Smart Card reader. Standard set of API’s are available under Windows and otherOperating Systems to integrate Smart Card capabilities into different software applications. A PC cancommunicate with Smart Card, which has the capability of a miniature computer (Figure 1), to perform differentoperations on Smart Card data, after meeting the security requirements.

Smart cards are the most secure devices to store small piece of information, which technologically makesit possible to impose desired security conditions/rules for accessing the required information. Following arethe Security Mechanisms which Smart Card provides.

3.1. PIN Verification:

PIN is like password, which is securely stored in the Smart Card. Any specific Smart Card functionality(e.g. Performing Money Transaction, requesting for e-Service delivery), can be bound with the successfulPIN verification. If PIN verification fails, built-in security mechanism on the Smart Card disallows the functionalityto get invoked. After three or four unsuccessful attempts Smart Card OS blocks the PIN usage and therebyprotecting the valuable Smart Card resources.

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Fig. 1: Smart Card Internal Architecture

Key based Authentication:

Key based authentication is the biggest security strength of Smart Card, due to which they are consideredto be most secure devices as compared with other cards (Magnetic, Optical etc.). Keys are typically used forcryptographically securing data on Smart Card, with the help of strong on-chip encryption algorithms like3DES or RSA. Through challenge-response mechanism and encryption and decryption through thecorresponding keys, two secure devices (with one or both as Smart Cards) can negotiate to authenticate eachother (Figure 2). And this is the methodology through which a person proves his identity, what he claims tobe, by possessing one of the key, securely stored on his card. The authentication process can be based onsymmetric keys (Master Key-Derived Key) or asymmetric keys (Public Key-Private Key). Smart Card technologyprovides the security against direct access to keys, and makes it possible that all kind of security the securityto a great extent. Smart Card chip (Microprocessor), is strong enough to run various security related complexalgorithms using keys internally.

4. Smart Card based E-governance Applications

As has been explained above that how Smart Card can be excellently used for delivering the citizenservices for various e-governance applications, following in this section are various suggested potentialapplications, in which smart card can prove to be a powerful technological tool to enhance the efficiency ofservice delivery.

4.1. Citizen ID

Authentically establishing the identity of the citizens at field and providing the authentic proof of hisaddress is of great help to Government in managing borders, controlling crimes and managing various lawenforcement activities. Government provided Identity Cards to citizen extend great help as a proof of identityand address to various other government and non-government agencies, financial institutions, banks,educational institutions and innumerable number of other agencies. Smart Cards with the help of PKI, SKI,and Biometrics technologies provide a perfect solution in bringing this objective to reality.

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Fig. 2: Pictorial representation of Key Based Mutual Authentication Process

Establishing Proof of Identity: Identity fraud is growing problem world wide; especially in the pretext ofthe current world scenario. Whether it is the question of secure border control or delivery of citizen servicesto right person, ensuring the proof of identity becomes a matter of vital interest. Present forms of ID are notsecure enough or fool proof to stop the identity fraud. Almost every thing which can be printed can be faked.Terrorists regularly use fake passport to cross the world boundaries. Smart Card with biometrics havingdigital signature of issuer authority can effectively provide the fool-proof mechanism to prove the identityof a person what he claims to be. Using PKI technology on Smart Card, Identity Data of individual with hisbiometrics on the card can be digitally signed by an issuer authority certified by trusted Certification Authority.A two step field verification process is performed to establish and authenticate the proof of identity,

• Card is Authentic: Authenticity of card is established through challenge response mechanism (Ref.Figure 2) between the secret key (Private key) stored on the card, and public key, which is available tothe interface device (typically a simputer or a hand held terminal), off-line or on-line. A limited versionof off-line CRL (Certificate Revocation List) can also be stored on these devices, as per requirement ofPKI process. CRL can be synchronized time to time with the one available with Certification Authority.

• Identity of card holder is authentic: Once the process for verifying the card authenticity is successfullyover as described above, Identity of card holder is verified using a combination of Bio-metrics andDigital Signature mechanisms. In the first step, the digital signature of the issuer authority for the

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biometrics and identity data, which are stored on-card are verified through off- line or on-line verificationprocess as explained above. Then the pre-registered and on-card stored bio-metrics of card holder arematched with the one captured live at the point of verification. Since the stored bio-metrics are the samewhich were captured when card was issued and is the part of data which is digitally signed, matchingwith live capture, authenticates the identity of the person.

4.2. Public Distribution System (PDS) Cards

PDS cards are currently issued in paper form to various individual families. Distribution of ration andvarious other commodities in subsidized rates is performed with the help of this card. Following are the waysfor tackling the problems which are effecting the efficiency of the system and can be well taken care byissuing Smart Cards and automating the complete process chain at the back-end,

Identifying and removing fake and fraudulent Ration Cards: Problem of Fake Ration Cards is very common.Fake ration cards are produced easily by even a street side printing /photocopying corner shop. The basicreason behind this problem is the absence of any security feature on the Ration Card, and a simplifiedmechanism through which it could be easily verified at field or Fair Price Shop, before making any card basedtransaction. The problem is not just for the protection of delivery of subsidized commodity, but much moregrave because in most places Ration Card is considered as a de-facto mechanism to establish the proof ofidentity. Therefore basic need would be to convert the existing insecure fake prone paper based Ration Cardswith secure and fake proof Smart Card based Ration Cards, which can be easily verified/authenticated at fieldor at Fair Price Shop.

Distribution of benefits accurately as per the entitlement: Another problem which effectively can betackled with Smart Card technology is of monitoring the distribution of commodity according to the entitlementof every individual hose-hold. The entitlement details for the House Hold based on its income level, arewritten safely on Smart Ration Card, making them temper-proof, and making them available authentically atthe place where service is being delivered. With a right kind of Key Management System Infrastructure, thefield transactions can be logged onto the Smart Ration Card by the authorized agency, to create a transactionhistory and monitoring the correct amount of commodity delivery.

Closely monitoring of distribution of commodities at Fair Prize Shops and minimizing the pilferage: All thesubsidized commodities distributed by the Fair Prize Shop (FPS) , are automatically logged into his Card/Device (Through Card-to-Card or Card-to-Device transaction mechanism) for all the transactions made byhim. At any point of time trail can be established for the receipt and delivery of a particular commodity alongwith the beneficiary wise delivery details.

Closely monitoring the inventory chain from go-downs to issuance/sale to individual etc.: Since thedetails of commodity delivered by the FPS are available on its Card/Device, replenishment of commodity iseasily made, based on this data from the go-downs. And hence the closely monitored distribution to minimizethe pilferage.

4.3. Driving License and Vehicle Card

This is one of the most sought applications of Smart Card technology in Transport Sector. Fake duplicationof Driving License and Vehicle card has been puzzling the law enforcement agencies since very long time.Also genuinely performing driving test and then issuing the license to drive has also been a cause of majorconcern to Governments, especially in Indian Sub Continental scenario, where it is easier to get the licenseissued with help of illegal agents and touts. Similarly the Vehicle Theft and sail of these vehicles withfraudulently produces Registration Certificates has also been a major cause of concern to law enforcementagencies. Smart Card technology can be applied to this sector to provide following benefits,

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Preventing fake and fraudulent production/duplication of Driving License and Vehicle RegistrationCertificate: As earlier mentioned, fake duplication and production of Driving License and Vehicle RC hasalways been a major problem for law enforcement agencies. It is very easy to fraudulently produce theseinstruments in current kind of form in which they are issued. Fake reproduction is done basically to fool thesystem, in which the original has been confiscated as a result of performing a road offence or in case of RC,the stolen vehicle is sold under a faked Registration Certificate. Due to absence of any simplified mechanismfor field verification of these instruments, these kinds of frauds have flourished as organized crimes. Sincethe current form factor of these instruments at the most depends upon the visual security features, which canbe easily faked, even by an unorganized criminal.

Automating Driving Test with the help of Smart Card based Driving Simulators: Most of the road accidentstake place due to the negligent driving where the licenses to drivers are issued without subjecting them to arigorous driving test. Ideally the passing of a rigorous driving test must be the basic criteria for issuing alicense to drive on public roads. Computer aided Simulators are available now, to perform this rigoroustesting. These simulators can be integrated with the Smart Card Technology to generate the Smart Card basedDriving License on the basis of test performance. Once the licenses are issued on Smart Cards, driving testscan also be performed through these simulators, in different intervals of time especially for the aging driversand Smart Card data can be likewise modified. This testing process removes any human intervention in thetesting and Driving License issuing process, which guarantees about the required quality driving skills onthe public roads

Easing the process of Road Tax filing for commercial vehicles: Depositing and Filing of the road tax is ataxing exercise for vehicle owners, especially for the owners of Commercial Vehicles who have to file the taxon monthly/quarterly basis. Process of depositing of road tax can be outsourced to banks or any otheragency, which also takes care of modifying the tax details on Smart Card based RC. This simplification ofprocess not only provides convenience to citizen, but also ensures the timely recovery of Governmentrevenue.

Booking the Road Offences and simplifying the procedure of filing the penalties: The road offencescommitted due to wrong driving, can be easily written on the Smart Card based Driving License, by theauthorized agent(a cop), with the help of a Hand Held Device. For the citizen convenience, the penalty ofthese offences can be outsourced for submission to an agency like banks, which after accepting the requiredpenalty modifies the offence data written on the card.

Issuance of PUC (Pollution under control) certificate on RC Card: In order to control the Vehicular Pollutionunder Central Motor Vehicle Rules, it is mandatory for every vehicle to secure a Certificate of Pollution undercontrol, by the authorized kiosks. These Certificates can easily be faked without undergoing the pollutioncontrol check, as they are printed on a simple paper. These PUC Certificates can easily be written on the SmartCard based RC, by the authorized agency which can not be tempered or duplicated. With the Hand HeldDevice this can be read from the Smart Card at the field.

4.4. National Rural Employment Guarantee (NREG) Scheme

National Rural Employment Guaranty Scheme has been introduced by Government to guaranty theemployment of at least hundred working days to each house hold in rural areas. Like many other similarschemes of Government, complete benefit is not harnessed due to various weaknesses in implementation andmonitoring. Most sought application of Smart Card technology will be to ensure the proper distribution ofwages among beneficiaries. By marking the attendance of individual household worker on Smart Card anddiversifying the cash payment process based on attendance, to banks or post offices shall minimize theleakage of cash, and ensure the benefit to rural household. The Smart Card shall also provide the authentic

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data in terms of wages earned and payment made, without data connectivity link in rural areas.

4.5. Social Insurance Scheme for Unorganized Workers

Government is planning to provide Social Security in term of insurance to the workers in un-organizedsector. This is planned to cover there loss of earning during illness, accident, death, maternity etc. India hasa huge work force in un-organized sector. This scheme is also planned to cover the old age pension for un-organized labour when they go out of work due to old age. Implementation of this scheme requires massivework in registering and distributing the benefits. Smart Card shall play a very useful role in swiftly deliveringthe health and other services through various empanelled health and financial organizations. Where merelyproducing the Social Security Card, beneficiary will be able to avail the benefits in no time. And it will also beensured that benefits are delivered only to genuine beneficiaries.

4.6. Land Records

Land Record Computerization has played a great role, required for land reforms in rural areas of thecounty. RoR (Record of Rights) on paper, are almost immediately issued from Tehsil office to land holders.Smart cards can be used for storing RoR in non tempering and authentic form. This form of RoR can be usedfor various rural financing organizations, which seek the authentic proof of identity and property rights,before delivering the credit finance.

4.7. Election

With introduction of EVM’s (Electronic Voting Machines), Election Commission has brought-in a revolutionin exercising the right of franchise by the citizens. Not only this provides a healthier environment in electionpolling booths, but also tremendously increased efficiency and accuracy in vote counting. The problem ofimpersonation still looms large during vote casting by illegal franchisees at polling booths. Interface can bedeveloped for Smart Card in EVM’s for authenticating the voter and to check the duplicate vote castingthrough Smart Card. Another very useful application of Smart Card as voter card is vote casting throughInternet (web). A very large number of voters are not able to use their right of franchise, due to absence fromthe place where they are the registered voters. They can authenticate themselves as the authentic voters ofa particular constituency, on-line through Internet, with the help of their Smart Voters Card, and cast theirvote, directly to Election Database Server via Internet Gateway. This facility is extremely useful for thefranchisees who are working away from their place of domicile (constituency) somewhere in India or abroad,and are not able to cast their vote due to geographical compulsions.

4.8. Health

Government implements number of health schemes in rural and urban areas of the country. The mechanismto ensure the proper delivery of health services and monitoring at the grass root level is not perfectlyimplemented due to various bottlenecks in the system. Through the Smart Cards issued to individualbeneficiaries and also to the respective health workers, medical doctors etc, it can be ensured that the servicehas actually been delivered at a particular time, by transacting the services from Health Worker card toBeneficiary Card. Number of the patients serviced and their card number gets logged into Health Worker Cardafter he delivers the service to individual. Monitoring can be done from the Health Workers Cards for thedaily services rendered and number of cases. Apart from this, the complete medical history and details of lastfew services availed by the individual can be recorded on the Health Card, to regularize and uniform distribution.

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4.9. Below Poverty Line (BPL)

Government extends various benefits and subsidies to poor citizens through various schemes most ofwhich are implemented in rural areas. The status of below poverty line to a household enables it for varioussubsidies and credit schemes, run by Government. Smart Card technology can be applied to ensure thedelivery of these services. Smart Card to a household and to Delivery agency enables card to card transactionat the time of service delivery, and logging of rendered services on both the cards authentically. This not onlyensures that the service has actually been delivered, but also works as the performance meter of individualdelivery agency at the field.

5. Multi-applicability

Smart Card technology provides the facility for hosting different inter-related or independent applicationson the same Smart Card’s Microprocessor Chip, without interfering or accessing each others information.This capability not only enhances to great extent the facility to the end user who has to maintain only singleCard for all purposes, but also brings down the cost of project to a great extent by enabling the cost of cardto be shared by multiple agencies, which is the major cost head in any major Smart Card related project.Hosting multi applications on the same card also brings down the redundancy of data, and thereby thememory overheads, which otherwise would require repetition of identity related data elements in everydifferent card for different application. In case of single card for multi applications the common data elementsdescribing identity of card holder can be written in one common read-only memory space, and all applicationsuse common data elements from this common location and application specific data elements from exclusivememory space allocated for individual applications. This not only normalizes the data memory spacerequirement of Smart Card, but also structures the data in a more systematic way within the card.

Different applications hosted on the Card, work independent of each other, but still can complement thedata requirements of other applications. This is achieved through a careful and systematic design of the CardLayout Mapping and the Card Applications Firewall Architecture. Under this Layout design one commonarea on the Card memory called “Master Object” is allocated for storing common data set comprising cardholder identity details, card specific details, applications directory etc. Other applications are stored inrespective application specific objects on the card memory. In order to protect the card from loading ofunauthorised applications the Master Object must be owned and managed by an agency which works as theoverall custodian of Card. The loading of authorized applications and access privilege to them for MasterObject are controlled by this earmarked agency, which preferably must be a Government agency. This agencyalso holds the responsibility of maintaining Card Life Cycle Management System.

6. Technology Perspective

As mentioned above the smart card technology provides best possible technological solutions forcontrolling the access to the data inside and making it temper proof. This has been made possible due to thefact that in the heart of smart card is a micro processor chip, which is a miniaturized computer in itself. And thissmall computer runs with the help of an Operating System Software. All the security operations, viz. CardHolder Authentication, Card Authentication, Card Transactions etc are performed under the complete controlof this Operating System Software. Since all the required data for field transaction and required softwareintelligence is available on-card, this eliminates the need of any direct data communication link with theServer etc.

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6.1. Interoperability and Technology Standards in Indian scenario

India being a federal structure many e-governance programs are run by individual states. This necessitatesthat the applications loaded by a federal state agency must be operable across the country by the similaragency of other federal state. And in second scenario the application loaded by one government agency ofparticular domain might be required to be accessed (after due authorization) by other government agency indifferent domain (e.g. BPL data might be required to be accessed by PDS, or a Rural Credit agency, and in adriving license issued from one state, offences can be read and written while driving in other state). Keepingthese critical requirements in view, Technological Interoperability is a paramount requirement. The simplestway to ensure Technological Interoperability is by evolving technology standards and also to comply-withthem in below given sub-technological areas.

••••• Smart Card physical and electrical properties.••••• Smart Card Operating System.••••• Smart Card Security Architecture.••••• Application Specific Data Elements and Electronic Card Layout.

6.2. Smart Card Operating System Standard

Operating System for smart card provides the mechanism for external interface by the card, on-card datastorage and retrieval capabilities, implementation and maintenance of security architecture and transactionsecurity. The software development for card interfacing devices requires uniformity in these areas to developsoftware for different applications. Although International Standards Organization (ISO) has laid downstandards for Card Operating System (ISO-7816-4,-8 and -9), these standards have left many aspects unpluggedand need to be defined further by the implementation agencies for evolving a practically implement able setof standards (Please see the below given section for NIC efforts and work done to fill these voids).

6.3. Card Security Infrastructure.

As has been mentioned earlier, Smart Card comprises the strength of a microprocessor and thereby has aCPU to run many complex mathematical algorithms in order to implement various cryptographic functionalities,required for implementing Card Security Architecture.

PKI: PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) technologies are the most reliable mechanism to ensure the dataauthenticity and card holder authenticity. This may be conducted perfectly in off-line mode at the field withall reliability. The digital signatures put over the application data by the departmental authority can beverified and used for application specific field transactions. The digital signatures put by the government ororganization authority over the identity credentials of cardholder are used to verify and authenticate theidentity of card holder.

SKI: SKI (Symmetric Key Infrastructure) technologies are used for two specific purposes on smart card.Firstly, the SKI technology provides the mechanisms to uniquely verify the individual’s smart card at the fieldand authentically distinguish between the original (genuine) cards and maliciously faked cards. Thereforeensures that there are no illegal cards floating at the field, which have been issued by malicious agencies.Secondly, it provides mechanisms based on robust SKI algorithms to create an infrastructure for performingfield transactions by only genuinely authorized entities, and protecting the card data tempering/access byunauthorized sources.

Bio-metrics: Bio-metrics of individual is the best available technique to provide a link between the cardand card holder, basically to prevent impersonations while performing field transactions. On-card bio-metricsdetails as part of identity data, which is digitally signed by a government authority, provides foolproof

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mechanism to verify the identity of an individual at the field, by comparison of the live capture of fingerprintswith the one which is pre-stored. Out of many technically feasible kind of biometrics, finger print matching isthe most convenient, feasible and proven. The other kinds of biometrics are facial image portrait, Iris Scan,Retina Scan, etc.

6.4. Data Element Standards

The applications hosted on Smart Card shall be used by a wide spectrum of user agencies across thecountry. Also there may be different issuer agencies for the similar application (for example PDS card shall beissued by different States, Driving License is issued by respective State Transport Authorities). For thepurpose of interoperability it is highly important that the data elements for similar application must bestandardized, in order to be meaningfully read and written by different agencies.

6.5. Reading and Writing Devices

In order to roll out the Smart Card based e-governance applications, it is critically important that there isa sufficient card reading and writing device infrastructure is available at all the points of service delivery. Theplaces where PC’s have already been provided or are likely to be provided, PC/SC compliant readers/writersare the best and low cost solution. In the field where transactions are required to be performed without PC,hand-held devices like Palm-top and Simputers can be used for performing card-to-card or card-to-devicetransactions. Cost of readers/writers to be attached to PC is as low as few hundred rupees, and that of devicelike simputers or palm-top’s is between Rs.10K to 15K, which is likely to come down once wide spread roll-outstarts and volumes are rolled out. While for PC based readers/writers, technology standards (PC/SC) arealready available and most of the market products available today comply with those standards, for HandHeld devices standards are yet to be evolved, to provide level playing field to application developer community.

7. Strong Back End Automation

Any successful Smart Card application is always built over a strong database and automated workflowbased back-end process for the e-governance application. All the services, which are delivered with the helpof Smart Card, are required to be well supported by an already established automated work flow of theapplication domain.

8. Roll-out Model

Roll-out of the Integrated Smart Card based System for the country is no easy task due to its massive size,. Multiplicity of application, if not envisioned and planned properly, shall only add to the complexity. Also ine-governance scenario, most of the time roll-out of Smart Card based system is likely to be in a large GeographicalArea (Country or State). Following are the major activities/processes involved in roll-out of any Smart Cardbased application.

8.1. Activities in Roll-out

Work-flow automation of the domain processes: It must be a pre-requisite for any Smart Card basedproject, that all the domain-specific processes are re-engineered to make them a smooth work-flow basedautomated system, with a citizen centric approach. The standardization of processes shall not only make thesystem more inter-operable across the country, but also shall prove to be more citizen-friendly for efficientservice delivery.

Creation of the back-end data registry of beneficiaries: It is a basic mandatory requirement of any SmartCard based Project that a Data registry of all the beneficiaries exists before hand through the computerized

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database. This is basically derived from the already established automated work-flow system for the domainand made available as a central or distributed repository of beneficiary related information across theenterprise.

Design and development of Key Relation Framework and Key Management System: Any large scaleSmart Card based application requires following kind of securities,

••••• Protection against generation of fake/fraudulent Smart Cards.••••• Protection to maintain data integrity on the Smart Cards and making them temper proof.••••• Providing a framework of authorization, in order to perform genuine data manipulations on card data to

deliver the Card based services.••••• All these requirements of Smart Card security are fulfilled with the help of ingeniously designed Key

Relation Framework and associated Key Management System, to undertake various functionalities inoperationalization of Service Delivery.

Creation of Secure Card Transactions Infrastructure and Service Delivery Infrastructure: Once the abovementioned activities are accomplished, it is important to create the required infrastructure for performing cardbased transactions for service delivery at the field. Following are the requirements for this infrastructure,

••••• Card reading/writing and bio-metrics devices infrastructure.••••• Key Delivery and Secure Storage Infrastructure.••••• Key Usage Control Infrastructure.

How-ever based on the priorities of requirements, size of geographical area, beneficiary population, andbudgetary conditions, infrastructure creation can be distributed in multiple phases.

Card Personalization and Issuance: Having completed above activities, Card personalization and issuancecan be undertaken. This can be accomplished either as a batch processing or on-line continuing processingas part of the work-flow. In case of batch processing, issuance has to be either through postal dispatch(which might increase the cost) or through Public Collection Centers. Card should be issued to rightful cardholder, after performing various card and biometrics based verifications as explained in above sections. Incase of batch distribution of cards through post, appropriate security mechanism (PIN Locking or KeyLocking) must be adopted for the in-transit security of cards, so that even if they are lost in transit due tosome adversity, they can not be subjected to misuse.

Educating the beneficiaries and Post Issuance Card Maintenance: Once the cards are distributed toindividual beneficiaries, it is extremely important to educate them about the usage and benefits of using cardsfor availing the services without any hassles. The mechanism is also required to be in place by this time, formodifying the cardholder related information on the card, time to time. This can also be undertaken as a partof service delivery through already established infrastructure as mentioned in 8.1.4 above.

8.2. Roll-out outsourcing

Due to size and volume related complexities, of large e-governance Projects where a large number ofbeneficiaries are involved, most suitable roll-out model shall be, to share the load by increasing the numberof stakeholders. The best way would be to outsource few of the activities from mentioned above to differentagencies through PPP(Public-Private-Partnership) or BOOT (Build-Own-Operate-Transfer) models ofoutsourcing. How-ever in the interest of security and Data ownership related issues, it is best to retainactivities of Key Management System and Data Registry creation within Government framework.

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9. SCOSTA and other initiatives in Smart Card area

National Informatics Center (Government of India) is working since 2002 in different areas of Smart Cardtechnologies. Basic driving force came initially from Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, with arequest to National Informatics Center for providing them technical assistance, for Smart Card based DrivingLicense and Vehicle Card Project, where-in it was decided by the Ministry, that all the Driving Licenses andVehicle Registration Certificates issued by different State Transport Authorities, shall be issued on SmartCards. The decision was later notified in form of amendment to Central Motor Vehicle Rules. National InformaticsCenter was entrusted by the Ministry, for evolving the technology standards and developing the completesolution for MoRT&H and various State Transport Authorities to implement this scheme. Following are thehighlights of work done by National Informatics Center in Smart Card and related technologies.

9.1. SCOSTA

The biggest challenge in the success of Smart Card Application, as has been mentioned earlier in thisdocument, is the technology inter-operability. Due to various market forces and other corporate interests, noserious work was conducted by any technology agency to evolve complete implementable Standards. NationalInformatics Center worked along with other agencies which included academia and industry players, toevolve a complete implementable Smart Card Operating Systems Standards, which was named SCOSTA(Smart Card Operating System for Transport Application). Since the standards were developed on the requestof Ministry of Transport and Highways, that is how the name of standard included the name “TransportApplication” in it. But otherwise the standards are absolutely generic and are deployment-ready for all kindof Identity applications like PDS card, Election Card, BPL Card, Citizen ID Card, PAN Card etc. Since, SCOSTAis primarily based on ISO-7816 standards, and therefore also comply with any international requirements. Bytoday’s date, more than twenty major national and international industry players have adopted these standardsinto their Smart Card products and selling to national and international market. SCOSTA has also beenrecommended by the Technical Committee for MNIC Card, under Ministry of home Affairs.

9.2. Smart Card Security Infrastructure for Driving License and Vehicle Card

National Informatics Center designed the national infrastructure for Smart Card security, which has alreadybeen deployed and is working across the country in various State Transport Authorities. For the purpose ofnational interoperability this infrastructure comprises of three tier, National, State and Regional. Followingare different kind of transactions which are securely performed in Transport Sector through Smart Card underthe secure environment of this infrastructure,

••••• Booking road offences at road side••••• Payment of Road Tax••••• Vehicle fitness certificate••••• Vehicle Permit for Commercial Vehicles.••••• Issuance of Pollution Control Certificate

9.3. Smart Card Technology for Access Control and Cyber Security

National Informatics Center has designed and developed following Smart Card based applications forStrengthening Physical Security and Cyber Security within NIC and as a proof-of-concept for other governmentdepartments/ministries.

••••• Access Control System and Attendance Monitoring••••• Smart Card based Identity Management and Application Role allocation for Cyber Access.••••• PKI based remote user authentication.

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••••• Digital Signature Tools for Internet and non-Internet based documents.••••• Digital Signature and Crypto Gateway.••••• Smart VPN.


It is clear from preceding sections, that any Smart Card based project, on the one side is very helpful in theDelivery of Citizen Centric services, but on the other side requires a very careful planning and approach tohandle the complexities and size. If the application is planned to be implemented as a part of e-governanceprogram, it is essential that it is undertaken under the overall custodianship of a Government agency, in whicha Multi Application Smart Card is issued to citizen, on which the multiple applications are hosted on the samecard. Planning must be done in such a manner that, even if initially only one or two applications are hosted (inaddition to Citizen Identity), hosting of other applications should be possible in a phased manner. Carefulplanning is also required to be done for phasing of the overall project. This is inherently going to be a twodimensional. In the first dimension of phasing it should be horizontally phased for Geographical Area/Zonewise roll-out, while in the second dimension of phasing it should be done on the basis of priority of applications.Every application domain must be responsible for its own Key Management Framework, and creation ofapplication specific infrastructure. The technology selection for Smart Card must be based on followingcriteria,

••••• It must be Open Source Technology based on National Standard••••• Inter-operability must be ensured in both ways, i.e. intra-applications and intra-States••••• Vendor Independence and level playing field••••• Fair market competition to bring down the cost of technology

References

1 Konigs Hans-Peter. (1991). Cryptographic Identification Methods, IEEE Communications Magazine,June

2 Fiat A. and Shamir A., How to Proof Yourself: Practical Solution to Identification and Signature Problems,Crypto ’86 Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol. 263, pp 186-194, Springer Verlag.

3 Dang Lanjun., Kou Weidong. and Xiao Yuxia. An Improved Mutual Authentication Scheme for Smart CardSecure Messaging, Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on E-Commerce Technology forDynamic E-Business (CEC-East’04) 0-7695-2206-8/04 $ 20.00 IEEE

4 ISO/IEC 9798-2,3,4,5: (1999), Information technology Security techniques Entity authentication.

5 ISO/IEC 7816-4: (1995) (E), Information Technology Identification Cards Integrated Circuit(s) cardswith contacts

6 CHAN C.K. and CHENG. (2000).Cryptanalysis of a remote user authentication scheme using SmartCards, IEEE Trans. Consum. Electron., 46, pp. 992-993

7 Murthy D Narasirnba., Kumar Prasanna R.V., Software Architectural Design Model For e-governanceSystems, TENCON 2003, 0-7803-7651-x/03/$17.Q00 2 003 EEE.

8 Jain A. K., Hong L., Pankanti S. and Bolle R. (1997). An Identity Authentication System Using Fingerprints,Proc. IEEE.

9 Kumar P Yeswanth. and Ganesh T Sakthi. (2005) Integration of Smart Card and Gabor Filter Methodbased Fingerprint Matching for Faster Verification, IEEE Indicon 2005 Conference, Chennai, India, 11-13 Dec.

10 Specifications for the Smart-Card Operating System for Transport Applications (SCOSTA), http://scosta.gov.in accessed on July 2006

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About the Author

S.K.Sinha is Senior Technical Director in National Informatics Center, Department of IT, Governmentof India. He was the technical lead of the team involved in evolving SCOSTA Standards, which were laternotified by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for Smart Card based Indian Driving License andVehicle Registration Certificate. He was also the technical lead for the design of Key RelationshipFramework and National Key Management System infrastructure for Smart Card based Driving Licenseand Vehicle RC. S.K.Sinha is Member Secretary in Technical Committee for Multi Application IndianNational ID Card, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India and Member in the TechnicalCommittee for e-Passport Systems, under Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. Followingare other credentials about the author,

Working as Senior Project Manager for the large National Projects of National Importance, and executingproject assignments in the challenging environment in Government working.

Evolving Technology Standards and evaluating project architecture for development and National Roll outof G-2-G and G-2-C, E-governance projects.

Evolving the Processes, Policies and Deployment Model for successful and smooth acceptance of theproject by the users at various levels including the citizen. Also involved in post development usermotivation during roll out at various levels.

Motivating to the large number of team members and users involved in the Project at various stages of lifecycle, to achieve the project objectives in stipulated timeframe with the most cost effective manner andlatest technological solutions.

Rural Women Education and Health Information Service DeliveryExperience with ICT Tools

V. S Venkatesan1* and Jani Bai2

ABSTRACT

The broad aim of this paper is to give practical insight into problems of rural women educationand health information service delivery and articulate the experiences of our group in planningand implementing an ICT based health education project in rural India. Two key sectors ofservice delivery in a government are education and health and any e-government initiative couldbenefit from knowledge and experience in these two areas. A comprehensive, practical modelthat takes into consideration the socioeconomic and political realities of developing countriesdoes not exist at present. Existing models are able to handle transactional activities such as billpaying or one way information delivery. However, few are able to handle complex service deliverysuch as education / health. Such models evolve from practical experiences in problem solving.This paper takes a practical, non-academic approach and presents the group’s experiences inthe use of ICT tools to disseminate information to rural women. The findings are based on alarge project conducted in several villages in Thiruchirapalli District, Tamil Nadu, India. Ourresults suggest that, ICT is an attractive and powerful tool for disseminating information andhas substantial novelty value attracting wide audience. However, long term effectiveness of suchprograms is affected by lack of education, social taboos/norms and economic realities. Longterm sustainability of these programs is also in question due to financial and managerialconstraints. These are discussed in greater detail in the paper. Service delivery is a major partof e-government and the experiences and issues discussed here are directly relevant to any e-government program in a developing country. Our findings suggest that ICT is just atechnological tool and, while it can definitely benefit a section of the society, the concept of e-government service delivery cannot reach rural masses in countries like India, unless a consciouseffort is made to address non-IT issues. ICT cannot realize its full potential in isolation.Socioeconomic and infrastructure issues need to be addressed before a significant impact can bemade. There is also the philosophical question, ‘can it ever be achieved?’ To be effective, ICT ingovernment and society should be brought to the level of ‘business as usual’ activity and beintegrated with everyday working life. This will need a generational change and will requirelong term commitment from government.

Keywords: ICT, Health Information Delivery, E-government, Education

1 School of Arts & Sciences, The University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle, 6959, WA, Australia *Corresponding Author: (Phone: +61-8 9433 0563, Email: [email protected] )2 Seethalakshmi Ramaswamy College, Thiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India

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V. S Venkatesan and Jani Bai / Rural Women Education and Health Information Service ....

1. Introduction

World is moving increasingly towards ‘e-solutions’ and Information Technology is making steady inroadsinto every sphere of activity, e-commerce, e-government and virtual society being some of the core themes.While on-line shopping and e-commerce have not reached the great heights as promised, it is evident thatbusinesses and households are increasingly using the Internet to search for information and to transactbusiness on line. The ability of the ‘World Wide Web’ to transcend geographical and national boundariesand provide 24x7 consumer access to information has spawned new modalities of information exchange andnew methods of service delivery such as e-health and e-learning. However, experience is proving that,‘information revolution’ has largely been confined to the developed / affluent nations.

While Digital divide is well recognized throughout the world, the digital gap is much wider in developingcountries, socioeconomic factors and poor communication infrastructure being some of the contributors.Further, it is also recognised that IT adoption, be it in the society or government, requires a cultural changeand a different mindset. As the US experience suggests, ‘E-government’ adoption will need a generationalchange. For example, despite India being the world leader in software development, it is still a newspaperheadline story when the Indian Finance Minister presents the budget using a laptop. In contrast, use oflaptops and associated presentation software is a norm in many western countries. Thus, it is clear that,taking IT and integrating it with the mainstream of life, business or government requires more than technologyor financial outlay.

Women welfare is a key service delivery area throughout the developing world, education and healthbeing two important components. Progress in these two segments can lead to improvement in socioeconomicdimensions and this can significantly impact on the future generations. Women education in the metropolitancities of many developing countries has dramatically improved in the last decade and even marginal familiesunderstand the value of education and are able to access the school / college system in large cities. Incontrast, economic and social divide often results in young females dropping out of schools in rural areas. Inaddition, lack of awareness of health issues among young and middle aged rural women is a problem in Indiaand other developing / underdeveloped countries. Raising the awareness of these vulnerable segments canhave a significant impact on their welfare and the future generation and reduce health risks.

This project, done in collaboration with Seethalakshmi Ramaswamy College (SRC), Thiruchirapalli, TamilNadu focused on understanding the factors that resulted in the dropout of young females from rural schoolsand the role of IT in getting them back on stream. Further, the project examined the level of awareness ofspecific health issues among rural women and the impact of ICT based tools in improving dissemination ofhealth information. Key findings and experiences are presented in the paper.

While the use of ICT tools was the main focus of the project, it was felt necessary to gain an understandingthe social background of the target audience and the non-IT elements that had an impact on the projectoutcome. Consequently, the project had a non-IT research component and an IT development andimplementation component.

Key Objectives of the project were

• To understand the factors that forced young female students to drop out of schools.• To understand the health information needs of young women in rural areas of Thiruchirapalli District,

Tamil Nadu where SRC is located.• To examine ways of disseminating health information that is needed in the rural community.• To train the first generation rural students studying at SRC to become the core torchbearers for this pilot

and use them as nodes to promote health and educational messages in their respective rural communities.

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• To examine the value of an ICT based system to disseminate information to villages.

2. Methodology

The project was done in two stages. During the preliminary phase, 14 villages and two suburbs ofThiruchirapalli town were covered. The project area was selected based on the familiarity of the place and itsinhabitants. Initially, a preliminary survey was conducted in these areas and data on their economic andsocial status were collected. Staff and students participating in the project were trained by a professionalhealth consultant. An information software package was developed, tested and refined and, over a period ofone week, students and staff at SRC were trained to handle the software through workshop and demonstrations.The software covered four key areas: importance of education; AIDS awareness, Prenatal care and Postnatalcare. Subsequently, staff and students visited different villages and spread the messages to the villagersusing the software and a feedback was collected. During the interaction the proceedings were recorded usingphoto camera, web camera, tape recorder and individual notes. The second phase of the study covered 25other villages and women in the age group of 20-40 years and school dropouts between to 14-18 years weretargeted.

Target villages were divided into 4 groups such that each group of villages showed a greater lack ofawareness in one particular area. For example, Group I had greater school dropout rate among girl studentscompared to others. Similarly the second and third groups showed a greater lack of awareness in pre-nataland post-natal care while the last group of villages exhibited greater lack of awareness about HIV/ AIDS.Though dissemination of information about all these 4 factors were done in all the four groups of villages,more emphasis was given to the factor that required greater attention in that group of villages. In addition, thesoftware was also presented in two local women’s colleges. About 500 students participated in the presentations.Many of these students came from rural areas and were to act as channels of information for their areas.

3. Results

3.1. Technical Results

Initial training targeted about 20 staff and 200 students at SRC. These students were from a rural backgroundand were the first generation students coming for college students from these areas and had first handknowledge of the problems and possible solutions. Thus, they became the champions of the project in localareas. Their commitment and perseverance was a significant human factor in the success of the project.In the presentations to the two nearby colleges with about 550 female participants, ICT tools were wellreceived and the following key themes emerged:

• Education would be an effective tool to protect women against social evils like dowry, harassment andsexual exploitation by men.

• Imparting primary education to rural girls will bring about a reformative attitude in men. Women wouldacquire respect and honour from their male counterparts if proper education is provided to them.

• Ignorant rural womenfolk could be converted into responsible and respectable women citizens througheducation.

• Imparting education to girls should be made mandatory.• Providing minimum education to all girl children in the country should become a social commitment on

the part of the government.• Poverty was seen as the major cause for dropouts among girls in rural areas and efforts should be taken

to remove poverty through effective employment programmes in rural areas.• Most students were aware of the effects of AIDS, the modes of transmission and it’s after effects.

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3.2. Research findings

Research conducted in 39 villages and two suburbs yielded the following information.

i) School dropouts

• Participating audience not only included girl students but also their mothers. Many mothers also camewith their infants. This demonstrated a high level of interest in the target audience and in generalpublic.

• Many mothers were aware of the beneficial effects of education and were keen to educate their girls.• However, lack of local school to continue education and poverty emerged as two main reasons for

girls discontinuing studies. Distance to the higher school, preference for boys to study compared togirls also emerged as minor reasons for the discontinuance.

• Lack of educational support led to the failure of students in exams and the idea of being ridiculed byclassmates made them discontinue.

• Students / Parents were also not aware of some of the support programs for students.• Social taboos or local customs also prevented some girl students attending school once they reached

puberty.• In some cases, students were aware that a career was not possible. As a result, they were mentally

prepared to get married and settle into a family life. These students lacked the motivation to continue/ excel in their study.

• Participants were of the view that employment oriented educational programs such as computertraining will be helpful to them in getting a job and settling their future.

ii) Health information dissemination

Three specific health issues Pre-natal care, Post-natal care and AIDS that were identified in the preliminarysurvey were targeted in the project.

• Participating women had limited awareness of the pre-natal and post natal issues. They had very littlescientific knowledge and most of their earlier information was based on hearsay and tradition. The ICTinformation package had substantial impact on raising their level of awareness. The impact of audiovisualpresentation was substantial.

• However, moving from ‘being aware’ to taking practical steps to overcome the problem was problematicdue to lack of medical infrastructure, poverty leading to non adoption of nutrition regime, local mythsabout immunization, lack of education, inability to access / understand information, social customs andtaboos.

• With specific reference to AIDS, it was seen more as a taboo subject. People were hesitant to talk aboutthe disease or admit they had AIDS for the fear of being ostracized from the society.

• Women saw themselves as victims of AIDS being passed on to them by men. Because of social customs,they expressed their frustration in not being able to stop the transmission even when they knew thattheir partner had AIDS and it can be transmitted.

• Key professional stakeholders such as local health worker or nurse in the Primary Health Centre whowatched the programs, felt that though they had basic knowledge on the subject, the IT baseddissemination has a better reach and impact.

• Novelty of ICT tools also meant that there was very less distraction among the participants during thedissemination process and they seemed to be attentive.

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3.3. Use of ICT tools - Key findings

• About 50,000 people in about 40 villages and two suburbs were targeted and over 1000 participated inthe research program.

• About 200 students are 20 staff initially underwent training in the use of software and dissemination ofhealth information. These students came from these villages and were from an economically backwardbackground. Consequently, the information providers had a personal stake in the project. They becameunpaid but highly committed volunteers. These volunteers, being part of the local community, hadstrong interest in the project outcome. An additional 550 students were also provided with healthinformation.

• The ICT presentation / interaction sessions had very good response from public and it was obvious thatthe visual learning has helped rural women to understand the concepts better.

• The software based system also proved a ‘hit’ with villagers and had a novelty value, attracting a largeaudience.

• As can be expected, the response and feedback were slightly different for different villages. Thesedifferences may be attributed to differences in social status, economic level, cultural background,awareness level and such factors.

• Despite variable response, the use of ICT tools proved to be of tremendous help for the disseminationof the information as− The message reached the target group easily− The target groups were attracted to attend− There was less of distraction among the participants− Concepts were made clearer− Greater response and hence greater feedback.

• Though the project thought about an on-line information system, it was quickly dropped in favour of aCD based system. Lack of communication infrastructure, cost and other factors limited the viability of anon-line system. An on-line system being able to get the latest information on AIDS and other health careissues would probably be more attractive from a scientific point of view but less effective. Instead, theoption was to develop and use an educational software with reliable information for the masses withoutunduly worrying about the latest research in all parts of the world.

• Compared conventional audiovisual modes such as Video Tapes or films, a computer based presentationwas seen to have the following advantages:

• Flexibility and adaptability – With the same basic material, programs could be tailored easily with minimaleffort. Thus, the presentations become more interesting.

• A bank of audiovisual material could be created from which the presenter could quickly draw the material.• Except for initial production, the cost was minimal.• Cost of reproduction was much cheaper so that more agencies could use the same material.• The focus of the material could be changed to meet the needs of various government agencies.

3.4 Real World issues

• Most of the women participants were involved in agricultural work and, since it was the harvest season,they were reluctant to participate in the dissemination program, as it would cost them a day’s income.Thus, economic realities of day to day life became a factor.

• Due to the conservative nature of the society, women did not readily come out for public functions andhad to be persuaded through individual contact. The human element became an important factor. Suchnon IT factors are generally not considered when planning or implementing a project in the rural areasand yet they make the difference between success and failure of the project.

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• Based on feedback in the first phase, the software was modified, program shortened to meet the timerequirements of audience, language simplified and other methods of presentation (songs, skit) wereintroduced. Capturing and retaining the attention of the audience and encouraging their participationbecame the key to successfully conveying the message. Such personal commitment from project staff isoften absent in government initiative. Because of the bureaucratic nature of government, a personalizeddelivery is often not feasible. The level of training provided to volunteers is again not feasible in agovernment set up.

• The localized nature of the program and the prominence of SRC in the region were also helpful inimproving the profile of the project. As a result, participation from local officials and local schools washigh.

• Because of a sense of local ownership of the project, several local government and Non-governmentagencies had expressed an interest in using this information package and it is being distributed free ofcost to interest groups.

• In order to ensure long-term sustainability of the project, SRC has integrated this research into theirregular teaching / research program.

3.5. Project Outcomes

• Over 50,000 women population in 39 villages and two suburban areas of Thiruchirapalli town targeted.• High level of public participation both in terms of number and quality.• Participation of several local decision makers and government officials resulting in broad ownership.• The project demonstrated to those in the ‘chain-of-command’ that ‘effective’ programs can be done with

a modest budget.• Some of the high cost models seen in the developed world are not necessary for developing world.

Participants were a lot more resilient.• In terms of return on investment (ROI), results showed a high intangible ROI. The very nature of the

problem made it is difficult to quantify the impact and outcomes could only be qualitatively assessedfrom the response of the participants.

3.6. General Learning

Based on experiences in the current project and other similar projects, the following general observationsare made. These largely address the failure of ICT social projects.

• Many ICT based social change projects are of short duration, small in size and are localised to make asignificant and long lasting impact. As a result, micro changes that result from the project disappear inthe wider milieu.

• Projects also underestimate the complexity of the underlying problem and the focus appears to be onshort term and micro gains.

• Project teams often lack the project management expertise. Accountability mechanisms are also lackingin projects. Objectives of projects are often intangible and not well defined. As a result, results are alsonot quantifiable.

• There is no mechanism that will carry these initiatives from the project stage and integrate it with day today activities of the society or government.

• ICT should be recognized first as a tool that can make the processes more effective. Unless the basicprocesses and attitudes change, ICT will have minimal / negative impact. It can also be counter productive.

• The funding agencies also appear to focus more on the emotional content and feeling of ‘doing good’ forthe society’ rather than tangible, lasting outcomes.

• High population, limited government budgets and competing priorities for funding limited the ability of

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governments to effectively take the programs forward.


Based on the outcomes of this project and related experience in the wider context, the author is of the viewthat ICT can be a powerful tool in service delivery. However, ICT is just a tool and the human dimension ofservice delivery is important. Putting some information on the web may be useful for some but will beineffective in the larger context in a developing country. Micro projects with local ownership will be moreeffective compared to a broad brush, ‘one size fits all’ approach. However, to be effective, these microprojects should be integrated and well coordinated at the macro level. Integrated macro planning and microexecution will be the key to success. There should be recognition that IT cannot operate in isolation andother social and governmental systems need to evolve before a significant change can be seen. This couldyet be beyond the horizon in many developing countries.

Acknowledgement

This joint Australia–India work was made possible through a Pan-Asia grant. Seethalakshmi RamaswamyCollege was instrumental in getting the field work done. Special credit goes to Dr Jani Bai, Principal of thecollege / Co-investigator and Mr. Panchapakesan, Managing Trustee of the college. A large number ofstudents and faculty members gave their time and effort for the success of the project. The role of all these un-named participants is gratefully acknowledged. Mr. Subramaniam, Health Consultant from Chennai and DrVenkatraman from AMIC, Singapore also made important contributions to the project. In as much as theauthor, as the principal investigator, is presenting the paper and the research findings, credit should go to allindividuals and the scores of student volunteers. This is a joint effort.

References

1 Venkatesan V. S. (2004). Graduate School of Management, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia& Jani Bai, Principal, Seethalakshmi Ramaswamy College, Trichy, India. IT Mediated RuralWomen Education and Dissemination of Health Information - A Pilot – Final Project Report submitted toPan Asia ICT R&D Grants Programme.

2 Venkatesan V. S. (2004). Towards an E-Government - Issues in Developing Countries. Second InternationalConference on E-Governance, Sri Lanka.

3 Venkatesan V. S., Eversole R. and K. Robinson (2004). Information Access in Rural Communities: Bridgingthe Digital Divide – Chapter X in book ‘Using Community Informatics to Transform Regions, ed. S.Marshall W. Taylor and X. Yu, Idea Group Publishing, USA. ISBN 1-59140-278-6.

4 VenkatesanV. S. (2003). Information Need and Its Impact on the Adoption of E-Commerce Tools in theSmall Business Sector. 14th IRMA International Conference, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA (May18-21).

5 Venkatesan V. S. (2003). A Community Based Approach to E-Commerce: An Alternative E-CommerceModel for Small Communities. 14th IRMA International Conference, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA(May 18-21).

6 Venkatesan V. S., Eversole R., Robinson K. and J. Clark (2002). Information Access in rural communities-bridging the digital divide. ITiRA 2002 Conference, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia; 26 - 29 August2002.

7 Venkatesan V. S. and K. Robinson (2002). Enhancing E-Commerce Opportunities In Regional WesternAustralia - A Dynamic Hub and Spoke E-Commerce Model. ITiRA 2002 Conference, Rockhampton,Queensland, Australia; 26 - 29 August 2002.

8 Venkatesan V. S. and K. Robinson (2002). E-divide issues in Regional Australia. 13th IRMA InternationalConference, Seattle, Washington, USA (May 19-22, 2002).

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About the Authors

V. S. Venkatesan is a Senior Lecturer, currently with the University of Nortre Dame, Australia, Perth,Australia.

Jani Bai is the Principal of Seethalakshmi Ramaswamy College in Thiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India.This paper is based on an international project done in Trichy district of Tamil Nadu, India.

Need For Organisational Development in E-governance

D. N. Gupta1

ABSTRACT

Undoubtedly, e-governance offers big opportunity for the government to transform, and the scaleof transformation is huge. It can be immensely useful in raising the efficiency of governmentfunctioning and improving public service delivery, as also in bridging geographical divide. However,it is widely acknowledged that e-governance projects are usually complex, people-oriented, andhave long gestation period. Therefore, alongside technology, what is required is to align humanresource skills, competencies and work culture with the transformation process. It calls for acalibrated shift from discussions on systems and processes to that of leadership, team building,incentives, civil services reforms, and creation of a citizen-oriented organisation.

Keywords: Organisational development work culture, civil services reforms

1. Introduction

“It is not just the technology that is the key to productivity and growth, it is the ability of people todevelop and use technology”

There is consensus emerging that information and communication technologies (ICT) are central to thecreation of the emerging global knowledge-based economy and can play an important role in acceleratinggrowth, in promoting sustainable development, facilitating eradication of poverty in developing countries aswell as in their effective integration into the global economy (www.developmentgateway.org). Likewise,within country economy, IT can facilitate mainstreaming the backward regions and bridging rural-urbandivide. E-governance is one application area, where IT has made considerable progress and it offers vastpotential to provide good governance. Under e-governance, several projects are being run across the statesin the country by various agencies both public and private sector. With the setting up of kiosks at the villagelevel, citizens can utilise them as ‘one stop shop’ for availing basic services at the village level. The villagelevel kiosks provide scope for timely availability of services and access to vital information as may beneeded on a routine basis.

In spite of such efforts, there remain areas of concerns affecting the performance of e-governance in theservice delivery. Among others, prominent areas are: inadequacy of functional capabilities, lack of citizen-centric approach, inadequate capacity of delivery system to deliver, lack of responsive work culture and soon. What is observed is that the focus in most of the projects is on computerisation and automation using IT.As a result, such projects are successful at the pilot stage but do not sustain after the roll-out. The studies(Gupta, 2004 and ISS, 2006) reflect that for a successful e-governance project implementation, government

1 Institute of Social Sciences, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi-110070, India(Phone: +91-11-26121902, E-mail: [email protected])

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process change and organisational development (cultural & behavioural change) are very critical.

Further, the available literature (Peppard and Rowland, 2002; Hammer and Champy, 1993) has brought outcategorically the limitations of technology and the importance of addressing other system issues like workculture, capabilities, process re-design and so on. Sometimes projects acquire technology without modifyingtheir human resource practices, mistakenly assuming ‘technological determinism’ – that technology’s effectsare independent of the organisational structure in which it is embedded.

2. International Experiences about IT Deployment

Studies indicate (Peppard and Rowland, 2002) that projects with the right combination of human resourcepractices, supplier relations, and product design succeed – not necessarily those with the most advancedtechnology. Econometric research also suggests that while IT investments are often associated with higherproductivity, complementary organisational changes are equally important (Brynjolfsson et. al., 1996).Frequently, business process reengineering (BPR) efforts run into serious difficulties. By some estimates,70% of such projects fail to reach their intended goals (ISS, 2006; Hammer and Champy, 1993), and aprogramme that seeks to become a ‘House of Quality’ more often becomes a ‘House of Cards’.

Similarly, BPR requires that old practices must be changed and new processes be designed to fullyleverage new technology. While re-designing the processes or organisations the existing knowledge need tobe utilised to the fullest extent, and the involvement of people is critical for the success (ISS, 2006). Collins(2005) highlights that even the best business companies in the world have given top priority to havinghealthy work culture, developing capabilities, redesigning processes and systems to improve efficiency.Only after that, they have successfully deployed technology to further enhance efficiency. When we standback to look at the rise and fall of great corporations over the long course of history, we find that technologyis an accelerator of greatness already in place, never the principal cause of greatness or decline. Greatcompanies first build a culture of discipline – disciplined people who engage in disciplined thought and whotake disciplined action – and then they use technology to enhance these pre-existing variables, never as areplacement.

3. Why Organisational Development (OD)

Excellence in functioning will come from commitment to it. Here, human factor matters the most (Luthans,1998). It is not just the technology that is the key to productivity and growth, it is the ability of people todevelop and use technology. Here, the importance of organisational development (OD) arises. OD refers tothe long-range effort to improve an organization’s problem-solving capabilities and effectiveness to copewith changes in its external environment with the help of behavioural science technology, research, andtheory (Cummings and Worley, 2002). OD would be useful in improving organisational effectiveness ofdelivery system engaged in e-governance in two major ways:

• First, an effective organisation (delivery system) would be able to solve its own problems (e.g. relatedto citizens’ grievances, kiosk management, process of preparation of certificates, network failure, etc.)and focus its attention and resources on achieving key goals. OD would help functionaries gain theskills and knowledge necessary to conduct these activities by involving them in the process.

If we take the case of BPR, it requires that old practices must be changed and new processes bedesigned to fully leverage new technology (IT), management practices and ground realities (or fieldproblems). And such effort would require the involvement of functionaries right from conceptual stageto process mapping to reengineering and then implementation (see Figure 1, for BPR cycle). Whileredesigning the processes, the existing manpower (functionaries) needs to be utilised to the fullestextent. Here, the involvement of functionaries is critical, as the change management needs to be a

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‘citizen-centric’ intervention. Outside consultants may be useful, but as the new processes are to beadapted and implemented in future by the existing functionaries of respective delivery departments, sotheir involvement in entire BPR cycle is essential for successful transformation. Also, it would be vital fordeveloping system ownership at the point of delivery of services and then accountability of concerneddepartment.

Fig. 1: BPR Cycle (which requires human input at every stage of cycle)

• Second, an effective organisation would result into high performance and efficient delivery of services.With the changing requirements of citizens (e.g. sudden increased number of certificates or relief measures,etc.), the functionaries can respond in an effective manner and perform at high levels.

Fig. 2: How Organisational Development (OD) is Vital for Good Governance

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4. Measures for OD

Specifically, in the context of e-governance, OD would be vital in enhancing organisational effectivenessand managing change in terms of: first, preparing functionaries for the desired task through necessarybehavioural skills; second, improving problem-solving ability to undertake the task of BPR; and third,adapting new technology.

Under the study of organisational behaviour (ISS, 2006), five vital issues viz., leadership, teamwork,roles and responsibility, motivation and work culture were studied through field survey and FGDs. Based onthe findings, it is suggested that these issues require addressal in an integrated way. The Figure 2 depictshow OD is vital for good governance. It highlights that good governance would require citizen focus andquality of services; and to meet them OD interventions are required to inculcate behavioural skills. And afew suggestions are given below in order to enable the delivery system to leverage technology effectively(see Table 1):

• Leadership: The project leadership should be participatory type, giving encouragement to participatoryway of working. This is crucial as governance involves multi-departmental and multi-functional activities,which would require involvement of all functionaries. The leadership should evolve into ‘enablingbureaucracy’ as indicated in Figure 3. The hallmark of participatory leadership would be to encourage‘constructive criticism’. The leadership should strive to bring citizen-centric work culture and involvementof functionaries in change management process.

• Transfer and postings: Another important dimension for the organisational effectiveness is the stabilityof top leadership. It will call for having a right policy for transfer and postings of functionaries, especiallyof head of the offices, so that the initiatives taken and knowledge generated are sustained.

• Teamwork: As service delivery, under e-governance system, involves multi-departmental and -levelinteraction, so each member should be encouraged to work in a team for problem identification,brainstorming and problem solving. The team should have shared vision of good governance havingvital values viz., citizen focus, efficiency, transparency and accountability.

Fig. 3: Types of Bureaucratic Structure

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Table 1: OD Interventions for Improving Effectiveness of Delivery System

S. N. Present status Interventions for Likely impact 1. Leadership - Directional

- Participatory and

enabling leadership - Stability to leadership at

each level 2. Teamwork - Lack of

teamwork - Individual

performance

- Encouraging teamwork through participatory techniques (like quality circle)

- Team performance 3. Roles and

responsibility - Not clearly

defined - Clearly defined roles and

responsibilities 4. Motivation - Lack of

motivation

- Empowerment (knowledge, skills)

- Participatory decision-making process

- Autonomy (decision-making power)

- Reward (incentive, recognition)

- Improving working conditions

5. Work culture (values)

- Lack of citizen-focus

- Starting with sensitisation programme for inculcating new set of values*

- A carefully drafted change management strategy

- Improved work culture and motivation

- Improved organisational effectiveness

- Citizen-centric and effective organisation

- Can facilitate in achieving the objectives of e-governance

* Values like: Punctuality, Timeliness, Responsiveness, Efficiency, ability to appreciate criticism,appreciation for Transparency and Accountability

• Roles and responsibility: The roles and responsibilities of each team member engaged in e-governanceshould be clearly identified in order to provide them clear direction and also to fix responsibility. Forexample, the roles of kiosk owner, supervisor, Patwari, etc., should be clearly demarcated with regardsto counseling of citizens, verification of documents, monitoring, follow-up, supervision and so on.

• Motivation: In order to enable functionaries to deliver productively, there is a need of creating enablingenvironment – creating performance-driven conditions (see Figure 4). It is based on the premise thatthere is a need to create system that recognises the value of and gives support to functionaries. There isa felt need to increase their involvement and empowerment in the change management process. It willrequire giving them autonomy and increasing their role in decision-making. Empowerment is based onthe belief that employees have the ability to take on more responsibility and authority than traditionallyhas been given to them, and that heightened efficiency and a better quality of work will result.Simultaneously, efforts should be to provide good working conditions (like electricity, fans, drinkingwater, furniture, cleanliness, etc.) at the work place. Such environment will provide motivation topersonnel to put their best and deliver good results.

Besides, ‘opportunity for advancement in career’ and ‘recognition of good work’ need urgent

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consideration for motivating functionaries and raising performance level. For instance, if a functionaryinteracts with citizens in a friendly and responsive manner and delivers services efficiently, he shouldbe recognised and suitably rewarded. Such initiatives will make healthy impact on the morale of thefunctionaries.

Fig. 4: Performance-driven Approach

• Work culture: The culture is one ingredient in helping deliver value to customers (citizens). Like processes,it must be aligned to the strategy of the organisation and managed when change is required. For goodgovernance, the citizen-centric work culture should be evolved with a specific focus on quality indicatorssuch as punctuality, timeliness, responsiveness and efficiency. In the context of service sector dealingswith a large number of customers (citizens in the context of governance), there is a need to developattitude to appreciate criticism from citizens and for taking criticisms or stingy feedback in a right spirit.Also, to avoid the environment of being defensive, there is a call for removing the fear of transparencyand accountability among functionaries through counselling. While, at the same time, there is a need ofinstilling a sense of responsibility and accountability. It would require organising sensitisation programmefor inculcating new set of values. In this regard, training programmes may also be organised for developingemotional intelligence to better appreciate the citizen handling.

In order to evolve participatory organisation in a government delivery system, it will require bringingcertain design features related to organizational structure, job design, information system, career system,selection, training, reward system, personnel policies, and physical layout, as outlined in Table 2. It should besuch, which should give a sense of joyful setting at work place, in order to encourage functionaries tocontribute their best.

5. Capacity Building – Effectiveness of Human Resources is a Key Factor

Due to rising expectations of citizens and increased complexity of issues, the government organisationsare faced with unprecedented change and challenge to work in innovative ways. In this context e-governancehas opened up a new opportunity to governments across the board. However, due to complexity of issuesand multi-stakeholder involvement, implementing e-governance project is a big task for any department orgovernment. It has the potential to change the whole façade of governmental. It can open up a gateway ofvast opportunities for citizens, seamless flow of information, on-line coordination among various agencies,and provide efficient service to the citizens. It is in this context the role of human resources assumes greatimportance. It is more important as a good framework may be undercut, if the personnel lack training, orientation,or motivation; or if there is a lack of leadership commitment. Therefore, sincerely motivated personnel canexercise their technological skills to the highest level through continuous innovation. They need to beequipped with new skills that would enable them to work efficiently and get prepared to take risks. Special

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Table 2: Design Features for a Participative System in a Government Delivery System

• Organizational structure 1. Lean 2. Team-based 3. Participative structure

• Job design 1. Individually enriched 2. Job enrichment

• Information system 1. Open 2. Inclusive 3. Decentralized: team-based

• Career system 1. Tracks and counseling

available 2. Open job posting

• Selection 1. Realistic job preview 2. Team-based 3. Potential and process-skill

oriented

• Training 1. Commitment 2. Peer training 3. Interpersonal skills

• Reward system 1. Open 2. Skill-based 3. Gain sharing or ownership 4. Flexible benefits 5. Egalitarian perquisites

• Personnel policies 1. Stability of employment 2. Participatively established

through representative group • Physical layout

1. Visibility 2. Egalitarian 3. Clean and hygienic 4. Safe and pleasant

(Source Cummings and Worley (2002) and based on own analysis)

focus has to be given to behavioural skills like inter-personal skills, participatory leadership, team buildingand motivation (Samia Melham, 2006).

For performing various functions, the stakeholders require enhanced capabilities. These include technical,managerial / administrative and human / behavioural capabilities. Technical capabilities relate to basic technicalknowledge of different subjects concerning the delivery department. Managerial capabilities include projectmanagement skills, quality management, etc. Human capabilities are concerned with ability to deal with otherpeople like officials, staff members, citizens and so on. These include abilities to lead others, motivate,generate team spirit and resolve conflicts. Some of the capabilities, as may be required in the context of e-governance, are summed-up as follows (ISS, 2006):

− Technical Capabilitie

Subject-based (of service delivery department)

• Laws, rules, processes, etc. governing the functioning• Legal knowledge• Technical (domain) knowledge based on job requirement (e.g. for health agriculture, etc.)

Computer-based

• Computer literacy• Database design and development• Software design and development• Network design

− Managerial / Administrative capabilities

• BPR• Project management• Management tools and techniques• Financial management

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• Marketing management• CRM• Quality management

− Human / Behavioural capabilities

• Leadership• Team building• Roles and responsibilities• Motivation• Inter-personal skills and emotional intelligence

The above list is indicative, not exhaustive. Also Knowledge inputs would vary depending upon thestakeholder and the level of functioning.

6. Civil Services Reforms

The human resource functions have lagged for decades in public service. Due to multi-dimensionalnature, anyone who has worked on e-governance projects would understand the complexity of such tasks,especially in transformation efforts. It gets compounded due to lack of committed leadership (champions), fearof change, or administrative and political hurdles.

Earlier institutional setup dealing more with law & order and revenue related matters finds itselfanachronistic for handling the citizens requirement at the grassroots level, which requires approach of workingwith people rather than giving command. The centralised way of decision-making and the inability to workwith people do not help citizens and the cause of providing good governance. Cultural values such as lack ofresponsiveness, tendency not to appreciate citizens’ needs, lack of appreciation for transparency andaccountability among functionaries do not give confidence to citizens about public service delivery.

6.1. New philosophy

In the light of above, if e-governance has to be a successful paradigm, a new philosophy for public serviceneeds to be evolved. It should include an HR system that empowers the functionaries and rewards those,with outstanding citizen services. The government HR system should recognise such propositions; andpersonnel with a track record in citizen service should be recruited and retained into the civil service system.It requires that current HR capabilities should be assessed, critical requirements outlined, gap analysis made,and a realistic plan for transforming HR should be a priority, in parallel with business process reengineeringand other internal system management. Among others, evolving the e-governance champions, who cantransform the delivery system into a citizen-centric organisation, should precede every other effort. In thisscenario, the e-governance champions should have the teams helping them achieve the transformationobjectives, instead of opposing the effort, or simply passively witnessing it.

6.2. Focus of reforms

Sustaining the effort for e-governance will demand reforms that would address critical areas viz., citizen-centric culture, effective organisational capacity, and transparency & accountability. It calls for placingsystems in right perspective. What is required is system with sound personnel management, values,institutional processes, transparency, accountability and legal framework. As the delivery departments haveto meet local needs of citizens, the character of institutions should be so moulded that it should look citizen-oriented.

There is a need to make marked shift from the traditional way of approaching e-governance by merelydeploying IT and making a few changes in bits and pieces, which are familiar instances. In the context of e-

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governance being usually complex and lengthy undertaking, it needs to be recognised that leveraging HRwould provide for a greater chance of success for strategies’ implementation under e-governance, as humanresources is a vital link. Finally, the reform process should focus on four crucial aspects. These are: first,creating participatory organisations; second, citizen-centric work culture; third, capabilities for efficientservice delivery; and fourth, culture of innovation and improvement. It would be something for thegovernments to look into, and mainstream these vitals issues of reforms into their policies, e-governancestrategies and resource allocations.


With the launch of national e-governance programme (NeGP), India is all set to make great strides in thearea of e-governance. It will be immensely helpful in on-line monitoring, transparency, accountability, directpeoples’ participation in governance, thereby improving the quality of public service delivery, as also inmaking contribution to bridging geographical divide. In a way, it offers big opportunity for the governmentto transform. But based on experience, e-governance initiatives should not be seen in isolation of the role of‘people (functionaries)’. Though, IT is a big enabler, but the services are to be delivered by the deliverysystem, where functionaries have to use their skills to deliver. As necessary solutions can only be providedby those who are working inside, so the focus should be on them. The involvement of functionaries in theservice delivery, and their knowledge, skills and attitudes matter substantially. These are crucial in convertingideas into practice. If, closely examined, people are the key for ‘good governance’. Therefore, what it requiresin terms of resource is not just IT and money, though vital, but also lots of expertise, special skills, andmotivation & commitment of the people involved. Finally, it calls for a key role of HR in e-governance forevolving citizen-centric and efficient system of service delivery.

References

1 Brynjolfsson Erik, Renshaw Amy and Alstyne Marshall van (2004). available at http://ccs.mit.edu/papers/CCSWP189/CCSWP189.html; MIT Sloan School of Management, Cambridge, UK

2 Collins Jim (1998). How to tame technology, Business & Economy, 18 June-2 July, 2005, New Delhi

3 Cummings Thomas G. and Worley Christopher G., (2002). Organization Development and Change,Seventh Edition, Thomson Asia Pte. Ltd, Singapore

4 Gupta M.P (2004). Towards E-governance, Management Challenges, Tata McGraw Hill PublishingCompany Limited, New Delhi

5 Hammer Michael and Champy James (1993). Reengineering the Corporation, HarperCollins, New York

6 http://www.egovmonitor.com

7 Institute of Social Sciences (ISS), (2006). E-Governance Diagnostic Study, New Delhi

8 Liker k. Jeffrey (2004). The Toyota Way, Tata McGraw Hill Publishing Company Limited, New Delhi,

9 Luthans Fred (1998). Organizational Behavior, Tata McGraw Hill, India

10 Pareek Udai (2004). Understanding Organizational Behaviour, Oxford, New York

11 Pearce II Jhon A. and Robinson Richard B., (1996). Jr., Strategic Management, AITBS, Delhi

12 Peppard Joe and Rowland Philip, (2002). The essence of Business Process Re-engineering, Prentice- Hallof India Private Limited, New Delhi

13 Puri Renu and Sharma G. L. Leveraging (2003). Human Potential for Excellence, Excel Books, New Delhi

14 Melham Samia (2006). Sr. Operations Officer, Policy Division (CITPO), The World BankGroupwww.development.gateway.org

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About the Author

D.N. Gupta joined Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in 1989. For the last one and a half decadeshe has been closely associated with development planning, and management of implementation of varioussocial and rural development programmes. He has worked in various capacities in the state of Orissa. Hewas Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, Govt. of India. His specialisation is in the fieldof development administration, e-governance and GIS. He has written several articles on developmentissues, and books on Rural Development System, Integrated Development Planning, and Decentralisation.Presently, he is working on e-governance and GIS, as Fellow, Institute of Social Sciences (ISS), New Delhi.

Outsourcing in Government Sector: A Strategic Perspective

Umesh Gulla1* and M.P.Gupta2

ABSTRACT

In recent years outsourcing is increasingly being explored in private sector organizations.Managers have used outsourcing to improve the performance while at the same time considerthe likely risks of outsourcing. However government organizations have been slow initially inadopting outsourcing practices, which is changing as there is evidence of interest increasing ingovernment sector too.. This paper has tried to assess the current practices and trends inoutsourcing in the government sector.

1. Introduction

In today’s global environment, governments across the continents are increasingly facing conflictingsocial and fiscal challenges. They are challenged by the requirement to deliver core services that may bestandard services as infrastructure, law & order and also respond to emerging needs as offering these atconvenience, effectively like through e-governance, at a time of declining resources and revenues. Decision-makers in governments are faced with a difficult agenda: to reduce expenditures and streamline operations,improve and innovate on delivery, even as the complexity and cost of improving service delivery grows.Government departments are under pressure to transform their operations, improve their existing processesof service delivery, introduce the technology primarily Information Technology that generates newer andimproved services. One of the route to achieve these objectives that many governments have adopted isthrough the outsourcing arrangement with the private or third party vendors that are able to provide therequired skills which supplement the government department’s capabilities.

While there have been a number of studies being done on outsourcing, these primarily relate to privatesector enterprises. However government organization differ from private organization on more than onefactors. While private sector has primary objective to earn profits, government sector is not primarily concernedwith profit but aims at achieving social goals. Hence there are a number of government departments that havedeficit budgets. The public sector has the unique challenge of satisfying the public good while at the sametime, operating in business-like manner to deliver services in cost effective manner. Since the goals andstrategic vision of government sector differs from those of the private sector, the role of technology and themodel of outsourcing have to be different. In a survey by IDC of government executives across the Asia/Pacific region, few issues have emerged and these may be summarized as:

• Internal bureaucracies, budget concerns, and lack of verifiable product specifications and benefitscontinue to be challenges for the CIOs to push through ICT investments that is required for business

1 University School of Management Studies G.G.S. Indraprastha University Kashmere Gate, Delhi-110006, India* Corresponding Author: (Phone: 91-9868534165, Email: [email protected])

2 Department of Management Studies, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016, India

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transformation and operational improvements. One of the continuing challenges to deploying newtechnologies in the traditionally slow-moving government sector is the struggle to gain approval frombudgetary oversight organizations that have little understanding of the potential or utility of these newtechnologies.

• Increasing demand for greater accountability and compliance with the public demanding more governmentservices to be delivered. Government CIOs need to balance between accountability/compliance andinnovative venturing which may be costly and higher risk.

• Public demand for improved accessibility, sometimes even 24/7 to help them manage their own information. This raises the challenge of providing greater accessibility and yet maintaining high level of confidentialityand security. Governments have not moved to engage this need through e-Government at the same ratenor with the same commitment. One of the requirements that government IT managers generally facewhen beginning implementation of massive eGovernment initiatives or looking to begin integrationbetween systems of two different agencies, is the need for massive amounts of storage space. Howevergovernment organizations in general have not made provision for the sufficient storage infrastructurefor such e-government services. This seems indicative of a less-developed understanding of what isgoing to be needed to bring these eGovernment operations. This is particularly discouraging consideringthe high aspirations so many of these developing countries have voiced regarding their eGovernmentplans.

• The government bodies are looking towards more innovative methods of buying technology and ofpartnering with the vendors and citizens to fulfill its mission. Outsourcing continues to be a viableoption in the government sector. The primary reason for outsourcing is the lack of skilled manpower. Government agencies tend to feel that outsourcing allowed them to leverage their vendor’s knowledgeand expertise without slowing down their own back-office efficiency with the steps needed to manageinternally, such as hiring and training new employees. However such approach raises concerns on thekind of long-term dependencies these companies are setting themselves up for by maintaining their coreoperational groups at a technologically inept level. As part of outsourcing, “Public-Private-Partnership”or PPP continues to be bandied around government circles although the concept is not fully proven yet.

It is important to be clear about what is meant by outsourcing especially in the context of governmentsector. Outsourcing has become a commonly misused term, and much of the apparent disagreement over themerits and risks of outsourcing can be traced to differing definitions. Outsourcing which involve the role ofInformation Technology has been defined as: “A contractual relationship where an external organizationtakes responsibility for performing all or part of an agency’s Information Technology functions. This caninvolve a partial or complete transfer of staff and/or resources.” Outsourcing by public sector organizationsto private suppliers is often called privatization. This is more fundamental than outsourcing by privatecorporations, as it implies transferring activities and resources from the public sector to the private sector.This definition in the context of public sector agencies, may be termed as: Outsourcing is: “An arrangementwhereby a third party provider assumes responsibility for performing information systems functions at a pre-determined price and according to predetermined performance criteria.” Accenture, a leading outsourcingvendor defines outsourcing in government as ‘contracting with a private-sector firm to take responsibility fora function or process for which the government remains accountable’. This excludes short-term project workand stops short of privatisation, where the government no longer has accountability for the function. Thesedefinitional statements highlight the features that are the essential aspects of outsourcing, namely:

• size and duration of contract;• transfer of assets; and• breadth of responsibilities.

Outsourcing is an innovative organizational tool for information systems (IS) management. Many public

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sector organizations and private sector corporations expect to improve their IS function by commissioningpart or all of their IS activities and resources to external IS suppliers. New information technologies (IT)provide many opportunities for organizations to improve their performance, and even to offer products andservices that were not possible before. IS outsourcing is an innovative organizational tool for IS managementin both private and public sector organizations. Following the privatization trend in the late 1980s, a numberof government IS departments were privatized. By the end of the 1990s governments around the world haddone outsourcing business more than $1 trillion. An IDC report shows growth of 15.7 percent increaseannually in outsourcing in government sector in U.S, which is the highest in any industry vertical. Europe iseven reported to show higher growth of 17 percent in the government outsourcing business. It is estimatedthat in the Netherlands, for example, the public sector accounts for a 30% share of the total IS spending andhence high potential for outsourcing. IDC study confirms the growing importance of government spendingin the IT and business process outsourcing (BPO) market. An increasing number of public sector bodiesindeed use outsourcing as a tool to achieve wide-ranging business and organizational transformation in anaccelerated timeframe. Similar trends towards outsourcing have been reported in Canada, Australia, SouthAfrica, and Asian countries.

2. Outsourcing Reasons in Government

The primary processes of most public sector organizations are very information intensive or containinformation processing only. Handling requests for social welfare benefits, maintaining the land registry, andeven law & order processes, are essentially information processes. There has been compelling reasons ingovernment bodies to follow the practices that have been tried in private sector to outsource the infrastructurefor generating such services. There are many factors involved in the choosing outsourcing option, that arerelevant to government departments and the importance given to them will depend on the circumstances ofeach case. These are as:

Cost Savings

Outsourcing can reduce both fixed and recurrent costs. Outsourcing vendors should be in a position toreap economies of scale that may not be available to the client alone. The vendor can save on IT hardwareand software costs through consolidation of operations and through operating from a stronger bargaining,bulk purchaser position in the market for both products and support services.

Focus On Core Business

Outsourcing can allow the public organization to focus on its core business. If Information Technology,computing and/or communications, are not core line of business, or are not in an area in which the organizationhas a comparative advantage, then outsourcing can be of benefit.

Access To Skills

Client organizations can gain access to the skills they require as and when they are required, and can callon resources of the supplier for highly specialized skills and/or in unusual situations.

Access To Technology

Many government bodies similar to private sector organizations find keeping up with technicaldevelopments in computing and communications very difficult. Given the fast pace of technology upgradationsrequired coupled with the increasing complexities involved, outsourcing vendors who specialize in suchdomains enable the acquisition of such skills.

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Flexibility

Many public sector organizations find that they bear high fixed costs to cover an unbalanced workload tomaintain the desired service availability. Maintaining the level of equipment and human resources required tocover workload peaks can leave an organization with underutilized resources for a significant proportion ofthe time. Outsourcing the workload peaks can bring flexibility into its operations without compromising theservice availability at much lesser costs.

Accountability

Formalizing service delivery brings greater accountability especially on end results in government agencies,which can be facilitated by outsourcing. A well-written contract can clarify responsibilities and sharpenmanagement focus on key deliverables at project, operational and tactical levels. A further outcome of thisformalization can be a greater focus on service quality, and a consequent quality improvement.

Further outsourcing is being fuelled by other specific factors that are indirectly affecting the decision tooutsource in government sector. These are as:• In certain countries in America and Europe, IT systems are reaching the end of their life span. Legacy

computer systems, which are 25 years old, need to be replaced. With growing deficits and a reluctanceto increase taxes, many states are looking at outsourcing route to upgrade their infrastructure.

• The economic downturn that struck the countries in the late ‘90s has created severe budget shortfallsthroughout the government sector, particularly in state governments. Rising deficits threaten government’sability to perform key services especially in the changing scenario of increasing expectation of citizens.Outsourcing is being explored to finance government budgets.

• Public sector organizations have not always been attractive to IS specialists as the relative compensationin private sector is more favourable because of governments’ fixed compensation rules and absence ofdifferential rewards for higher performance, which makes it difficult to recruit and retain good IS staff.

• A cadre of business-minded government bureaucrats has emerged as a result of competitive businesspractices being used by the executives in the private companies. This group is trying to replicate privatesector’s management practices, which include outsourcing to create efficiencies in the public sector.

• Younger, technologically savvy employees as a result of proliferation of management and technologyeducation are working for the government. These employees are acting as catalyst for the outsourcingroute to acquire the require infrastructure in their departments.

3. Types of Outsourcing

Various authors (Apte, 1990; Apte and Winniford,1991; Loh and Venkatraman, 1992; Grover et. al., 1994)have tried to categorize to categorize outsourcing and these can be expressed as follows :

• Time-Sharing Outsourcing was practiced in the late 1950s with mainframe computers. In this type ofoutsourcing, the receiver’s IS personnel simply buy computer time from the service provider in order toperform the relevant tasks.

• Facilities Management Outsourcing The service provider has a significant role in operating thetechnological resources of the service receiver to operate its complex IS data centers.

• Complete Outsourcing involves the transfer of the entire computer and communications center, togetherwith the related IS personnel from the service receiver to the service provider.

• Systems Integration Outsourcing A single service provider- the system integrator, is contracted tomanage the installation and operation of the integrated systems and the system integrator assumes theoverall responsibility for the quality and performance of the multi-vendor environment.

• Business Process Outsourcing involves the outsourcing of the business processes to the externalvendor, the outsourced processes being performed at the vendor’s site. The output of the businessprocesses is delivered to the client. Payroll functions, Medical transcription services, Sales ordering &

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fulfillment processes are the commonly outsourced business processes.

• Knowledge Process Outsourcing is the latest practice followed by some companies wherein thecompanies are outsourcing some key knowledge generation activities to the external vendors. Thedesired knowledge outputs outsourced are used in taking the effective decisions. The examples of thistype of outsourcing are practiced in financial research, business research, market research, patentprotection, and clinical research in medical field.

Other Types of outsourcing may be in forms of Rental contracts that may involve low to medium levelsof internalization of technological resources and are selected when there is shortage of specialized andadvanced technological resources.

4. Outsourcing Models in Government Sector

An outsourcing model is closely linked to strategic orientation, resource availability inhouse as well asfrom external partners, political structure of the government, and citizen interest & issues. Various modelshave been proposed and researched by researchers and vendor analysts. While most of these pertain toprivate sector, these may be adapted for public sector organizations. Control over systems and cost ofsystems are some of the most important factors in deciding the outsourcing in government organizations.While control over systems involves design and operational control, it remains a key concern in outsourcingdecisions. The investment factors and asset utilization are important in deciding the cost structures inoutsourcing. Hence Few models that are proposed are given below that may be relevant in governmentsector.

i) Total Outsourcing: This model leads to transfer of IT assets, leases, staff, and management responsibilityfor delivery of IT services from internal IT functions to third-party vendors, which represents typicallyhigh proportion of the IT budget of the client organization. These contract are usually long term andresult of strategic alliance with the outsourcing vendor. This arrangement results in high controls inplanning, execution and operation of outsourcing functions.

Advantages: For client organization, these introduce better predictability and real costs to the organization.Further investments of fixed nature are done by the outsourcing vendor, which is preferred by theinvestment-starved government bodies. The government agencies can focus on the core functions ofservice deliveries to the citizens without getting into non-core process of producing them, which isperformed by the outsourcing vendor.

ii) Total Insourcing retains the management and provision of most of the functions internally. Included indefinition of insourcing is the buying-in of vendor resources to meet a temporary need, such asprogrammers in the latter stages of a new development project or management consultants to facilitatea strategic planning process. In these cases, the organization retains responsibility for the delivery ofservices; while vendor resources are brought in to supplement internally managed teams.

Advantages: This model results in high control over the systems in organization. Insourcing may beappropriate when the to-be-outsourced functions involve skills that fall in core-competence domain.The model also finds support in situation wherein requirements change continuously. This model alsocreates continuous learning environment if organizations can manage operations well.

iii) Selective Sourcing locates selected organizational functions with external providers while still areactively involved in system and process design. The vendor becomes responsible for delivering theresult of the selectively outsourced activities, while the customer remains responsible for delivering theoverall final result. Infrastructure outsourcing, Business process outsourcing fall into this category.This approach takes tradeoff between high outsourcing and insourcing models.

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Advantages:.As the outsourced functions are for the discrete functions and the scope of contract isnarrow, the control over systems is high with the organization. Proponents also advocate for this modelon account of maintaining core and learning competencies through this approach.

Low High

LowH

igh

Control

PriceV

ariability

I: On Demand Outsourcing

II: Selective Outsourcing

III: Total Outsourcing

IV: In-sourcing

Fig. 1 : Outsourcing Models

iv) On-Demand Outsourcing This model is a utility-based service delivery model. This approach allows theorganization to account for the variations in its service requirements to the users. The outsourcingvendor provides the increase or decrease in services by way of changing the infrastructure at its site.This is possible as vendor may be serving multiple organizations with its infrastructure sharing toachieve economy of scales.

Advantages: It provides flexibility to the organization in terms of scalability of infrastructure, price ofservices and investment in assets.

Selection of a suitable outsourcing model would depend on different factors and these may be uniquefor different government agencies. The factors may be as: government policies, citizens’ expectations,financial position of the organization, level of expertise available in-house, extent of IT penetration andlike. Thus decision maker has to weigh each option in context of the requirements and constraints.\

5. Outsourcing Risks

There are many risks that, in practice, indicate limits to outsourcing in spite of different advantages. Glass(2000) in a editor’s column predicted ‘The end of Outsourcing Era by 2020’. It points that outsourcing thatexpects companies to lead to their financial transfusion and technological payoff would result in ‘painfulbloodletting’. The gains that are expected from outsourcing IS functions are not viable in long term. In astudy of analysis of 116 sourcing decisions, Lacity and Willcocks (2000) found only 38 percent of ‘totaloutsourcing’ successful. By comparison, 77 percent of ‘selective outsourcing’ and 76 percent of ‘in-housesourcing’ decisions had successful outcomes. Some of the critical issues that emerged from a global surveyby PA Consulting, a research firm, on outsourcing in outsourcing in government sector pertain to

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misunderstanding of the outsourcing models, miscommunication with the outsourcing partners, lack ofplanning and misdirected investments. Another critical issue in outsourcing in public sector is that publicsector organizations do not compete with each other. Hence there is lesser pressure to remain efficient andrelevant, and higher inertia to prevent reorganization or abolishment of their functions. Public sectorinformation systems are very critical, complex and volatile, due to the information intensity of the processesand the nature of political decision-making. This makes outsourcing less attractive. Following are some of therisks associated with outsourcing:

Over dependence on Outsourcing Vendor

Outsourcing by any organization results in sharing some of the functional responsibilities with theoutsourcing vendor by way of delegating tasks. Hence this results in the dependence of the organizationon the external outsourcing vendor. If there arise any issues that may lead to differences between thecompany and the vendor, there may be a deadlock, which can severely affect the operations of theorganization. There have also been experiences with some executives wherein they feel vendors use it asa weapon to dictate their terms over them. Hence organizations fear the power shift towards vendor withoutsourcing.

Inability of Outsourcer to understand business needs

While the employees of the outsourcing vendor may have a good command over the technical domain,they may lack the similar extent of knowledge over the business domain. This may lead to the non-understanding of the client’s requirements accurately by the outsourcing vendor. The problem becomesmore serious when there is communication gap between the users at the client side and the outsourcingvendor. This may lead to misunderstanding of client requirements and hence faulty system design andunsatisfactory implementation and other maintenance support. At Maruti Udyog Limited, a leadingIndian automobile company, IS managers had faced difficulties in making the IT vendors understandtheir operations and requirement and hence have preferred to develop and maintain much of the IT toolsin-house.

Resistance from Organization’s employees

Outsourcing is followed by the sharing of some responsibilities and authority with the outsourcingvendor. This may affect the interests of some of the executives of the organization. This has been widelyexperienced in the government organizations and public sector undertakings. When an external ITvendor enters the organization’s domain through the route of outsourcing, there are employees of twodistinct organizations which have different organization cultures, management structures, remunerationscales, especially when the client is a government or public sector organization, leading to lack ofcoordination between the two sides. Further because of loss of jobs or relocation resulting fromoutsourcing, employees usually show resistance to the outsourcing.

Security Issues

When an organization outsources its functions to an external vendor, it provides access of most of itsinformation stored in the Information Systems to the vendor’s employees. This poses the risks related todisclosure of sensitive operational data, information about strategies, privacy about customer data andother sensitive information.

Difficulty in changing/modifying Systems

As the period of outsourcing its functions to the external vendor increases , the organization over theperiod may start losing expertise outsourced domain. Under such scenario, the external vendor begins tohave a strong role in deciding the structure and details of System. This may lead to outsourcing vendor

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forcing outdated technologies, systems and processes to the organization. Further because of highcosts involved in modifying the Information System infrastructure, the vendor may show resistance inupdating the system according to changing organization’s requirements or market forces.

Higher Costs

Most of the outsourcing vendors in their sales pitch talk about Total Cost of Ownership which considersapart from the direct costs of IT equipment acquisition, the indirect costs as on account of managementfocus, service level, overheads related to employees and other costs. However many executives are notconvinced with this argument because of a significant part of fixed costs (e.g. costs related to employeesin IT department) is already borne by the organization because of the HR policies that usually woulddiscourage layoffs and relocation. In this light the fee that outsourcing vendor charges for its servicesturns out to be a high in comparison to in-house generated.

Outsourcing may not have proved to be the panacea that many hoped it would be, in many cases. Thusthe organization while deciding on outsourcing decisions should figure out what are the various risksthat the company may encounter and accordingly should consider these in the outsourcing plan.

6. Critical Issues in Outsourcing in Government Sector

The complexity of systems in the public sector is often very high, mainly because of the complexity of thelegislation that underlies the organizations’ processes. There are many stakeholders in the policies of publicbodies, who may have very different, conflicting and morally justifiable perspectives. Political decisionmakers give more consideration to fairness and justifiableness than to the practicability of their decisionsthan the consequences for the systems (Looff, 1996). Systems and processes need to be changed frequently,because of the large number of reorganizations and changes in legislation that public sector organizationsface. Most changes have to be implemented instantaneously, sometimes retrospectively. Hence outsourcingin such conditions are complex decisions. Some of the critical issues in outsourcing in government agenciesare as:

Outsourcing in government sector is complicated because of the social objectives of the organization,policies of the existing government, tendency to satisfy all stakeholders, and short tenures of the executingmanagement. Outsourcing objectives are highly dependent on individual’s conviction who are the drivers ofthe outsourcing policy. Further executing outsourcing strategies is slow and cumbersome process in contrastto the swift execution in private sector.

• Government agencies are divided on the outsourcing policies. One section primarily citizens and theirpolitical representatives usually opposes outsourcing as outsourcing leads to loss of jobs for the localcitizens. Other section, which composes of economists and private companies want to achieve globalcompetitiveness though outsourcing. This is strongly influencing outsourcing in government bodies incertain countries in America and Europe. Besides it also affects sentiment for outsourcing in othercountries

• Since processes in government sector are different and more complex and vary from region to region, theoutsourcing models that have been applied for private sector may not be applicable to the governmentorganizations. This makes outsourcing business in government vertical complex and unattractive foroutsourcing vendors. There is shortage of infrastructure, systems, tools and skills on part of outsourcingvendors to offer best outsourcing services to government organizations.

• Governments across the globe are being criticized by the citizens for increasing the tax burden. Thisleaves limited options for public sector for upgrading the systems and services since these are runningon deficit budgets. Outsourcing is emerging as only viable option to scale up the services.

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• There is market push by outsourcing vendors due to wide publicity by media and research agencies,which are influencing decision makers in government agencies. Further vendors are trying to tap thismarket by proposing customized outsourcing solutions to these government organizations.

7. Business Transformation Outsourcing: A Strategic approach to Outsourcing

Initiating the outsourcing process brings with it a variety of issues, which cannot be ignored. In governmentorganizations these include political acceptance, organizational support, maintaining employee satisfaction,and in some cases, union challenges. Further outsourcing some functions like IT or any process may not bethe best solution given the situation where-in the design of system or processes may itself be inefficient. Toadress these a few visionary government executives have strayed from conventional approaches, withdramatic end results. Shaking off traditional notions of outsourcing as a way of cutting costs out of non-coreactivities, they use outsourcing to drive real value by restructuring operations, align internal and externalresources and introduce technology to achieve the desired outcomes. This represents business transformationoutsourcing (BTO) because of the effects these efforts produce. Business transformation outsourcing refersto the outsourcing that achieves a dramatic change in enterprise-wide performance which results from radicallydifferent approach to relationshp with the outsourcing vendors using their specialized skills.

Business transformation outsourcing offers an attractive alternative solution. Instead of struggling toimproving the current system that have limited scope for improvement, radical service improvements throughradical changes in system within

existing agency that already are fully committed, goverenment bodies can leverage the top skills of committedbusiness partners. This approach can help map a strategy for service improvements, and provide a means forexecuting the changes quickly and effectively. However implementing these new service models requiresresources that most governments cannot afford. The highly competitive market for the technical skills thesemodels demand further complicates the problem. Hence this approach involves the strategic partnershipbetween the outsourcing vendor and the concerned organization. This may involve sharing of technical,physical, human, financial and other rersources between the vendor and the organization so as to createoptimum synergy for delivering the desired results. Sharing of responsibility and control between thegovernment and the outsourcing vendors becomes basis of the relationship for Business transformationoutsourcing. Effective communication between government agency and the external vendor becomes acrucial component of the relationship in such arrangement.

Based on a global study of cases of government outsourcing, Accenture has emphasized upon themasterful execution of the business transformation. Since various stakeholders are involved in the business

Technology Infrastructure Information technology Outsourcing

Business Applications Application Management

Business Processes Business Process Outsourcing

Business Transformation

Outsourcing

Strategicvalue

Fig. 2: Outsourcing Value Pyramid

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transformation outsourcing, the execution process is complex and usually a lengthy and time-consumingexercise. Few identified critical success factors for outsourcing decisions in government sector through thebusiness transformation outsourcing that may be the guiding principles for the executioners are listed below.

• Transform the Value equation through business transformation outsourcing by creating the new businessmodels.

• Define the role of Vendor as Strategic partner, involve high commitment through formal and informalroutes.

• Share the risks and responsibilities with the outsourcing partner.• Prepare for disruption because of re-engineering and also when political administration changes which

may not buy the proposed outsourcing model.• Get employees, unions, citizens, political leadership and vendor involved on same platform for creating

clear understanding of expectations, demands and results.• Measure and monitor the results and compare it with the expectations. A high deviation would call for

attention for modifying the basic outsourced business model.


Governments around the globe are facing challenges of delivering the services to their citizens at thereducing resources. Further the service expectations in terms of content; availability and convenience areincreasing as these are compared with the service delivery systems in commercial private sector systems.However government sector organizations are tied to the traditional and legacy processes and systems thatpose challenge to the outsourcing vendors to design the service delivery models suitable for governmentbodies. Hence a radical and innovative approach as business transformation outsourcing may provide aneffective roadmap to government organization to use optimally the resources of external vendors by way ofa strategic relationship through the outsourcing.

References

1 Allen P. (2005), Strategic Imperatives for outsourcing in the Australian Public sector; A white paper byIDC, U.S.A.

2 Apte U. & Winniford M. A. (1991), Global Outsourcing of Information Systems Functions: Opportunitiesand Challenges, Proceedings of IRMA Conference, pp. 58-67.

3 Apte U. (1990), Global outsourcing of information systems and processing service, The InformationSociety, Vol. 7, No. 4, pp. 287-303.

4 Glass R.L. (2000), The End of the Outsourcing Era, The Journal of Systems and Software, Vol. 53, pp. 95-97.

5 Grover V., Cheon M. J. & Teng J. T. C. (1994), A descriptive study on the outsourcing of informationsystems functions, Information and Management, Vol.27, pp.33-44.

6 Healy J. H. and Linder J. C., A report on Outsourcing in Government: The Path to Transformation,(source www. Accenture.com).

7 IDC (2003) Report on Top 100 Worldwide Outsourcing Deals of 2002.

Lacity M. C. and Willcocks L. (2000), Global IT Outsourcing: Search for Business Advantage Wiley,Chichester, UK.

8 Loh L. and Venkatraman N. (1992), Determinants of Information Technology Outsourcing: A Cross-Sectional Analysis, Journal of Management Information Systems, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 7-24.

9 Looff L. A. (1996), IS outsourcing by public sector organizations, Proceedings of World Conference onAdvanced IT Tools, held in 1996 at Canberra in Australia.

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About the Authors

Umesh Gulla is serving as Lecturer with University School of Management Studies, GGS IndraprasthaUniversity, Delhi. His areas of research are in Outsourcing, electronic Commerce, Enterprise ResourcePlanning, Management Information Systems.

M. P. Gupta is Associate Professor of IT at IIT Delhi having research interests in the areas of IS/ ITplanning, E-Business and E-Government. Dr. Gupta has authored acclaimed book “Government Online”and edited two others entitled “Towards E-Government” and “Promise of E-Government”, published byTata McGraw Hill, 2004. His research papers have appeared in National and International Journals/Conference Proceedings. He was the recipient of the prestigious Humanities & Social Sciences (HSS)fellowship of Shastri Indo Canadian Institute, Calgary (Canada) in the year 1995-96 and a Visiting Fellowat the University of Manitoba. He supervised e-Government portal “Gram Prabhat” which won the IBMGreat Mind Challenge Award for the year 2003. He has coordinated several national level seminars apartfrom the major events such as International Conference on e-Government 2003 (18-20 December 2003).He is a member of International Program Committee of the International Conference on Business InformationSystem (BIS-2003 at Colorado) and (BIS-2004 and 2005 at Poznan). He is life member of Global Instituteof Flexible Systems Management (GIFT) and Systems Society of India.

Public-Private-People Partnerships in E-government:A case study of Singapore Tracks

Neerja Sethi1 and Vijay Sethi2

ABSTRACT

It is often said that e-government is fundamentally not about ICT or systems. It is abouttransforming service delivery to citizens with the ultimate goal of delighting customers andconnecting with citizens. In order to serve the public with the highest standard, governmentsaround the world are constantly trying to push the e-services up the maturity ladder with the aimof making e-services convenient and easy to use. The key to successful e-government serviceslies in a partnership approach. Partnerships between the people, private, and people sectorsallow realising of opportunities beyond what the government can do on its own. In this paper, wedescribe a case study on Singapore’s BigTrumpet.com portal that uses a next generation servicedelivery model based on partnerships between people-private-public sectors to enhance the citizens’e-services experience.

Keywords: Public Private People Partnerships, 3P Integration, e-services, community portal, e-Government,Web services

1. Introduction

Singapore is one of the first countries in the world to develop an integrated and coherent approach tocomputerising government services. The country has been recognised internationally as a leader in e-government. It has topped the e-government sub-index of the World Economic Forum Global IT Report for5 consecutive years from 2002 to 2006, and has been ranked in the Top 3 in Accenture’s e-government surveyin the last three years (Singapore E-Government Website).

In this paper, we first describe the evolution of e-government services in Singapore and then detail a new,next-generation model that is just starting to emerge through a collaboration of public and private/peoplesectors that can deliver complete customer-centric services. The paper presents a case study on BigTrumpet.com (BT for short), an award winning online portal, in which public and private sector serviceswere integrated using Web services technology to allow customers to access multiple related e-services viaa single user interface.

2. Singapore’s E-government Journey

The transformation from traditional services to an integrated e-government environment is an evolutionaryprocess. It has been described as a three-stage model which includes Publish, Interact, and Transact(Accenture, 2000). Others have proposed a more detailed taxonomy comprising 4 to 5 stages (Gartner, 2001).

1 Nanyang Business School , Nanyang Technological University, Singapore* Corresponding Author: (Phone : +65-67904921, Email: [email protected])

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Interestingly, Singapore’s transition does not conform to the “stages model” (Srivastava & Teo, 2005) eventhough it went through a number of different phases, as discussed below.

Singapore’s e-government journey began as early as 1980 with the launch of the Civil ServiceComputerisation Programme (CSCP), which focused on improving internal operational efficiencies throughthe automation of traditional work functions and reducing paperwork. The computerization of the variousgovernment departments, however, introduced problems like localized and fragmented web sites. The citizenshad to access ten different websites, a separate one for each department, if they wanted to avail the servicesof ten different departments. To overcome these problems, the one-stop eCitizen portal was launched in1999. The primary objective of the portal was to provide a single point of access for all government servicesand information.

E-government development accelerated in 2000 when the first e-government Action Plan was launched bythe Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Tony Tan who unveiled the vision “to be a leading e-government to better serve the nation in the Digital Economy”. The first e-government Action Plan markeda new era for the public service by bringing greater citizen-centricity and customer orientation in publicagencies. With the vision of “Many Agencies, One Government”, the Singapore government urged agenciesto consider themselves as “One Government” that collaborates and shares information to provide the publicwith integrated services. For example, eCitizen portal was updated so that users could update their addresswith all government agencies by filling out just one form.

With the launch of e-government Action Plan II in 2003, the focus changed to total customer orientationthat involved delighting customers and connecting citizens. To make it easier for the public to accessinformation and e-services, all government information and services from SINGOV, eCitizen and businesswebsites were brought together under one government online portal (www.gov.sg) in 2004. In addition, theeCitizen portal was revamped into seven eTowns from the previous 16.

Singapore’s journey starting from the CSCP, the e-government Action Plan, and then e-governmentAction Plan II can best be described, according to Ke & Wai (2004), as initiation, infusion, and customisation.In other words, it has been more a diffusion of innovation than successive stages of new and sophisticatedservices added at different points in time.

To date, about 1600, or more than 98% of all public services that can be delivered electronically, are alreadyimplemented, ranging from information publication to interactive, fully transactional services and integratede-services. (Singapore E-Government Website)

3. Moving to the Next Level – The 3P Model

Customers and businesses need more than just government services. Realising that even integrationacross public sector was not enough as customers and businesses need goods and services from the privateand people sectors, the Singapore government introduced a new paradigm in service delivery called 3P(public-private-people) Integrate (Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, 2004) as shown in Figurep1.

3P Integration represents a partnership between public-private-people sectors, through cross-boundaryintegration of services, to bring customer convenience to a far higher level as well as achieve cost savingsfor the public sector. It aims to bridge the divide in public and private sector services, and achieve greatersynergy in service delivery through cross boundary collaborations.

The challenge, of course, in this new model is how to integrate and bring diverse services under one roof,especially as services span multiple sources, reside on diverse platforms, and are controlled by differentinterests. From a technology perspective, 3 models of delivering 3P Integrated services can be considered:Bundling, Front-end Integration, and Value-chain Integration (Singapore Government Website).

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Source: http://www.igov.gov.sg/Strategic_Plans/eGAP_II/eGAP_II_KeyOutcome_I.htmFig. 1: E-Service Maturity Diagram

In Bundling, public and private/people sectors e-services are bundled together through hyperlinks. Forexample, when a user moves his house, he/she can complete relevant government and commercial transactionssuch as application for phone lines, redirection of mail, application for TV license and application forutilities via aggregated hyperlinks in eCitizen website.

The Front-end Integration model involves integrating public and private/people sectors e-services at thefront end, while backend systems are maintained separately. The objective is to allow users to access multiplerelated e-services via a single user interface.

The Value-chain Integration model focuses on integrating public and private/people sectors processesalong the entire value chain, so as to achieve end-to-end integration.

The case study of BT described below is a pioneering example of 3P integration using the front–endmodel. BT used Web services technology to integrate diverse back-end services which could be accessedusing a single user interface. As such, this model and the seamless integration it provides might obviate theneed for doing value-chain integration which is a lot more cumbersome and complex. In fact, completevalue-chain integration can only be seen in single industries, such as Singapore’s Trade and LogisticsPlatform (under development) that would manage the flow of commercial and regulatory information betweenshippers, freight forwarders, carriers and financial institutions within, through and out of the country.

4. Bigtrumpet.Com: The Next Genration of One-Stop E-government Services

BT was initiated with a vision to unite the 3 “Ps” - People, Private, and the Public sectors - to allowSingaporeans to easily access several integrated services and conveniently make simultaneous transactionswith several organisations in a secure, personalised environment. It is also the world’s first nationwidecommunity portal based on Web services technology, the emerging technology that is considered the “NextBig Thing” in IT. Another noteworthy feature about BT is the collaboration among multiple parties(government, private sector, and IT vendors) to develop and deploy the portal.

4.1. Project Background

The BT project originated in a somewhat serendipitous manner.

Singapore, always at the forefront of IT, had targeted Web services as a key emerging technology since2000. At the same time, Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) – the government agency responsible forpromoting and regulating telecommunications in the country - had been looking for ways by which a next-

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generation of services would bring the power of the Internet to the residents and citizens of Singapore andtransform the country from a wired island to a connected one. And, as it would happen, in a different part ofthe world, Microsoft was exploring a test-bed country to create the world’s first nation-wide community-based Web services offering to showcase its .NET Web services technology.

In 2002, IDA and Microsoft signed a Memorandum of Intent to jointly launch a nationwide Web servicesinitiative called .NETMySingapore. One of the first major initiatives under this program was a Web servicespowered portal, named BigTrumpet.com.

Since BT services were designed to be offered through front-end integration, one of the key decisionsmade was to look for a private sector operator, instead of one of the participating government agencies, tooperate the portal. As it turned out, this was critical to success. After reviewing several proposals, NTUCIncome (Income), Singapore’s leading Life and General Insurance cooperative, was selected as the serviceaggregator.

4.2. Vendor Partners – Roles and Contributions

After selecting Income to operate the BT portal, the next priority for Microsoft and IDA was to choose asystems integrator experienced in Web services technology to design and develop the portal. IDA finallyawarded the contract to National Computer Systems (NCS), Singapore’s leading IT service provider, whorecognized that being a key partner in this national collaboration was in line with its strategy to respond tothe next wave of market demand in Web services. Besides providing the portal framework, it developedmost of the Web services scenarios for BT as well as integrated and deployed the Web services for theparticipating organisations.

Hewlett Packard (HP) was the fifth strategic partner of this initiative and was chosen to provide the agileIT infrastructure and managed services for BT under an outsourcing arrangement. HP also contributedtowards the project with some hardware investment including a family of 12 industry-standard ProLiantservers running Windows 2000 server.

Later, a sixth partner joined the consortium when it was discovered that Trusted Hub, a member of theSingapore Technologies group company, was the only trusted and recognized service bureau in Singaporethat offered creation, storage and management of electronic documents in compliance with Singapore laws,such as Electronic Transactions Act and the Evidence Act regulations. Trusted Hub provided a highlysecured and certified Electronic Trusted Vault for the creation, storage and management of BT’s electroniccontent.

Such a consortium of technology vendors is not commonplace in IT projects due to concerns aboutownership and governance. In the case of BT, the project turned out to be large in scale, and involvedintensive planning, complex architecting and professional execution. In retrospect, it was probably beyondthe scope of a single vendor. The consortium brought in diverse skills and capabilities and some of the bestpeople in the industry, in addition to each partner contributing software and hardware as well. In fact, theentire project was put together at a total cost of S$15 million, which included funds from Income, grantsfrom IDA and product sponsorships from its technology partners.

4.3. Collaborative Project Organisation, Strategy and Execution

A Project Management Office (PMO) was created to oversee the progression of the entire project. Theproject was chaired by CIO Income and supported by three other co-Chairs - representatives from IDA,NCS and Microsoft as shown in Figure 2, who in turn supervised six working committees each in a differentarea.

The time frame of eighteen months (June, 2002 to November, 2003) jointly decided by the CIO Income and

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the three co-chairmen from Microsoft, IDA and NCS was a major challenge. In order to meet the strictdeadline, more than 100 people from various partners worked on the project in the first phase alone. Theprogrammers only had 11 weeks in the first phase to write up to 200,000 lines of code. Similarly, more than20 servers performing different roles were integrated together with network and other equipment as well asan extensive array of software, many of which were early or first release versions.

To expedite implementation, the PMO adopted a “think far, start small and scale fast” approach as theirguiding principle. They decided to deploy the services in three phases based on the readiness of the agenciesinvolved and the usefulness of the service. For example, the employment scenario (myCareer) was chosenbecause of the social and economic environment in Singapore at that time; myMaid scenario was selectedbecause of the readiness of the agency involved.

Each e-service required multi-party coordination since the data was collected from various private andpublic sector agencies and made available as a one-stop centre through BT. Commenting on the importanceof collaboration with government agencies in offering end-to-end services to people, CIO Income remarked“... If citizens want to travel, besides buying tickets and insurance, they have to ensure their passports are

In order to develop the online services, requirement workshops were held at the beginning ofeach phase to explore and capture business needs. The workshops were attended by business as well asoperational staff to consolidate scenario details, and these formed the basis for the system’s functionalityfor the technical team. On delivery of phase one, the feedback gathered from the users was used to plan thedetails of the subsequent phases.

4.4. BT Functionality

BT comprises a consumer portal that offers a breadth of community-based e-services called as scenarios.A total of 16 scenarios have been implemented in BT so far in 3 phases. Five scenarios (Table 1) wereimplemented in Phase 1 by October 2002. Six were implemented in Phase 2 by May 2003 (Table 2) and fivein Phase 3 by October 2003 (Table 3).

The 16 scenarios pull data from 10 different external parties who exposed their data to BT - 5 governmentagencies and 5 private enterprises. Web services were used in each of these scenarios to aggregate services

Source: NTUC Income, SingaporeFig. 2: Project Organisation and Structure

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Fig. 3: Service Guideline Principles

from various organisations. For example, myCareer scenario used Web services to search the MOM databasesand the databases of the recruitment companies. Each of these databases was exposed as Web services onthe Internet and was seamlessly integrated into the search generated by the myCareer scenario.

All services, for the most part, are synchronous in nature whereby users get an instant response aftersending their request from the BT portal. There is no need for users to access multiple sites and navigatethrough multiple interfaces as BT provides a single point of access to complete transactions convenientlywith multiple organisations.

5. BT Technical Architecture

BT architecture is the result of collaboration between several teams of technical experts from Microsoft,NCS and HP. The architecture was designed to reduce integration complexity, promote inter-operability,and increase reuse of components.

5.1. Software Platform and Standards

The application development of the BT portal was guided by Microsoft’s .NET framework and the portalwas developed using VB.NET and ASP.NET. Microsoft Visual Studio.NET was used by the developmentteam for creating Web services as it automatically generated the necessary XML codes and SOAP interfaces.As the tool supported all modern programming languages, reusability of existing Web services was ensured.

Web services were developed using the standard protocols - XML, WSDL and SOAP. UDDI registry,however, was not used in this project as transactions involved parties who were all known to each other.Strict adherence to Web services standards is, therefore, not always required to build Web services applications.

5.2. Application Architecture

Application architecture defines how applications are designed, how they cooperate, and where theyreside. The BT portal provided, among other things, seamless single sign-on access to BT and other businesspartners’ websites through a unique ID; control of personal contacts, calendar and alerts that were integratedwith other Web services, e.g. creating an appointment in personal calendar; consolidation of relatedinformation from various sources, e.g. job info from both Income’s and Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM)job banks; and personalisation and recommendation based on users’ profile, e.g. course recommendationsfrom various sources like People’s Association (PA) - Singapore’s government agency that promotesgovernment to people connectivity - and other institutions which were related to the user’s industry.

As shown in Figure 4, BT portal comprises three layers: a user interface layer, BT core in the middle layerconsisting of web services scenarios, core services and smart engines, and a back-end layer to interface withthe various business partners through their exposed Web services.

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The core of BT’s architecture was supported by a Common Framework (Figure 5) that includes a portallayer, Web services layer, core services and smart engines. The portal layer was used as a base to rapidlybuild BT. It provided template Web pages and utilities, namely authentication using Microsoft Passport andeCapsules whose main role was to manage the information content that would be published on BT’s homepage.

In order to enable the various scenarios, a common infrastructure consisting of core services was neededto maintain the users’ electronic presence such as user profile, contacts, portal personalisation etc. Thiscommon infrastructure enabled the community Web services to route notifications and alerts according tousers’ preferences. For example, users could choose to deliver notifications or alerts to their desktops ormobile devices or not to receive alerts or notifications during a period. The core services served the mainpurpose of answering the question “Who am I” from a user’s perspective. This information on user’sauthorisation was provided to the service providers via the smart engines.

The smart engines were a collection of intelligent rule-based engines – central engine, data mappingadaptors and statistical profiling engine – that provided information and inter-operability between Webservices. The smart engines aggregated information from different service providers and returned theaggregated information based on the criteria specified by the user. For example, smart engines could searchthe different service providers for career or money related announcements; search for jobs based on a set ofcriteria such as qualifications etc. They could also match the user’s profile with information provided tofacilitate personalisation of information.

The central engine or the aggregator engine was a flexible rule-based engine upon which the system wasbased. This engine supported generic rules that performed matching and aggregation. The data adaptersperformed the data mapping between external data sources. For example, they mapped inputs and outputstogether so that the result set obtained from each of the data sources could easily be aggregated functionallyand presented to the user. The statistical profiling engine allowed for the encoding of statistical rules in thesystem. This allowed intelligence in informing the user about the choices made by other users in the communitywith similar profiles.

5.3. Interface with External systems

BT interfaced with several service providers’ back-end systems that exposed their services as Webservices which in turn were consumed by BT. For example, BT consumed the web services of MOM, PA andTrustedHub for myCareer, myLearning and myFolder scenarios respectively.

One of the pioneering services offered in collaboration with Trusted Hub is a “Personal Will” safeguardingservice known as WillTrust. This trusted service allows users to store their Will under highly secure conditionsat TrustedHub’s secured document repository using a revolutionary new technology. By having a copystored electronically, it allows users to review their Will online anytime, anywhere. Upon receiving thehardcopy of Wills from Income, Trusted Hub scans the original documents using a rigorous imaging processand in full compliance with Singapore’s statutory guidelines – Evidence Act and Electronic TransactionsAct - such that the electronic image produced at the end of the conversion process can be used with confidenceas an electronic original. This image is stored within the secure hosting facilities of TrustedHub to fulfilminimum record safe keeping requirements and can also serve as a backup copy in times of disaster. Whena user goes to myFolder to view the Will, BT pulls an electronic copy of the Will from the TrustedHub’strusted vault using Web services.

5.4. System Architecture

The system architecture of BT was jointly developed by HP’s solution-consulting team in consultationwith Microsoft’s system architects, and together they adopted a 3-tier architecture comprising a user interfacetier, application tier and database tier. In designing a sound architecture for BT, the infrastructure team made

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use of Microsoft Systems Architecture (MSA), a rigorously tested technology architecture that provides ITplanning and implementation guidance. With the guidance of MSA, the team applied sound architecturalprinciples to ensure that the most appropriate design was realized for a particular scenario. Furthermore, theteam implemented best practices covering multi-tier implementation, designing for security and scalability,clustering and high availability, and everything else they needed to ensure their architecture was ready forthe future.

The hardware platform for BT was very complex, supported by 12 HP industry standard Proliant serversthat made up the BT infrastructure. They were Proliant Dl380s and Dl360s which acted as application andWeb servers respectively; Xeon-based DL580s which acted as the SQL servers; and 2 Proliant 360s whichwere implemented as Active Directory servers. These servers supported the goals of scalability, security,availability, manageability, and reliability.

Security was of utmost importance to PMO as BT used the Internet to link with several government andprivate organisations in its positioning as a one-stop destination for users. The system development team inconsultation with Microsoft architects chose the British Standard 7799, an international standard forinformation security management, for implementing security strategy, which stipulated multileveled securityranging from perimeter, network, host and applications, to data, resource and physical defences. Accordingly,security controls, like firewalls, routers, audit log reviews, multi-homed servers, proper access controls, andencryption, were suggested for each layer, with each serving as a hurdle to prevent unauthorized access.This strategy thus ensured that a partial compromise of the system would not result in data loss. Theapplication security features, among others, included use of 128 bit Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption,use of RS4 standard for encrypting sensitive data like passwords, two-level of passwords to access sensitiveinformation and transactions, automatic termination of BT session upon a period of inactivity, and regularsecurity reviews and audits by internal as well as external auditors.

6. Lessons Learned and Recommendations

The BT portal provides several benefits to Singapore residents. The scenario approach adopted by theportal provides services according to the major life-experience of citizens instead of by agencies. And sucha citizen-centric orientation has greatly enhanced user’s e-services experience.

Users no longer have to wait in long hours to access services from government agencies and privatesectors. For example, prior to the implementation of BT, employers who wanted to hire maids needed to putaside considerable amount of time to physically go down to four different places to search for a maid, buymaid insurance, renew foreign maid’s work permit and book air tickets. Now all these transactions can becompleted via a single interface, thus saving time and improving user convenience.

When BT was launched, its user base was moderate. But by June 2004, the BT Consumer Portal wasaveraging 20 million hits. Users registered with BT have grown from 170,000 to 250,000 and usage hasgrown to a combined 35 million hits, a whopping 600% growth since the BT launch. The growth in usagefor the BT has been nothing short of phenomenal and this trend continues today.

BT’s success can be attributed to the commitment and persistence of its partners to convert a promisingvision into reality, and more importantly, to the strategies that it had adopted. The BT experience offers anumber of lessons for other countries that plan to undertake projects involving public-private-people sectors.

• The choice of integration technology is critical. In the case of BT, Web services enabled diverse platformsto be connected in a virtual manner. Agencies could thus participate at a relatively low cost, maintainingtheir existing infrastructure. The trade-off though was the learning needed about Web services, standards,and architecture. But it is important to be sensitive to the fact that government and private agencies wantto retain control of their IT systems and data. A more integrated model of e-services, in which stakeholders

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give up some measure of control of their IT systems, perhaps might face resistance. Web services, onthe other hand, made it possible to have local control yet global sharing.

• The second major lesson is that by its very nature, due to evolving complexity and technology problems,such a project might be beyond the scope of a single vendor. In the case of BT, a consortium of technologyvendors implemented the project. This was less by design but more driven by the novelty and newnessof the project. But it would seem that such a complex, integration project will always throw-up challengesthat will test the best of abilities and skills. A strong and diverse technical team should therefore beassembled for 3P integration projects.

• Managing a project with multiple parties, diverse development teams, is a significant challenge. Raisingthe stakes of the project is one way to keep everyone focused; for example, BT was elevated to thestatus of a national imperative. The other is to be sensitive to stakeholders’ individual interests in additionto their common commitments. In BT, every stakeholder saw a platform to learn and to take usefulexperiences back to their own organisations. For example, Income transformed its internal operationsusing Web service and also by digitising documents in the insurance chain. The technology vendorsused it as a learning platform for Web services applications. Thus, while a common goal and purpose isessential for the stakeholders to work together, there are personal interests that cannot be ignored. Andrecognizing them and reaching an agreement up-front can go a long way in maintaining commitment tothe project.

• Getting agencies to share data can be quite difficult. In the case of BT, with Singapore being a smallcountry, this was relative easy. For large contexts, with agencies distributed in different cities, this canbe a significant problem. This is where top-level support becomes vital. The problem though is todecide the right sponsor: someone from the public or the private sector? With the former, the projectcan be seen as just another government initiative, perhaps not too innovative. With the latter, governmentagencies might have reservations related to sharing sensitive information and becoming too close tospecific private sector players. In the case of BT, the project was coordinated by the private sector butthe CIO was very well connected to the government sector due to his past work experience. Withoutsuch an individual or teams to lead the project, it is easy to see the project getting mired in difficulttrade-off decisions.

• It is also important that the citizen services offered through such a portal initially are those that arereally useful and close to the heart of the community. The choice of scenarios is thus critical. For BT,only those that spanned multiple agencies, and where the transaction costs were high, were selected.Thus, the benefits of the portal were apparent. It is important to realise, at the same time, that it isexactly these sets of services (multi-agency) which are the most difficult to implement. But withoutsuch a risk, the real power of integration and the public-private data integration would not be fullyapparent to users.

• Finally, the underlying broad lesson of BT, reinforced in multiple contexts, is the notion of decentralisedcontrol and management. Multiple parties coming together for design, development, and implementationled to its success. Rather than to tightly control the project given its national importance and thesecurity of data, it was kept loose, with multiple players getting involved in various stages. For example,the roadmap for building portal services was deliberately not fixed early so that refinements would bepossible along the way. Partners such as HP did not have to commit a fixed number of people for theproject; instead, they had a team of experts ready to meet arising challenges and new demands. Thus, toachieve the goal of integrating multiple parties for e-services, instead of using traditional projectmanagement strategies of tight control and coordination, 3P projects require a loose consortium to allowfor creativity and freedom to handle emergent situations.

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Achieving the vision of 3P integration is a goal governments around the world are aiming for. While manyare still in the early stages, others have made bold efforts to boost citizens’ access to diverse informationlocated with multiple private and public-sector players. Among those who have taken concrete steps towards3P integration is the Singapore government which developed BT, the world’s most advanced and innovativeexample of citizen-centric, efficient e-government delivery. It is, nonetheless, still a small step in the biggervision of moving towards total integration. This paper has shared the experience of developing BT and somelessons which others can learn in terms of technology, project scope, service design, and stakeholdermanagement.

References

1 Accenture Consulting (2001). e-government Leadership Rhetoric vs. Reality – Closing the Gap.

2 Gartner (2001). Gartner’s Four Phases of E-Government Model. Gartner Group, USA

3 Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (2004). Towards Seamless Customer-Centric e-Services.Available at http://www.ida.gov.sg/idaweb/media/infopage.jsp? infopagecategory= &infopageid=I3083&versionid=3. Accessed May 15, 2006.

4 Ke W. and Wei K.K. (2004). Successful E-Government in Singapore. Communications of the ACM, 47(6),pp. 95-99.

5 Singapore E-Government Website. KeyNote Address by Minister Raymond Lim at the iGov Forum.Available at http://www.igov.gov.sg/News/Speeches/Keynote_ Address_Minister_Raymond_Lim_30 May2006. htm. Accessed July 10, 2006.

6 Singapore Government Website. Models of 3P Integration. Available at http://www.ecitizen.gov.sg/3P_integration/models_of_3P.htm. Accessed July 11, 2006.

7 Srivastava S.C. and Teo T.S.H. (2005). Electronic Government as a Guided Evolution in Singapore:Visionfor the World in the 21st Century. Academy of Management Proceedings, pp. E1-E6.

About the Authors

Neerja Sethi is currently teaching in the Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University.She has more than 10 years of IT industry experience in project management, application architecture, ande-commerce. Her interests include e-commerce, Web Services and distributed systems.

Vijay Sethi is Professor of IT and former Dean of Business Program at the Nanyang Business School,Nanyang Technological University. Prof. Vijay specialises in electronic commerce, strategic informationsystems planning, IT productivity, and knowledge management.

Sustainability of Community Information Centers in NorthEast- A Public Private Partnership Model

Rajat Kanti Baisya1

ABSTRACT

Government of India has set up 485 CICs in north east region with an objective to reduce thedigital divide and bring the people residing in remote areas into the mainstream developmentprocess. Three years have passed since these CICs were established but they still require grantsand support from the Ministry of Information Technology, Govt of India for their existence.Although CICs are serving important purpose but so far could not extend all types of citizencentric services and also they are not financially viable. The main source of earnings of theseCICs are still through the computer literacy training programme that they run. A study wasconducted to identify the issues and to find a model for sustainability. Public private partnershipwas one such approach that we examined. The paper discusses various models of such partnershipsto offer a range of services which can make the CICs sustainable.

Keywords: Sustainability, Community Information Centers, Public-Private-Partnership, e-governance.

1. Background

CICs set up and operating in various parts of north eastern states including Sikkim are expected todeliver various objectives such as reducing divide between urban elite and rural poor, integrating rural Indiawith the mainstream, delivering services – both social and economical and uplifting the economic status ofthe people living in remote areas. The experience gained from this experiment will therefore serve as a veryvaluable input when similar facilities are extended to many other parts of the country. Making them sustainablewill thus be crucial. A survey carried out on these CICs covering all stakeholders reveals that CICs may notbe financially sustainable on their own. There are several issues which will determine the success of theseCICs. Among these are :

• Location

• Scope of service covering civil including municipal services, health, education, agriculture and businessrelated services

• Degree of awareness about the value of the services offered

• Likely impact of the services on local economy

• Population around the CIC to provide the critical mass.

At present CICs are only providing the basic level of computer skill related training which constitute the

1 Department of Management Studies, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi-110016, India(Phone: 26596395, E-mail: [email protected] )

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major revenue. The full length service have not yet been offered. The reasons being :

• Inadequate infrastructural support• Inexperienced and directionless CIC operators• No plan of deliverables with no proper control• Degree of uncertainty amongst CIC staff• Lack of initiative from local government

CICs therefore have delivered limited objectives so far in spite of big expectations from all quarters. Intheir current structure CICs will not achieve financial viability barring in a few locations where trainingprogrammes are being conducted in large numbers. The two major initiatives that are required to be undertakenare :

• Extend other services covering health, education, agriculture and business• Launch a massive IT awareness programme

In order to do so, we need to have action plan for each CIC taking into account the local issues. Thisaction plan will have milestone to achieve the basic objective of providing social justice and at the same timeensuring sustainability.

2. Public-Privali Partnership Models

It will be an extremely slow process if government has to oversee the implementation of the action plan forsustainability. A public private partnership thus offers a viable alternative towards sustainability and fastergrowth of this major initiative. Keeping this objective in mind we had discussions with the senior officials ofReliance Industries Ltd who have massive plan to make entry into the retailing sector including food retailingto find out whether they would be willing to join hands with the government to manage CICs for mutualbenefit. The prospect of such a public-private participative venture is discussed in this section undervarious model framework.

2.1. Model -1 CIC retaining independence in the partnership (strategic partnership / Alliance)

In this model control of CICs will remain with the government and strategic alliance with private partnerscan be established to improve the financial viability either by generating fixed or variable income.

Reliance Industries Ltd ( RIL) has an ambitious plan to enter the retail sector setting up a chain of largeformat retail outlets in the form of super markets and hyper markets in India. In addition, RIL will also havefood stores located in their petrol pumps being set up all over the country covering highways. Some of thesestores have already been set up. The company has already hired a large workforce covering different industrycategories like consumer durables and non-durables. As per plan a few such supermarkets will be opened inthis year itself.

The success of these super markets retail chain will largely depend on the organisational capability ofstrategic sourcing directly from the production centers eliminating non-value adding middlemen intervention.In case of food and agricultural products it would also mean that wastage will be eliminated. In this junctureCIC can be linked with the private partners like RIL and others who will be able to utilise the infrastructurealready in place to leverage the sourcing initiatives. There are several advantages for private partners likeRIL to establish linkages with CICs to procure food and agricultural commodities from the local areas cultivatingthose items. These are :

• Least cost of procurement• Quality inspection and grading at source• Reduction of wastage• Low level of inventory ( source as you need)

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Rajat Kanti Baisya / Sustainability of Community Information Centersin North ....

• Elimination of middlemen intervention in the supply chainThe benefits that might accrue to CIC from such an association include :

• A regular and assured revenue stream• Becoming sustainable immediately• Prospect of becoming a profit center• Long term career prospects of CIC staff

The benefits for the local population where the CIC is located will include :• Local farmers/ small entrepreneurs get avenues to sell their products• Economic development of the area• Employment generation• Technology diffusion

The other advantage is that CICs can be used for canvassing company products to the rural communityat least cost and there is a distinct possibility of CIC earning advertising and communication revenue on acontractual basis

RIL would be interested to source the locally available commodities as well as processed items and askedus to provide them with the information related to availability. If the arrangement is formalised for the CIC toact as contact point of large farmers and processors who will under contractual arrangement to supplymaterial to RIL who will set up modern packing and processing units in strategic location to cover widernetwork of CICs in those areas .The other infrastructural needs will be collection centers, cold chain andtesting, sorting , grading facilities which in any case government is setting up as per plan. RIL is in-factlooking for avenues of procurement from the growing areas on their own. CIC facilities offer them an opportunityof establishing a linkage and create infrastructure to facilitate procurement activities to supply to retailoutlets directly from the sourcing and packing centers to create a big cost advantage. RIL can also use theCIC to advertise their products and companies with nominal expenditure. Such arrangement can also beworked out with the big companies who have created markets in rural India such as Hindustan Lever Limited(HLL) and ITC Limited who are highly active in rural markets and in fact have a rural focus as part of theirmarketing strategy and initiatives.

2.2. Model -II : Joint Venture Partnership

This model will explore possibility of bringing in partnership with local entrepreneurs who would bewilling to invest in the CICs to pursue an agreed plan without diluting the core objectives for which CICswere set up but with an intention to work out a business model to ensure sustainability and long termprofitability. The local entrepreneurs will be of three type :

• Qualified unemployed youth with funds available to invest• Qualified and experienced individual or group of individuals willing to go in for a joint venture• Existing industries including service industries

Discussions were held with people of all categories who are open to the idea of joining hands with a CICto run the operation jointly. We have been told that prospective entrepreneurs from other regions includingDelhi have gone and expressed interest in joint ventures and approached the local NIC official at GuwahatiWe had discussions with the Chairman of a cement plant in Badarpur , Assam who is interested to take upselect CIC for management. We have also met people in the state who are interested in the ventures. It isexpected that in a joint venture model only viable CICs which are strategically located and offer opportunitiesfor growth and other forms of commercial potential will be in demand . In this model we can have three or fouralternatives :

• Separate JV with respect to individual CIC• Formation of JV with a cluster of CICs

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• One JV for the entire state covering all CICs• JV covering entire region ( north east)

In the last option only large corporation like ITC or say ICICI would be interested.

2.3. Model III : Privatisation of CICs

CICs either selectively or jointly in a state or region can be hived off to a private enterprise throughdisinvestment route. It will not be difficult to find private parties interested to run these CICs as ongoingentities.

But before we embark upon any forms of public-private partnership it is important that an appropriatestructure of CICs and their ownership is clearly defined. At present the assets excluding land and building( property) are owned by DIT under Ministry of Information Technology, Govt.of India. Therefore, themaintenance and service contract of physical equipments are with NIC. The direct overheads of people andrunning expenses , although small , are with the respective state government. The real estate on which thisfacilities were created are owned by various agencies including BDOs, schools , colleges etc. The entirearrangement is very unstructured and non-standard in the sense that in some places electricity bill is not paidby the CICs and in other places it is paid. The cost structures are also different. These have to be standardisedunder agreed norms before any meaningful discussion with prospective private partners can be initiated.

In many cases the CICs have to be relocated. When these CICs are initially set up, any property that wasavailable was chosen for location. However, if CICs have to be financially viable and make partnership withthe private sector, location may turn out to be the key issue.

From the discussion with the state officials who are responsible for managing the CICs in their respectivestates one point that emerged clearly was that they don’t see CICs becoming financially viable in nearfuture. Also all of them have agreed that CIC has a valuable role to play in their e- governance initiativesalthough the progress so far is very slow. They were all of the opinion that the central govt should continueto financially support this as state govt. has no fund to take care of the cost.

It is also an imperative that once you bring these CICs under the control of the state govt. the costincluding long term cost will go up significantly as pay scale etc have to be given in line with what exists inthe current govt scale of pay including long term liabilities. And if CICs are allowed to continue under theloosely defined structure as it exists the objective of CICs will not be delivered simply because of lack ofmotivation arising out of uncertainty and lack of involvement and direction. Under these circumstances,taking these CICs under state govt structure will be opposed by the local state govt. The PPP model thusserves one very viable option.

2.4. Model IV. Government Supported Model

While discussing with the officials of the Ministry of Industry , Govt of Assam, two suggestions haveemerged involving state govt. These are :

• Transfer CICs to a state run organisation• Increase govt support in terms of utilising the facilities.• NGO managing CICs

It was suggested that in case of Assam an organisation like AMTRON can take over the CICs if it comesto a stage that state govt has to run theses CICs and manage those under a clear agreed plan of action

The other alternative to bail out the CICs which are not doing well at all ( and their numbers are quitesignificant ) is to utilize the CIC facility for government work. It has been mentioned that eight to ten typesof information in different format emanates from each BDO office for the district office and or even for statehead quarter every week. These involve data entry, report preparation and mailing. As most of the CICs are

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located in the BDO’s office these jobs can be easily transferred to the CICs. It is possible that the BDO staffcurrently doing these jobs manually can be transferred to work as CIC operators without any incrementalcost to the govt. Director of Industries and Joint Director of Industries , Govt of Assam definitely think thatthis is a possibility and they are willing to try it out on an experimental basis. They even identified DhemajiCIC as a first pilot for this experiment. Dhemaji CIC is said to be doing very poorly.

It is also possible that in select CICs, NGOs can be involved to manage the unit. Officers at local NIC aswell as officers of state govt even identified some NGOs operating in that region capable of managing theCICs. We have discussed with one such NGO in Meghalaya , namely RRTC ( Rural Resource & TrainingCentre, Umran ) who have good infrastructure and manpower and are quite active in that region.

It is the next task to evolve a suitable system to manage the CICs. It can be one of those options discussedhere or even a combination of various such options. It seems that government is keen to retain the control onthe CICs. But in order to sustain them there could be following options which government might like toconsider :

Approach I: Pure Government funding with informal relationship with NGOs & Private Corporations

In this model government will have informal business relationships with the private parties such as HLL,ITC etc for using CICs to advertise their product and services at a cost to reach rural consumers. Govt. alsocan have tie ups with leading banks who have strategic focus on micro-financing to promote small ruralentrepreneurs such as ICICI .In this case CICs can provide the initial contact points and can also serve to sellthe company’s products. Bharti Telecom would be interested to install the communication tower in selectCICs and pay agreed rentals. CICs can also sell their products. For all those options CICs will be able to earna fixed income to improve their financial performance.

Approach II : Informal Relationship for CICs located in Schools

There are many CICs located in academic institutions such as primary and secondary schools. There is adistinct possibility of forming informal alliance with the NGOs such as Pratham who offers teachers trainingprogramme at primarily level. Bharti Telecom has been active in northern India to conduct computer relatedteachers training programme for primary school teachers in remote locations utilising services of Pratham.Bahrti will be willing to support similar programme in north east as well.

Approach III : Formal Relationship

It is possible for the government to have formal relationship with both private partners and NGOs at local,state or pan India level with appropriate organisational and administrative structure that suits such jointventures. Formal relationship can be forged in all types of associations.

It is the next task to evolve a suitable system to manage the CICs. It can be one of those options discussedhere or even a combination of various such options.

5.4. Enlarging the scope of service :

It is imperative that CICs offer a much wider service and graduate from their current level of providingonly IT training to local stakeholders which constitute 70 -75% of their revenue . Needless to say thatwithout the extension of services offering e- governance initiatives of the state as well as other domain areassuch as education , health , agriculture etc, the CICs will not become financially viable. It is also an imperativethat without the involvement of the private players full realization of the potential will not be achieved.Furthermore, a clear road map has to be worked out with respect to each CICs taking into account theircurrent problems and if need be they can even be relocated. In the long run CICs should be able to providecomprehensive information to the citizens which they are not doing right now . They need to have a databasefor the various services being contemplated.

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In order to enlarge the scope of the services three key issues that emerge are :

• Partnership with the private parties such as ICICI , Reliance, Bharti• Location specific road map with clear task orientation• Redesigning the structure and location as required.

From our discussion with Bharti Group it was revealed that Airtel can consider installing their communicationTower in CICs if location suits them which will help generate fixed monthly revenue. CIC operators can alsosell ICICI products and Airtel products including recharging chips as their retailer which will help generateadditional income for the CIC or even commission to be given to operators/ CIC staff for their motivation.

Pratham started in the slums of Mumbai in 1994. Initially UNICEF has supported Pratham. Today thisparental role has been taken over by ICICI Bank. Pratham activities have spread to 13 states and the assistancecome from local governments, leading corporate houses and even local citizens. Many local trusts andgoverning bodies have been formed to oversee the smooth operations of Pratham activities.

CICs can involve Pratham with the support of the private corporations like Bharti or ICICI to providecomputer education to the local citizens and this could be an immediate opportunity for CICs in north eastto enlarge the scope of service.

Bharti group can also be roped in to provide some corporate social responsibility ( CSR) related servicefrom these CICs. The educational NGO Pratham ( See Box below) that they run in certain areas in northernIndia can be extended to north east with their involvement. The social benefit accrued from this initiative willbe noteworthy. Besides, a revenue generation model can be worked out from this initiative as well.

4. Critical issues that need to addressed

To understand the issues involved to improve the functioning of the CIC so as to achieve the objective ofthe project a study of a few selected CICs was undertaken. Also three focus groups discussion were conductedat Guwahati and Silchar for Assam and at Shillong for Meghalaya. The group was consisted of the GeneralManager – District Industry Centre, Block Development officer, District Information Associate, TechnicalDirector & State Information Officer representing NIC, Representative of NICSI and CIC operators. In theMeghalaya group a representative from Community & Rural Development Ministry was there in place of GM-DIC.

The key findings are summarized as:

• The custodian is the focal point for functioning of the CIC. The amount of interest the custodian takesdetermines the success of the CIC.

• Where the BDO is the custodian, CIC is performing better and that explains why Meghalaya CICs arebetter managed ( although there are instances of BDO not taking interest at all). And where schoolprincipals are the custodians there are associated problems.

• BDO absorbs some of the infrastructure costs of the CIC if it is located in the BDO office but schoolPrincipal charges the CIC for the same and sometimes does not even provide electricity to CIC.

• Most of the people involved in the programme are not clear about their role and responsibility.• The operators working in the CIC don’t get their salaries some time even for months. They are not clear

about the working hours, leave rules and attendance etc. and reporting relationships.• The operators are not clear what they can do as there is no standard communication channel available to

There are instances that a CIC located in a place do not attract any visitors which we have observed in a couple of cases. One such instance is a CIC in Sikkim where CIC operators have now been asked to work in the Agriculture Ministry as there is no visitors and local politician will not allow the CIC to be relocated in better location.

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them. Each CIC thus is taking a different direction in terms of earning the revenues for the centers. Someof them are even selling employment forms for government jobs or different types of application formsto earn revenues.

• Those who are generating some revenues are not clear how these amount are to be spent or accountedfor.

• Proper bank account and insurance or security arrangement for the assets in the CIC are not present insome of the CICs.

• District Commissioners, who are the chairmen of the district level committees are not taking muchinterest. As a result, support from the concerned district offices and officers in terms of providinginformation and governance is not forthcoming..

• Some of the CICs are not getting required services in terms of maintenance and general up keep of thefacility.

• Villagers are very keen to use these facilities and are generally curious to know what these new facilitiesare for but are not getting any kind of meaningful services. Operators are facing problems as they arenot able to answer the citizens’ queries.

• In certain cases some health related and education related programme are initiated by the operatorsthough their initiatives are still unstructured.

• CIC operators are not sure about their future and thus lacking in taking initiatives. But whatever little ishappening is due to their initiatives only.


This initiative of setting up CIC at block level is a very powerful tool to take the advantage of ICT and tobridge the gap of the digital divide and for rural empowerment. The first phase of the implementation of theinfrastructural facility is getting over although not as planned. The IT penetration is low in most of theplaces and therefore massive campaign in terms of what can be done at these centers should be propagated.Some of the essential e- governance services should be initiated for which villagers had to come to nearesttowns, which will reduce their hardships. Locals are to be engaged for managing the units. Training needs tobe given to the operators before employment to make their role clear to them. The local administration set upfor managing these CIC will have to be streamlined with clear task orientation. Scientific information basecovering wider areas of education , health , agriculture , civil administrative services etc as well as marketingservices for farm outputs of the local farmers will greatly help. Some of these can be started immediatelyand local administration such as District Commissioner should be given targets to comply and report. Forthis, district level officers are to be transferred to this activity for faster implementation of the CIC objective.Public private partnership( PPP) will be the key imperative for delivering such services. There are variousmodels discussed in this section. Which model, including the prospect of having multiple collaborativemodel , will be better, is a matter of detail working for which boundary conditions have to be defined and that

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can be the next phase of work to be carried out. Only then the full potential of this major initiatives can berealized.

About the Author

Rajat K. Baisya is Professor of Marketing & Strategic Management at the Department of ManagementStudies, Indian Institute of Technology, and Delhi. Before coming to academics Dr. Baisya was workingfor 28 years in industry with leading Indian and multinational corporations covering all functional areas ofmanagement. Prior to joining IIT – Delhi he was President & CEO of Emami Group of Companies forthree years and before that he was Senior Vice President – Business Development of Anlgo Dutchmultinational Reckitt Benckiser Ltd.

Role of Innovation Management in Government Process

S. Wadhwa1 and J. Madaan1*

ABSTRACT

Since 1970s, the field of innovation management has become the dominant policy discourse onthe management of technological change specifically servicing the needs of Government andbusiness. Despite of rapid expansion of research in the field of innovation and its appropriatemanagement fewer attempts have been made in Government processes which could lead towardssuccessful e-governance efforts. Therefore in order to clarify the characteristics of the innovationmanagement, structure and activities of Government processes should be analyzed. For thispurpose the basic elements and their relation to the innovation management are extracted and anovel architecture is discussed. Investigations have been performed in Government processesaccording to the proposed architecture. Environmental effectiveness of the proposed approachtowards better governance is also discussed.

Keywords: E-governance, Innovation Management, Governance Architecture, Information Technology (IT)

1. Introduction

In the beginning of the new millennium, globally government has realized the increasing pressure ofproviding better and efficient services as well as prompt response to the demands of public. This has createdcomplexity in government process which requires extensive efforts. These efforts have taken the form ofadministrative transformation, administrative reform or administrative development. In the context of thesedevelopments, we see all over the world, innovation and experimentation sprouting in Government processesparticularly in the area of service delivery. In this situation, process improvement and innovation can providecapacity in all corners of the globe to reinvent existing Government process and to implement innovativemeasures in various fields of the public sector. Thus innovation in Government process is to address servicesbacklogs and crises and prepare the ground for sustained human, social and economic development. Here inthis paper advantages of innovation management are extracted and a novel architecture is discussed.Investigations have been made in Government processes according to the proposed architecture. Theeffectiveness of the proposed approach towards e-governance efforts is also being discussed.

Innovation has been the object of considerable academic study from a variety of perspectives. However,innovations are usually considered as objects. We choose to look at innovation differently. For us, innovationis a process through which economic value is extracted from knowledge and ideas. As an economic driver, itcan improve competitiveness, generate wealth, create jobs and sustain a high quality of life. Through thegeneration, development and implementation of ideas, organizations can introduce new products, services,processes and techniques into society. But when, why and how organizations undertake the innovation

1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IIT-D), Hauz Khas, New Delhi, India*Corresponding Author : (Phone: +91-11-2659-6317, Email: [email protected])

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process depends on both internal and external factors [Nonka, 1989]. Externally, innovation is affected bystakeholder interests, competition and changes in the economic environment. Internally, it is influenced byorganizational culture, managerial visioning and individual motivation. Internal factors have a particularlycatalyzing effect on the innovation process. Innovative corporations have distinct work cultures, which offerchallenging, meaningful and interesting work, provide opportunities to develop new competencies andpromote idea experimentation among all employees. This is worth mentioning for the following section, whichfocuses on organizational innovation in Government process.

Thus innovation can act as a process, but it is not self-generating or self-sustaining; rather it requiresextensive leadership to establish the organizational capacity to both foster idea experimentation and tolerate[Sundbo, 1995]. Therefore innovation requires the full integration of thinking, managing and “doing” skills.Thinking provides the capacity to generate ideas; managing offers the process and planning skills that areneeded to manage projects; and “doing” ensures that the products and services are taken to market. Innovationalso requires investment in a variety of activities, such as bright ideas, learning systems, training, researchand development, technology commercialization, corporate culture and entrepreneurial spirit. Thus innovationdoes not come for free it requires good degree of consideration before its implementation.

Furthermore, innovation is the fundamental element needed to revitalize and restructure the services inGovernment processes. Although it does not face the market forces that stimulate private sector firms toinnovate, the Government faces economic, political and ideological imperatives can challenge its role, authorityand effectiveness. As a large enterprise, Government has become more concerned with both developingpolicies that effectively reflect public needs and ensuring that the policies are implemented (either in-houseor by an outside source) in an efficient and timely manner. Innovation management can play a pivotal role inmanaging innovation process and providing environment for meeting these objectives. Thus, by extendingthe innovation management to the Government process, its definition broadens to describe a process throughwhich economic and social value is extracted from new ideas. By this definition, innovation management maybe the next logical and necessary step in the movement for restructuring Government processes.

2. Innovation in Government Processes

Despite of rapid expansion of research in the field of innovation and its appropriate management fewerattempts have been made in Government processes which could lead towards successful e-governanceefforts. Therefore in order to clarify the characteristics of the innovation management, structure and activitiesof Government processes should be critically analyzed. In this section, we will focus on innovation managementsystem can assist to innovate Government process. Innovation management system is about capturing andapplying knowledge to achieve more successful solutions. It enables organizations to influence the pace,energy and direction of change, rather than just reacting to it [Glor, E. 2001]. In government processes, driversof innovation are:

• Being opportunistic – the ability to recognize immediately the significance of a random event andenvironment conducive to innovation;

• Looking outward and forward – searching for new ways of applying technology or knowledge;• Undertaking social and cultural background and financial development to identify new service

opportunities; and• Actively searching for solutions to known problems and developing strategies.

These drivers provide deep knowledge of what are government goal/policies and led to the innovation ingovernment process Organizing innovation in government process is deliberately designing systems, processesand building capability with the explicit aim of:

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S. Wadhwa and J. Madaan / Role of Innovation Management in Government Process

a. Generating and/or accumulating more (good) ideas and opportunities from public officials/experts andcitizens;

b. Selecting smarter ideas for application to improve the likelihood of bridging the gap between citizen andservices.

c. Maximizing the impact of organizational and technological innovation through better learning withinand across organizations.In doing so, we will examine further in detail the technological and organizational innovations to be

undertaken by the Government to provide efficient and effective public services.

2.1. Technological Efforts in Government Process towards E- governance

Technological innovations are defined by a Government strategy to establish an electronic portal to linkGovernment services and citizens, which requires comprehensive strategy outlining its governmentalobjectives. Seeing examples of IT applied to important goals in the public or private sector we can stimulatecreative thinking that can lead to ideas for improved services and more efficient operations of governmentprocess. For Government technological development is one of the significant opportunity and risk. Theworld has changed because of these technological advancements, and so have the public’s expectationstowards Government. With ready access to personal computers and electronic information in the businesscommunity, people expect a comparable level of service from the Government. Government officials andexperts are working hard to incorporate innovative technologies into the way Government works (Gupta M.P,1999). They see how electronic commerce can improve responsiveness and reduce costs. In this context, theTreasury Board Secretariat released a discussion paper, “Blueprint for innovating Government ServicesUsing IT,” to outline “an integrated approach to improving the delivery of Government services whilesignificantly reducing associated costs” [Treasury Board, 1994]. Thus technological innovation can improveorganizational operations and interaction between the Government and citizens.

Fig.1: Innovation in Government Processes

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In addition to above advantage of technological innovation, there are certain operational issues whichmust also be addressed, such as: What measures are needed to protect citizen privacy and secure theconfidentiality of electronic data banks in Government? Who will responsible for the decisions? Who willupdate information provided by web sites? And what about information overload? While IT in technologicalinnovation context is an invaluable tool that can improve Government efficiency. We must understand that,in terms of service delivery, there is a technological saturation point, that is, the point where citizens becomefrustrated with the technology and overwhelmed by the volume of information. We should also acknowledgethe shortcomings of technological innovation as it has emerged as a popular procrastination tool in theworkplace [Wadhwa S., 2001]. While citizens demand a modernized Government, they are generally ambivalentabout innovation in the public sector, particularly because innovation often involves risk-taking that can leadto significant financial losses. As a result, the fear of negative media attention and public scrutiny has createda bias toward risk-aversion within Government.

Above all, there are still major obstacles to technological innovation in the Government processes that aredeeply embedded in the structure and practices. Perhaps it is cliché, but it has been said that these obstacleare 98% management side and 2% technological side. This implies that technological improvements areeffective enablers of change only if Government is ready and willing to adapt to change. The critical point tobe made is that the obstacles to innovation in Government are structural and not the result of humanincompetence or reluctance.

2.2. Organizational Efforts in Government Process towards E-governance

Altshuler identified a tradeoff between organizational efficiency and individual ambition, ownership andinitiative [Altshuler, 1997]. This implies that the government structure, particularly its hierarchy, andimpersonality, effectively impedes management and leadership initiatives. In opposition, human resourcetheorists criticize structural argument for placing too much-emphasis on organizational structure and toolittle on the humanistic elements that comprise a corporation. They argue that his depiction of the governmentsystem as a mere part in the mechanism led him to overstate the impact of organizational structure onindividual workers and understate the impact of workers on the organization [Kernaghan and Siegel, 1999].

According to the Federal Public Service Employee Survey [1999], less than half of public servants feel thatthey are encouraged to be innovative or take initiative, have a say in decisions and actions that impact theirwork, get help from immediate supervisors or department in determining learning needs or career developmentsupport or have had a promotion or believe they have a fair chance of getting one. Only 37% think seniormanagement will try to resolve these concerns [Utterback, 1994].This statement infers a managerial problemthat is precipitated by the organizational structure of government administration.

Thus Government process needs to develop organizational innovation to encourage efforts towards EGovernance. The organizational strategy should maintain the traditional values of Government process (e.g.,accountability, efficiency and neutrality) and build on three additional core principles: Partnerships;Empowerment; and Leadership. Inter- and intra-departmental co-operation is strongly required to fosterlateral information sharing among employees and citizens at all levels of the Government hierarchy. T h i sexchange of information is an important part of building consistency within the public service and minimizingsilo management, which can lead to the duplication of work and department specific policies that do notincorporate the views or expertise of other Government departments. Equally important, employee-focusedempowerment strategies effectively fosters innovative and creative thinking, increases morale and facilitatesinformation sharing among both public sector officials and their staff.

Thus, before criticizing Government officials and experts as self-interested and unresponsive, it is importantto recognize the administrative and decision-making constraints imposed on them. At the present time, there

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are only pockets of organizational innovation and experimentation. Therefore it is necessary for Governmentofficials and experts to work collectively in innovating organizational structure and Government process.

3. Innovative Architecture Proposed For Government Rocesses

The IT revolution is one among the main cause for fast process of globalization that has happened in themarkets (Gupta, 2003). This process shows the need of the restructuring and innovating Government processesin the way of rise capacity of governmental response when facing the increasing citizen demands. Therefore,Government is facing new forms of public participation in the decision-making [Wadhwa.S, 2004]. In thissituation information technologies (IT) has shown possibilities that allow each citizen to participate activelyin the definition of public policy, the relation between government and citizens will be direct. The governmentswill have to find new and innovative ways to complete its function, to interact with the citizens and producethe innovation in public management. Till now there is no extensive model or template for promoting innovationin government process. Thus a model or architecture that is flexible, responsive and focused on deliveringbetter services to public is required. In this paper basic elements of government process and their relation tothe innovation management are extracted and a novel architecture is discussed as shown in figure 2.Here weanalyze not only content and problems of this governmental program, but also express our vision towards E-Governance model.

In the present scenario government needs an innovative architecture to provide a framework for a commonunderstanding about how government services are delivered, in particular through the use of informationand technology to deliver services electronically. The proposed model features a multi layered structure,describing it as “a first attempt to show how [the] whole-of-government approach will translate into anoperational [architecture] supporting delivery of e-governance goals”. This architecture shows how integratedservice delivery, drives a need for a more homogenous. All-of-government operational environment, made upof access channels (web portals, offices, telephones, mails, internet, etc) connected through governmentstandards using shared data and communication technology assisted with business process agencies (dataresources and information systems), leading efforts towards E-Governance environment. Before discussingarchitecture here it is important to discuss Government goals that have motivated us to develop this model.

- Better services – more convenient and reliable, with lower compliance costs, higher quality andvalue.

- Cost effectiveness and efficiency – cheaper, better information and services for customers, and bettervalue for taxpayers.

- Improved reputation – building an image of attractive location for people and business.- Greater participation by people in government – making it easier for those who wish to contribute.- Leadership – supporting the knowledge society through public sector innovation.

Therefore in order to achieve these goals there is strong need for integrating service delivery to citizensand developing flexible configuration in the public sector in order to improve efficiency of resourceallocation[Wadhwa, S., Rao, K.S., 2002b]. This architecture is one step forward in the direction which providesan all-of-government view of how information and technology and government policies can best integrated.It also provides a strategic level view of the components we need for a government system/process tooperate, and what is expected/goals of these components, how each operates and how they work together.The purpose of proposed architecture can be summarized as:

- A description of how service delivery can be achieved more consistently across agencies - planning,managing, implementing and managing change to the environment; and

- A mechanism for communications among stakeholders, by encouraging common understanding ofbusiness challenges and available technology enablers.

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Therefore it enables better decisions to be made about investment in information, technology and businessprocesses, based on the simple logic of “build once, use many times”. Second, it enables agencies to do abetter job of delivering services in ways that are proven to be successful, and therefore suitable for leveragingto best effect.

4. Design and Implementation

Architecture shown here includes various components that will allow delivery of government services topublic effectively and efficiently. Similar components of this architecture have been grouped into categoriesfor ease of understanding and analysis. In the architecture we have classified the components into sixcategories or building blocks. The categories are a useful construct to identify the required functionality in ageneric service delivery process. These categories are:

- User access;- User services and guidance;- Service enabling tools;- Communication tools;- Service delivery systems; and- The surrounding E-governance environment - governance, policy and management [Henderson, 1990].

Here the proposed approach to design of the architecture provides sufficient flexibility for the governmentto develop business systems without many risks. In particular, it allows quicker and more effective linkingand unlinking of business systems and processes as per requirement.

The design of the architecture indicates which part of the architecture is oriented toward the customer(public), which parts should be viewed from an all-of-government perspective, and where the businesssystems of individual agencies feature in this expanded view of service delivery. Furthermore this architecturehas been designed so that it applies to the public sector (all of government), individual organizations, orbusiness units within organizations.

Fig. 2: Innovative Architecture for Government Process

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Thus the overall implication of this architecture for government is to increase flexibility in the way servicesare delivered. It will also allow new types of integrated services to be delivered by groups of agenciesworking together to make use of the components that will be built to support the architecture.

While implementation of proposed architecture agencies needs to align their new initiatives accordingly;there should be a set of procedures to follow. Therefore implementation proposed architecture includesfollowing steps:

Finalize the preliminary design.Acquire necessary understanding of the architecture, easy to use document, pictures and succinctexamples that describe government principles, standards and processes.Establish the necessary governance arrangements Since proposed architecture cannot exist as anisland, strong governance structure is essential for the development and implementation. Strongadministrative support; concise, updated documentation; and close alliance with the governanceprocess are critical for successful implementation of architecture.

5. Res Strategies Towards Improved Government Process

Proposed architecture can also incorporate a model which provides database rules for present and futureenvironment legislations. This architecture can assist both government and corporate agencies to embark on“greening” their services before the arrival of the legislation contributing towards effective RES system.

It is a well known fact that Government agencies have always been the major contributor towardsprocurement of products and services from the people, to the people and by the people. Therefore there hasalways been need of develop innovative model that integrate government procurement functions towardseffective products and services returns processes.

Hereby designing government purchase and write off functions integrated with Reverse Enterprise Systems(RES) of products and services provider can facilitate a program for Avoidance, Reduction, and Utilization ofWastes as shown in figure 3. Adoption of these policies with present IT support can least reduce, if cannoteradicate, pollution and to reduce the problem of managing wastes out of government systems.

Fig. 3: Reverse Enterprise System (adapted from Wadhwa, S. and Madaan, 2006)

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Innovation is risky, particularly in terms of organizational change. The primary challenge for public sectorinnovators, then, is to balance the demand for accountability and efficiency. Here accountability-efficiencychallenge will always be a controversial issue within government. In that context we examine the technologicaland organizational innovations can be undertaken by the Government to provide efficient and effectivepublic services. Therefore With the changing economic, political and ideological environments, we mustestablish structures and processes of governance that are flexible and adaptable. In response to thesechanging demands, we proposed architecture to revitalize the public service and establish an innovativegovernment. Furthermore promoting strong managerial leadership can also help establish a flexible andresilient workplace that can effectively develop, thrive and survive crises in government process. In short,organizational and technological efforts along with strong managerial leadership can spearhead and focusthe innovation process in government. An architecture proposed here has been designed so that it applies tothe public sector (all of government), individual organizations, or business units within organizations also.Finally, to improve environmental performance of government system integration of RES strategies has beensuggested. Although measurement of success of proposed architecture is complex, as so much depends onthe needs and aspirations of clients. Measurement difficulties are further compounded when, as is the casewith much public service provision, there is no competitor to benchmark

References

1 Altshuler A. (1997). Public Innovation and Political Incentives Boston: Institute for Innovations inAmerican Government, U. S. Government Press, USA.

2 Gupta M.P (2003). Towards E-Government, Tata Mc Graw Hill Press, India.

3 Gupta M. P. (1999), Assessing return on information, South Asian Jrnl of Management, 6, 1-19.

4 Henderson R. M., and Clark K. B (1990). Architectural Innovation: The reconfiguration of existingproduct technologies and the failure of established firms, Administrative Science Quarterly, 35, 9-30.

5 Kernaghan K. and Siegel D (1999). Public Administration in Canada (4th Edition), Scarborough: ITP,Canada

6 Rothwell Roy, (1994). Towards the Fifth-Generation Innovation Process, International Journal MarketingReview, 11, 7-31.

7 Sundbo J., (1995). Innovation Theory: Three Paradigms in Innovation Theory. Science and Public Policy,22, 399-410.

8 Nonaka and Yamanouchi T., (1989). Managing innovation as a self-renewing process, Journal of BususinessVenturing, 12, 11-23.

9 Treasury Board (1994), Blueprint for Renewing Government Services Using Information Technology:Discussion Paper, Treasury Board of Canada.

10 Utterback J. M., (1994). Mastering the dynamics of innovation, Harvard Business School Press, Boston.

11 Wadhwa S. (2004), DSS in E-Governance to Promote Innovativeness and Effectiveness, Towards E-Government Management Challenges, ICEG, New Delhi, 2, 279-287

12 Wadhwa S., (2001). Judicious Use of IT in Manufacturing SMEs, Published as a selected article in APOpublication on e-Commerce, Tokyo.

13 Wadhwa S., Rao K.S., (2002) Framework for Flexibility Maturity Model, Global Journal of FlexibleSystem Management, 3, 45-54.

14 Wadhwa S. and Madaan J., (2006). Dynamic System Modeling for Closed Loop Supply Chain (CLSC)System, INFORMS 2006 International Conference, June, Hong Kong, China

15 Shafritz J. and Ott S. (1996). Classics of Organization Theory. Orlando: Harcourt Brace & CompanyPress.

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Acknowledegments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the insightful & pertinent suggestions that considerably improvedraft of this paper.

Prof Subhash Wadhwa Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi(IIT-D), Hauz Khas, New Delhi, India

Jitendra Madaan, Research Scholar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology,Delhi (IIT-D), Hauz Khas, New Delhi, India

Strengthening Local Self Governments through IT: A Case Study of Kerala

P V Unnikrishnan1

ABSTRACT

Information Kerala Mission (IKM) a sequel to it was grown from within this mass campaignwith the participation of multiple stakeholders consisting of academicians, local government leaders,planners, professionals, administrators, development practitioners and voluntary workers. Theobject of the mission was to computerise all local governments in the state, which now counts to1223. This holistic and human centred Information Communication Technology project aimed atstrengthening decentralised planning and local democracy through good governance, improvedservice delivery, sharing of best practices and building up community knowledge bases fordecentralised planning and local area development. Participatory software development, developinglearner centred, locale specific training and handholding strategies, and networking of local levelsmall and medium enterprises for employment generation and sustenance are components of theproject. Today, the IKM provides the much required database support for better decision makingin development projects, offers improved public services and responsive local administration andimparts necessary skills to the community to use Information Communication Technologies (ICT)for transparency, participation and judicious decision-making in several local governments. Thispaper provides detailed and learning theory.

1. Introduction

Decentralisation in Kerala had identified grass root level planning as an entry point for mass mobilisationand empowerment. In 1997, it was decided by the Government to earmark 1/3rd of the state plan budget to localgovernments. This was sought to be utilised for preparing grass root level plans to be prepared in a participatorymanner reflecting the felt needs of the community. During the second year of the preparation of the localgovernment plans (1997-1998) the need for a comprehensive database on local government plan projects wasrealised within the decentralisation campaign. This would facilitate consolidation of the plan processes andmake effective monitoring also possible. By then the campaign had arrived at several negotiated practicesand processes for participatory planning. An extensive citizen interface was made mandatory for approval oflocal government plans and beneficiaries. In this context of a broadening citizen interface a need to simplifyadministration in order to make it more responsive, efficient and citizen friendly also emerged.

The new processes of participatory developmental planning increased the workload of local governmentpersonnel substantially. Additional workload of the local government personnel was sought to be balancedby automating various local government processes. Decentralisation had created a unique paradox in the

1 Information Kerala Mission, Pratheeksha Tower, Thiruvananthapuram – 695581, India(Phone +91-5712596543, Email: [email protected])

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matter of expertise. It was at the grass root level that the largest chunk of plan resources was made availablefor planning and resolution of citizen problems through decentralisation. However the staff in the civilservice available at this level were the junior most, who lacked the experience of planning and developmentaladministration. Building up Expert Support Systems and Decision Support System was looked upon as apossible mechanism for tackling the lack of talent in the short run. The relevance of application of ICT in thecontext of decentralisation had emerged from these concrete necessities.The task of the mission was to arriveat an appropriate choice of Information Communication Technology to meet the multifarious requirementscited above, viz

(i) Evolving a comprehensive database on participatory planning and monitoring.(ii) Simplification of administration to make it more responsive, efficient and citizen friendly.(iii) Handling additional workload in local governments without additional manpower.(iv)To tackle lack of expertise in developmental planning and administration through Decision Support

Systems and Administrative System.

The mission team has six departments organised functionally viz. (i) Corporate Management, (ii) SoftwareDevelopment, (iii) Line of Business Expertise, Data Analysis and Content Management; (iv) Technical Supportand Infrastructure Management, (v) Quality Assurance, and (vi) Implementation.The mission is activelybacked by the 1223 local governments. In Corporations, Municipalities and District Panchayats specificintervention programmes, local body wise were planned as their own projects. Total computerisation in pilotGrama Panchayats were also implemented as local government programmes. Apart from these, state levelprogrammes have also been implemented like:

• Implementation of Janasevanakendrams in 58 urban local governments.• Implementing hospital kiosks in 182 hospitals in 5 Corporation.• Fast track programme for computerisation of 53 Municipalities and 5 Corporations.• Fast track programme for first phase computerisation of 541 Grama Panchayats having computers

already.

These programmes run by the state government are also organised with active participation of the headsof local governments and local government leaders.

2. Scope of the Project

The impact of decentralisation has been substantial in the social services sector, whereas it has not beeneffective in the productive sectors of the economy and in areas of local economic development. Achievingbetter results in local economic development and in the productive sector requires extensive capabilitybuilding, establishing comprehensive resource based developmental information systems, adaptingdeveloping new models for enhancing production and productivity trying them out, improving, generalisingand replicating them. Building upon ICT based knowledge frameworks encompassing data, voice and videowould help local governments handle these complex tasks. In the social services sector the challenges areprimarily second generation problems of maintaining quality and sustenance, leaving out some hotspots ofethnic minorities and marginalised sections where quantitative issues remain. Focused intervention in thesepockets and handling the second generation problems is the overall strategy. The knowledge networks speltout earlier and devising tools for improving participation of the local community in real life problem solvingare the ICT targets in this segment.

One of the weaknesses of the Kerala Local Government system is the tendency to over politicise issuesand to handle polemics in a highly polarised manner. This weakness can be addressed through extensivecapability building of the stakeholders and through improving the quality of peoples’ participation in localgovernment functioning. Reporting systems and information systems have to be geared up drastically tostrengthen the existing systems in the public sphere

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a) Grass root level fora like Grama Sabhas3, Ward Sabhas4, and neighbourhood groups called Oorukuttams5

and Ayalkuttams6.b) The fora of elected members viz., the Mayor’s Chamber7, the Chairmen’s Chamber8 and the Panchayat

Associations9.c) The community mechanisms like social audit.d) Systems for participation of Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in development and good

governance.e) Quasi judicial mechanisms like Ombudsman10 and appellate tribunals11 etc.

Given the fiscal crisis faced by the state, the local governments would soon start facing serious challengesin finding resources for strengthening their infrastructure as well as in improving public services. Confidencein the service offerings in return of the taxations has to be created to improve local resource mobilisation. Thiswould require quantum leaps in financial management, accountability, service delivery and infrastructuremanagement performance. Devising performance benchmarks, monitoring them and ensuring informationflows are critical among these tasks. The mission would have to address these also in their governance toolsand information systems.

The civic services envisaged as a part of the programme almost covers the entire gamut of services to beoffered statutorily by the local governments under the third, fourth and fifth schedules of the Kerala PanchayatiRaj Act12 and the first schedule of the Kerala Municipality Act 199413 Functions of Municipality classified asMandatory functions, General functions and Sectorwise distribution of functions have been outlined undertwelfth Schedule, Article 243W of the Indian Constitution and further elaborated under the Kerala MunicipalityAct 1994.

3. Project Timelines

(Initiation date, no. of years project has been running)

• August 1999 – Formation of the Mission• June 2000 – System study document in 7 volumes (appx. 3000 pages) covering all aspects of the local

governments prepared with the participation of the local government personnel.• September 2000 – Pilots initiated in 5 Grama Panchayats• December 2002 – Jan 2003 – Janasevanakendrams inaugurated in Kozhikode, Kochi, Thrissur and Kollam

Corporations• January 2003 – Full fledged pilot initiated in Vellanad Grama Panchayat.• March 2004 – The hospital kiosk programme conceptualised and detailed programme finalised in

consultation with the Mayors and the Directorate of Census Operations-Kerala• October 2004 – Janasevanakendram established in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, thus covering all

the 5 Municipal Corporations• March 2005-July 2005 – Janasevanakendrams established in all the 53 Municipalities thus covering all

the urban local governments in Kerala• July 2005 – Second full fledged pilot initiated in Thalikulam Grama Panchayat• July 2005-March 2006 – Establishment of 110 Hospital Kiosks in 5 Corporations for the quick registration

of births and deaths, and delivery of certificates within 24 hours

4. Major Challenges

The Information Kerala Mission (IKM), established in June 1999, for computerising the local bodies in thestate had been pursuing one among the most ambitious e-governance programmes in the country. Visualisedas a sequel to the decentralised plan campaign which has been acclaimed as one of the most deep-rooted andextensive initiatives in strengthening grassroots level democratisation, the Mission during its initial phase,

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had put in considerable efforts in building up its perspectives and strategies.

The starting point of the Mission’s programme was an extensive study of the local body systems whichhelped it formulate an elaborate framework encompassing seven volumes namely plan monitoring systems,systems for accounting and financial management, revenue systems, systems for public services, establishmentand general administration systems, statutory systems for local governance, and systems for public worksand procurement. The systems study was put together from a perspective of administrative reforms andbusiness process reengineering which are regarded as the inevitable prerequisites for a result oriented e-governance initiative. This was in fact a natural consequence of the clarity of vision ingrained in the mass-based and result oriented decentralisation programme which set in motion the Mission.

The field-testing of IKM applications as well as the pilots has reinforced IKM’s understanding of localgovernment systems which is plainly outlined in the system study document and reproduced below.

i. Crippled with inadequately trained staff and archaic office systems, the administrative machinery isfinding it difficult to implement the people’s plan programme as well as to open out to the common man.A cursory glance at the institutional mechanisms available in the Panchayat reveals the following, asrecorded starkly in the ‘Report of the Committee on Decentralisation, “Files are not properly kept,registers are not up to date and transactions are often elaborated without reasoning. A variety ofreasons have contributed to this state of affairs – pressure of work, imprecise instructions from above,untrained staff, ineffective supervision, impractical procedures and corrupt intentions.” Committeeon Decentralisation of Powers (1997).

Therefore an all-inclusive strategy of e-governance focusing on knocking down redundant and inadequatesystems had to be taken up simultaneously with innovative systems building. Directing change withina dynamically evolving systems framework was by no means a trivial task.

ii. The strategy of implementation, that is being followed by IKM as outlined above has also been subjectedto criticism, from the point that computerisation need be initiated only in a smaller scale. It was arguedthat the appropriate strategy would be to focus mainly on the requirements for front-end operation,rather than by trying to build up back end databases simultaneously. This argument has gone groundless, as the experiences have shown that building up back end databases, along with front end operationis the most appropriate strategy to streamline the databases, to understand the possibility of businessprocess reengineering, and to facilitate seamless integration of the existing system with the evolving e-governance system. It would also be helpful in simplifying the operation in the long run, as the databaseswould get automatically updated, whenever a new transaction takes place.

iii. Keeping in view the complexities of the domain and the need for resorting to an action research perspectiveof experimentation, studying the results and incorporating them into new experiments, establishingefficient and responsive systems for good governance in local governments. The Mission has beenresorting to an iterative model of software development called the Barry Boehm’s Spiral Model whereinnew versions of an application are repeatedly perfected through field trials. The Software developmentlifecycles were triggered from a holistic system study document created through elaborate consultationwith stakeholders is also ensured.

iv. Kerala has a culture of over politicisation of every issue in the public sphere and looking at polemics ina highly polarised manner. The technology policy of IKM which was finalised through wide consultationwith various experts in technology, technocrats, bureaucrats and policy makers had repeatedly comeunder criticism from various political quarters. The Technology policy of IKM which could be summarisedas follows:

Microsoft Technologies shall be used for IKM application development in general for cost effectiveness,user friendliness, convenience in rapid application deployment, third party tools and large scale

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deployment whereas for centralised and web based applications shall be resorted to open sourcetechnologies has been finalised from a very objective, scientific and practical point of view. IKM hadbeen continuously resisting such brick batting on a continuous basis and trying to empower its stakeholdercontinuously so that they are not misled by the overall environment of slandering and mistrust.

v. Service sector in Kerala is under the influence of powerful and militant service organisations who hadbeen looking at modernisation new management tools and computerisation with suspicion. Even issuesrelating to improvement of service delivery and efforts to promote transparency are not seen withenthusiasm and commitment. Quite often this happens because the service organisations are not givena due role or are not consulted while formulating such intervention programmes. IKM has given dueimportance to this and had taken effort for broader consultations on its ICT intervention. IKM’s multimediapresentations on ICT and Society, ICT for Development, ICT for the masses etc. have reached 303interactive sessions in which over 23000 peoples from all walks of life participated.

vi. Vested interest groups have been very powerful in local governments, especially the urban ones, takingfull advantage of the crisis in file management and administrative mechanisms. As the implementationprogresses IKM had been under attack from vested interests as well. A strategy to overcome thesebased on empowerment of the local government personnel themselves, local government leaders andcitizen at large has been worked out by IKM.

5. Implementation

Processes (As-Is and To Be, GPR Interventions)

The services fall into the following categories.

• Issue of certificates including certificates after registration.• Issue of licences and permits.• Collection of taxes, fees, fines etc.• Payment of social welfare pensions and scheme funds.• Civic services and abatement of nuisance

The As-Is process is shown in Figures 1 and the corresponding to-be process is shown in Figures 2. Ascould be seen the As-Is processes are not clearly defined and lack accountability. The To-Be Processescreate a variety of citizen service mechanisms like:

• Disaster response cell• Citizen counselling• Citizen response cell• Delayed grievance monitoring system• Review mode monitoring system• Special action cell

And also MIS reporting to the elected member, Standing Committees and Ward Sabha after appropriatecategorisation of service requests. In the social welfare pension category the To-Be process aims at creatingthe new system has been structured with extensive accountability. In order to facilitate smooth operation ofthe systems the following government process re-engineering measures are necessary.

• Integrated Service Provider and vendor database and common interface.• Integrated citizen database.• Electronic forms and reports.

Details are provided in Table 1

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Fig. 1: Issues of Certificates including Certificates after registration – As Is Process

A variety of business models have been employed in the project.

• Government Financing• Service charges

Government financing has been provided for establishing a core team, running pilots, data collection,undertaking training, administering quality standards for implementation, software testing, running pilotsetc. The Government finance stems from an Additional Central Assistance grant – in – aid and State PlanSupport. Local government finance for the project is for implementation of Janasevanakendrams, datacollection, training and implementation.

Financial Sustainability of the project

Financial resources for the programme are committed by the two partners viz. the state governmentand local governments ensuring sustainability of the programme. The prospects of the Return of Investmentfor local governments are substantial. The direct benefit to the local government in the collection of tax andnon tax revenue, projected based on the experience in pilot Panchayats, are revealing. A rough calculation ofthe total improvement in direct tax collection in a year, by a very conservative estimate, for all the gramapanchayats, municipalities, and corporations for the state put together adds up to 22 crores, 11 crores, and 13crores respectively. Similarly, collection of indirect taxes might get enhanced by 7.5 crores, 0.5 crores, and 1.2crores approximately, in the same order. The total increase in collection in a year could be 54.6 crores, whichwould mean that the IKM project, as a whole could pay back in three years from the enhancement in ownrevenue alone, if the total project cost is put at Rs. 150 crores.

Entrepreneur tie ups have been envisaged through Akshaya and Kudumbashree for handling legacy dataconversion from manual registers, mostly in the Indian language locally. Maintenance of hardware, supply of

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Fig. 2 : Issues of Certificates including Certificates after registration – To be Process

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Table1: Government process re-engineering requirements for improving service delivery

S. N. Government Process Re-engineering Requirement Description

1. Integrated Service Provider and vendor database and common interface

A variety of vendors and service providers interfacing with the local government for obtaining licences, permits, registrations, offering services, receiving payments for the municipality services offered etc. An effort is being made to build up an integrated database encompassing all these categories through a one time effort to streamline G2B systems and to avoid evasion. A single sign on system is being provided for all these entities linking the various disparate departmental identifiers for efficiently processing various service requirements, Integrated services linking multiple service requests multiple payments etc. would also be built in for making service delivery efficient. An information security mechanism for authentication and authorisation and for ensuring privacy shall be also put in place.

2. Integrated citizen database

Linking the multitude of citizen identifiers like electoral roll, building number, ration card number, BPL database Id etc. for the citizenry in the local government, an integrated citizen database id is being generated for efficiently handling citizen service requests. This shall be linked with single sign on options and provisions for service integration bringing together provision for handling multiple service requests, multiple payments etc. An information security mechanism for authentication and authorisation and for ensuring privacy shall also be put in place.

3. Electronic forms and reports

One of the key requirements of the project to perform G2B and G2C services online is an electronic interface for the current manual forms. Forms are being redesigned through logical grouping of data fields. Reports and registers are also being redesigned for dispensing with manual processing wherever necessary.

hardware as well as commercial off-the-shelf COTS software is carried out by private partners.

Human Resources and Capacity Building

The implementation committee of IKM is the state level agency supervising the implementation. TheSecretaries for Local Self Government, Finance and Information Technology are members of the committeechaired by the Honourable Minister for Local self Government. Empowered committees have been establishedin various local governments chaired by the local government leaders and consisting of the respective headsof the offices. The implementation in the respective local governments is taken care of by them.

A comprehensive, learner centred and participative pedagogy was adopted for imparting training incomputers and various software applications including commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software andcustomised software solutions built by the Information Kerala Mission. The kernel of the training andhandholding strategy of IKM had been the clear focus on demystification of technology and a strongemphasis on capability building and continuous handholding till all the aspects of the applicationimplementation stabilises. The educational profile of local government leaders and local government personnelas shown below demanded an approach of step by step capability building process which was administeredthrough a comprehensive computer fundamentals training followed by an in-depth application hands-on andcommissioning/training programmes.

The details of capability building and skill building exercise taken up by the Information Kerala Missionis provided in Annexure 4.

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The training programme in the applications was backed by an elaborate strategy of commissioning andhandholding involving the following:

• Hands on training for Janasevanakendram and Hospital Kiosk functionaries at the local site.• Briefing of stakeholders on the processes involved in operationalising the various Sevana modules in

the Janasevanakendrams and Hospital Kiosks.• Presentation on applications before the Corporation, Municipal Council or Local Government Committee.• Live trial and continued handholding till operation stabilises.

A series of manuals have been prepared by the mission for training and operations.

Communication and Publicity strategy used

Systematic environment building using print media, video multimedia and the web have been done by themission in connection with specific milestones like pilots, major roll out efforts etc. Newsletter, brochures,handouts have also been used. The mission has taken a general strategy of keeping a low profile given theslow progress of its rather involved implementation and has shown aggressiveness in campaigns onlyduring major events.

Role of partner organisations

The collaboration with Kudumbashree had been at three levels. First of all, the Information Kerala Missionhad been doing data entry in various local governments using Kudumbashree facilities. Secondly theKudumbashree and IKM had been working together on the Hospital Kiosk project with the Kudumbashreeunits running the Kiosks in various Corporations. Thirdly the fast track project of IKM to install birth anddeath applications in Grama Panchayats is based on collaboration with the Ashraya project using itsinfrastructure but in place for the reporting on the functioning of destitute care programmes in GramaPanchayats. IKM is also collaborating with “Akshaya” the initiative for bridging the digital divide. InMalappuram, past data entry of Birth, Death and Marriage records is done through Akshaya.

Metrics and Impact details are given in Appendix.

6. Lessons Learnt

The first and foremost lesson that the mission has learned is that a human centred approach toInformationCommunication Technology dissemination is meaningful in the longer run.

i. One of the weaknesses of the human centred approach is that it is highly oriented towards continuousinteraction with the stakeholders. This could turn out to be tedious with most Information Technologyagencies which would normally have by and large a technology orientation. Further the extensiverequirements for face to face integration with the stakeholders, and taking them in confidence at eachstage might result in slower progress in execution and lack of visibility. Appropriate strategies forInformation Education Communication (IEC) has to be worked out for continuously empowering thestakeholders and for taking them along with the programme.

ii. Participative, user centred and iterative software development models starting from a holistic frameworkwould make e-governance systems result oriented, especially when variation in bookkeeping practices,non-standard data and non-standard processes are the major hurdles. Involving users and retiredfunctionaries in testing is very useful, but their value judgements on change management should betaken with a pinch of salt, because most of them tend to be prisoners of the existing system.

iii. Demystification of technologies, local language interface and focus on training and handholding arevery critical in empowering users. If this component is executed meaningfully substantial mindshare ofusers could be appropriated.

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iv. Participative process audits and database audits, systematically followed by executive orders and reviewsessions involving senior administrative functionaries handling legislative and regulatory frameworkcould be useful in handling change management and business process re-engineering.

v. Linkages with macro initiatives could be beneficial in terms of improving the understanding of the scopeand outcome of the ICT component and also in enhancing the visibility substantially.

vi. Citizen centric adalats (grievance redressal sessions) could be very effective tools for filling gaps and inupdating community information.

In the case of end service delivery happening outside the boundaries of the institution, tracking theprocess upto the citizen end and extending the process control upto that end could be useful. Even if theextension of the process control mechanism does not happen as an electronic process over a network,improvements in the manual process could itself be rewarding.

7. Conclusion

Revenue models based on user charges cannot be tried out in the Kerala context for various servicesprovided by local governments for obvious political reasons. Therefore conventional private publicparticipation models are not workable in the Kerala context. Innovative models based on substantialimprovement in quality of service delivery have to emerge. State level third party maintenance contracts,costs of which are met by local governments would have to be explored for a few years. Integration withentrepreneur based service centres and levying of service charges for special services is workable. Sponsorshipand advertisement charges are also viable options. Prospects of building up a corpus fund for maintainingJanasevanakendrams and other amenities is also being explored.

One of the critical efforts for ensuring sustainability of the ICT initiatives was to link the importantactivities to the council, grass root level fora like Grama Sabha and Ward Sabha and also with the Civil Societyso that synergies would be established with macro level campaigns for building transparency, advocating for“Right to information”, and operationalising the “Citizen Charter”. Efforts for social inclusion of the underprivileged and marginalised sections happen seamlessly since these are by and large taken care of in thelarger campaigns.

A participative implementation mechanism has been put in place integrating the various local governmentsfora in this state, like the Chamber of Municipal Chairpersons and Panchayat Association. For the state levelrollout a mechanism for participative project management through state level review meetings, customerservice and performance benchmarking studies have also been arrived at.

Vested interest groups have been also very powerful in local governments, especially the urban ones,taking full advantage of the crisis in file management and weaknesses in administrative mechanisms. As theimplementation progresses IKM had been coming under attack from vested interests as well. A strategy toovercome these attacks based on empowerment of the local government personnel themselves, localgovernment leaders and citizen at large has been worked out by IKM.

The Government Process Re-engineering component of the project had a tremendous advantage in thata major administrative reform process (drastically altering the overall legal framework for local governmentfunctioning and making it a complete tier of government with full functional and financial autonomy) wasinitiated at the very onset of the project itself. Therefore the mission has taken a strategy of synergising withthe overall reforms programmes and working out executive orders on practices, processes and standardswhich after actual field trials could be incorporated into rules. In exceptional cases, where acts themselvesrequires amendments they are taken up with the legislature.

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References

1. Committee on Decentralisation of Powers (1999). The final report of the Committee on Decentralisationof Powers Government of Kerala October 1999.

2. Information Kerala Mission (1999). choice of Technology for local governments minutes of the meeting ofthe Technical Committee of the Information Kerala Mission held on fifth November 1999 at the office ofthe Vice Chairman, State Planning Board, Thiruvananthapuram.

3. Isaac Thomas T.M (2000). “Campaign for democratic decentralisation in Kerala- An assessment from theperspective of empowered deliberative democracy”, Centre for Development Studies and Kerala StatePlanning Board,12January,2000 available at http://www.archonfung.net/papers/isaac.pdf

4. Unnikrishnan P.V (2001). “Information Kerala Mission – Unfolding of a Silent Revolution” available athttp://www.infokerala.org/Silentrevelation.pdf

5. Vijayalakshmi V. (2003). “Decentralisation Reforms Peoples’ Planning in Kerala”, Best practices database at Governance Knowledge Centre, Department of Personal and Administrative Reforms, Governmentof India available at http://www.indiagovernance.org/GKC/GKC_WebUI/Portal/TaxonomyShowcase/Download.aspx?trid=102&tid=35&sort=0,http://www.indiagovernance.org/GKC/GKC_WebUI/Portal/TaxonomyShowcase/Download.aspx?trid=103&tid=35&sort=0,http://www.indiagovernance.org/GKC/GKC_WebUI/Portal/TaxonomyShowcase/Download.aspx?trid=104&tid=35&sort=0.

6. Vijayanand S.M. (2001). “Poverty reduction through decentralisation: Lessons from the experience ofKerala state in India”, Paper delivered at the Asia and Pacific forum on poverty: Reforming policies andInstitution in poverty Reduction, Asian Development Bank, Manila, February 2001 available at http://www.adb.org/poverty/forum/pdf/vijayanand.pdf

AppendixMetrics and impact

Impact assessment of the project

A series of programmes currently implemented as a part of the project are outlined below. Some of them arestill in the pilot stage whereas others have been rolled out partially. The task that remains is to complete thestate level rollout.

i. Quantitative aspects and indicators: Janasevanakendram implementationQuantitative aspects

No. of sites: 60Area: 3580.39 sq.mNo. of computerised counters: 2 – 10 per locationSeating for customer: 6 – 20 per location

Automated queue management (selected locations)Indicator

ii. Quantitative aspects and indicators of Sevana (Birth, Death and Marriage)Quantitative aspects:No. of sites: 354No. of registrations: 1546591No. of certificates issued: 649569

Indicator

iii. Quantitative aspects and indicator of Hospital Kiosks implementation.Quantitative aspects for Hospital Kiosks

Hospital kiosks have been established in 110 locations now. The work on establishing the Hospital

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Kiosks in 182 Hospitals has been initiated. Hospital kiosks have been established as an alternate servicedelivery centre with a branding, colour scheme, sign board, counter design and connectivity. The computerisedcounter has been established with a clear demarcation of the processes relating to registration, and servicedelivery has improved.

Indicator for Hospital Kiosk

Sl. No Indicator Impact

1 Customer feedback on general quality

Customer feedback shows acceptance of improved ambience in all locations

2 Customer feedback on improvement of services

Perceptible improvement of services in 60% cases (Main reason for reduced impact being non-availability of legacy data in electronic form)

Table 2 : Metric for Janasevanakendram

The quality of public service delivery has also improved as can be seen from the indicators shown below.

Number of transactions : 62939Reduction in service time for : 1/7th to 1/15th min of usualregistration registration timeReduction in service time forcertificate issue in Hospital : 1/7th to 1/15th min of usual time

iv. Quantitative aspects and indicators of Sevana Pension ImplementationQuantitative aspects

Table 3 : Metric for Sevana


1 Time for issuing new certificate Reduced from 4 – 5 days to 5 hours

2 Time for issuing old certificate Reduced by 50%

No. of sites: 8No. of pensioners: 16270No. of unemployment dole earners: 12741Indicators

vii. Quantitative aspects and indicators of Sthapana Implementation

Quantitative aspectsNo. of sites: 60No. of employees: 10290Indicators

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viii. Quantitative aspects and indicators of Soochika Implementation

Quantitative aspectsNo. of sites: 4No. of sites with touch screen for grievance status search facility: 1

No. of transactions: 17864Indicators

ix. Quantitative aspects and indicators of Sakarma Implementation

Quantitative aspectsNo. of sites: 3No. of transactions: 824Indicators

x. Quantitative aspects and indicators of Sanchya Implementation

Quantitative aspectsMetric for Social welfare pension


1 Time for disbursement of pension after order Reduced from 10 days to 5 hours

2 Time for disbursement of dole after order Reduced from 4 days to 1 day

No. of sites: 5No. of stakeholders: Property tax – 575359;Profession tax – 20212; D&O license – 19525Indicators

xi. Quantitative aspects and indicators of Sanchitha Implementation.Quantitative aspectsNo. of sites: 64

Table 7 : Metric for Sthapana


1 Time for monthly pay bill generated Reduced from two days to few minutes

2 .

No. of staff required for operation Reduced to one-tenth

Database size: 223 MBIndicators

1 Time for locating a relevant document . Reduced from a few days to few minutes

xii. Quantitative aspects and indicators of Samoohya ImplementationQuantitative aspects

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Table 8 : Metric for Soochika

No. of sites: 2Database size: 127 MBIndicatorNon-electronic equivalent not available for benchmarking


1 Time for status search Reduced from over a day to few seconds

Table 9 : Metric for Sakarma


1 Time for locating a decision point Reduced from more than a week to a few minutes

xiii. Quantitative aspects and indicators of Saphalya Implementation.Quantitative aspectsNo. of sites: 2No. of transactions: 3324Database size: 47 MBNo. of beneficiaries: 2712IndicatorNon-electronic equivalent not available for benchmarking


1 Time for demand generation Demand generation reduced from one month to a few minutes

2 Time for arrear statement generation

Arrear statement generation reduced from several months to few minutes

3 Increase in projected demand due to streamlining of records 15% to 30%

Table 10 : Metric for Sanchaya

A Study of E-governance in Rural India

Atanu Ghosh1* and Gargi Banerjee1

ABSTRACT

With a rural population of 742 million, harnessing the power of ICT to improve governance inrural India demands major attention from policy makers. This paper explores, through an in-depth study of data and information gathered from secondary sources, how effective rural E-governance projects have been, given the challenging infrastructural problems. Both successfuland unsuccessful e-governance projects are discussed to understand the critical success factors.The paper also focuses on the advent of e-governance in Eastern India, a region once perceivedas a technological laggard. The paper also tries to find newer avenues of e-governance that maybe explored.

Keywords: Rural e-governance, success factors, information kiosks, infrastructural steps.

1. Introduction

The ‘e’ in “e -governance” is increasingly becoming synonymous with effective, efficient and empoweredgovernance of a country. The Government of India is investing heavily in e-governance with each passingyear registering an increase of almost 23% in e-governance spending. (Figure.1)

1 School of Management, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, Mumbai, India*Corresponding Author: ( Phone: +91-22-25767798, E-mail: [email protected] )

But with 70% of Indians living in its 6 lakh villages and 95 percent not speaking English, e-governancemodels which do not support the rural delivery system will not contribute much to good governance. Aplethora of e-governance initiatives are currently operational in rural India. Central government has launchedambitious projects like the National e-governance project at a cost of Rs. 12,400 crore ($1.3 billion) toconnect 600,000 villages in a hub-and-spoke formation by August 2007 seeking participation from various

Fig 1: E-governance spending by Govt. of India (2002-2005)

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Atanu Ghosh and Gargi Banerjee / A Study of E-governance in Rural India

states, government agencies and corporates. The 100,000 multipurpose kiosks, to be set up by December,2007 will enable services like e-learning, e-training, e- teaching, e-health, telemedicine, e- farming, e-tourism,e-entertainment and e-commerce for the village entrepreneurs.

Successive surveys have reconfirmed the belief that e-governance projects are making greater impact onthe lives of India’s rural population compared to their urban counterparts. But rural e-governance projectshave to encounter a series of hurdles in order to get implemented effectively. Some of the facts and figuresare enumerated below:

• 50% of the villages are not connected by motorable roads (Ramaswamy, 1998)• Wide disparity of literacy rate between the rural and urban areas – urban literacy rate is 80.06 % compared

to rural rate of 59.21%. (Planning Commission, 2002).• There is practically no village with 24 hours power supply.• To give broadband connectivity to 48% of the rural population, an estimated 100,000 broadb and kiosks

still needs to be set up. (CII National Broadband Economy Committee: Vision 2010).• Presently, less than 10, 000 Indian villages out of a total of 6 lakhs have seen the presence of internet.

(One World South Asia , 2004).• Teledensity is increasing sluggishly in rural India as evident from Figure.2

• The UN e-governance readiness report has given India an e-readiness index of 0.39 against a world indexof 0.41, which is less than many developing Asian countries like China and Maldives.(Fig. 3)

• The non-availability of software in vernacular language for rural folks.

With this background scenario, we take a look at the remedial steps being taken to overcome the hurdlesand attempt to analyze the success and failures of e-governance in rural India through an extensive study ofdata and observations from secondary sources.

2. Remedial Infrastructural Steps:

To enable the villagers to derive maximum benefit from the ICT revolution, various Computer Literacyprograms are being implemented by different state governments (e.g. Rajiv Gandhi Computer Literacy

Fig 2: Urban vs. Rural Teledensity (1996-2006)

Data Source: TRAI

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Programme, Akshyay Project etc.), private sectors (TCS’s Computer Based Functional Literacy Program)and NGOs(e.g. Drishtee Foundation, MS Swaminathan Research Foundation(MSSRF)). In fact,MSSRF’s experience has shown villagers pick up ICT skills quite fast (Garai and Shadrach, 2006). Thedata in Table 1 supports the observation.

Various organizations have come up with innovations to bypass the power problem.

• IIT Kanpur (Lucknow Lab & Media Lab Asia) has devised the Info-thela which is a human pedaledrickshaw with a computer connected by wireless technology to the Internet. A pedal generator hasbeen designed such that the pedaling motion will charge up the battery kept for running the on-boardcomputer equipments. It provides agriculture based information, weather information, health careinformation, government information etc.

• UTI bank has installed the first low-cost rural ATM that can work without AC using an inbuilt UPS atAnand District, Gujarat. Besides providing all the standard services of ATM, this ATM also providesservices specific for the rural populace like Veterinary doctor fee, purchase of ghee and fodder.

• Microsoft, for instance, has announced an ambitious target of setting up over 50000 broadbandconnected kiosks across villages covering over 50 per cent of the rural population in the next threeyears under the “Saksham” scheme.

Fig 3: Comparison of E-readiness Index (2004) of major Asian Countries

Index: Sing: Singapore; Chin: China; Kore: S.Korea; Mald: Maldives; Worl: World[Data Source: UN Global e-government readiness report, 2004.]

[Data Source: Garai and Shadrach, 2006]

Table 1: Time taken to acquire ICT skills

ICT SKILLS TIME

1. Average time for gaining familiarity with basics(Win 95) 2 weeks 2. Transact Data on wireless 3 sittings

3. Gain preliminary knowledge of HTML 1 week

4. Word 97 2 days 5. PowerPoint 97 1 week

6. Use of Win 95 keyboard for Tamil Fonts 10 days

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• N-Logue Communications Private Limited, a private limited company formed by the TeNet Group of IITChennai, has already helped at least 1500 villages go on line, mostly in south India, and is moving aheadwith their target of online access for all the 600,000 villages across the nation.Also, Media Lab Asia has launched a pilot project called Dak Net that links up computers to networks viawireless medium. A mobile van goes from village to village and offers connectivity while it is there.

• To provide a fillip to the rural telephony, the Government has reached a landmark deal with telecomcompanies under which it will fund operators to create telecom infrastructure in rural India from theUniversal Services Obligation (USO) Fund.

• The Developmental Informatics Lab at IIT Bombay is striving to develop vernacular language interfaceand Indian language input devices. Already, the online application, Bhav Puchiye, has become operationalin Pabal, Maharashtra allowing farmers to check prices of agricultural produce at the nearby wholesalemarket in Hindi.

While all the above measures signal the seriousness of India’s efforts to take E-governance to its villages,these solutions are either still in the R&D stage or to be implemented fully. There is still no revolutionary E-governance project at the national scale. Various successful projects like Land records have been replicatedin different states with varying degrees of success.

3. Successful Cases of Rural E-governance

Given that E-governance projects in developing countries show a success rate of only 15 percent, with35 percent partial failures and 50 percent failures, the success of some these rural projects is indeed laudable(Schware,2004).

Five years ago, digital governance projects were being implemented mainly in villages of Southern andWestern India and parts of North India like Punjab. But now remarkable cases of progress in rural developmentthrough ICT are being observed from Eastern India (Skotch E-governance Report, 2005). What is praiseworthyabout the projects of the East are in spite of infrastructural difficulties and their geographical remoteness(Sikkim, Assam and rest of North-East); there is a very high user-satisfaction level on the ground. (SkotchE-governance Report, 2005). All the North-East states now have Citizen Information Center (CIC) developedby NIC and their own web portal on agricultural commodity prices for benefit of farmers. Some of thenotable projects are discussed below:

4. Critical Success Factors

i) Information Content: Predominant users of the information kiosks are youth and majority are in thefarming profession. In fact, kkiosk customers tend to be young, with 30% between the ages of 19-25and another 35% between 26 and 35. (Toyama, Kiri, Menon, Pal, Sethi & Srinivasan, 2005). Hence,information content that is relevant to them like non-farming employment news, government schemesfor rural people(Drishtee), latest news on farming techniques, seasonal crop prices(CIC, Namchi),weather forecasts (MSSRF KC), educational CDs, telemedicine(Midnapore project, West Bengal) areimportant. A recent survey has found the most popular services are in the areas of eGovernance, followedby entrepreneurship or income generation and health and medicine. (Mishra, Dossani & Jhaveri, 2005)

ii) Sustainability and public- private partnership: It is essential for the e-governance projects to sustainthemselves. The Information kiosks, especially those run by NGOs and the private sector, are employingvillagers to run the kiosks after training. The income generated by collection of user charges is used topay the kiosk operators in a self-sustaining model. These are not only an income source for the men butalso to women who are traditionally confined to their homes. MSSRF’s Embalam Knowledge center isa case in point where the kiosk operators are women. More girls and women visit kiosks manned bywomen and almost no women visit kiosks run by men due to the cultural barriers in rural India. (Toyama

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Table 2: Successful E-governance Initiatives

State Project Project Remarks Rajiv Gandhi Computer Literacy Program, Assam. Skotch survey ranking: 1

Implemented in 400 schoolsstudents, including in remoteamong the Mishing tribals --subjects & English through c

Assam

Dharitree Land record management system [India’s first web-based land records management system: selected for e-gov award 2005]

Initiated in 2004 by the Lakhuses the Assamese script (usa map-based interface to capquery land records. Since Dharitree uses a web-binvestment required in exclubut can extend the service tolike the e-seva counters.

Chattisgarh,

Assam, Haryana

Drishtee Information Kiosks

The state-of-the-art softwareinterchange within a localizevillages and a district center.backbone has been supplemeservices for example, AvedaDaak (mailing software), Graplace), Vaivahiki (Matrimongrievance redressal), Mandi host of other customized serv

Madhya Pradesh

Gyandoot, Dhar Initiated in January, 2000, wcovering 311 Panchayats (vi600 villages and a population(nearly 50% of the entire disin the village Panchayat builcommodity market informatilicense, employment news, e

Madhya Pradesh + 8 other states

E-choupal, ICICI Each of the 6,000 e-Choupalconnected multimedia PC an'sanchalak'-a farmer with decproduction capacity and extrInternet e mail and printing

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p y gfertilizer or pesticides. The Centers also provide employment news, government schemes information, grain prices during the harvest season, which is especially important because many farm laborers are paid their wages partly in grain.

Sikkim Citizen Information Center, Skotch survey ranking : 1

Housed in panchayat ghars across the state, it offers services like Commodity prices, job openings, internet banking, and online forms.

Telemedicine Project, awarded Bronze Icon Award

Midnapore(W) District Hospital is connected to 2 referral hospitals(NRS,Kolkata & Burdwan MC&H, Burdwan) using 512kbps leased line and WBSWAN covering cardiology, radiology, hematology .

Dristi (Decentralized rural Information Services & Technology Initiatives)-Bardhaman. Skotch survey ranking: 3

Country's first rural e-Governance pilot project where WBSWAN has been extended successfully to every panchayat of Bardhaman District. It aims to promote GIS based village level planning; transparency & accountability of gram panchayats etc.

West Bengal

Finger Print Analysis and Criminal Tracing System (FACTS) project

Implemented in a record two and a half months, the Automatic Fingerprint Identification System digitizes the entire 40,000 odd old slips of finger prints, adds new slips to the database and brings out the matching result in a few seconds (for rolled prints) and a few minutes (for scene of the crime chance prints). However, the biggest benefit being the central system can be spread over to any remote police station all over the state. The system can accept finger print images received through e-mail attachments and match with the central server database, thereby reducing the time for matching of remote location finger prints from few weeks to few minutes only.

et al, 2005)

Though average monthly income at kiosks remains low, at Rs. 2000 per month (approx.), and below thetarget break-even income desired by either company (between Rs. 3000 and 5000, depending on termsof the loan, cost of connectivity, and the initial capital expenditure on hardware), kiosk owners arehappy due to factors like perceived importance in the village hierarchy and boost in self-confidence(Toyama et. al, 2005). Since kiosk income cannot be the primary source of income, kiosk operatorstreat it as a side income. For example in E-choupal, the sanchalaks are primarily farmers. Besides tosupplement the kiosk income, other services are also being offered like selling ITC’s FMCG products (E-choupal), providing vocational training in typing(Akshyay),sewing, handicrafts (Embalam KC,MSSRF).

This is where the OLTP project of Andhra Pradesh government (See Table 2) failed and it further underlinesthe need of good synergy between public and private sectors. A good collaboration with experts in theIT industry can revolutionize and re-organize the governance style. Government of India is now entrustingfront-end applications to private partners within a BOOT (build-operate–own-transfer) model. Forexample, the MAC-21 project of Ministry of Company Affairs is being launched in partnership with TCS.The BOOT should subsequently be extended to rural India also.

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iii) Tangible Benefits accrued: When farmers have ready access to current crop prices, get help with cropdiseases online and are able to sell directly (E-choupal), it automatically results in a surge in his incomeas consequence of increased crop yield and elimination of middlemen with drop in transaction costs.

When a grievance complaint to the Government gets redressed in days rather than months, it spurs thewhole community to take advantage of these centers. For example, 3 old, illiterate tribal women securedsocial security pensions for the Tirla village after complaining to the District Magistrate through aDrishtee Soochanalaya.

iv) Open source software: The use of open source software and recycled computer terminals as thin clientsalmost halves the cost of implementation. Most proprietory software that has been commercially developedis not available in local languages and cannot be adapted for local use. The use of open source softwareprovides a solution to this problem as it can be translated into local languages and adapted to includelocal content. In an experiment by the MSSRF, outdated machines from Japan are giving villagers vitalconnectivity to information that matter.

v) Increase Scalability: National Informatics Center (NIC) implemented Bhoomi in Karnataka during 1999-2003 for computerization of land records. The very similar Dharitree project was replicated with betteraccess features by NIC at a much faster pace —an important element of scalability. As India extendsapplications to other states, speed of execution is a big plus point (Sadagopan, 2006).

The success of the Gyandoot Project can be attributed to its self-sustaining, self-scaling model that isequipped to evolve with the social needs of modern rural society.

vi) Information in Local language: The rural community can best take advantage of the informationcontent only if it is presented in the local language. For example the broadcast of weather conditions tofishermen in Tamil by MSSRF or use of Bangla as E-governance interface in West Bengal.

vii) Decentralized Planning: The reason for the absence of an All-India level successful e-governanceproject may be attributed to centralized planning. New initiatives are being planned at Central and statelevels without access to database about specific agro-climatic conditions, social infrastructure, literacylevels and the skill set of the local population (Bhatnagar, 2000). For example, weather forecasts in termsof wave pattern given out by MSSRF which is responsible for saving many lives in the local fishingcommunity will not be relevant in a non-coastal village.

viii) Community Involvement: Every sections of the community needs to included in E-governance. Theadults have been found to resent their dependence on others to use the kiosk arising out of their inabilityto use the computer by themselves (Mishra et al., 2005). Hence, e-literacy has to be made an importantpart of e-governance projects as done in Gyandoot or Computer Literacy programmes of Assam andWest Bengal.

Also the disabled should not be left behind. West Bengal has implemented successfully its unique E-governance project, Shruti-Drishtee [Silver Icon Award Winner], which is a web-browser that supportscomputer-aided conversion of text to either Braille system or verbal mode for the blind with a Bengali-to-Bengali talking dictionary to aid in Internet search. Thus the visually impaired can access and readdocuments including online forms from the Internet independently.

To get a well-rounded view of E-governance in rural India, Table 3 presents 3 cases of failures and thereasons for the failure.


From the above discussion, it is evident that many good projects are running in different states of thecountry but nothing on a national scale. The problem results from a dearth of experience sharing and co-

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ordination. There is no standardized technique even among the departments of the Central government inimplementing e-governance projects. Such standardization could have helped avoid repetition of the samemistakes committed in a previous project.

Another challenge in India seems to be change management. There is resistance from governmentemployees on account of the perceived negative impact of technology on their jobs and career and adaptingto a new technical environment (Gartner, 2005).

Citizen participation in government policy making through E-governance projects is clearly missing. Thatis something the government needs to look at. It may seem to be a huge task now, but it is a facet ofgovernance that will have to be implemented at some point in the near future. In developed countries likeSwitzerland, online referendums have been held to get citizen feedbacks on government policies since 2003.Estonia has even allowed citizens to cast ballots over the Internet in a nationwide election.

This brings us to the issue of infosecurity in e-governance. The security of the data being submittedonline by citizens should be stringently enforced in all e-governance projects. This would encourage moreand more of our rural folks to participate in e-governance without the fear of personal information falling intowrong hands, thus making e-governance a success. Hence, those IT solutions which have security featuresenabled are to be adopted.

The Government could also devise a portal that can act as a contact–cum-transactional medium betweenregistered International buyers and our famed village artisans in the lines of E-choupals. Not only can it earnvital foreign exchange for the country, it can enormously improve the economic conditions of our impoverishedartisans, men and women alike.

Table 3: E-governance Initiatives That Failed

State Project Name Reason for failure 1. Central Government

Indira Gandhi Conservation Monitoring Centre

Meant to be a national information provider based on environment information systems, it never took off inspite of a year of planning, analysis and designing.(Puri,Chauhan & Admedullah,2000)

2. Andhra Pradesh On-line Transaction Processing Project

Within a year of operation, it stopped functioning due to non-payment of electric and phone bills and wages to the unemployed youths who were the kiosk operators. (The Hindu, 2005).

3. Maharashtra Warana Wired Village Project It is a partial failure unlike the other two as it has not achieved all that it set out to like distance learning at IT centres, the digitization of land records and the connection of all of the cooperative’s “business centres.” Information on sugarcane growing and agricultural prices lies unutilized and has not been updated since 1998 (Cecchini and Raina, 2002).

References

Journal Article

1 Cecchini S. and Raina M. (2002). Village Information Kiosks for the Warana Cooperatives in India. E-government for Development, Success/Failure Case Study No.1.

2 Garai A. and Shadrach B. (2006). Human Agencies for Knowledge Connection: Governance of ICT inRural India. One World South Asia, xix, pp. 36-52

3 Mishra D.C., Dossani R. and Jhaveri R. (2005). Enabling ICT for Rural India -Complete Report ,

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Shorenstein APARC/National Informatics Centre Publication, September, Available: http://ruralinformatics.nic.in/files/4_12_0_90.pdf

4 One World South Asia (2004). Mission 2007: The march towards a knowledge revolution– Needs challengesand Mechanisms. Policy Makers’ Workshop Report, New Delhi.

5 Planning Commission (2002). National human development report 2001. New Delhi: Planning Commission.

6 Puri S.K., Chauhan K.P.S. and Admedullah M. (2000). Prospects of biological diversity informationmanagement. Information Flows, Local Improvisations and Work Practices, Proceedings of the IFIPWG9.4 Conference 2000, Cape Town.

7 Ramaswamy N.S. (1998). Rural transport in India. Current Science, 75(8), pp. 800-803.

8 Toyama K., Kiri K., Menon D., Pal J., SEIT S. and Srinivasan J.(2005). P.C. Kiosk. Trends in Rural India.Seminar on Policy Options and Models for Bridging Digital Divides, March 13-14, 2005, Tampere, Finland.

Book

9 Bhatnagar S. (2000). ‘Information Technology and Development: Foundation and Key Issues’. In S.Bhatnagar and Schware R. (eds.), Information and Communication Technology in Rural Development:Case Studies from India, World Bank Institute (WBI) Working Papers (pp. 1 -12). Location: WBIPublications.

Websites

10 Confederation of Indian Industry. India’s Broadband Economy: Vision 2010. Available at:www.indiantelevision.com/ headlines/y2k4/mar/cii_report.doc. Accessed: May 25, 2006.

11 De R., IT for the Masses, Available at: http://www.dqindia.com/content/special/2005/105060703.asp.Accessed: June 14, 2006.

12 Drishtee. Success Stories of rural India. Available at: http://www.drishtee.com/sucess.html. Accessed:June 10, 2006.

13 Kanpur-Lucknow Lab@IIT Kanpur. Infothela. Available at: www.iitk.ac.in/ MLAsia/infothela.htm.Accessed: June 2, 2006.

14 Kocchar S. and Dhanjal D., Skotch E-governance report card, October, 2005. Available at: http://www.skoch.org/new/e-Governance_Report_Card2005.pdf. Accessed: April 30, 2006.

15 Nasscom Newsline. 23 per cent rise in E-governance spending. Issue No. 37, November, 2004. Availableat: www.nasscom.org/newsline/issue37/egovernance.asp, Accessed: June 10, 2006.

16 Ramball J., Is India’s eGovernance vision right on track? Gartner doesn’t think so. Available at:http://www.zdnetindia.com/news/national/stories/127810.html. Accessed: June 15, 2006.

17 Ramu S., E-governance kiosk reduced to a dustbin. Available at: http://www.hindu.com/2005/09/16/stories/2005091612030400.htm. Accessed: June 12, 2006.

18 Sadagopan S., Land records: e-governance at work, successfully. Available at: http://fecolumnists.expressindia.com/full_column.php?content_id=120588. Accessed: June 17, 2006.

19 Schware R., Seminar on e-governance: From Successful Pilot to Sustainable Implementation.Available at: http: //lnweb18.worldbank.org/ict/resources.nsf a693f575e01ba 5f385256b500062af05/dc45c5bc8bd8969585256f4d00769fde/$FILE/E-GovernanceAddress_100604.pdf .Accessed: June 10, 2006.

20 Siliconindia. India to e-connect 600,000 villages. Available at: http://www.siliconindia.com/shownewsdata.asp?newsno=31795&newscat=Top. Accessed: June 16, 2006.

21 Singh R., Regulatory Issues on WiMax. Available at: http://www.beceem.com/IBWS2006/presentation/Rajendra_Singh-TRAI-IBWS2006.pdf . Accessed: June 12, 2006.

22 United Nations. UN Global E-Government Survey- 2004. Available at: http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/UN/UNPAN019207.pdf . Accessed: May 30, 2006.

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23 Webel. Telemedicine Projects by Webel ECS Ltd. Available at: http://www.webel-india.com/major_initiatives/connectivity.htm . Accessed: June 16, 2006.

About the Authors

Atanu Ghosh, M.Tech(IIT Delhi), PGDM(IIM Ahmedabad), Ph.D. ( IIT Bombay) is currently anAssociate Professor at the School of Management, IIT Bombay. He teaches and and researches in the areaStrategy and Marketing. He has rich industrial experience of more than 18 years and worked with severalorganizations and rose to the position of Chief Executive/ Wholetime Director. He has worked onConsultancy assignments, offered MDPs, is the Project Leader of a world wide study of Internet uses bythe business sector in India, as a representative from IIT Bombay. He has conceptualized a new way oflearning about the leadership from the leaders of various walks of life and implemented it successfully atSJMSOM, IIT Bombay. His major areas of interest are Business Strategy, Services Marketing, NewProduct Development & Brand launch, Supply Chain Management, ICT deployment, Customer Service,& International Business.

Gargi Banerjee had completed graduation and post-graduation in Science, both fromCalcutta University. Subsequently, she joined as research scholar in a project on coastalenvironment management in Calcutta University from 1998-2000. She had been awardedAdvanced Diploma in Computer Applications by Ministry of Information Technology. She hasalso done a post-graduate course in Java programming from IIT Bombay. She has worked as anInformation Technology faculty at a junior college from 2000-2005. She is presently working asa Research Associate in Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management, IIT Bombay since last 1 year.

An E-enabled Knowledge Sharing Framework for Rural India

Pradeep Kumar1* and Tapati Bandopadhyay2

ABSTRACT

Education and training towards personal development and economic growth is primarily missingin rural India. However, Indian economy is still based on Agriculture productivity. Theimportance of ICT has significantly felt in agriculture sectors for various activities like, cropproduction and natural resource management. There is some bottleneck in integrating ICT inagriculture in terms of huge investment in infra-structure and network access etc. ITC hadrealized this fact and started e-chaupal project which uses the documented best practices forfarming. In this paper the concept of best practices is taken and enhanced using a knowledgemanagement support framework.

Keywords: ICT, Knowledge Management, Knowledge base

1. Introduction

“Farm suicides in Vidharbha crossed 400 this week. The Sensex (stock exchange) crossed the 11,000mark. And Lakme Fashion Week issues over 500 media passes to journalists. All three are firsts. Allhappened the same week.” [FIPF, Article 3186]

India with a population of over one billion people is considered both internally and externally to beexperiencing fast growth phases. But questions are being asked about the ‘truth’ in the use of the word‘growth’ i.e. whether economic growth is being reflected in the social growth etc. Contrary to the accepteddefinitions of growth, the gaping difference between different economic strata of the society and the urbanIndia vs. rural India is actually increasing, thereby refuting the uniformity aspect of the definitions ofgrowth. For example, telephony penetration in villages is less than two percent of the rural population andabout 15 percent of the villages are still without any telephony service. Illiteracy in rural areas is as high as40 percent to 80 percent in some tribal belts. Out of roughly 200 million children in the age group of 6–14years, 33 percent of them have never been to a school or are dropouts, despite Shiksha Abhiyan (EducationInitiative) scheme started by the Government in 2003. The school drop out ratio is nearly 25 percent.Women illiteracy is as high as 50 percent. With as many as 16 different main languages in use, theprogress for supporting non-English, local-language specific literacy programs seem to be grossly insufficientand ineffective. Education and training opportunities, either aimed at personal development or economicgrowth or both, seem to be drastically missing from the entire picture of rural India. [Data fromwww.worldbank.org and Govt. of India reports]

1 ICFAI Business School, Narsee Chambers, Palam Vihar, Gurgaon-122017, Haryana, India *Corresponding Author: (Phone: +91-124-4528228, Email: [email protected])2 ICFAI Business School, Sri Krishna Avenue, 3rd Phase, Bangalore-560078, Karnataka, India

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Indian economy, even though now seen to be shifting towards service-based fast-growing areas, is stillgrossly agriculture based and thereby employs maximum workforce. Improvement in agriculture productivitycan help in reducing rural poverty, which is often sited as the root cause of all ills- poor public health, poortransportation, skills inadequacy of sustaining development efforts to even poor agricultural performanceacross a vast geographical domain hosting majority of total Indian population. In India, agriculture outputper unit area is one of the lowest in the world. The following exhibits are self-explanatory to show thehaunting realities at the two distant end of the huge nation.

ICT in agriculture can play an increasingly important role in crop production and natural resourcemanagement, if people are able to get information they need for improving the knowledge and efficiency of

their agricultural output. The Internet, fast spreading use of computer multimedia technology, increasingavailability of network bandwidth, new telecommunication techniques with convergence of technologiesand web based Internet can be exploited efficiently for a seamless, integrated, uniform approach towardsaddressing these issues. However, not much developmental work has been done for primary, upper primaryschool or higher educational resources to be made available through advanced technology support like e-learning, even though some distance education programs have been launched here and there.

Integrating ICT in agriculture sector can help in many ways, e.g.

• To integrate the entire agricultural population in rural India seamlessly by using convergent technologysolutions and promoting not just data sharing but also an information and knowledge sharingenvironment

• To provide more and effective information that can reduce the uncertainty farmers/producers face indecision-making and unmeasured variability in agronomic conditions.

• To train the farmers to use natural resources efficiently, reducing waste, learning from others’experiences(and mistakes, thereby not repeating it in other place or the other years after years)

Exhibit 1: Realities at the two distant end. (Source – FIPF)

Story of a small farmer:

“…..His daughter got cholera, his wife had an eye operation, and his son was forced to drop out of college for financial reasons. Desperate and unable to get a loan, he played Bhishi, a sort of Ponzi scheme where farmers pool money to try and win a monthly jackpot.

He lost.

So he committed suicide. Most farmers kill themselves by drinking pesticides. Thakre hung himself.

There are literally thousands like him in the countryside, where in states like Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Bihar the “average” income is considerably below the national rural poverty line of $650 a year. ……

India has launched a 30-year program to build a fleet capable of projecting power into the South China Sea and Indian Ocean . It has purchased Jaguar bombers from Britain and is negotiating to purchase 66 Hawk fighter-bombers for $1.43 billion. The price of a single Hawk could supply a lifetime of clean drinking water to 1.5 million people.”

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• To equip the farmers with the latest available technology (and also make them aware about variousfinancial options available to them to make them afford it) in terms of• cultivation processes,• crop design(this can be, if formalized and trained an supported with structured information-based

analysis, can be developed in the way product portfolios or product mixes are designed by industrial/ service organizations)

• irrigation techniques• weather information (and how to read them and decide based on the data)• New concepts in fertilizers, pest control and farming etc. e.g. bio-farming, as and when developed

by agriculture professionals and agriculture research institutes.

One critical bottleneck for providing rural India access to ICTs is the cost: infrastructure set-up costs,running costs like network access costs, maintenance, training, personnel and so on. Two impressiveprojects, named ‘Gramdoot’ and ‘Gyandoot’ implemented in some states for e-governance and PublicTele-Info Centers for voice and Internet access, have used optical fiber technology and wireless local loop/V-SAT technology respectively. But, large parts of the rural area are still uncovered due to financialconstraints and absence of a workable business model. Universal Service Obligation fund or Governmentsubsidy is also in place to speed up universal access coverage. Work is also going on development applicationprograms and content in different local languages.

The need is, a coordinated effort through a nodal agency under the central government with fullinvolvement of the industry, state governments/local administration, education, medical and agriculturesectors, to provide universal access to ICTs with important services/information integrated, to the ruralmasses. ITU has also plans to provide guidance and help, as these objectives are part of WSIS 2003declaration.

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT), Government in India has, therefore, already startedupgrading the public telephone kiosks into Public Tele- Info Centers, where voice, data (high-speed Internet)and video conference facilities will be provided to the nearby citizens on nominal charges for availing on-line services. Similar initiatives are needed by education, health and state administration departments toplan and provide funding for integrating ICTs in schools, health centers and for providing on-line governmentservices to the people.

Agriculture is the primary occupation of nearly 70 percent of Indian population, but it contributes only23 percent of GDP. There is thus a need for improving its productivity and efficiency. The economy of theagriculture sector largely remains vulnerable to whether uncertainties, market inefficiencies and investmentrelated hurdles. ICT can educate and encourage farmers to diversification of agriculture into less exploredareas like horticulture, floriculture and oilseeds. Similarly, use of ICT can encourage organized financialinstitutions for lending cash to farmers and make integrated risk management approach through insurancecover available. This will not only make the agriculture economy to grow faster but would also stimulateoff-form rural employment to village youths.

Government of India has set a target of 20 million broadband connections and 40 million Internetsubscribers for the country by the year 2010. This includes at least one Public Tele-Info Centers in each

village with a population exceeds 2000. Even the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) convenedby ITU in December 2003 at Geneva has outlined a target to bring ICTs within the reach of half the world’spopulation and with all schools, villages and hospitals by 2015.

But India has the capability to reach the target earlier and integrate ICTs providing affordable Internet/simple broadband connectivity of minimum speed of 256 Kbps to meet the requirements of e-learning, e-

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governance, tele-health, e-transactions and entertainment.

2. The Infrastructural Advantages: A Case of E-chaupal

E-choupal has been set up by the International Business Division of International Tobacco Company(ITC) to establish a more efficient agriculture supply chain that can mutually benefit the company as wellas the farmers, by virtually eliminating the layers of middlemen that fleece the almost illiterate farmers offthe right price for their crop and their hard work.

The model has been designed and deployed successfully to tackle the challenges posed by fragmentedfarms, weak infrastructure and involvement of numerous intermediaries, as it is seen in rural India. Launchedin the year 2000, e-Choupal reaches more than 18,000 villages through 3000 kiosks across five states andadding more links is increasing the chain.

The technology infrastructure supporting e-chaupal has following elements:

1. Organization Architecture – Training, support, planning, people, and processes2. Information Architecture – Data gathered and managed3. Application Architecture – Applications, goals, resources occupied, performance metrics4. Technical Architecture – Servers, Clients, Network, System Software

The four layers are distinct but deeply interconnected and share goals and constraints.

With the help of C-DoT, ITC made modifications to the RNS kit which helped them achieve 40 Kbpsthroughput. Also, sporadic power supply in the village exchanges meant that the dial-up solution wasanother problem making the whole system not reliable enough. ITC therefore have decided to adopt asatellite-based technology (VSAT) which enables a throughput rate of up to 256 Kbps.

Hardware: Power Solar battery charger, UPS, (isolation transformer, spike suppressor), Connectivity Dial-up: Dial-up modem, VSAT: Solar battery charger, VSAT modem, antennae, Computer Hardware: PC withIntel Celeron processor, printer

Software: Operating System: Windows 98, Word processor Ankur (Hindi word processor), Other: SuneraKal – Short movie on e-Choupal, Video Clips – Soil testing

The Web site www.soyachoupal.com is the entry point- protected by user ID and password to login.Sanchalaks are the only registered users. Following types of information services are available:

• Weather forecasts• Pricing of agro-products at different markets• Best practices• General information like news. Entertainment etc.

Best farming practices are also documented, by crop. Information presented is action-based, e.g. thissection not only highlights what kind of fertilizers to use but also how and when to use them. Question &Answer feature enables two-way communication. Here a farmer can post any agriculture related questionhe needs answered.

The best practices is precisely the feature which we have picked up, that can be directly enhanced usinga Knowledge Management (KM) support framework, so that the farmers can re-use their stored experientialknowledge in the knowledge-base of the KM module and can extract best possible benefits out of them.

3. Enabling Knowledge Sharing

An information society enabling it’s participants to share knowledge, experience and views andinformation, (Webster, 1995; Bellamy & Taylor, 1998; Castells & Himanen, 2001) can be explained as a

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global network of separate unions supported by information technological solutions. The implementationof information and communication technology as a function of e-governance (Oliver & Sanders, 2004) cangenerate fundamental changes in the structure, operations and management of organizations. For example,Hirschheim, Klein and Lyytinen (1995) have stated that information systems should somehow considerboth the social and technical aspects. The concept of information technology in organizations has beenstudied and modeled by considering people’s attitudes and expectations towards technology (Davis, Bagozzi& Warshaw, 1989; Szajna, 1996; Mathieson, Peacock & Chin, 2001). Gallivan (2001) has developed aframe of reference for merging a technical innovation into the operation of an organization.

Relating Information Technology to knowledge, an exhaustive definition of knowledge has been putforth by Davenport and Prusak (1998) as: “Knowledge is a fluid mix of framed experience, values, contextualinformation, and expert insight that provides a framework for evaluating and incorporating new experiencesand information. It originates and is applied in the minds of knower. In organizations, it often becomesembedded not only in documents but also in organizational routines, processes, practices and norms.”

Thus, when we speak of knowledge management (KM), we essentially mean that the organization mustconsciously provide an environment that is conducive to knowledge creation, assimilation, and dissemination.

This is where we are proposing a KM framework supported by the IT infrastructure in place for ITC e-chaupal project. The framework is shown in figure 1 below.

As Figure 1 shows, the proposed KM framework can be developed on top of the already existing andsuccessfully functioning e-Chaupal network infrastructure that is in place in all the villages that are part ofthe e-Chaupal project. The additional requirements to implement the suggested framework are:

i). Creation of an additional software module using any Windows-compliant RAD (Rapid ApplicationDevelopment) tool e.g. Visual Basic, Visual C++ etc.

a. The software module will contain three basic elements, namely-

- The ETL component of the KM module (for Extraction, Transformation and Loading of re-usableKnowledge Components from various sources

- The K-base(the Knowledge base- for storing knowledge with appropriate knowledge representationscheme e.g. a rule-base or a frame-base)

- The Interface through which the queries can be processed and knowledge can be retrieved fromthe K-base. The interface should ideally be a very simple one e.g.

• a Natural Language based query system where the query can be a string written inAnkur- the Hindi Word Processor Package and then

• a translator software to translate the query string to English, and then

• a query processor with an efficient pattern matching algorithm for retrieval of the answerto the query from the -base

b. It will also contain a self-explanatory help facility

ii. Creation of interfaces between the existing communication modules (as sources of knowledge) tothe K-base ETL modules (for extracting re-usable knowledge elements from those communicationelements, so that the communicated knowledge can be shared )

iii. Training of the farmers to share their experiential knowledge through this facility.

This way, the knowledge support that is already being provided by e-chaupal in a limited way (i.e. by

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Fig. 1: KM Framework for Experiential Knowledge Sharing Supported by E-Chaupal-Like Projects forInfrastructural Advantages

providing static knowledge inputs) can be enhanced much further as the experiential knowledge of farmerscan also become part of the K-base thereby making it dynamic and self-enhancing.


The paper helps in developing the idea of a knowledge sharing framework for addressing variousqueries of farmers by re-using the stored knowledge from the knowledge base. The K-base is also self-enhancing as the ETL tools can be made automated to extract knowledge from the pre-defined sources. Theconcept proposed in this paper has got significant application potential and further research opportunitiesin various dimensions e.g. implementation of the modules, enhancement of the framework, concept buildingfor new modules on the existing framework / infrastructure.

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References

1 Bellamy C. and Taylor J.A. (1998). Governing in the Information Age – Buckingham/Philadelphia:OpenUniversity Press.

2 Castells M. and Himanen P. (2001). The Finnish Model of the Information Society. – Helsinki, Sitra.

3 Davenport T.H. and Prusak L. (1998). Working Knowledge: How Organizations Manage What TheyKnow, Harvard Business School Press.

4 Davis F.D., Bagozzi R.P. and Warshaw P.R. (1989). User Acceptance of Computer technology: aComparison of two Theoretical Models , Management Science, 35. pp. 982- 1003.

5 Gallivan M. (2001). Organizational Adoption and Assimilation of Complex TechnologicalInnovations:Development and Application of New Framework , Database of Advances in Informationsystems, pp. 51 - 85.

6 Hirschheim R., Klein H.K. and Lyytinen K. (1995). Information Systems Development and DataModeling. Conceptual and Philosophical Foundations. – Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

7 Mathieson K., Peacock E. and Chin W.W. (2001). Extending the Technology Acceptance Model: TheInfluence of Perceived User Resources , Database for Advances in Information Systems,32(3), pp. 86 -112.

8 Oliver E.L. and Sanders L. (eds.). (2004). E-government reconsidered: Renewal of Governance for theKnowledge Age. Canadian Plains Research Center – University of Regina Canada.

9 Szajna B. (1996). Empirical Evaluation of the Revised Technology Acceptance Model , ManagementScience, 142, pp. 85 - 92.

10 Webster F. (1995). Theories of the Information Society. London: Routledge.

11 India Poverty Project: Poverty and Growth in India, 1951-94, available at http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTPOVERTY/0, content MDK:20289089~menuPK:497971~pagePK:148956~piPK:216618~theSitePK:336992,00.html#publications

12 India : A Tale of Two Worlds, available at http://www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/3186. Accessed on 15

August 2006.

About the Authors

Pradeep Kumar is Associate Dean and Professor in Information Technology & Operations at ICFAIBusiness School, Gurgaon. He is also Ph.D. Program Coordinator. He has published and presentedseveral research papers and articles in national and international journals and conferences. He has co-authored a book on Computer Application in Management. He has served as Asstt. Vice President in ITat Unit Trust of India and in middle management position at Bharat Electronics Ltd. He has beennominated as reviewer for papers in 4th International We-B Conference, Australia; 2004 and 2005IRMA International Conference, USA, AMDISA SAMF 2004 Lahore,IIT2004 Dubai, 2005 AnnualConference of SWDSI and HICSS-38, Hawai, USA; Ad Hoc reviewer for the Editorial Review Board ofIRMJ and IJECE, USA;Member of Editorial Advisory Board of the Journal of International Technologyand Information Management. He is a member of various professional societies like IIIE, AIMA, CSI,IE (Australia), IE (India) and Federation of Business Disciplines(USA), IRMA(USA).

Tapati Bandopadhyay is working as Faculty Member in Information Technology at ICFAI BusinessSchool, Bangalore and is pursuing PhD from ICFAI University. She has done B.E. from JadavpurUniversity, Calcutta in 1995 with University Gold Medal, and has done M.S. in Computer AidedEngineering (Spl. In Computer Sciences)from University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, U.K. She has beenan ODASS/ DFID scholar with full sponsorship from the British Government for M.S. studies in whichshe procured 2nd highest record aggregate in 10 years of the program. She has 2.5 years industry

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experience in Tata Motors, Jamshedpur, India in Technical services and in GEC, Glasgow, U.K. on asoftware development project, and has over 6 years of academic experience in reputed engineeringcolleges and has published a number of books and papers. Her primary research interests include e-business, software engineering and application of emerging information technologies on to variousbusiness processes.

Rural Development through Internet Kiosks - A LongitudinalEvaluation of RASI Project in India

G. Kannabiran1*, M. J. Xavier2 and T. Banumathi3

ABSTRACT

ICT revolution of the past decade and key economic policies of the government have broughtabout new approaches to rural development and e-governance in countries like India. As aresult, many ICT initiatives have been proposed in the recent past to poster improved governanceand offer scope for rural development by appropriately linking public and private institutions.RASI (Rural Access to Internet Services) is one such government-private initiative to promoterural development and e-governance. Our longitudinal research was to empirically evaluatethe services that are offered through ‘Chiraag’-the Internet Kiosks of this project in Erodedistrict of the state of Tamilnadu. We collected data through survey and interviews in twodifferent time periods (2004 and 2006) for our research. Our findings show that the project hasdeviated from its objectives due to lack of government support, non-scalable technology andlack of motivation among Kiosks operators. Based on our findings, we provide a set ofrecommendations to policy makers and implementing agencies.

Keywords: Rural development, E-governance, Internet Kiosks, policy making

1. Introduction

India is a country of much diversity. One of the distinguishing features of the population is that therural India constitutes 700 million people living in 600,000 villages. These villages contain 72 % ofIndia’s labour force and they are primarily employed in agriculture, forestry, fishing, etc. Delivering basicservices and offering scope for economic and social development for the rural mass have been the biggestchallenges faced by the government. Even after 50 years of freedom and successive planning efforts,significant rural development is still a dream than reality. However, ICT (Information and CommunicationTechnology) revolution of the past decade and key economic policies of the government have facilitated anew way to bring about rural development.

The other dimension of exploiting ICT for rural development is cornering it for delivering governmentsponsored or supported services to the rural masses. While viewing government as a service provider,citizen is a consumer of public goods and services. Today’s broad exposure of the public to private sectorproducts and services in the new economy has caused expectations of government services to rise. Havingseen efficient systems in the business world, they tend to expect similar services from the government too.

1 Department of Management Studies, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, 620 015, India *Corresponding Author: (Phone: +91-431- 2500 870, 094431522355, Email: [email protected])2 Institute for Financial Management and Research, Chennai, 600 036, India3 Department of Management Studies, Kongu Arts and Science College, Erode, 638 107, India

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With spanking ability to identify and serve, citizens expect a greater level of convenience, availability, andreliability of government services. It is now possible to improve governments’ relationship with the citizensand to put the citizens’ needs at the center of all governments’ thinking in order to provide personalizedservices. A study by United Nations (2003) points out that the development of infrastructure is very importantin countries such as India, which have a high proportion of global population and could benefit from E-Government if literacy can be improved. However, e-governance initiatives require seamless integration ofhorizontally and vertically structured departmental system of government. Internet Kiosks have been popularin not only delivering governmental services but also to enable economical and social development of ruralareas.

In this research paper, we have attempted to evaluate the overall effectiveness of one such Internet-based service Kiosks through empirical data. Our study relates to the “Chiraag”-the Kiosks based network,which is implemented in the state of Tamilnadu in India. We present a brief background for our researchfollowed by research questions and methodology. We then present a summary of the project, data analysisand a detailed discussion of our findings. We conclude with a set of recommendations to policy makers anddirections for future research.

2. Background

Service delivery is an important component of e-governance and other approaches to reach rural areas.Service deliverers use a combination of on-line and off-line technologies to create easy and versatile interfacewith citizens. A number of countries have attempted to set up citizen interface centers that will enable thegeneral public to access the government services. Some of the interfaces include: telephone, email, IVR,and the World Wide Web. An important feature that can be added to this process is ‘self service’, where thecitizens can configure the service initially while registering and get support throughout their lifetime. Self-service by the citizens help the governments achieve the dual purpose of reducing cost as well as improvingservice levels (Kannabiran et al, 2005). Internet Kiosks are personal computers that have been modified towithstand long hours of usage and operation in extreme conditions. Such Kiosks are being located inremote locations that are connected with service providing agencies via telephone lines or wireless networks.Some Internet Kiosks have additional devices and capabilities, such as a printer, a telephone, a credit cardreader, or a bar code scanner. Information Kiosks have potential values to provide citizens convenientaccess to information and services and to bridge the digital gap in society (Ni & Ho, 2005).

An information Kiosk has been defined as a computer-based information interface point with featuresdesigned to make it suitable for the general public (Sargent & McLvor, 1996; Corcoran, 1994). Accordingto Morris et al (1995), there are three general types of Kiosk systems. First types of Kiosks are used forinformation dissemination. Second types of Kiosks are used for interactive requirements through whichindividuals seek and clarify information from a central location. Third types of Kiosks are used to carryover business activities, including financial transactions. These Kiosks may be designed for hard or softfinancial information to be carried across the network. Based on longitudinal study of healthcare Kiosks,Nicholas et al (2003) state Kiosk use varies considerably over time and this is especially true for Kioskslocated in healthcare systems. There are types of trends in Kiosk use based on increasing and decreasingpatterns of use during a long period of time. To ensure greater success, policymakers and public ITmanagers should pay close attention to long-term business planning, strategic management, and stakeholderpartnership in Kiosk development and e-government projects (Ni & Ho, 2005).

Appropriateness to application, ease of use, aesthetics and ergonomics, Kiosk structure, security anddeployment are some of the guideline for Kiosk implementation (Tung & Tan, 1998). Suitable user interfaceis one of the important pre-requisites of successful Kiosk based deliveries. Maguire (1999) advocates aspectssuch as defining user requirements, location and encouraging use, physical access, introduction andinstructions, language selection, privacy, help, structure and navigation, and customization as key user

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interface features to be included in Kiosk designs. There are about 7,000 Kiosks in India, which typicallyconsist of one or two personal computers linked to the Internet by satellite, phone or wireless link. Thenumber of Kiosks is likely to reach a phenomenal figure in the immediate future as 100 new Kiosks areadded every week. India’s robust fiber-optic network covering 85% of the country facilitates this rapidgrowth.

3. The Project-RASI

RASI (Rural Access to Internet Services) is a project conceived by TeNeT, Indian Institute of technology,Chennai and n-Logue communications private Limited with the primary objective of delivering essentialservices such as education, healthcare and Tele-administration by setting up a network of village Internetcenters called ‘Chiraag’ (means enlightenment) Internet Kiosks. Chiraag, the connectivity project of n-Logue, has been initiated to eliminate the remoteness and backwardness, and to provide a sense ofenlightenment to those who are deprived. The project currently functions in 40 districts and 200 centers invarious Indian states. These Kiosks work on the self-sustainable rural entrepreneurship model. Theentrepreneurs in Tamilnadu get some funding support from the government in the form of subsidy.

The main features of the project are (Kanungo & Umashankar, 2006):

• Providing access to essential services like education, healthcare, agricultural advice and governance.• Enabling rural livelihood through access to information, finance, market and insurance.• Delivering government services at doorsteps in local language in an operator assisted environment.• Providing services such as e-mail, chat and web browsing besides Tele-administration and e-governance.• Creating a middle tier of Local service provider (LSP), located within a distance of 30 km. from any

Kiosk to ensure smooth connectivity.

Entrepreneurs, who are typically native men or women, manage these Chiraag Kiosks. These individualshave at least high school education and demonstrate the ability and motivation to run their own business.Each Kiosk costs approximately $1200 to set up which includes (i) set that receives the wireless corDECTsignal (ii) branded PC with 15" color monitor with peripherals including speaker, microphone, CD-ROM,digital camera, inkjet printer and sound card (iii) UPS with battery providing 4 hours of back-up power and(iv) an application suite consisting of word processing, browsing and e-mail software with support for thelocal language. The price also includes 6-months of unlimited Internet access, a marketing kit, and anintroductory training provided by n-Logue. In order to facilitate smooth functioning of this model andensure sustainability, a three-tier model consisting of a parent company, a middle tier operator and theKiosk owners was deployed.

At the top tier, n-Logue is responsible for overall management of the network. It facilitates relationshipsbetween service providers such as banks, governments and its business franchises. Second tier are theLocal Service Providers (LSPs), responsible for managing the project at the local level. In coordinationwith n-Logue, the LSP has set up Access Centers that provide last-mile access at the Chiraag Kiosks. Onthe third tier of n-Logue’s business model are the local entrepreneurs who are recruited by the LSP to investin and set up Internet Kiosks in their villages. These locally owned Internet Kiosks offer a variety ofInternet and computer-based services aimed at the rural market. iSee, a multiparty video conferencingapplication was developed due to collaborative efforts to meet the video communication needs in the projects.

Several services have already been developed and deployed. Some of the important services offeredthrough Chiraag Internet Kiosks include: On-line education (English, Mathematics & Science subjects),Healthcare service (in collaboration with Private hospitals), Agriculture information & Support (incollaboration with research institutes and E-governance (to provide government forms and hustle theapplication process). Kiosk operators are encouraged to provide additional services, if they are financiallyviable and self sustainable.

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N-Logue provides training to Kiosk operators once the Kiosks are set up. Guidance on marketing andmanaging the Kiosk is also provided. Following the training, the owner completes an online evaluation ofKiosk performance. Kiosk owners get added support through monthly meetings. Organized with the helpof n- Logue, the meetings allow operators to share experience and advice with one another. They also given- Logue the opportunity to introduce new services and promotions, or conduct supplementary trainings.Each meeting features a guest speaker, usually a business professional or service provider, who providesadditional teaching aimed at increasing the Kiosk’s earnings.

The project was initiated in 2003 with a promising scope to enable rural development. The Tamilnadugovernment has proposed to patronize the project by providing a subsidy of up to 50% of investment forbuilding up another 2000 centers in the state. Therefore, N-Logue is also planning to introduce low costATM machines, suited for village environment. Many other agencies were also invited by government ofTamilnadu to assist the implementation of RASI centers in collaboration with n-Logue communications.

4. Research Questions and Methodology

It is generally understood that n-Logue has developed a viable and scaleable model for deliveringinformation-based services to rural areas. It was believed that through its three-tiered franchisee businessmodel based on corDECT technology, the company is able to quickly and cheaply scale its network.Significant opportunities also prevailed for the creation of new partnerships with corporations, governments,and NGOs whose use of n-Logue’s networks brings further benefits and development in rural areas.

However, sustainability and growth of this project is dependent upon the quality and quantity of benefitsof the initiatives at the present level. Critical evaluation will enable right efforts of the governments andagencies for their aggressive expansion, more particularly in configuring, training and supporting theright personnel for replicating successful implementation of the projects in Tamilnadu. Moreover, it isimportant for the stakeholders to critically analyze the overall model before embarking it on a nationalscale. Therefore, our objectives of the research are:

• to evaluate the various types of services that are being offered through Chiraag Internet Kiosks• to find out the factors that influence the utilization of Chiraag services• to identify the level of satisfaction of citizens towards the Chiraag services and• to find out the problems faced by the end-users (citizens) and Kiosk operators.

We adopted a longitudinal approach for our research through data collected in two distinct time periods.Data was collected in 2004 on some of the key aspects of services through a survey of Citizens from therural areas of Tamilnadu. Data was again collected through a survey of the same locations in 2006. We alsointerviewed 25 Kiosk operators and asked them to comment the changing characteristics of the projectover the period of two years. The data collected from citizens and operators are supplemented throughinterviews with a few officials of the project. The survey questionnaire was designed based on initialunderstanding and was pilot tested to ensure validity and reliability. Convenience sampling technique wasused to select representative samples and due care was taken to see that the samples were unbiased. Datacollected from operators through interviews are used as part of discussion.

5. Data Analysis and Interpretation

Two surveys were conducted among the users of Chiraag Center services during 2004 and again in2006. A total of 300 respondents were interviewed in 2004 and 182 in 2006. We analyzed the data onselected parameters based on the data collected during the above time periods. The outcome of our analysisis presented the following sections.

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5.1. Profile of Kiosk users

The two samples are comparable to each other on age and gender as can be seen from the profile ofrespondents in Tables 1and 2. Age profile is pretty much the same while we see an increase in the percentageof women respondents. It is found that the percentage of female population using the services has increasedby 3.5.

2006 2004

Category Frequency Percent Frequency Percent

Less than 25 117 64.6 201 67.0

25 and above 65 35.4 99 33.0

Total 182 100 300 100

Table 1: Age Distribution

2006 2004

Gender Frequency Percent Frequency Percent

Male 128 70.3 221 73.7

Female 54 29.7 79 26.3

Total 182 100 300 100

Table 2: Gender Distribution

Tables 3 and 4 give the educational and occupational profiles. These two profiles have undergone a lotof changes in the intervening period. There is a substantial increase in the college graduates and professionalsvisiting Chiraag Centers. As regards occupation, the private sector employees have increased to 44 percentof the sample in 2006 as opposed to 9 percent in 2004. There is a sharp drop in the number of agriculturistsvisiting the centers.

2006 2004

Category Frequency Percent Frequency Percent No formal qualification 8 4.4 54 18.0

School Level 37 20.3 58 19.3

Collegiate 115 63.2 163 54.3

Professional 22 12.1 25 8.3

Total 182 100 300 100

Table 3: Educational Qualification

5.2. Factors that influence selection of Chiraag Kiosks

Importance ranking of the factors that influence the choice of Chiraag Internet Kiosks both during2004 as well as 2006 surveys remain the same and they have the same rank ordering as shown in Table-5.Location of the Kiosks continues to be the number one factor, followed by low fees and a variety of services

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2006 2004

Category Frequency Percent Frequency Percent

Agriculturist 12 15.0 49 17.8

Business person 23 28.8 115 41.7 Government Employee 10 12.5 86 31.2

Private Employee 35 43.8 26 9.4

Total 80 100.0 276 100.0

Table 4: Occupation

2006 2004

Factor Mean Score* Rank Mean Score Rank

Variety of services offered 3.0 3 2.50 3 Location of the Kiosks 1.7 1 2.14 1 Low fees 2.9 2 2.46 2 Citizen support 3.6 4 3.63 4 Availability of other resources 3.7 5 4.15 5 Base 182 300

Table 5: Factors that influence the selection of Chiraag Internet center

offered. Citizen support and availability of other resources continue to be the least important factors in boththe surveys

* Minimum – 1 and Maximum – 5

5.3. Usage of Chiraag Services and the Level of Satisfaction

Most of the services have experienced a substantial decrease in usage during 2004 to 2006 as shown inTable- 6. It included: Internet service, E-governance, Health services, Agricultural services, E-commerce,E-banking and Telephony. The only service that has gained in usage is the offline services. The people arefound to be using the centers mostly for net browsing, off-line line services such as DTP and telephony. Asregards satisfaction with Chiraag services, there is consistent decline from 2004 to 2006. The following arethe services where the decline in the level of satisfaction is statistically significant (See Table-6).

The only service that has witnessed a statistically significant rise in the level of satisfaction is the Off-line service. The difference in the level of satisfaction for the services such as Astrology, Matrimony, e-commerce, e-banking, Chiraag Education and Online Services turned to be statistically not significantover the period of two years.

5.4. Problems with Chiraag Kiosks

The percentage of people experiencing problems with Chiraag Centers has considerably reduced from2004 to 2006. However, the Centers do need to improve as more than half the respondents say that theyhave experienced problems with Chiraag Centers. Additionally the severity ranking of problems in 2006seem to be different from that in 2004 as can be seen in Table 8. Low speed has emerged as the most

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Usage (Percent) Level of

Satisfaction* Service 2006 2004 2006 2004 t-value df

Internet services 87.9 100.0 3.7 4.3 9.272† 422 E- Governance 6.6 42.3 2.4 3.4 4.665† 181 Health services 6.0 37.3 2.8 3.5 2.509† 182 Agriculture services 7.1 37.3 2.8 3.5 3.219† 168 Astrology 20.9 49.3 3.2 3.5 1.533‡ 192 Matrimony services 9.3 38.7 3.0 3.5 2.431‡ 166 E- Commerce 13.7 23.7 1.4 2.7 4.465† 104 E- Banking 2.2 16.0 1.3 2.9 5.846† 102 Chiraag education 24.7 39.3 3.9 3.9 0.013‡ 274 Online services like bus, train and air ticket booking 9.3 42.7 3.2 3.2 0.166‡ 157 Offline services (DTP, Project work) 54.4 48.7 3.9 3.3 -6.899† 307 Telephony and Photos 43.4 76.7 3.6 4.3 7.502† 304 † Significant at 0.05 level; ‡ Not significant

* Measured on a 5-point scale with 5 as highly satisfied

Table 6 : Usage and Level of satisfaction with Chiraag Services

Table 7: People having problems with Chiraag Service Centers

2006 2004

Frequency Percent Frequency Percent

Problem faced 93 52.2 182 60.7

Not faced 85 47.8 118 39.3

Total 178 100 300 100

important problem in 2006 while it received only the third rank in 2004. Lack of privacy has not changedplaces in both 2004 and 2006. Lack of infrastructure is turning out to be critical (3rd rank) in 2006 ascompared to 2004 (6th rank). Working hours seem to have improved in the last two years. Fee charged hasremained least important in both the years as the amount charged continues to remain low.

5.5 Additional Services through Chiraag Kiosks

There is considerable rise in the demand for more e-governance services through the Chiraag centers in2006 as compared to 2004 (See Table-9). However the interest in rural ATM has considerably reduced in2006 as compared to 2004. The interest in Tele-diagnostic Kits has marginally gone up and e-banking ande-commerce services have marginally gone down.

5.6 Likelihood of recommending to others

Despite all these problems, 80 percent of the present users in 2006 are likely to recommend the Chiraagcenters to others as compared to only 74 percent in 2004 (See Table 10). This is a positive factor that can be

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Table 10: Likelihood of recommending Chiraag Centers to others

2006 2004

Likely to recommend to others Frequency Percent Frequency Percent

Yes 146 80.2 134 73.6

No 36 19.8 48 26.4

Total 182 100 182 100

Table 8: Severity ranking of Problems

2006 2004

Problem Mean Score Severity

Rank Mean Score

Severity Rank

Non availability 4.5 4 2.6 1

Lack of privacy 3.2 2 3.2 2

Regulation 4.7 5 5.0 4

Working hours 6.9 8 5.6 5

Lack of infrastructure 4.0 3 5.7 6

Lack guidance 6.2 7 6.4 8

Lack resources 5.4 6 6.3 7

Fees 8.1 9 6.5 9

Low speed 1.5 1 3.8 3

Table 9: Additional Services through Chiraag Additional Services 2006 -2004

2006 2004

Additional Services Frequency Percent Frequency Percent

Rural ATM 6 9.1 63 34.6

Tele diagnostic Kit 24 33.7 39 21.4 Improved E-Banking & E-Commerce Services 22 30.5 66 36.3

More E-governance services 19 26.7 14 7.7

Total 71 100.0 182 100

utilized for getting more users.

5.7 Methods to Promote Chiraag Center

As regards methods to promote Chiraag Kiosks, the respondents in 2006 feel that conducting variouscompetitions would help rather than advertisements (See Table 11). Their preferences for other methods ofpromotion remain more or less the same in 2004 and 2006. The respondents have almost equal preferences

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for direct canvassing, public meetings, free camps and conducting competitions.

Table 11: Methods to Promote Chiraag Centers

2006 2004

Promotional methods Frequency Percent Frequency Percent

Advertisement 3 4.5 47 25.8 Direct canvassing by Govt. employee and Kiosk operators 15 21.4 33 18.1

Public Meetings 18 25.7 45 24.7

Free Camps 18 25.4 49 26.9

Conducting various competitions 16 23.0 8 4.4

Total 70 100.0 182 100

6. Discussion

Rural development and e-governance through ICT is a boon for countries like India. Most of thepopulation living in rural areas and emerging countrywide ICT capability together with infrastructure,provide a unique opportunity for exploitation. However, success of such ICT initiatives is largely dependentupon an integrated approach to service offering and scalable technology architectures. Further, success ofdelivery mechanisms like Chiraag Kiosks is based on ‘what are delivered’ and ‘how they are delivered’through them. Our longitudinal study covering the end-users (citizens) and operators reveals that manyfactors influence the overall success of the Chiraag Kiosks.

The very fact that 35 out of 60 Kiosks are either closed or non-functional shows that there are key issuesof concern for policy makers and service deliverers. The profile of users of the Chiraag Centers appears tobe changing over a period of time. “The real services needed for rural population is not offered and ourcenters are used for off-line services”, said an Operator. The initial motivation of rural masses to availgovernment services was diluted over these two years and thereby the entire profile of users has changednow. It is likely to be difficult to regain the mindshare of the rural masses even if committed services areoffered. Therefore, it is always important to provide a set of comprehensive services with continuity toensure enduring commitment to citizens.

There is a considerable shift in the user profile in terms of literacy and nature of employment. There isa gradual change towards up-market users. People at the bottom of the pyramid do not seem to be benefitingby these centers. The types and quality of services have moved away targeted users from the project. Theservices originally meant to be delivered through these Kiosks, such as e-governance, e-commerce, e-banking etc. have not caught on with the users. The Kiosks should make all the services available andencourage citizens to use them for their advantage. However, as experienced by many operators, Internetbrowsing, Chirac Education and offline services are the most frequently used services. If all the servicesare made available, there is a possibility to attract critical mass from the targeted group of society andensure long-term sustenance.

Considering the nature and type of services, it is found that only four of the whole set of services arebeing offered with some impact. First, the Chiraag education service could be targeted towards a crosssection of users. The services include: e-books for school children, technical books to students of polytechnicsand a few handbooks for developing specific skills. The diffusion of these services in many locations is less.“Using proper technology and aligning with appropriate institutions, it will be possible to offer certificateand diploma courses through Chiraag,” said an official of the project. The second service is to offer healthcare

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delivery. Eye care service is one of the two services offered in this domain. This is offered in collaborationwith Arvind Hospitals in Madurai through a bi-weekly live video discussion with patients. The otherservice is animal healthcare maintenance through video conferencing with veterinary hospital on weeklybasis.

The third service is agricultural advice through the Agricultural Research Institute located in Madurai.According to an Operator, questions are collected from Citizens and a weekly videoconference is used toget the advices from the institute. The research institute pays Rs. 7 for every question asked by thefarmers. Fourth service is browsing facility to all cross sections of the users. However, those people who donot have access to Internet Cafes that typically offer good speed at comparable rates mostly use this service.DTP & telephony are the other services offered through Kiosks, which provide scope for additional revenuegeneration.

Low speed has been identified as one of the critical problems faced by the citizens and operators.According to an operator, the speed of connectivity is much less because of corDECT wireless technology.This technology was found to be relevant during the initial time periods because of few services and lowvolume of usage. However, when other services such as agricultural advice and healthcare delivery wereintroduced, the bandwidth became a bottleneck in the overall service quality. The project may be migratedto higher levels of service delivery by reviving the committed services and launching activities in e-commerce,on-line education etc. Perhaps, bandwidth is the first technology area to be addressed in case new servicesare planned. It is worthwhile to consider other technology options that are provided by private players.

Lack of privacy, especially for women, is identified as one of the critical problems that are faced by thecitizen. It is an important issue as women in the rural areas are normally bounded in homes and notencouraged to visit places such as Internet Kiosks. Therefore, additional care needs to be taken to providecomfortable working environment. It may be a good idea to encourage o have more women operators. Thiswill not only enable more women to come to the Kiosks but also act as a non-deterrent to men. Lack ofinfrastructure, which has resulted due to inadequate revenue generation, is also identified as one of theproblems faced by the users.

The level of satisfaction has been consistently declining for most of the services. There are two dimensionsto the declining satisfaction. Firstly, not all the promised key services are being offered to the citizens.According to both officials of the project and operators, e-governance is the primary service that is expectedout of the Kiosks. Inability to offer these services has really affected the level of satisfaction. Secondly, theoverall quality of the services that are presently offered has not made an impact. Inadequate coordinationwith agencies, financial viability of running the Kiosks, non-scalable technology and decreasing levels ofmotivation of operators are some of the reasons for the poor quality of services.

Looking at the project from the operators’ viewpoint, the research reveals a different dimension to thepresent state of the project. Most of the operators were found to be graduates or professionally qualified.“Most of the Kiosks receive visitors in excess of 10 per day and some might in excess of 25 per day,” saidan operator. The average income of the operators ranges between Rs. 5,000 to 10,000. Same operatorscontinue to manage most of the Kiosks in a particular area. Income generated out of such a minimumnumber of visits of citizen would not be adequate for sustaining the service. The nature and quality of theservice offering and the resulting poor scope for revenue generation have led to lack of commitment andmotivation among operators. Browsing, the primary source of revenue is under problem due to availabilityof competing facilities and services that are coming up in these areas. Strategies have to be evolved toretain the present operators by providing opportunities for growth.

Despite all these issues, 80 percent of present users in 2006 are willing to recommend the center toother potential users as compared to only 74 percent in 2004 (See Table 10). This is a positive factor thatcan be utilized for getting more users. According to an operator, the entire project was conceived in the

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early 2000. But the government at the time of implementation was not encouraging the project. Thisclearly shows that such factors play an important role in implementing projects successfully.


Our analysis shows that these Kiosks are used more for browsing and off-line services like education,DTP and telephony. More and more of educated youth are using these Kiosks for browsing and education.The main purpose for which the Kiosks were introduced appears to be lost. The real benefit of providing e-governance and services that will engine rural development is far from expectations. The services originallymeant to be delivered through these Kiosks, such as e-governance, e-commerce, e-banking etc. have notcaught on with the users. The Kiosks should make available these services and encourage citizens to usethem for their advantage.

Low speed, lack of privacy and lack of infrastructure are seen as critical problems that need to beaddressed on a priority basis. The level of satisfaction has been consistently declining for most of theservices. Further, care should be taken to make the operators motivated and professionally capable to carryout the activities of the center. The positive side of the story is that centers are not doing badly given theservice levels. This is evidenced from the fact that 80 percent of present users are willing to recommend thecenter to other potential users.

It is leant that Chiraag Kiosks located in a few other districts have ventured into online education ande-commerce services. However these services are sporadic and likely to have less impact in the overallgrowth. We strongly feel that initiatives such as Chiraag will have to provide a comprehensive service bothin depth and breadth on a sustainable basis. We notice the deviation from offering core services (such as e-governance, healthcare, support to core economic activities) to peripheral services (such as browsing, DTPand Telephony). Such a deviation will have its negative influence in the success of reviving the projectsand also for implementing similar projects in other locations. Further research may be directed to comparethis project with similar projects implemented in other states. Such efforts will reveal problems/opportunitiesand strategies adopted to manage them.

References

1 Corcoran C. T. (1994). Employment agency gets a grip on its workload, Infoworld, 16(46), 122.

2 Kannabiran G. and Xavier M. J. (2004). Enabling e-governance through Citizen RelationshipManagement - concept, model and applications, Journal of Services Research, Vol. 4-2, 2004 223-240.

3 Kanungo V. and Umashankar C. (2005).RASI Project- E-Democracy, Working paper The Society forpromotion of E-governance, New Delhi.

4 Morris et al Kiosks: A technological overview. Available: http:// www.visi.com/~keefner/pdfs/Kiosk_paper.html#PTFToC2, 1995, accessed on April 14, 2004.

5 Maguire M. C. (1999). A review of user-interface design guidelines for public information Kiosk systems,Int. J. Human-Computer Studies, 50, 263–286.

6 Ni Y. N. and Ho A. T. (2005). Challenges in e-government development: Lessons from two informationKiosk projects, Government Information Quarterly, 22, 58–74.

7 Nicholas D. Huntington P. and Williams, P. (2003) Three years of digital consumer health information:a longitudinal study of the touch screen health Kiosk, Information Processing and Management, 39,479–502

8 Sargent G. and McLvor J. (1996). Public access information: A prototype web Kiosk, ManagingInformation, 3(4), 32-35.

9 Tung L. L. and Tan J. H. (1998). Model for the classification of Information Kiosks in Singapore,International Journal of Information Systems, Vol. 18, No. 4, 255-264.

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10 United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Report (2003). World public sector report2003: E-Government at the crossroads. New York, United Nations Publication.

About the Authors

G. Kannabiran is a Professor of Information Systems in the Department of Management Studies atthe National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, India. He holds Masters Degrees in Mathematics,Computer Science & Engineering, Business Administration and Doctorate in Information Systems. Hewas awarded Fulbright Visiting Lecturer Fellowship to be with the William Spears School of Businessat the Oklahoma State University in 2005. His areas of interest include IS strategy, IT & Organization,Supply Chain Management, and e-governance. His publications have appeared in Supply ChainManagement: An International Journal, International Journal of Information Management andInformation Technology for Development etc.

M J. Xavier is a Professor of Marketing with IFMR, Chennai. He is an MTech in Chemical PlantEngineering from NIT Warangal and a Fellow of IIM Kolkata. He has served as a visiting faculty to anumber of business schools around the world and published three books and more than 100 articles inthe area of marketing. He has conducted a number of training programmes for executives and has alsobeen a consultant to several leading organizations. His areas of interest include Strategic Marketing,Customer Relationship Management, and Quantitative Research Methods.

T. Banumathi is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Management Studies at the Kongu Artsand Science College, Erode, India. She holds MBA and M. Phil. degrees from Bharathiar University,India. Her areas of interest include Information Systems Management, E-governance and E-banking.She is currently a doctoral student at the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli, India and herarea of research is e-banking.

E-governance Systems (E-choupal) and Decision-MakingProcesses in Agriculture

Sushil Kumar1* and Jabir Ali1

ABSTRACT

E-governance systems are argued to improve performance of the user groups by enhancingquality of decision-making. Using a case study of two such initiatives – Indian Tobacco Company(ITC) e-choupals and Uttar Pradesh Bhoomi Sudhar Nigam (UPBSN) e-choupals – differencesin quality of decisions by user and non-user farmer groups are empirically examined. Datafrom 461 farmers, collected using a questionnaire survey in eight districts of Uttar Pradesh,and chi-square statistic, are used to assess decision quality on fourteen aspects related toagriculture production processes. Results indicate significantly better qualities of various decisionsmade by user group farmers, as compared to non-user group. Differences are also found betweenqualities of decisions made by ITC e-choupal user group farmers and UPBSN e-choupal usergroup farmers.

Keywords : E-governance, Decision-making, Agriculture, India, ICTs

1. Introduction

Developmental literature points out lack of adequate and appropriate information as one of the majorbottlenecks in economic development of third world countries (e.g., Auerbach and Siddiki, 2004; Chapmanand Slaymaker, 2002). Realizing this, state nations across the globe are making concerted efforts todisseminate right volume and right kind of information to their denizens. The rapid and innovativedevelopments in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have provided immense opportunitiesto public as well as private sector agencies to integrate these technologies in their governance systems.ICTs are especially useful for dissemination of information, provision of services, enabling varioustransactions, and awareness creation among the rural masses far removed from the government.

For optimum utilization of available resources, optimum allocation decisions are must, for whichavailability and accessibility to appropriate information is very critical. In addition to cognitive ability of anindividual, it is the information available to a person which leads to an efficient and effective process ofinformed decision-making. Linkages between performance and efficient and effective decision-making arewell established in the literature. While relationships between performance and decision-making have beenstudied in great detail by various researchers in different areas, not much work has been done to assess theimpact of e-governance initiatives on decision-making processes of the e-governance systems’ end-users.

In order to disseminate information and provide different services in a cost effective manner, large

1 Indian Institute of Management, Sitapur Road, Lucknow-226013, India*Corresponding Author: (Phone : +91-522-2736987, Email : [email protected])

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Sushil Kumar and Jabir Ali / E-governance Systems (E-choupal) and Decision-Making ....

number of e-governance initiatives have been made - are being made – in many countries. The developingworld is looking towards e-governance systems for solving their numerous governance related problems likelack resources to reach masses, large population sizes, remoteness of many areas, highly centralized2

governance structure, colonial mindset of public servants, among many others. Literature on e-governancesystems argues that use of ICT facilitates free flow of information and makes available the services even tothe most marginalized sections of the society.

Among economies in transition, India has been emphasizing a great deal on making effective and efficientuse of ICTs in the governance systems. Government of India has formulated an ambitious National e-governance Plan (NeGP) which identifies 25 mission mode projects to be implemented through differentministries at Center as well as State levels. Agriculture forms a prominent sector in this plan. However, this isnot the first attempt, by the government or private sector, to adopt e-governance systems in effectivegovernance of developmental activities. Many public and private sector ICTs enabled initiatives have beenundertaken in the last decades especially to cater to the needs of agricultural or overall rural sector development.Some of these initiatives include e-Choupals by Indian Tobacco Company (ITC)3, Hindustan Lever Limited(HHL) - Shakti, DCM Sriram Consolidated Limited’s (DSCL) - Hariyali Kisan Bazar, Drishti, AgMarknet,Gyandoot, iKisan, Parry Kiosks by EID Parry, n-Logue, Uttar Pradesh Bhoomi Sudhar Nigam (UPBSN) e-choupal etc. All these ICTs enabled governance systems share the common objective of empowering ruralcommunities to make right decisions related to their day-to-day activities and thereby improve theirperformance4. Since, rural economy in India or for that matter in any developing country, has very stronglinkages with the agricultural economy, the major thrust of these initiatives has been on the agriculture andallied sectors5.

While numbers of e-governance initiatives in the rural areas have grown exponentially, these have notattracted sufficient attention from researchers or policy-makers in terms of their impacts on quality of variousdecisions made by their end-users. This study makes an effort to fill this gap in e-governance literature byanalyzing the impacts two such e-governance initiatives – ITC e-choupal and UPBSN e-choupal6 – make oneffectiveness of decisions made by farmers related to different farming activities. The overriding objective ofthe paper is to examine whether use of ICTs for information dissemination and service delivery leads toimprovement in decision quality.

2 Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) provide modern, effective and speedy mode of communicationthat convey new resource of knowledge and information to society. The proper and effective development of ICTscan offer multiple perspectives for socio-economic development, which includes enhancing productivity, betteraccess to market, improving education, healthcare facilities and e-governance (Raju, 2004). ICT can reducepoverty by improving poor people’s access to education, health, government and financial services (Garai andShadrach, 2006).

3 Commonly known as ITC e-choupals4 Knowledge and information are important factors for accelerating agricultural development by increasing agricultural

production and improving marketing and distribution (Bertolini, 2004; Rao, 2006; Lio and Liu, 2006). In additionto connecting small farmers and artisans to markets, ICT facilitates most agricultural decisions: what to plant,when to plant it, how to cultivate and harvest, and where to store and sell and at what price have long dependedon knowledge, communication, and information exchange.

5 The GDP growth in India has shown a sign of significant improvement in the last few years and as per latestEconomic Survey its growth has been between 7-8% for the years 2004-05 and 2005-06. Various policy analystsargue that India can sustain its present rate of economic growth only if agriculture sector could grow at a rate ofover 4%, which at present is only 2%.

6 ITC e-choupal is one of the earliest and the most successful private sector ICT enabled initiatives started by IndianTobacco Company in the year 1999. Interested readers may like to consult Annamalai and Rao (2003), and Uptonand Fuller (2004), for further in-depth information. UPBSN e-choupal is a fairly recent initiative started in the year2005 by a public sector undertaking Uttar Pradesh Bhoomi Sudhar Nigam, in the state of Uttar Pradesh. At thetime of writing this paper, there are 25 e-choupals of UPBSN spread across 21 districts of the state.

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The study is based on the primary data collected from farmers in eight districts of Uttar Pradesh. Thefarmers included in the survey belong to user as well as non-user groups of the two e-governance initiatives.The data on impact of usage or non-usage of e-governance on decision-making, collected using a structuredquestionnaire survey, is tested by computing chi-square statistic, and differences between user and non-usergroups are analyzed on multidimensional aspects related to agricultural decisions.

The paper is organized as follows. In next section, we discuss about e-governance initiatives in agricultureand their role in improving production and productivity of crops. Section 3 describes methodology used fordata collection as well as for the analysis of data. The results of empirical analysis are presented in section4, followed by their implications and conclusions in section 5.

2. E-governance and Agriculture

With a contribution of 24% in GDP, agriculture sector forms backbone of the Indian economy. Thesector generates 15% of the total export earnings and also employs, directly or indirectly, about 56.7% of thecountry’s workforce (Planning Commission, 2002). The large agriculture workforce is the also the majorconsumer which generates demand for industrial goods and services. The sector plays an important role inensuring national food security, and in the process, national security as well (Rao, 2006). Because of themultiplier effect of agriculture across the economy, development of agriculture has been one of the keyfocus areas in the overall economic development planning process of the country. Policy-makers andresearchers agree that, in an increasingly globalized economy, agricultural development is the key tosustainable long-term economic growth of India.

Historically, the journey of planned agricultural development in India starts with Green Revolution inthe mid-60s which helped the country emerge not only as self-sufficient in food grain production but as afood surplus country. Since then the agricultural production in the country, till recently, has kept pace withthe food needs of the growing population, mainly as a result of increased yields in almost all crops, especiallyin cereals. This increase in productivity has been the outcome of concerted efforts to increase all the GreenRevolution inputs needed for higher yields: better seed, adequate artificial fertilization, improved irrigation,and above all extension of technologies and information among farmers. Availability and accessibility ofappropriate technologies coupled with right quality of information helped farmers to make efficient andeffective decisions related to different farming activities.

However, India has failed to sustain the growth in agriculture achieved in the 1970 or 1980s. Productionand productivity of major food crops has started showing signs of stagnation and in some cases it has evenstarted declining. It is estimated that food grain production in 2005-06 will not be able to surpass 209million ton mark, the highest reached six years ago (Swaminathan, 2006). The decennial compound growthrate of rice and wheat – the two major staple food crops – and of the pulses has been significantly lower orthe same during 1990-91 to 2000-01, as compared to that during 1980-81 to 1990-91. Population, on theother hand, has been rising. This has led to decrease in per capita availability of food-grains in the country.

The reasons for fall in the growth in agriculture are many, but the one which has attracted major attentionof policy-makers in the last decade has to do with lack of appropriate information and services related toagricultural practices. In wake of globalized market economy and increasingly complex agribusinessenvironment, traditional model of information dissemination and service provision7, has failed to meet thegrowing information and services demands of the farming community. With the opening of Indian economyin 1990, the agriculture has turned into a highly diverse industry. Therefore, present-day farmers’ informationneeds are not restricted only to technical aspects of growing crops or rearing livestock, but include host of

7 Traditional model of information and services delivery depends on extension workers and conventional media.

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issues ranging from credit and insurance information to market intelligence. In the post WTO era, qualityaspects of agriculture produce are sure to gain greater importance. In this changed scenario, provision ofinformation and services, through extension workers and conventional media, is not feasible in terms of costand its effectiveness.

Intensification of agriculture, to meet the demands generated by the growing population and increasingincomes, will only be possible if farmers could be provided appropriate and timely information in a costeffective manner. ICTs8 offer promising opportunities for dissemination of information and provision ofservices to the rural masses. As compared to tradition delivery mechanism, dissemination or delivery usingICTs, ensures timeliness, quality and exactness of information and services while keeping the cost to theminimum.

Number of ICT enabled interventions, commonly referred to as e-governance initiatives, are in the processof transforming the face of agriculture in India9. e-governance is considered as a key enabler of the agri-foodsector by making dynamic and real-time global level exchange (Rao, 2006). Proponents of e-governancesystems argue that effective deployment of ICTs can lead not only to increase in production and productivityof crops, but will also enhance Indian farmers’ and agribusinesses competitiveness in the international market.This will be possible, it is argued, through facilitation of better decisions related to all aspects of agri-foodvalue chain. The use of ICTs also leads to reductions in production and transaction costs, rise in productionefficiencies, and finally to increase in income of rural communities. By making available appropriateinformation in a timely manner, it offers immense opportunities to all stakeholders to make effective andinformed choices.

3. Sample, Data Collection and Analysis

3.1 Geographic Location and Survey Sample

The data for the study comes from 461 farmers in eight districts10 of Uttar Pradesh. A questionnairesurvey was conducted by personally contacting these farmers and their responses to various questions wereobtained and recorded. These districts were selected as UPBSN had one year old e-choupal in five of thesurveyed districts. Remaining three districts were selected based on discussion with ITC officials.

A total of 15 e-choupals in all eight districts are covered. Of the 15 e-choupals, 10 belong to ITC in fivedistricts11 and remaining five to UPBSN in five districts12. For each e-choupal, we surveyed randomly selectedminimum 15 user farmers and 15 non-user farmers. Non-user farmers were selected from villages situatedminimum 15 Kms. away from the location of e-choupal. Hence, for ITC e-chaupal, 303 farmers wereinterviewed, comprising 152 user and 151 non-user farmers. Similarly, for UPBSN e-chaupals, 158 farmerswere surveyed with 80 user and 78 non-user framers. The total sample consists of 232 user farmers and 229non-user farmers.

On the basis of land holding size, the sample can be broken down in four categories: large, medium, smalland marginal13. Figure-1 indicates that 58 (13%) sample farmers belong to large, 132 (29%) to medium, 159(33%) to small, and 112 (24%) to marginal categories of land holding. The age of sample farmers varies from18 years to 84 years, with a mean age of 43 years. Distribution of farmers in four age groups is shown in

8 ICTs cover a broad range of technologies that integrate technology devices with modern communication technologies(Rao, 2006). The technology devices range from personal computers to web-linked databases and communicatechnologies include telephones and telecommunication networks.

9 For description of these initiatives, please refer Rao (2006)1 0 These districts are Aligarh, Allahabad, Bareilly, Etawah, Hardoi, Pratapgarh, Raibareilly and Shahjahanpur1 1 Aligarh, Allahabad, Bareilly, Hardoi, and Shahjahanpur1 2 Aligarh, Allahabad, Etawah, Pratapgarh, and Raibareilly

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Figure-2. The sample shows sufficient variance in literacy levels of the farmers included in the sample. Thereare 11% farmers who reported them to be completely illiterate. Percentage of farmers with high school educationis 20% and those with graduate or higher degree are 14% (Figure-3).

Figure-4 makes it clear that the sample has representation from all social categories i.e. general, otherbackward classes (OBC), and scheduled castes (SC). On the monthly income dimension also the sampleshows sufficient representation from all six income groups (Figure-5).

1 3 Farmers having land holding equal to or more than 4 ha. are categorized as large, those having land holding between2-4 ha. as medium, 1-2 ha. as small and ones who have less than 1 ha. as marginal.

1 4 Lower mean score on a particular dimension indicates better quality of decision

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3.2 Data Collection

The data related to decisions on various farming activities was collected using a pre-tested structuredquestionnaire. In addition to socio-demographical information of the respondents, 14 questions were usedto gather responses on 14 decision-making aspects of farming process. All questions related to decision-making were on five-point Likert scale ranging from 1-5, where 1 means strong agreement and 5 meansstrong disagreement with a particular statement. The questionnaire was personally administered to therespondent farmers and their responses recorded.

3.3 Analysis

In order to examine whether the usage of information and services being provided by two e-governanceinitiatives has any impact on the quality of decision-making of the farmers, we compared user and non-userfarmers. Comparisons on 14 aspects of decision-making related to farming was done by computing chi-square statistic in SPSS (10.0). Further, using chi-square test, we also examined whether the impacts of ITCe-choupal and UPBSN e-choupal on their respective users’ decision-making, was similar or dissimilar. Aspointed out earlier, UPBSN is a public sector undertaking whereas ITC is a private sector corporate body.Being structurally and legally different types of entities, difference in the quality as well as approachesadopted to disseminate information and provide service, can be expected in these two agencies. Therefor,we also tested the differences in the impacts these two agencies make on their respective user farmers.

3.4 Results

Farmers gather information related to different decisions from number of sources. Table 1 shows differentsources which farmers use in order to meet their information and service needs. Of the e-choupal users,about 58% framers report that they receive most of the information and services from e-chaupal as comparedto 4% in the non-user groups. This data establishes that the two groups – user farmers and non-user farmers– are fundamentally different in terms of their sources of information. Non-user farmers depend on traditionalsources of information and services which include input dealers, peer groups, extensions workers etc. Similarly,as compared to user farmers, non-user farmers use more of conventional media (radio, newspaper, andtelevision) to gather information for their day-to-day needs.

Mean scores of user and non-user group farmers on fourteen dimensions of decision-making are givenin Table 21. In order to examine relationship between the quality of decision and the usage or non-usage ofe-choupal, we computed chi-square statistic. Table 3 shows results of this analysis. Reported in first columnof the Table are the chi-square statistic values for the relationship between usage of e-choupal (ITC as wellas UPBSN) and quality of decision on 14 aspects related to farming.

The values of chi-square statistic are significant at 1% level of significance at four degrees of freedom,for all types of decisions except one: availing credit facilities available with banks. This indicates that theusage of e-choupal improves the quality of decision-making in quite a significant way. The farmers, whoavail facilities of e-choupal for obtaining information and services, are making decisions that are far betterin quality than those farmers who depend on traditional sources for obtaining different information. Theresults also indicate that ICTs enabled interventions can benefit farmers or the whole rural community muchmore than archaic models of governance.

It is evident from the results that the decision quality of user group farmers gets improved on all aspectsof value chain, right from decisions related to crop selection to post harvest management to final marketingof their produce. The e-governance systems, by providing information on market trends, facilitate farmers toplan in advance and make choice of the crops to be grown. Such farmers, as compared to non-user groupfarmers, are more likely to use better quality seeds, one of the important factors influencing crop productivity.With the help technical information available from e-chaupals, the user group farmers also get motivated to

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% Respondent Reported Sources e-Chaupal

Users Non-users

Total

e-chaupal 58.91 4.12 33.32 Input dealer 12.03 29.85 20.35 Other progressive farmers

8.38 29.58 18.28

Extension worker 4.62 6.20 5.36 Para technician/private agency/NGO

1.05 7.00 3.83

Farmer’s School 6.48 0.71 3.78 Radio 1.67 4.78 3.12 Others 1.59 4.52 2.96 Television 1.36 4.34 2.75 Participation in training programme

1.79 3.23 2.46

Krishi Vigyan Kendra 1.75 2.30 2.01 Newspaper 0.39 3.37 1.78

Table 1: Major source of information for agricultural practices

care for soil health of their farms. This fact is indicated by strong relationship between soil testing propensityof farmers and their belonging to user group.

ITC UPBSN Overall Sr. No.

Agricultural Practices Users Non-

users Users Non-

users Users Non-

users 1. Planning of crop rotation well

in advance 2.79 3.30 3.23 3.73 2.94 3.45

2. Making profitable crop choices 2.65 3.11 3.15 3.55 2.82 3.26 3. Always take more than one

crop in a year 2.70 3.09 2.84 3.32 2.75 3.17

4. Soil testing before sowing 4.55 4.77 3.40 4.13 4.16 4.55 5. Use of certified seeds 2.29 2.89 2.41 2.95 2.33 2.91 6. Plant nutrient management 3.61 3.92 3.23 3.68 3.47 3.84 7. Integrated plant protection

methods 3.60 3.91 3.27 7.73 3.48 3.85

8. Irrigation based on prescribed methods

2.39 2.76 2.66 2.96 2.48 2.83

9. Minimization of cost of production

3.53 3.76 3.11 3.58 3.39 3.70

10. Availing credit facilities available with banks

3.98 4.22 3.89 4.09 3.95 4.18

11. Record keeping on agriculture income & expenditure

3.77 4.23 3.68 4.00 3.74 4.15

12. Storage of agricultural produces

2.66 2.96 3.10 3.69 2.81 3.21

13. Sorting and grading 2.66 3.03 3.28 3.90 2.87 3.33 14. Market analysis before selling

the produce 2.57 2.94 3.03 3.64 2.72 3.18

Table 2: Mean scores of relationship between quality of decision and usage or non-usage of two types ofe-governance systems

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The results also indicate that e-choupals help farmers throughout the production phase of the farmingprocess. The farmers who use e-choupals take much better care of their crops, be it better irrigation managementpractices or balanced fertilizer application. Adoption of planned process of farming coupled with bettertechnologies of production surely leads to increase in productivity of crops of the user group farmers.However, higher production of crops will result in increase in farmers’ income only if they are able to markettheir produce at remunerative prices, by adopting proper post harvest management practices. The resultsindicate that user group farmers differ significantly from the non-user group farmers on the quality ofdecisions related to post harvest management and marketing of their produce. These farmers are able to usemarket intelligence data, provided to them by e-choupals, in making decisions as to the timing of selling theirproduce and selecting the agency to whom to sell.

Second column in Table 3, shows chi-square statistic values for differences in quality of decision-makingbetween ITC e-choupal user group farmers and the non-user group farmers. All but two chi-square values aresignificant either at 1% or 5% level of significance at four degrees of freedom. This means that barring twoaspects related farming process (credit facilities and minimization of production cost) decision quality of allother aspects is better for the ITC e-choupal user group in comparison to the non-user group farmers.Interpretation of the results is similar to as discussed in the case of user group comparisons with the overall

Table 3: Chi-Square test of relationship between quality of decision and usage or non-usage of two typesof e-governance systems

Sr. No.

Agricultural Practices Overall Users and Non-Users

n=461

ITC e-Chaupal

Users and Non Users

n=303

UPBSNe-

ChaupaUsers

and NoUsersn=158

1. Planning of crop rotation well in advance

27.946* 23.092* 11.561*

2. Making profitable crop choices

20.151* 17.650* 7.735

3. Always take more than one crop in a year

25.335* 18.519* 9.571**

4. Soil testing before sowing 22.043* 8.486* 17.727*5. Use of certified seeds 39.570* 29.357** 12.732*6. Plant nutrient management 27.485* 15.802* 20.547*7. Integrated plant protection

methods 27.709* 14.706* 14.697*

8. Irrigation based on prescribed methods

19.453* 12.304** 13.235*

9. Minimization of cost of production

19.339* 6.099 16.145*

10. Availing credit facilities available with banks

6.891 9.346 5.861

11. Record keeping on agriculture income & expenditure

30.285* 25.100* 8.668

12. Storage of agricultural produces

19.536* 9.822** 14.198*

13. Sorting and grading 28.060* 17.277* 19.318*14. Market analysis before

selling the produce 24.980* 13.834* 14.385*

* Significant at 1% level ** Significant at 5% level

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non-user group.

In the third column of Table-3, chi-square statistic values for relationship between the decision qualityand the usage or non-usage of UPBSN e-choupal, are reported. Except three chi-sqaure statistic values, allothers are statistically significant either at 1% or at 5% level of significance at four degrees of freedom. Again,interpretations of these results are similar to the ones discussed for the overall sample.

As mentioned in methodology section, we also tested whether e-choupals established by ITC and UPBSNhave differential effects on the quality of decision-making of their respective user groups. These two agencieshave different legal structures and motives, therefore, differences between their approaches and ways ofworking are naturally expected. The column four in Table-3 shows chi-square statistic values for relationshipbetween the quality of decision-making and the type of e-chaupal (ITC or UPBSN) used as the source ofinformation and services. Chi-square values indicate that effects of ITC e-choupals are significantly differentfrom those of UPBSN e-choupals, on decision-making regarding eight aspects (out of fourteen tested)related to farming activities. Mean values and statistically significant chi-square values indicate that comparedto UPBSN, ITC e-chaupals have significantly greater influences in improving the quality of decision-makingon five aspects: (i) planning of crop rotation, (ii) making profitable crop choices, (iii) storage of produce,(iv) sorting and grading, and (v) market analysis before final sale. On the other hand, UPBSN e-chaupal usergroup farmers make significantly better decisions, in comparison to ITC e-choupal user group farmers onthree aspects related to farming activities: (i) soil testing, (ii) balanced plant nutrient management, and (iii)minimization of cost of production.

Above results provide interesting insights about major focus areas of these two agencies involved inICTs enabled provision of information and services. UPBSN, which was established under the World Bankgrant to the state of Uttar Pradesh in the year 1978, has a mandate to improve production and productivity ofsodic soils in the state. This organization, which no doubt is a corporate body, but being a public sectorundertaking, does not have a profit motive in its working practices. Hence, as indicated by the results, majorfocus of its information and service delivery has been on aspects mostly related production processes. Incontrast, ITC is a big profit making corporation which had entered in the arena of e-governance mainly toensure quality supply for its processing plants by eliminating middlemen from the traditional supply chain(Anamalai and Rao, 2003). Hence, most aspects on which ITC user group farmers are better than UPBSNuser group farmers, are related to post harvest management or marketing of the agricultural produce


The study examines the impact ICTs enabled systems for information and service deliveries make ontheir end-users. Using a case of user and non-user farmer groups of the two such systems – ITC e-chopalsand UPBSN e-choupals – it examines the differences between qualities of decision making for these twogroups. In all fourteen aspects related to farming activities are included in the study on which all farmersneed to take efficient and effective decisions at some stage of the agriculture production process. Further,comparisons have also been made between individual effects of these two organizations.

The results from this study provide empirical support to some of the existing arguments in favor of theuse of ICTs in agriculture or e-governance systems in general. Significant differences in the qualities ofdecisions made by the user group farmers and the non-user group farmers clearly indicates that the use ofICTs can lead to increase in production and productivity of crops and ultimately to increase in farmersincome. In the post liberalized era in India, availability of appropriate information, in terms of quality andquantity, will play a prominent role in getting right price of agriculture produce. The study shows that farmers,who use e-choupals as sources of information, are likely to make better choices in selling their produce. Useof ICTs in agriculture, thus, will not only enhance competitiveness of Indian farmers in the domestic marketbut will also improve their competitiveness at the global level.

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Significant differences have also been observed in terms of major focus of two e-governance systems.The results provide opportunities for the two agencies – ITC and UPBSN – to review and revisit theirapproaches and make necessary changes so that they are able to help farmers in a holistic manner. TheUPBSN will have to include more interventions related to post harvest management and market intelligencedata so that farmers being served by them are not only able to produce more but are also in a position tobargain prices for their increased production. Similarly, ITC will need to analyze their weak areas which relateto sustainable crop production.

References

1 Annamalai K. and Rao S. (2003). ITC’s e-Choupal and Profitable Rural Transformation, What WorksCase Study, World Resources Institute, Washigton D.C.

2 Auerbach P. and Siddiki J.U (2004). Financial liberalisation and economic development: An assessment.Journal of Economic Surveys, 18(3), 231-265

3 Bertolini R. (2004). Making information and communication technologies work for food security inAfrica. 2020 Africa Conference Brief 11. International Food Policy Research Institute. Washington DC.

4 Chapman R. and Alaymaker T. (2002). ICTs and Rural Development: Review of Literature, currentinterventions and opportunites for action, Working Paper 192, Overseas Development Institute, London,U.K.

5 Atanu G. and Shadrach B. (2006). Taking ICT to every Indian village: Opportunities and challenges.OneWorld South Asia, New Delhi. Website: www.oneworldsouthasia.net

6 Monchi L. and Meng-Chun L. (2006). ICT and agricultural productivity: Evidence from cross-countrydata. Agricultural Economics, 34(3), 221.

7 Raju K.A. (2004). A case for harnessing information technology for rural development. The InternationalInformation & Library Review, 36 (3), 233-240.

8 Rao N.H. (2006). A framework for implementing information and communication technologies in agriculturaldevelopment in India. Technological Forecasting and Social Change (Article in Press).

9 David U.M. and Fuller V.A. (2004). The ITC e-chaupal initiative. Harvard Business School, 9, 604-616.

About the Authors

Sushil Kumar is an Associate Professor at Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow, India. Beforejoining IIM Lucknow, Dr. Kumar was a SSHRC postdoctoral at University of Toronto where he obtainedhis doctoral degree too. He has been teaching Entrepreneurship, Business and Society, CorporateEnvironmental Management, Emerging Issues in Agribusiness and Food Industry, and Structural EquationModeling. His research areas include Organizational Change Management, Organizational Inertia, Public-Private Partnerships, Corporate Social Responsibility, and e-governance. His research papers have beenpublished in Forest Policy and Economics, International Public Management Journal, Administrationand Society, Indian Journal of Industrial Relations and international conference proceedings such asProceedings of XII World Forestry Congress and Sustainable Forest Management Network of Canada

Jabir Ali is Assistant Professor at Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow. Dr. Ali has obtainedhis Master’s and Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics and Business Management from Aligarh MuslimUniversity, Aligarh (India). His area of interest in teaching and research includes Agricultural and RuralMarketing, Agribusiness Management, Agribusiness Cooperatives, New Venture Development andAgribusiness Supply Chain Management. Dr. Ali has published several articles in referred journals, bookchapters and has many conference presentations to his credit. He has also handled a number of research/consultancy projects on crop sector, livestock sector, food management, supply chain management andICT in rural areas.

Bridging the Digital Divide Learning from TARA Heat Project

Ram Lal1*, Abid Haleem2 and A. R. Khan2

ABSTRACT

E-governance is the effective use of Information and Technology to improve the system ofgovernance that is in place and thus provide better services to community. It have the potentialto offer vast advantages to citizens. This paper aims to identify and discuss the digital divideemerged by implementing e-governance project TARAhaat in India (Tehsil Orchaa and Niwari,District Tikamgarh, M.P). This research paper tests the research questions to investigate digitaldivide. Recommendations to bridge the digital divide have been listed. The barriers such asilliteracy and computer knowledge have been found as a main hurdle.

Keywords: Digital Divide, Computer, Information and Communication Technology, E-governance

1. Introduction

E-governance is the effective use of Information and Technology to improve the system of Governancethat is in place and thus provide better services to community. It have the potential to offer vast advantagesto citizens. It could open up new possibilities for more transparent and efficient governance and citizen-government relationship. Absence of corruption, increase in transparency and accountability, growth inrevenue or reduction in costs and participation are the visible features of good governance (Sujatha 2003).E-governance is a tools and its value addition arises from its application to goals and objectives.

In 1975, Government of India decided to take effective steps for development of information systemsand utilization of information resources and also to introduce computer–based decision support system ingovernment ministries and department to facilitate planning and programme implementation to further thegrowth of economic development and social development. In 1976, National Informatics Center (NIC)was set up with the assistance of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to overcome “DigitalDivide” in central government departments and ministries. NIC has been instrumental in adopting Informationand communication technology “to reach out Inda”.

Since IT (Information Technology) boom of 1990’s , the all governments have been actively investingin developing the ICT (Information and Communication Technology) infrastructure and capacity for ruralIndia. The impact of e-governance has been realized with projects TARAhaat in Madhya Pradesh, e-sevain Andhra Pradesh, FRIENDS ( Fast Reliable Instantaneous Delivery of Services ) in Kerala etc. Informationand Communication Technology is being seen as essential facilitator for the economic and social growth ofrural India.

1 Computer Services Centre, IIT, Delhi, India*Corresponding Author: (Phone: +91-11- 26597274, Mob: 9868501531, E-mail: [email protected] )

2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi, India

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Spectar (2000) views the “Digital Divide” in terms of inequitable access to ICTs, such as PCs, internet,telephones, cable and other internet-related technologies, by individuals or groups of people in a country orbetween countries. Peters (2003) rightly points out that installing computers and connections inunderdeveloped communities is only part of what is needed to put ICT to use for socio-economic development.

Information and communication technology has put hopes into Indian citizens and put India on worldmap as a IT leader. Despite this fact, the benefits of e-governance could not reach to underprivileged citizens.Around the world, digital divide has focused on the gap between “haves” and “have-nots” about technologyaccess or equitable access to the benefits associate with technology. We can say that the “Digital Divide” isas much about the lack of opportunities for civic participation through limited knowledge about theopportunities technology affords, as it is due to understanding of technology itself. The exclusion of amajor number of potential users in developing countries has raised concerns about “Digital Divide”(DIFD,2000, p.26).

E-Governance project, TARAhaat which has been introduced in Niwari, by M.P govt. to deliver citizencentric services and to enhance the efficiency of departments. The study was analyzed with the followingobjectives

• To investigate the digital divide in rural India• To explore the recommendations to bridge the gap.

2. Research Design

The reasons for choosing the TARAhaat specifically for the study were

• TARAhaat started in 2000 by Development Alternatives (DA) Technology and Action for RuralAdvancement (TARA), NGO brings the Internet and its benefits directly into the lives of rural poor inthe remotest villages of India. It is a unique combination of mother portal nurturing several vertical andhorizontal portals within it, together with franchised cyber kiosks and delivery vans. TARAhaat hasbeen conceived with the view that it has to be mastered and used by people with wide variations inliteracy, language, financial liquidity and levels of understanding.

• TARAhaat has won Stockholm Challenge Award 2001.• Geographical local is convenient for our study because Tikamgarh District is close proximity to Delhi,

hence getting information and executing the questionnaire was easy.This study attempts to test the following research questions.

• Whether the age of the respondents determines knowledge of computer or not?• Whether the sex of the respondents determines knowledge of computer or not?• Whether the educational background of the respondents determines knowledge of computer or not?

The study was based on the primary data collection. The survey was mainly confined to rural areas ofNiwari, Orhcha Tehsil, District Tikamgarh of Madhya Pradesh. The questionnaires were distributed torespondents randomly. The sample frame consisted of total 450 respondents. The responses were carefullyexamined to avoid any errors. A final valid sample of only 173 out of 450 was obtained and used in theanalysis. This represents 38% success rate (173/450). The cross table, Chi-Square Test and SymmetricMeasures statistic were used to investigate the digital divide. The value of Cronbach’s alpha is 0.910 or91.0 %. The content of the questionnaire was validated by the practitioners of E-Governance, experts drawnfrom various organization and stakeholders of E-Governance who were well versed with the E-Governancedomain.

3. Results

The results are presented in table 1to 9.

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Testing of research question: The age of the respondents determines knowledge of computer

There seems to be statistically negative significant relationship between age and knowledge of computer.The sign of spearman correlation is negative which shows that higher the age, lower will be the knowledgeof computer and vice versa. Increasing knowledge of computer among the other age group will increaseunderstanding of e-governance.

There seems to be statistically significant relationship between sex and knowledge of computer. The signof spearman correlation is negative which shows that higher the order, lower will be the knowledge ofcomputer and vice versa i.e. female is having the lower knowledge of computer, whereas the approx. sig.value is 0.05, which itself justifies that the correlation coefficients are negative significant relationshipbetween gender and knowledge of computer.

Table 3: Symmetric Measures of Age Vs Knowledge of Computer

Value Assymp. Std. Error(a)

Approx. T(b) Approx. Sig.

Ordinal by Ordinal Spearman Correlation -0.419 0.070 -6.035 0.000(c)

N of Valid cases 173

Table 2: Chi-Square Test of Age Vs Knowledge of Computer

Value df AssyPearson Chi-Square 40.705(a) 3 0.00N of Valid cases 173

Table 1: Cross Tabulation Between Age Vs Knowledge of Computer

Knowledge of Com No

Between 18-25 Count 33 % within age 56.9 Between 25-40 Count 86 % within age 96.6 Between 40-60 Count 23 % within age 92.0 Above 60 Count 1

Age

% within age 100.0 Total Count 143 % within age 82.7

Table 4: Cross Table Sex Vs Knowledge of Computer

Knowledge of Comput No Y

Male Count 65 % within Sex 74.7 Female Count 78

Sex

% within Sex 90.7 Total Count 143 % within Sex 82.7

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Table 5: Chi-Square Test of Sex Vs Knowledge of Computer

Value df AsymPearson Chi-Square 7.710(b) 1 N of Valid cases 173

Table 6: Symmetric Measures of Sex Vs Knowledge of Computer

Value Asymp. Std.

Error(a) Ordinal by Ordinal

Spearman Correlation -0.211

0.070


Table 7: Cross Table Educational Background Vs Knowledge of Computer

Knowledge of Com No Ye

Illiterate Count 100 % within Educational

Background 100.0

Matriculate Count 27 % within Educational

Background 69.2

Graduate Count 9 % within Educational

Background 39.1

Professionals Count 7

E

duca

tion

al B

ackg

roun

d

% within Educational Background 63.6

Total Count 143 % within Educational

Background 82.7

Table 8: Chi-Square Test of Educational Background Vs Knowledge of Computer

Value df AsPearson Chi-Square 59.065(a) 3 N of Valid cases 173

Table 9: Symmetric Measures of Educational Background Vs Knowledge of Computer

Value Asymp. Std. Error(a) Ordinal by Ordinal

Spearman Correlation 0.555 0.052


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Testing of research question: Whether the educational background of the respondents determinesknowledge of computer or not?

Testing of research question: Whether the gender of the respondents determines knowledge of computeror not?

There seems to be statistically positive significant relationship between education and knowledge ofcomputer. Education background has significant role in learning the computer knowledge.

4. Recommendations

The following recommendation are made to bridge the digital divide and improve the citizens satisfaction.

Connectivity Requirement of an open telephone network with hassle interconnection of different networks.

E-Community Community should be preferred than technology. Community have local problem and theyneed local network and members of project team should be form local people as well.

E-literacy program Emphasize the targeted citizens who would be beneficial from e-governance projects.Citizens’capability should be recognized in designing ICT-based systems. Government should addressdisparities in skill by providing e-literacy programs in line with local language and useful content. Computertraining programs should be free of cost to the underprivileged section of the society. Special efforts toequip the female with technical skill should be emphasized.

Extensions of Kiosk counter Survey study indicate that number of Kisok center in the region should beincreased. Government must make efforts to expand the projects to block level at the earliest, so that remainingpeople also experience the convenience and comfort enjoyed by the citizens of twin Tehsil.

Cost must be reasonable The cost of the services should be in reach of the citizens. To achieve the goal ofthe taking e-governance to the doorstep of citizens, charging reasonable and affordable cost of servicerendered is very important.

Expansion of publicity measures/awareness Though the widespread awareness about the utility ofTARAhaat is very important to all sections of the society, measures need to be taken to create more awarenessamong citizens regarding the functioning and utility of TARAhaat. Identify the specific information andservice requirement of different citizen group and design e-governance projects.


Since e-governance have potential in term of creating equal opportunities, comfort and convenience tothe lives of citizens through kiosk. E-governance is, and should be, tool to an end, not the end itself. With theimplementation of TARAhaat, the vision of e-governance has reached to the doorstep of citizens. To reachthe un-reached is to spread the awareness of e-governance among the citizens. Illiteracy is severe gapwhich need to be addressed. With discussion with citizens, stakeholders and the results of the studyindicated that digital divide exist due to illiteracy, lack of computer knowledge and time constraints. Tobridge the digital divide, e-literacy training program should be imparted to underprivileged section of thesociety on behalf of the government itself. Government should ensure that opportunities to use ICTs areavailable universally. E-Governance will succeed only if the digital divide is narrowed down.

References

1 DIFD ( Department for international development,2000), the impact of the new economy on poorpeople and developing countries.

2 Peters T. (2003). “Bridging the digital divide”, Global Issues: An Electronic Journal of the US Departmentof State, Vol. 8 No. 3, Available at: http://usinfo.state.gov/ journals/itgic/1103/ijge/gj08.htm.

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3 Spectar J. (2000). “Bridging the global divide: frameworks for access and the world wireless web”, NorthCarolina Journal of International Law and Commercial Regulation, Vol. 26 No. 1, p. 57.

4 Sujatha S.(2003). “Initiatives for efficiency”, Survey of Indian Industries, The Hindustan Publication, Vol1, No1,pp.267-270, December 2003.

About the Authors

Ram Lal is a Senior Programmer in Computer Services Center, I.I.T Delhi. He is doing his Doctorateon E-Governance at Jamia Millia Islamia, Delhi Department of Applied Sciences & Humanities. He hasSeven research papers to his credit in leading Journals & International Conferences.

Abid Haleem is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and coordinator of MBA (evening) programmeat Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Jamia Millia Islamia (a central university by an act of parliament),New Delhi, India. Professor Haleem has more than sixty five research papers to his credit, published innational and international journals like Social Science Journal (USA), Fortune Journal of InternationalManagement, International Journal of Economics and Business, Indian Journal of Business and Economics,Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management Vision, Productivity, Pranjana etc. He has authored abook titled “Innovation, Flexibility and Technology Transfer”, published by Tata McGraw Hill, India

A. R Khan is a Reader in Applied sciences & Humanities, Faculty of Engineering a Technology,Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi – 110025.

National Panchayat Portal(NPP): A Distributed KnowledgeManagement (DKM) for Rural Communities

D. C. Misra1* Rama Hariharan1 and Anjali Dhingra1

ABSTRACTThe 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act (CAA) of the Indian Constitution, enacted in 1992,enhanced the democratic set up of the country through the establishment of the three-tier structureof local self government (Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). The Act was a landmark indecentralized development as it envisions grass root people’s participation in the process ofplanning, decision-making, implementation and delivery. It is extremely important that PRIsmanage their internal processes efficiently, so that they are better positioned to deliver informationand services to citizens in the most appropriate, transparent and affordable manner. In thisdirection, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) and National Informatics Centre have jointlydeveloped a National Panchayat Portal (http://panchayat.gov.in) that hosts approximately 2,40,000Panchayat Portal sites and allows content and message exchange among them. Primarily, designedto address the content management requirements, NPP also incorporates some of the featuresthat allow P2P based Distributed Knowledge Management (DKM).

Keywords: Rural Informatics, Rural Development, Local Self Government(LSG), Panchayat, PRIs,eGovernance, Grass-root eGovernance, Rural Local bodies, Local e-development, Development Informatics,local empowerment, distributed rural content, distributed rural knowledge, Distributed KnowledgeManagement (DKM), Content management (CM).

1. Introduction

The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, enacted in 1992, enhanced the democratic set up of the countrythrough the establishment of the third tier of government, the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). PRIs workbelow the level of state at district (District Panchayats (DP) or Zilla Parishads (ZP)), blocks (IntermediatePanchayats) and villages (Village Panchayats (VP) or Gram Panchayats (GP)). The Act was a landmark indecentralized development as it envisions grass root people’s participation in the process of planning, decision-making, implementation and delivery. In order to strengthen local self governance through Panchayati RajInstitutions, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj was formed at the Centre. In an effort to fulfill its mandatedresponsibilities, MoPR, ever since its formation, has been actively engaged in interacting with State PanchayatiRaj Departments and other Central government departments on issues which included, inter alia, effectivedevolution, planning, elections, audit and capacity building.

No doubt, these issues are central to the establishment of PRIs; however, as PRIs gain their rightfulconstitutional status, living up to the citizen’s expectations would become the single-most important element

1 National Informatics Centre, CGO Complex, New Delhi, India*Corresponding Author (Phone: +91-11-246360563, e-mail [email protected])

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of concern for the PRIs. This would require that the PRIs manage their internal processes efficiently, so thatthey are better positioned to deliver information and services to citizens in the most appropriate, transparentand affordable manner. The application of Information Technology and e-governance processes finds animmediate place in this context and suitably Government of India has initiated a Mission Mode project forintroducing “e-governance in PRIs(e-PRI)”. e-PRI project envisages to assist PRIs in Information NeedAssessment, Business Process Re-engineering, requisite ICT infrastructure (Computing and Connectingenvironment), Capacity Building, Content Management and Service Delivery. National Panchayat Portal(NPP) presented in the next section is front-end common solution under the ePRI project.

2. National Panchayat Portal (NPP)

National Informatics Centre (NIC) has designed the National Panchayat Portal, which generates portalsites for all the panchayats in the country thereby providing a unique identity and presence on the Internet toeach PRI in the country using Open eNRICH v4.0 (http://enrich.nic.in), an Open Source version of eNRICHCommunity Software Solution Framework, as the underlying framework. There are around 536 DistrictPanchayats, 6096 Intermediate Panchayats and 2,32,000 Village Panchayats in the country. The NationalPanchayat Portal (NPP) (http://panchayat.gov.in) is a collaborative, content management-cum-portalgeneration framework that generates portals for each panchayat dynamically. It provides facility for contentmanagement such as content creation, versioning, publishing, archiving, deleting etc. along with the facilityto exchange content with other Open eNRICH sites through various standard protocols. It is collaborative inthe sense that it allows agencies, which are part of NPP to exchange content. Presently, NPP is organized soas to enable the PRIs to collaboratively share content with State Panchayati Raj Departments and Ministryof Panchayati Raj. This could be further enhanced to include other agencies such as National Institute ofRural Development (NIRD), State Institutes of Rural Development (SIRDs) and other central and stategovernment departments such as departments of education, health, family welfare etc. It provides all ofthese features without requiring the users to write a single line of code.

2.1 Content Management Features of NPP

Though NPP was primarily designed to address the content management and content exchangerequirements of the entities participating within the PRI framework, it also includes some of the featuresthat characterize a P2P based Distributed Knowledge Management (DKM) System. The following paragraphsdescribe the Content Management (CM) features of NPP.

Content that is hosted in a web site generally goes through several revisions, both within as well asacross departments, before it is approved and published in a web site. Once hosted, the content must bemaintained for new updates, monitored for usage, and eventually retired and archived. NPP provides asimple and yet a powerful mechanism for managing the entire content management process. Users are givenrole-based access to the different processes in the content management workflow. Thus, while operators cancreate and edit content created by themselves and transfer the item to manager’s workspace, manager’s cancreate, edit items created by themselves as well as by operators as well publish or transfer the content toother sites. The Content Management features provided by NPP include:

• Content Creation• Content Editing & Versioning• Content Publishing• Content Indexing & Searching• Garbage Management – Content Archiving & Deleting• Content Transfer over various communication channels (email, floppy, http)• Content Exchange using Open Protocols and Metadata Standards• Collaboration using Messaging Services

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2.2. NPP – A Step Towards P2P based Distributed Knowledge Management (DKM)

Though NPP has been primarily designed and implemented as a Content Management System (CMS),it also exhibits some of the popular features characterizing P2P based Distributed Knowledge Management(DKM). In fact, as a recent phenomenon, organizations have started using the CM system in conjunctionwith the KM system, the former to input, validate and archive content and the latter as a retrieval overlay toallow for different end-user views and personalization (Tony Byrne, 2001). NPP, as a single tool, incorporatesboth CM and some of the DKM features.

According to a distributed approach to KM, technologies should mainly support the autonomous creationand organization of knowledge locally produced by individuals and groups and, on the other hand, supportcoordination processes among autonomous entities, in order to exchange and share knowledge. In particularthis means:

• give to each knowledge owner the possibility to represent and organize knowledge according to hergoals and interpretative perspective. Here, a DKM system represents each knowledge owner as aKnowledge Node);

• provide tools to support the exchange of knowledge across different individuals without assumingshared meanings but rather enabling the dynamic translation of different meanings. Here a DKM systemsupports meaning negotiation processes;

• set mechanisms and protocols to enable, through cooperation, the emergent and bottom-up formation ofinformal communities and communication practices (such as finding or addressing people to trustedindividuals/communities). Here a DKM system supports the formation of groups and knowledgediscovery/propagation through social cooperation (Bonifacio, Cuel, Mameli & Nori).

3. NPP as a P2P based DKM System

i) NPP – Knowledge Nodes: NPP works as a collaboration of Peer sites in a multi-level Super-Peer Structure(Fig.1), capable of exchanging content & messages with each other and also with the Super-Peer Sites. Eachof these Peer sites act as Knowledge Nodes (KNs). Though this feature is currently not implemented in NPP,the software also provides for syndication of content through a Syndication Centre. The Syndication Centrecan be configured to communicate with the World Space Satellite (WSS) that periodically receives contentfrom the Syndication Centre. The WSS further broadcasts the content to all the KNs, ensuring a completecontent exchange within the knowledge network.

ii) Policy Settings : NPP allows each Knowledge Node to define its immediate Super-Peer site and also thepeer sites that it trusts and would accept content unconditionally from. NPP also provides for setting thelanguage(s) that each KN would like to work in. Besides, the software also allows configuring each Portalpage of the KN into various content portlets, based on theme (such as News, Weather etc.) and contentpresentation (Navigation Portlet, Content portlet etc.). Each Knowledge Worker (KW) can have a personalizedportlet to catalogue the content of his own interest.

iii) Autonomous content creation & organization: NPP provides a content editor and allows contentcreation to each KW who has a Contributor role. The KW can additionally attach a file (text, audio, video etc.)along with the content. While creating content, the KW needs to specify metadata, some of them such astitle, creator, coverage etc. have been drawn from Dublin Core Metadata Framework while some new metadatahave also been created. The tagging of content with metadata helps in automatically organizing the contentin the portal pages and also assists the search engine in more accurately and meaningfully locating contentfor users. As a viewer, the KW can organize his favorite content in his own personalized space or portlet.

iv) Local and Global Classification: NPP allows to specify a common classification, in terms of portlets,applicable to all the KNs in the PRI network, signifying the common goals and objectives that each KN is

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working for as part of the PRI network. Besides, each KN can specify Local Folders or Categories fororganizing the local knowledge specific to each KN. Such specific categorization schemes are circulatedacross the knowledge network, so that other KNs could benefit from new classification and adopt it, ifrequired. Hence, NPP allows Local Autonomy and Principle of Local Coordination.

v) Content Exchange within and among Knowledge Nodes: NPP facilitates collaborative content managementboth within and among sites by establishing a content flow procedure.

vi) Content flow within a site: Within a site, NPP could be configured to allow content flow across variousKWs to ensure that the content is appropriately edited, approved and then published, thereby establishinga work flow for content management process within a site. Currently, NPP is organized to have users as eitheroperators or managers. Operators can create and edit (only the content created by themselves) but will haveto forward to manager to publish on the site. The managers can create, edit and also publish content. Thisconfiguration can always be changed to cater to the local requirements.

vii) Content sharing & exchange among sites: - As far as content sharing & exchange among KNs isconcerned, this is managed in two different ways depending on whether the sites are hosted on the sameinstallation of NPP or as part of another NPP installation. If the sites that wish to share and/or exchange

Fig. 1

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content are on the same installation of NPP, then sharing or exchanging content is just a matter of creating apointer from the site to the shared content. In this case, the content is shared and not replicated among sites.If, however, the sites are installed on two separate installations of NPP (for e.g. two states may install theirpanchayat sites in their respective state servers), then content is exchanged by packaging them in XMLformat and transferring them using various communication protocols such as HTTP, ftp, e-mail and even alow cost medium such as floppy. Irrespective of the medium used to exchange content, a site can apply filtersto ensure that only acceptable content from trusted sites are received by it.

viii) Message Exchange among Knowledge Workers: - Messaging allows all registered KWs of NPP tosend messages to other users belonging to the same or different node. Citizens can send a message to othercitizens and/or PRI officials and vice versa. The advantage of the messaging service provided by NPP is thatit is asynchronous and can work without the need for Internet. Thus, a constituent of a village PRI, which isdisconnected from the Internet could still send a message to various nodes including apex officials of theMinister of Panchayati Raj. As soon as a message is composed and sent, it is packaged and can be capturedin a floppy and subsequently uploaded to the receiving site through floppy, e-mail etc.

ix) Expressing Subjectivity: – Each KW with Contributor role can not only contribute content but alsoprovide his feedback on the content published on his Knowledge Node. It is possible for the KW to addfeedback to the content created on his node or content created on any other node in the network that hasbeen transferred to his node. The feedback circulates within the PRI network along with the content to whichit is associated. This implies that at any point of time, all the feedbacks associated with content, provided byvarious KWs, are available to all the KWs in the PRI network, thereby bringing out the tacit aspect into thepublic domain.

x) Content Search: – Search is one of the most important features that allows KWs to effectively retrievecontent during various phases of the content life-cycle. The annotation of content with metadata tags helpsto accomplish this task. NPP indexes the content, be it available in the text typed in by the user or is part of anyof the attached documents. Further, the metadata tagged to the content at the time of creating and editingcontent is also used to index the content. Content can be searched on the basis of a typed word or phrase, thesubject area it covers, the type of content, the status or any other metadata such as published, creator,coverage etc. The rich classification of the content assists the search engine in more accurately identifyingcontent for users. With the tagging of content with metadata tags and using them to index the content, NPPhas already taken the first basic step towards semantic search. Currently, NPP supports search only within asingle Knowledge Node. But the underlying software allows a search through the Syndication Centre thatholds the aggregated content from all the KNs, thereby providing access to all the content in the knowledgenetwork.

4. Open eNRICH v4.0 – The engine that powers NPP

NPP has been generated using Open eNRICH v4.0 (http://enrich.nic.in) , an Open Source software developedby NIC in collaboration with UNESCO and OneWorld International Foundation (OWIF). Open eNRICH v4.0is an enhancement over the earlier version of eNRICH, developed by NIC and deployed in many project sitesin India and abroad such as the CIC project Government of India (http://www.cic.gov.in) for NE States of theAkshaya project, to name a few. The software is available for free in the public domain and can be used by anyagency or organization across the world. Open eNRICH v4.0 is a Community Software Solution Frameworkthat can be used by a community or a network of communities, be it a rural community network of the OpenKnowledge Network or a Government network such as the National Panchayat Portal. It could be used by asingle stand-alone community as in the case of a Community Multimedia Centre of UNESCO in Bhudikote,Karnataka or as an intranet portal of a government department.

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The Common Service Centres (CSCs, http://mit.gov.in/csc/index.asp, http://mit.gov.in/csc/MediaBrief.asp),proposed to act as the front-end delivery mechanism at the grass-root level as part of a mission mode projectof Government of India, could use the NPP based PRI Portals to deliver the local services to the common man,in consulation with local PRIs. The Union Cabinet has approved setting up of 100,000 CSCs, spread across sixlakh villages in the country, for delivering a range of Government Services at local level on anywhere-anytimebasis.The future version of NPP could include Context based semantic coordination among the PRI KnowledgeNodes (KNs) for more effective Distributed Knowledge Management (DKM) in general and Search acrossPeer sites, in particular .

References

1 Bernard Sevigny, Paul Prevost, University of Sherbrooke, The “Learning Community” as a LocalDevelopment Strategy, The Journal of community Informatics (2005), Vol. 1, Issue 2, pp116-133.

2 D C Misra and Anjali Dhingra, E-Governance Maturity Model, electronic Information & Planning, Vol.29, No. 6-7, March-April, 2002.

3 D C Misra, Rama Hariharan and Manie Khaneja, E-Knowledge Management framework for GovernmentOrganizations, Information Systems Management, Spring 2003, Vol. 20, Number2.

4 Heng-Li Yang, His-Chuan Ho, Department of Management Information Systems, National Cheng-ChiUniversity, Taipei, Emergent Standard of Knowledge Management: Hybrid Peer-to-Peer KnowledgeManagement, Science@Direct, 2006 (Available online at www.sciencedirect.com).

5 Matteo Bonifacio, University of Trento, Department of Information and Communication Technology,Via Sommarive, 18 — 38050 Trento, Italy [email protected], Roberta Cuel, University of Trento,Department of Computer and Management Science, Via Inama, 5 — 38100 Trento, Italy, [email protected],Gianluca Mameli & Michele Nori, ITC-IRST, Automated Reasoning Systems Division, via Sommarive,18 — 38050 Trento, Italy, {mameli, nori}@irst.itc.it. A Peer-to-Peer Architecture for Distributed KnowledgeManagement, Available at: (http://fandango.cs.unitn.it/~rcuel/docs/malceb2002.pdf. Accessed: October10, 2006.

6 Michael Gurstein, Editorial: Enabling the Local as a Fundamental Development Strategy,The Journal ofCommunity Informatics, Vol. 2, No. 2 (2006).

7 URL: Proceedings of I-KNOW ’04, Graz, Austria, June 30 - July 2, 2004, Matteo Bonifacio, PaoloBouquet, University of Trento, Dept. of Information and Communication Technology, Trento, Italy,{bouquet, bonifaci}@dit.unitn.it, Alberto Danieli, Antonia Donà, Gianluca, Mameli2, Michele Nori,Distributed Thinking S.p.A., Rovereto (Trento), Italy {a.danieli,a.dona,g.mameli, m.nori}@dthink.biz,KEEx: A Peer-to-Peer Solution for Distributed Knowledge Management, Available at: http://www.know-center.tugraz.at/previous/i-know04/papers/bonifacio.pdf. Accessed: October 15, 2006.

8 Tony Byrne, 17-Nov-2001, CM vs DM vs KM vs DAM vs SCM vs DRM — Which One is right forYou? Available at: http://www.cmswatch.com/Feature/53. Accessed: October 16, 2006.

About the Authors

D.C. Misra ([email protected]) is a Senior Technical Director, National Informatics Centre, New Delhiand heads the Rural Development Information System (RDIS, http://RuralInformatics.nic.in ),Computerized Rural Information Systems Project (CRISP) and the Panchayat Informatics Divisions(PID) at NIC Hqrs. He has a rich domain experience in the field of Rural Informatics in general and theimplementation of e-governance in the Rural Development Sector.

Rama Hariharan ([email protected]) is a Technical Director & Incharge, Panchayat Informatics Divisionand Computerized Rural Information Systems Project (CRISP) Division at National Informatics Centre,New Delhi .

Anjali Dhingra ([email protected]) is a Principal Systems Analyst associated with CRISP Division(http://crisp.nic.in) at National Informatics Centre, New Delhi.

Towards a Model of Intregrated Delivery of Services in Rural India

Ved Prakash Gulati1* and Shilpa Srivastava1

ABSTRACT

Rural India is offers huge scope for deployment of ICT initiatives including a host of e-governanceservices. Currently, there are a huge number of projects targeting the rural populace. With somany on going projects, we have with us good, skilled people, ICT knowledge, local languagesupport and to some extent infrastructure. The full potential of these is yet to be exploited. Thenext step hence is to develop a nation-wide integrated architecture, which has to address thelarger picture, which can address a wide range of services/applications. This paper proposes acentralized, integrated model for delivery of services to rural sector through “Integrated ServiceDelivery Centres”.

Keywords: Rural, Centralised ICT model, Integrated Service Delivery Centre

1. Introduction

“Our strategy for rural India has to be one of improving the quality of life in village India, based oneasily accessible and appropriate technologies, so that people can continue to live where their forefathershave for generations and yet live comfortable and decent lives.”

(Dr. Manmohan Singh, PM at the 93rd Indian Science Congress, 2006)

Rural India is a major power factor waiting to be harnessed. More than 70% of India’s population residesin rural India in absolute terms that would be about 700 million!! Opportunities are numerous – in terms ofthe market present. The sheer volumes guarantee some basic forms of returns and the diversity of services issomething only limited by imagination. Microfinance, cable TV and other entertainment solutions, informationdissemination, healthcare, education, e-governance, trading, etc, are all services that can be offered.

In this respect, ICT (Information and communication technology) can be an able ally, and this is all themore possible due to the availability of skilled ICT workforce. ICT can serve as a feasible tool for overcomingthe rural challenges and serving as a catalyst for efficient, effective service delivery, particularly for health,educational and information sectors. There are several more reasons - difficulty in retaining professionals inrural areas, lack of adequate of returns on high investments and the geographic reach afforded.

While there has been extensive talk of India’s ICT development, a large majority of coverage is regardingUrban India and its success stories. The rural populace continues to be a field of development experiments,with several localized success stories. Some projects like Bhoomi, Gyandoot and ITC e-choupal have beengroundbreaking and have made ICT an attractive proposition for rural people. Most of the ongoing ICT

1 Tata Consultancy Services Limited, 1, Software Units Layout, Madhapur, Hyderabad, India *Corresponding Author : (Phone : +91-40-66673003, Email: [email protected])

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projects are localized in approach – either concentrating on some applications (like agriculture) or someparticular geographic region. With so many on going projects, we have with us good, skilled people, ICTknowledge, local language support and to some extent infrastructure. The full potential of these attributesand projects is yet to be exploited.

The next step hence is to develop a nation-wide integrated architecture, which has to address the largerpicture. A national impact is the need of the hour with an ICT model, which can address a wide range ofservices/applications.

There continues to be a wide gap between the desired services and the actual services delivered, mostlydue to the multitude of projects with different objectives and applications. Instead, if customers can accessall their services at a single location, then the utilization rates will look up. Some projects have attempted toaddress this issue. For instance, OLTP, AP offers services from 16 government departments, TaraHaat offerscommunication/educational/trade services, etc. However, these are all isolated packets of information, andthen again, they do not offer all the required services at one location. And there are no talks of expanding toother services. Sites offering government services are not indicating moves to offer other services (such asentertainment or education) or vice versa.

Other urban applications such as courts, tax, passports, civil supplies, transport, financial services, socialservices, police/crime services, employment and education information would be viable. Also, the potentialof rural ICT infrastructure as a microfinance delivery point is being underestimated. Most of the ICT projectsconcentrate on agriculture, government information, etc. Banking and financial services such as credit delivery,loan application downloads, etc appear to be neglected and could well be the next great ICT revolution.

However, to take advantage of the range of possibilities, several issues must first be addressed.

2. The Issues

While ICT can be a useful tool, its just that a tool! As with any instrument, there are several challengesin administration, implementation and maintenance. Some of the major issues that need to be addressed are:

• Government co-operation – Government is a key entity in terms of offering relevant, update content,policy support and financial partnership. How to ensure that these are available to rural projects constantlyirrespective of changing governments?

• Policies – What sort of policies must be set forth by the government?• Standards – What should be the standards, formats, etc. which will ensure that the project can seamlessly

be spread across the country?• Infrastructure – Will there be networks, power and a good site for the project?• Data Management – How to collect information from the widespread rural communities, government

departments etc.? Who will maintain this database?• Content Management – Who will create the framework for content and who would develop and maintain

the content? Who are the content providers and how to see continued support from them? How todigitize the existing and new data?

• Applications – What would be the “killer” applications? How to build on it with new applications, whichin due course be revenue generating?

• Business Model – What would be the costs and how would revenues come in? How to ensure continuedsustainability? What would be the ideal, replicable architectural model?

• Project Management – How to build the project from grassroots level to a national scale? How tosplit the responsibilities? Who would be the “project champions and how to ensure that the project isperson-independent?

• Ownership – Who will be the owner – government, vendor, operator or the community?• The awareness – How to create the ICT culture in rural populace? How to convey the usefulness of the

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ICT project?

Information and communication technology or ICT is now a reckoned tool for information revolution. It isbeing seen as the essential ingredient to overcome the digital divide. It can reach areas and masses earlieruntapped. ICT due to its speed and reach is hence being seen as a medium to reach rural masses in India, andthere are already several such initiatives occurring. In fact, India has the largest number of rural ICT projects,worldwide. There have been demonstrated positive results of such projects on rural empowerment,employment and income levels. The number is expected to grow once the connectivity and its quality improvesand steps are already on in this direction.

There have been several studies and analyses giving the level of utilization of rural ICT projects in India.A recent study undertaken by the Asia-Pacific Research Center of Stanford University and the NationalInformatics Centre, has given an in-depth analyses of some very successful projects. The study has broughtout several requirements of rural customers and what they need, which is a good material for ICT enthusiasts.While we agree with the infrastructure and application analysis, we do not entirely agree with the criticismof the utilization rates.

It is mentioned that the number of users per day at a kiosk is very less. However, there are certainloopholes in that. Take the instance of APOnline – the number of transactions are about 75 per day percentre, on an average. At first look it appears low, but a closer computation reveals another picture –

• If on an average each transaction takes 5 minutes, then• The total time taken for all transactions in a day would be – 75 * 5 = 375minutes• This would mean 6.25 hours of activity!

This level of utilisation is very good - it implies the kiosk is being used for more than 6 hours. If thelunch and tea breaks were included, it would be close to a full working day! The Bellandur project boasts ofover 200 users per day per centre, which means more level of utilization. Hence to say that there would beno users for ICT projects in the rural sector would be gross injustice!

Given this scenario, a kiosk can be termed to have good utilisation if it has a minimum of 65-70 transactionsper day. This would mean that the kiosk is employed for about 6 hours per day. The remaining time can beused for localized initiatives such as entertainment, browsing, communication, etc.

There are usage issues with certain projects…indeed. However, the problem does not lie with ruralusers, but with the projects themselves. One needs to question if the project is providing what the customerwants? If it doesn’t, then obviously the use will be low. As seen in the above-mentioned statistics, the usageis relatively higher when users are getting e-governance services, but the numbers fall drastically whenbusiness/information services are offered. This indicates the criticality of e-governance services and theseare a must for survival, which again necessitates continued government support and content management.For instance, a very good project in Kerala failed, as government departments were unsuccessful in offeringdigitized content!

Another problem with such projects is that e-governance or information requirements may not becontinuous. For instance, how often will a customer apply for birth certificate or a caste certificate? In apopulation of say 20,000 users, people who will use this kind of a service are limited and very often non-recurrent. The solution would hence be to bring in some “recurrent” services, which will bring in a steadystream of customers. Hence, it’s proposed that multiple services be offered under one roof!

The following section will seek to address the following

• What can be the services delivered?• What will be the architecture?• What’s the role of government?

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• How to manage content?

3. Towards a Model of Intregrated Delivers of Services

The following considerstions are important for an intregrated delivery of services in rural sector:

• All the services must be integrated at a single location, so that there is a continuous inflow of ruralconsumers. Extensive partnerships are essential. Companies and government departments mustwork with rural NGOs such LAMPs, as they already have a presence in such areas. Rural consumerswould be more willing to participate in projects if such NGOs are involved for multiple applications.The idea is to build on existing infrastructure and not re-invent the wheel!

• The aim must be to run the kiosk or delivery centre for a minimum of 6 hours for service delivery.The remaining time may be allotted to entertainment, cultural or community initiatives.

• Content management initiatives are critical and for this purpose government must set policies andbuild an enabling environment. All new data coming into various departments need to be digitizedwith high security. The private sector may chip in where possible by assisting the migration

strategy, training and propping the security initiatives.• The cost for establishing an ICT delivery model must be modest given the kind of revenues and

services being envisaged. There are two cost components that need to be looked at – fixed costsand recurrent costs. The government may have to provide the fixed cost funding. The privateparticipants may chip in for recurrent costs.

• Revenues are critical, if a project has to be self-sustaining and there has to be some motivation forthe operators of the project. The project has to build scale to sustain the fixed and recurrent costs,by way of multiple, “charge-able” services.

• Participants must adopt a market-driven approach to developing their business model. Rural peopleare willing to pay for convenience and relevant services and these fees are critical to keep aproject running.

• Rural connectivity can be a major deterrent to projects. However, there are many low-cost optionsavailable that can be harnessed. In all, 670,000 km of fiber has been deployed across the country.Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (BSNL) has laid fiber cables capable of reaching nearly 70% of thevillages. However, the private sector giants such as Bharti, Tata Telecom and Reliance must alsocontribute to reaching the 100% figure and making India a connected nation! This will furtherfuel ICT projects.

• Networks also mean integration of various isolated projects. When projects run on their own anddo not network with other services, their success rates will be low. The entire rural chain needs tobe networked – connecting rural communities with their people, government, markets andintermediaries. For instance, why can’t Warana leverage e-Choupal, or e-seva link with CARDs?

• The government is the most important facilitator of ICT projects. The telecommunications policy,regulatory framework, cost subsidies and incentives go a long way in promoting rural developmentand motivating private-public partnerships.

• Standards are critical. A rural ICT project must have standards pertaining to the systems used, thepartners, infrastructure and content. In a country as heterogeneous as India, there are severalprojects working on the same theme in diverse ways and formats. There needs to be some standardsdefinition to ensure uniformity and interoperability. This will facilitate easier addition of new moduleswithout major complexity.

• Finally, the entire ICT project must be web-based enabling real-time transactions and data updation.All this must be built into a web-based Centralised ICT model, which will offer integrated services torural users through server(s) hosted at a state-level Data Centre.

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3.1. Role of Government

The Government has a critical role in developing rural ICT projects, as a facilitator. There are three primaryfunctions of the government:

• Policy Maker• Funding• Infrastructure

The government has to put in place the regulatory framework and policies that facilitate development andexpansion of ICT projects in rural areas. To encourage the various parties involved, subsidies may beconsidered. Data collection and updation initiatives must be undertaken through appropriate policies for allthe government departments. More importantly, continued co-operation is a must and projects must go onirrespective of change in governments. The policies thus development will certainly help towards building arobust infrastructure in terms of networks, power supply etc. Government efforts towards cutting downtelecom costs and building 100% connectivity will certainly go a long way towards enhancing quality ofservices offered, and provide necessary motivation to the parties concerned.

The Government also has a major function in building the payments infrastructure to ensure that ICTprojects do not get stuck on the payments front. This can be done by involving the regulator, banks and otherfinancial intermediaries. In the existing scenario, a major hurdle is the absence of a comprehensive paymentgateway, which can support a wide range of e-commerce or e-governance payments. To this end, efforts arerequired.

Since the costs involved would be high in developing robust projects, government funding maybe required.While government can fund such projects, revenue generation opportunities can be maximized in terms offee generating services. Funding maybe obtained for setting up the infrastructure in terms of the data centre,computers, peripherals etc., i.e., mostly relevant to fixed costs. Other partners may chip in towards recurrentcosts. The government may also charge nominal fees from service providers for using its infrastructure.

To build such an infrastructure, the government can take two approaches – either funding anotherparty or through direct involvement. Ideally, it should take the form of private-public partnership, withthe government offering the funding and the private sector putting up the infrastructure. For the services,various local, regional and national entities, organizations and departments seeking rural access can beapproached. Thanks to the web-enabled architecture, the service providers can simply set-up theirwebsites without worrying about the infrastructure. However, the risk of frauds could be high in such anenvironment with fraudulent parties setting up sites and offering bogus services. To prevent this, theinfrastructure provider must conduct due diligence of the service providers and take appropriate securitymeasures.

3.2. Content Management

The wide range of applications, mean the need for a large amount of data and content. Several projects arenot functioning to their potential due to the lack of appropriate updated data. Currently, the content providedvaries – if the site is managed by a private institution, the focus is on generating revenues (e.g. ITC e-choupal) and more often than not government information is not included. If the government owns the site,the focus is on e-governance and transactional services are neglected. There is a need to integrate the effortsof private parties and government departments in this respect.

For any comprehensive ICT project, following would be the primary content providers:

• The government departments – Municipalities, gram panchayats, departments of welfare, revenue,tax, agriculture, fisheries, government hospitals, etc

• Private entities – E-commerce parties, procurement agencies, doctors, hospitals, ISPs, telecom

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service providers, etc• Banks and financial institutions, Micro-finance agencies, NGOs• Community Members – Astrologers, matrimonial agents, counselors

The ICT project initiator would need to develop a flow, whereby data would come in regularly, preferablyon a real-time basis. However, this means data must be digitized on the content provider’s end and not all theconcerned parties maybe ready for that! To achieve this significant investments must be made and a policydecision for computerization of data and records is mandated. This can only be achieved through theGovernment’s initiatives.

Security is another major aspect that has to be considered. Since the applications/services will be web-enabled, strong physical and virtual security measures must be considered.

Fig 3.2: Content Providers and Kiosks

3.3. A Centralized, Integrated Model

With respect to current rural ICT projects, often there is a kiosk or a service delivery centre in the ruralarea, which is linked to the service provider’s server. In case there are multiple applications, the deliverycentre links to the various service providers. There are some proposed solutions, wherein the data centreconcept is being talked about. In this, the kiosks are connected to a data centre, where servers are hosted byvarious service providers. In this way, there is some concept of centralization, however, it has not been fullyexploited.

We propose a truly centralized architecture, which will integrate all government and non-governmentservices through a Data Centre concept.

Centralization in this context can be defined as “a single point of information and service delivery resourcefor rural communities and customers available 24x7 and a rural administration node for multiple servicesconnected to a Data Centre”.

Such a measure will result in optimal utilisation of infrastructure and resources and integrate all theisolated, yet highly successful ICT projects. Centralisation will also allow service delivery through PCs andeven mobile phones, which can prove effective delivery channels due to their reach, portability and low

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costs. As such the use of mobile technology maybe explored.

Other benefits include:

Essentially, a two-tiered architecture is proposed under the Centralised and integrated approach. At theroot level would be the “Integrated Service Delivery Centre” (ISDC). Customers would approach ISDC fortheir requirements. The requests would be relayed to and responses obtained through the Data Centre locatedin a Tier I city. This Data Centre would be the single point for all such requests, which would then be relayedto respective service providers. The responses attained in turn would again follow the same path in thereturn, reaching customers via the Data centre and ISDC, respectively. For the rural customer, ISDC wouldbe the face of service provider.

At the Integrated Service Delivery Centre, some minimum infrastructure would be required. A personalcomputer along with the associated peripherals of a printer and UPS would be an absolute necessity.Alternatively, thin clients could be considered in place of the PCs. Until users get accustomed to the processand technology, there can be an intermediary at the ISDC. In addition, the service providers may put up theirinformation material at these centres for awareness purposes. Where financial services are concerned, banksmay consider putting up their ATMs at ISDC. Alternatively, banks may consider Internet banking and mobilebanking also.

The Data Centre would host the database and other relevant servers. The entire architecture will bemodular so as to enable to addition or deletion of services at a later date, as requirements demand. There canbe two alternatives for data transmission: Real-time or Batch processing, depending on the infrastructureavailable. The Data Centre itself would follow the highest international security standards. There is anabsolute necessity for business continuity planning so as to ensure that customers get continuous service.The reason being the distances that need to be covered by those in rural areas and the transportation issues.Hence, a disaster recovery site is recommended. Hence, the total costs would relate to the physical sitepreparation, the PC or thin client, relevant peripherals (printer, scanner, copier), the UPS, networking (leasedlines, VSAT etc.), telephone connection.

Thus, the ISDC can function as a hub for all the relevant services for a wide group of rural personnel. Thekey benefits of this arrangement would be high replicability across India, and worldwide; remote management;greater security (PKI-enabled). The concept can be applied or replicated at the national level. We propose

Table : 1

• Allows centralized administration & standardization. • Allows for efficient management of ever-increasing transaction volumes • Betters returns via seamless integration of software and hardware services • Creates base for efficient MIS implementation via centralized databases • Eliminates redundant procedures • Eliminates risks arising from solutions requiring multiple components and multiple

vendors • Facilitates a “one-stop” services shop • Facilitates integrated communications management • Facilitates rapid deployment of Internet & mobile banking services and supports their

growth over time. • Helps identify and execute cross-selling opportunities • Provides instant verifications and information to customers regarding their

transactions and enquiries • Results in transaction cost savings due to lesser need for space and personnel • Standardizes application software environment across locations supporting

customisation, modifications & maintenance

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that there must be Data Centres at state levels, which may be connected to a data centre at the central level,finally culminating into a three-tier structure. Such a structure will yield several benefits –

• State data centres will be more equipped to deal with local requirements• Local language facilities and interfaces may be offered• Several of the services sought are of local level and only where national level requirements come in, the

Central Data Centre may be accessed• The Central Data Centre would have access to all the transactions and records relating to various state-

level initiatives

3.4. State-Level Portals Connected to the National Portal

A centralized portal would be the face of this centralized model we have proposed. To this we recommenda centralized architecture along with a centralized, replicable delivery system – a portal! Currently, there areheterogeneous portals across the country, with different kinds of services, formats and mechanisms. However,it is recommended that there must be a standardized version of an e-governance portal in each state, whichmust all be linked to a national level portal. A state-wise portal is necessary as people would be familiar withlocal language. Also, the portal will offer services and information unique to the state. Already, the Governmentof India has launched the National e-governance portal and more such initiatives are likely as part of the E-Governance Agenda. There would be opportunities for IT companies to undertake portal development and

Fig. 3.3: The Centralised Integrated Model

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interface activities. Coming to the roles of various participants in development of the Centralised model andthe portals, we can look at the following options:

• Data Centre – The state government must take the initiative for building data centre, either on its ownor through its agencies or National Informatics Centre (NIC). Where such data centres are alreadyoperational, the government must allow private players also to host their servers. A proactive approachmust be taken encouraging private participation and dissuading a closed, bureaucratic mindset.

• Communication & Networking – State governments again must take the responsibility for ensuringthat the rural areas are networked and communication lines are available and functional. Severalgovernments are already taking proactive measures in this area. For instance, the Andhra Pradeshgovernment has stated plans to network all its villages by the end of March 2007.

• Portal – The portal is necessary to develop a “single window” concept”. We have suggested state- levelportals, which will link to the national portal. The idea is for the customer to access all possible servicesfrom a single kiosk, which will result in optimal utilization of the infrastructure as well as preventinfrastructure duplication. Instead of isolated projects and portals, a single portal may be considered.The responsibility of portal development can either be taken on state government departments, NIC orprivate parties individually or in partnership, depending on the requirements and budgets.

3.5 Applications for Financial Services

Mohammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh and one of the pioneers of microfinance,says, “The first principle of Grameen banking is that the clients should not go to the bank, it is the bankwhich should go to the people.” That’s the principle on which micro financing is occurring in India and otherdeveloping countries. However, there are three main challenges facing micro-finance providers and banks

• Information exchange with remote clients• Data management and processing at the institutional level• Money collection and delivery in remote areas

Financial services delivery in rural areas is becoming expensive and difficult to manage, even as banks aregoing ahead with implementation of Centralised Banking Solutions (CBS, in short). However, even banks arefinding it expensive to include their rural branches in the sphere of centralized. Yet, these large numberscannot be excluded from benefits of ICT. For those involved ICT implementation in financial services, the realchallenge is how to develop architecture for such large volumes, while ensuring operational and cost efficiency?These hurdles maybe overcome by the ISDC concept. Banks can have links with the Data Centre, which inturn is linked to ISDCs across the nation. They need not have individual branches or centres in the remoteareas. The ISDC would serve the purpose. All the data collected would be stored and processed serverlocated at the Data Centre, with inputs from the Bank. Using the Data Centre, banks can reach their customersusing multiple channels such as the Internet, mobile, ATM and even a call centre.


Real success for India will come only from progress of the rural areas. There is a need for an innovativeapproach that learns and builds from the ongoing ICT projects. Agriculture is of course a predominantactivity for rural people, but their needs go much beyond agriculture. As citizens of India, they are entitled tothe best of government services, but as potential customers, they are also entitled to the best of transactionalservices. Hence, a project that can integrate development as well as consumerist activities will tread the pathtowards success. Essentially, the rural community needs to be approached as a profitable market, but as a“cost-sensitive” one, as revenues may be slow coming in given the volume intensive, low value transactions.

It’s a win-win situation for all concerned.

• Rural customers get services at a relatively lower cost (studies reveal that rural customers pay asmuch if not more than their urban counterparts for services)

• Governments get to reach even the far flung areas of the rural communities which will enable

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them to build development programmes• Private organizations can offer their products and services to the 700 million strong rural community• Banks and financial institutions will be able to offer micro-financing at a much lower cost• And there are several opportunities to IT enablers in terms of:• Portal development• Development of interfaces with other ICT applications• Local language support• Software development to facilitate portals, local languages/interfaces• A standard framework for all ICT/e-gov projects to ensure easy replicability across India• Training and multimedia support

References

1 Dossani Rafiq., Misra D.C. and Jhaveri Roma (2005). Enabling ICT for Rural India, Asia-Pacific ResearchCenter, Stanford University and National Informatics Centre

2 Andrew Goodland, Gideon Onumah and Juliana Amadi and Geoffrey Griffith (1999). Policy Series 1 –Rural Finance; National Resources Institute, University of Greenwich (Social Sciences Department)

3 Global Digital Opportunity Project. World Resources Institute. C.K. Prahalad & Allen Hammond. WhatWorks: Serving The Poor, Profitably - A Private Sector Strategy for Global Digital Opportunity (2002).World Resources Institute. Available At: www.markle.org/resources/reports_and_publications/research_archives/pfns_itfordev_reports.php. Accessed January 15 2006.

4 Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Division for Public Administration and DevelopmentManagement. UN Global E-government Readiness Report 2005: From E-government to E-inclusion.(2005). Available at unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/un/unpan021888.pdf.Accessed January 30, 2006.

5 Gulati V.P. and Srivastava Shilpa. (2005). ICT-Enabled Centralized Architecture for Financial Services.Proceedings Indian Science Congress.

About the Authors

V.P.Gulati, is Consulting Advisor and Head, Financial Technology Centre, Tata Consultancy Services,and former Director of Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT). He hasa career spanning over two decades in intensive Research, Academics, Institution Building and AdministrativeActivities. Dr. Gulati is a fellow of Computer Society of India. He has more than 110 research papers, 3books, and 37 consulting reports to his credit.

Shilpa Srivastava is Systems Analyst at Tata Consultancy Services, with over 8 years of experiencein research and consulting. She was also a Project Manager at a US-based research firm and analyst at areputed knowledge management firm. Her professional interests include research, banking, bankingtechnology, E-Governance, and content management.

Making a Case for E-governance in Rural Areas: A Study ofHamirpur District in Himachal Pradesh

Amar Jeet Singh1

ABSTRACT

The e-governance concepts and initiatives are being discussed extensively among the academiccommunity. For the success of an e-Governance project, it should follow a “system developmentlife cycle” approach in the very beginning so that the full justification can be given to thosewho mobilize resources for the life cycle of such a project. For this the requirement analysis ofpublic demands at grassroots is a prerequisite. The purpose of this paper is to make acontribution to the theory and to the understanding of e-governance by preparing a full justificationfor starting a given e-governance project in a particular socio-economic context. The presentpaper justifies the e-governance in context to Hamirpur District of Himachal Pradesh. The paperprepares a case of socio-economic, administrative, penetration of ICT usage and existing servicedelivery mechanisms to citizens by government agencies. On the basis of the case, the paperjustifies the e-Governance adoption and the way it should be approached in brief.

Keywords: ICT, E-governance, Citizen, Government office, Panchayat

1. Introduction

Fast development, deployment and proliferation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)across the globe have a revolutionary effect on every aspect of modern society. Internet based applicationse-mail, e-surfing and e-chatting are becoming popular mode of communications over traditional methods.The exploitation of ICT by business sector directly or in innovative ways to survive and enhance businessinterests in globalized world is common place viz. on-line stock marketing, e-banking, plastic money, airlinereservations, simple use of SMSs by TV Channels etc. The use of ICT by businesses is popularly known ase-commerce or e-business. On similar lines the governments faced by inefficiencies in governance across theglobe are poised to improve the governance through application of ICT and this introduction of ICT forimproving internal government functioning and improving service delivery to citizens is called e-governance.

In Indian context the use of ICT in government spread in 1989 when National Informatics Centre Network(NICNET) established computing facilities at all States and District headquarters. Since then NICNET hasdevelopment many computer based applications in various States. During the period 1998 -2002,administrators in government buoyed up by ‘Dot.com’ euphoria, a lot many initiatives were undertaken toexecute e-governance projects. However, despite sharing of experiences of these initiatives across thecountry, at present most of the initiatives are being used just for winning awards or for being presented in

1 Department of Computer Science, Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla, India (Phone : +91-177-2832569, E-mail: [email protected])

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Amar Jeet Singh / Making a Case for E-governance in Rural Areas: A Study of Hamirpur ....

conferences. The lofty stories of these initiatives are otherwise in ground realities. Since introduction of e-governance requires a change to existing systems of governance, in order to succeed such initiatives Heeks(2000) suggests an integrated approach; an approach that requires technology requirements from informationsystems requirements and information systems requirements from strategic reform objectives. Also there islot of in-built resistance in government sector for e-governance initiatives to take off. There are many reasonswhy “governments [particularly Asia-Pacific] have fallen behind in adopting ICT systems, including highercosts of ICT introduction due to scale of public organisations; the inertia of existing options and habits;paper trail required for approval processing; concerns about security; confidentiality of information; obsoleteregulations and laws; lack of understanding and computer skills; difficulty of carrying out organizationalchange; and nature of public sector financing and procurement practices” (Wescott, 2002, p.8). Given thearguments of Heeks (2000) and Wescott (2002), it is imperative on the part of academics and administrators,that these initiatives should be justified on solid grounds in the very beginning so that policies and fundscan be arranged in order to succeed the initiatives in the long run. After all these initiatives follow “projectdevelopment life cycle” approach and for a project selection the identification of impetus for system changeis a prerequisite requirement. Taking cue from these arguments the present paper justifies the e-governancein context to Hamirpur District of Himachal Pradesh. The paper prepares a case of socio-economic,administrative, penetration of ICT usage and existing service delivery mechanisms to citizens by governmentagencies. On the basis of the case, the paper justifies the e-governance adoption and the way it should beapproached in brief. It is pertinent to point out that the present case can be a snapshot for the whole countryas almost of the administrative structure is similar in all the districts of the country, only variations arelanguages, geography and economic standards of living. The current research is based on extensive fieldstudy undertaken in year 2004-2005 and method of research is qualitative and exploratory.

2. Hamirpur District : People’s Lives and Information Channels

Himachal Pradesh is a north-western State of India. Hamirpur District is one of the 12 Districts of theState and is situated in lower ranges of Himalayas and thus having semi hill terrain. The literacy rate of theDistrict is 83.6%. There is atleast one telephone connection in each village and mobile phones are accessiblealmost in the whole district. The district has 100% electrification and power cuts are almost rare.

Hamirpur district can be purely qualified as a rural district. Though there are small towns spread across thedistrict, people working in organized or unorganized sectors working in these towns generally return to theirvillage homes in the evenings. The farthest distance of district Headquarters from district boundary is notmore than 50 kilometers. The most sought after professions among the unemployed youth are becomingteachers and joining army. Old people and women are the major population groups in the villages. This pointcan be further reinforced in concurrence with the Himachal Pradesh Human Development report which says“Himachal has one of the highest male out-migration rates in the country – consequently the women have tostay back as de facto heads of the household which places a severe mobility constraint on women”(HPHDR,2002, p115). Such are the cultural constraints on women that they don’t like to travel outside their villages. Atthe maximum they can visit local government offices to pay bills of utility services or avail medical facilities atlocal dispensaries. For traveling to block level offices or district level offices they are invariably accompaniedby men. The major works like getting water/electricity connection, land related work or judicial matters arehandled by men. Mostly, the women are involved only in looking after the children, fetching water, milchcattle rearing (one or two buffalos, not on commercial lines) and managing routine household chores. A fewnumber of women are their in government jobs and due to the reservation for women in local bodies, thewomen are taking part as representatives of public in local politics. At some local bodies, responsibilities ofwomen representatives are performed by their husbands or they are not given proper attention by the maledominated society.

According the villagers the concept of government is that it consists of viz. MLAs and Ministers and

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elected representatives. They hardly know the names of the government officials. This can be further judgedby the fact that whenever MLAs or Ministers visit the area, a large crowd of public could be seen in theirpublic meetings. And hardly anyone remembers that any higher official visited their village ever. For theirdispute settling or complaints or solving their problems they approach Panchayat (village level local body)members. Any complaint to local government offices is generally made verbally. Teachers, postman,anganwari workers and doctors/ para-medical employees are the people whom the public have seen mostlyand to whom they can access easily and approach unhesitatingly. The patwari (village revenue officer) andPanchayat secretary are the two officials at local level whom the villagers have to approach regularly. Everyinteraction with patwari is generally charged and greasing his palm is an accepted norm. Every Panchayathas a chowkidar who visits villages to intimate any government programme or Panchayat programmes.Every Panchayat also have a nominal feudal lord as vestige from British system called lambardar whocollects land-revenue twice in a year from the villagers and villagers have to go to his house to deposit therevenue. People are afraid of approaching Police and are reluctant to approach courts and revenue departments.An old man said, “God should not give us chance to go to court or involve in any land dispute otherwisewhole life will be end up in court/ kachahari offices” (sic).

The ration cards and photo identity cards provided by the Election Commission are the main identitycards of the citizens and people generally use their ration cards as identity cards only. The villagers arelargely ignorant of government developmental programmes. To be categorized a family as IRDP (IntegratedRural Development Programme) family on the basis of poverty is a popular government scheme becausethese families get subsidized food grains and reservation in government jobs. Due to reservation facilities injobs for IRDP families, the influential and rich people have also manipulated their inclusion in the list of IRDPfamilies. There is a general grievance among some poor families who are not included in IRDP that rich peopleare wrongly covered under IRDP scheme. But they don’t know how to redress their grievances.

Hardly a case was found of when government has ever circulated pamphlets of development works andhow to avail them among the village public. However, some advertisement hoardings can be seen outsidehospitals regarding immunization and family planning or on road junctions that such and such road is beingbuilt under Pradhanmatri Sarak Yojana or outside Panchayat houses regarding IRDP facilities. There is nonewsletter from government side for the villagers. The sources of information for the villagers are theirelected representatives, newspapers2, TV, radio, grapevine community networks and personal visits to thegovernment offices (Figure. 1). There are also cases in district Hamirpur when the innocent villagers arecheated by fraud finance companies and retail businesses because people don’t have information about thelegal status of such businesses.

So far as the penetration of ICT is concerned; there are radios and TVs in almost every house and atelephone in cluster of five-six houses. The government has provided Village Public Telephone (VPT) ineach revenue village but people are largely unaware of this facility. The VPT telephone connections, generally,have been put in influential households and people don’t know about this, only telephone directory showthe owners of the VPTs. Legally, anyone can make call from these VPTs for Rs 1 per call. The rent of thesephones is half that of the ordinary phone, there is no ceiling on the number of calls made and the chargesfor the calls is half that of the actual rate. PCOs can be seen in plenty in small towns.

The old people in the villages are hardly aware of computers, however, people below 35s haveheard of computers. In the villages/towns one can spot young people who have done diploma courses incomputers or doing various computer courses through distance education. Even in small towns there aresmall computer centres having one to three PCs. These centres use computers for training, video-mixing ofmarriage films and for Internet in some places. Some banks have computerized their town branches andpeople are getting aware of the applications of computers. The Bank ATMs are still confined to the district

2 Many national level newspapers have localized their contents and print extra pages of local news.

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Fig.1: Information Channels for getting government Information

headquarters. The level of awareness of computers is very high among school children because according tosurvey of this research in 62 out of 64 ‘plus two’ schools there are computer courses being taught.

The cable TV networks are there in almost all small towns and the cable connections can be spottedreaching deep into villages. VCD players are quite popular in houses where children are more in numberand extensively used for watching movies. Video and CDs parlours are common sights even in small towns.The citizens used electronic voting machines (EVMs) in previous general elections for the Assembly in2003 and Parliamentary elections in 2004 in the whole Hamirpur district. In this way electronic gadgets aregaining popularity amongst the village folks.

3. Functioning at Government Offices

The government offices are mostly situated in towns. The official working hours are from 10 am to5 pm for six days a week and having lunch breaks from 1:30 pm to 2 pm. The punctuality of governmentemployees in the offices is poor. The employees may reach late, spend longer lunch-breaks and leavethe offices before time (however it depends upon the boss’s strictness!). In each office, generallyindividual employee is specialized to do a particular job. If that particular official/employee is on leave,then his kind of work is held up for the duration of his absence. Each employee has around 50 daysleave to his credit. There is a long list of official holidays. In year 2002, there were 81 holidays and inyear 2003 there were 82 holidays including Sundays. Besides, there are local holidays which districtadministration notifies from time to time. Sometimes the offices become totally paralyzed due to occasionalstrikes by various employees unions. The higher officials3 have to be absent routinely from their offices forfield inspections as part of their jobs. Sometimes these officials are given additional charge to look after theaffairs of other offices as when the other official is on leave or under transfer.

Outside the offices, there are no notice boards or guidelines as how to approach the office forservices. Citizens can be seen going from one desk to another with the ‘requests or applications’ within the

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offices. Meeting higher officials is time consuming affair as visitors have to fill in a ‘slip’ first and wait outsidefor ‘a call’. The citizens moving around the offices are rarely assertive about their demands rather their facesreflect ‘submission, request and nervousness’. It was observed that the citizens on their entry to the premisesof revenue offices are ‘greeted’ by middlemen and cannot usually escape but to fall to middlemen’s designsof money minting.

The file work is paper based and red-tapism is rampant. Officials’ tables are full with files and any queryabout ‘application’ status is hardly answered instantly, rather the answer is to ‘come after sometime or wait’.The old records are stuffed in highly dilapidated state like debris in record rooms. During interviewing anofficial, he showed complete satisfaction with the paper based working. However a babu entered the room atthe same time with the comments that he could not locate the file. Answering this situation, the official toldthat it is five year old file, hence there is delay in locating it!

At village level, two offices –the office of patwari and Panchayat secretary maintains the data aboutcitizens. There is duplication of data across these offices. The same data is also duplicated at block or districtlevel.

There are various schemes instituted by the government for the development and welfare of the public.According to DRDA publication4 there are around fourteen different development schemes for uplifting ofrural economy include self-employment, providing housing, watershed management, agricultural outputenhancing, encouraging self-help groups etc. There are cases that these schemes don’t reach to the targetgroups or the data compiled about the implementation status of these schemes is fabricated. It was pointedout by one of the officials associated with rural development department that the records maintain somethingdifferent from field realities. There are no proper databases about the economic status of citizens and theidentification of the beneficiaries is done at Panchayat level officials and local Panchayat representativesusing ‘common sense’. In one case, the government assigned the task of finding families below poverty lineto third-party NGOs so that the anomalies could be removed of the same survey done earlier by government.But as per comment of a Panchayat Pradhan (head) these NGOs also approached the local representativeswho were involved in previous survey, and hence end results were the same as earlier. A higher official toldthat the way the government functions “…like this; there is a fixed format for everything. This format isfilled 10% up or down every year to reflect the surveys regarding developmental works. Regarding variousdevelopment schemes’ benefits should reach to the people, meetings after meetings are held to publicize orreview the schemes, but the ideas start from meetings and end up in meetings and rarely see the light of theday” (sic). These meetings are generally chaired by the government officials. Though the local representativesparticipate, but their voices are sometimes not heard. A Zila Parishid (District level local body) membersaid, “Two times the resolutions have been passed in Zila Parishad meetings to repair the damaged watersupply source for last two years. But the officials every time said that it would be done. But nothing happenedso far.” The member assigned reason for inaction was that he belonged to the party which was ruling earlierand thus his voice was not being heard.

The Punjab National Bank is the lead bank of the district providing finance to various schemes.According to Bank reports the banks in the district have to make survey of the villages to find out andmotivate the beneficiaries to avail the schemes. But these surveys are rarely done in letter and spirit. Forexample there is NABARD scheme to provide ‘farmer credit cards’ to all the farmers but not much work is inevidence in this regard. According to a Bank Manager, “They have put the notice outside the bank and it isdifficult for bank employees to visit house to house in the villages and take up survey. Whosoever approaches

3 ‘Higher official’ here refers to Tehsildar, Block Development Officer, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Department heads and other administrators.4 “Guidelines for Developmental Schemes” by Rural Development Department, Document of DRDA Hamirpur, 2003, procured from a BDO office.

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the bank can avail the facility.” The NABARD is sending circular after circular to complete the process byMarch 31, 2005.5

The entire government offices look as the busiest places towards the end of the financial year because allthe accounts are recorded and settled in last two months. Due to this work culture of appropriating theaccounts, sometimes the works are shown completed in time on paper, the money is shown spent whereasthe works are physically incomplete. The CAG reports bring out various discrepancies in the governmentfunctioning like lack of man power in offices, unused inventory or faulty procurement systems, unfruitfulexpenditure, avoidable expenditure, non-utilization of funds, diversion of funds etc.

4. Some Examples of Government Services to Citizens

The following text is about some common services which citizens avail from government. Theexamples of the existing delivery modes and channels of these services to citizens are given in order togive a snapshot of how the people interact with government offices to avail the government services. Inproviding these services, there is involvement of either only one agency or more than one agency ofthe government.

i) Getting a private water tap connection

• Citizen visits the concerned sub-division office, generally located at block Level. Some official there tellshim whether the connections are being given or not. This information is given to citizens verbally. Ifconnections are being given or otherwise since the citizen has traveled to the office he wants to apply forthe connection. He is directed to go to nearby Photostat shop to purchase the requisite form.

• Citizen purchases form (for Rs.10, having five pages) and come back to the office. At office a registrationnumber is put on the form.

• The citizen goes home and fills the relevant information in the form/s.• The citizen goes to the patwari of his area and on availability of patwari and patwari’s ‘mood’; patwari

verifies the location and ownership of the house of the citizen.• The citizen go back to Tehsildar office, which is generally located at block level and sign an undertaking

in front of the Tehsildar (Magistrate) for not misusing the water.• The citizen travels up to the sub-division office to submit the form.• The form is sent to the Junior Engineer for preparing connection plan etc. After that the form is routed

through sub-division to the division where Executive Engineer sanctions the connection.• As the connection is sanctioned, the citizen is informed about it by post.• The citizen liaisons with the local Junior Engineer and his field staff to install the tap.• After pipelines are laid, the citizen again visits the sub-division. He is directed to get a simple judicial

paper from tehsil office and get an undertaking typed on it. After this he submits the security fees. Andthen sub-division officer sanctions the final connection.

• Citizen comes back to local junior engineer with the sanction letter and after that the connection is given.

This whole process may take three to four months or sometimes the application for the connection mayget lost. During the process the citizen may have to offer bribes and as pointed out by one Junior Engineerthat to speed up the process ‘personal touch matters’. Some influential people get the whole process donequickly on the recommendation of political leaders.

Almost, similar steps are involved in getting electricity connection or telephone connection.

5 The reports and the circular were shown by a Bank Manager.

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ii) Getting Demarcation of Land

• The citizen gets a copy of his land record/ detail from local patwari.• Goes to tehsil and submit the application for the demarcation. Here he has to approach the middleman to

complete the formalities as the common citizen is not aware of the procedure and even if the person• is educated, he does not understand the language used in the official matters because the language has

Urdu nuances.• At tehsil office a patwari retrieves the Aksh (a kind of original land record) and prepare papers. This may

be done the same day or the citizen is asked to get it on some other day. After the Aksh is retrieved, theTehsildar sanctions the demarcation.

• The citizen visits the local kanoongo/ patwari with the sanction for demarcation and he is then givendate for demarcation.

The whole process may take from seven days to many months or sometimes years6 depending upon thecredential of the officials involved, availability of other land owners who have boundaries with the land tobe demarcated. The whole process can be speeded up by lag or influence or both.

iii) Getting a Bona-fide Resident Certificate

• The citizen purchases two forms from local stationery shop and fills these forms.• Visits the patwari to verify the bona-fide of residency. The citizen is directed to get family history from

local panchayat secretary if the patwari is not sure about the residency. This is done according to apatwari for cross verification.

• The citizen visits the tehsil office with the forms and submits it there for attestation. Generally he may getthe certificate by the evening of the same day.

The whole process may take two days to two weeks depending upon the availability of the patwari. Inthis process generally no lag is given because the process is simple and the citizen who needs such certificateis young/educated one. The only bearing is on time. Similar steps are involved in getting a Caste or LandIncome Certificate.

iv) Getting Bank Loan for Agriculture

• The citizen visits the bank and enquires about the loan. The bank gives him form of about three pages.• The citizen fills the relevant fields in the form and goes to local patwari office to get his land record.• After getting the land records the citizen visits the Tehsildar office where he declares in front of the

Tehsildar to mortgage his land against the loan he is getting. In the process the citizen has to prove hisidentity by producing a witness known to Tehsildar. Generally the witness is a middleman and heextracts a price (amount is negotiable) for the job.

• The citizen returns with the form and submits the form to the patwari. The patwari makes an entryagainst in the land record register against the land record column of the citizen that the particular landproperty is mortgaged.

• Then, whenever the Tehsildar visits the field, he approves on the Land Record Register the mortgage ofthe land by signing the Record Register.

• After this approval, the citizen gets a certificate from patwari that the land property is mortgaged andloan could be sanctioned.

• The citizen visits the Bank with two guarantors and then the loan is sanctioned.

The whole process may take one month to many months. Similar steps are involved in getting other

6 This may take years because demarcation is not done in Monsoons or when the land contains crops. Even sometimes the citizen gets reluctant. Thus, the postponement can extend the period into years.

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kinds of loans.

v) Getting a Driving License

• The citizen visit sub-division or the district headquarter, purchases form. He fills the form, attaches hisphotographs and birth certificate.

• Submits the form, a demand notice is issued to submit the fees.• He goes to the designated bank and deposits the fees.• Submits the receipt and form in the office and he is directed to appear for a driving test on particular date

in presence of Motor Vehicle Inspector (MVI). The MVI generally gives test twice in a month.• He appears for the test and if he qualifies, he is directed to collect license from sub-divisional Magistrate’s

office because SDM has to sign it.• He keeps on enquiring the SDM office, by personally visiting, about the readiness of the license and

collects it from there.

The whole process may take fifteen days to two months. It was observed that there are middlemen whocan even get license without any driving test or even for underage candidate for a flat price. Almost similarkinds of steps are involved in getting other licenses or permits.

vi) Availing Medical facility

To avail medical facilities people visit local dispensaries mostly. For serious illness or emergencymatters they are referred to Community health Centre or district hospitals. Depending upon the capacityof the hospital they are treated or further referred to either PGI Chandigarh or IGMC Shimla. Mostlypoor people cannot afford to go farther and further medical treatments and they turn to local quacks orwait for luck.

5. Some Adduced Comments

These are some comments, put in moderate language, which give an idea of people’s plight vis-à-visgovernance in the district:

A lady: “The politicians come with folded hands only during elections. Later they never show-up theirfaces. We have to do everything on our own. We don’t know they are doing anything for us. This worldis based on contacts. Politicians also hear the big-wigs or the money-bags.”

An ex-serviceman: “The water is not coming for 15 days. The matter is reported to the line-man butnothing is happening. [The Junior Engineer concerned maintained that there is not enough labour availableto take up the task. Later the water was restored on 25th day with the help of local people who laboured withthe Water Supply staff] “…the water is supplied sometimes 10’clock at night. Who will visit to get waterfrom public taps in darkness, at night?”

A Scheduled Caste lady: “The upper caste people have public as well as private taps for last fifteen years.We can not get water from those taps as we are untouchables. We have to get water from a well 1Km awayon our heads in pitchers.”

An illiterate old man: “I had applied for my own water connection. I went straight to barrah Sahib atdivision. He said it would be done. But nothing happened. I went again after one month. Bigger sahibordered the employees to do it immediately. I was asked to pay something by the babus in the office forchai-pani. I paid Rs. 200 and got the approval by hand. I am happy that at least I have my own connectionfor two visits and Rs200 extra.”

A farmer: “I have been moving around tehsil office for getting mutation and demarcation of my land forthe last seven years. I had to file a case in Tehsildar’s court. For every hearing advocate charges 200-300

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rupees. Sometimes there is date for hearing but Tehsildar is not found there. Two times my files were foundmissing and I have to get the whole process repeated. I don’t know how long it will take.”

A student who wanted to apply for a scholarship: “I went to tehsil office to get land income certificate.I approached tehsildar directly with the certificate given by patwari. The tehsildar saw the certificate andwithout signing it threw it on me with the comments ‘your watch’s cost is more than your income.’ I pleadedthat it is income from land only but to no result. Outside I approached an advocate who was known to me.In a minute he got the certificate signed by the tehsildar. The advocate advised me I should always approachright person at right time for getting such things done.”

A person who applied for agriculture loan: “Whenever I go to tehsil office to get the form signed, I amtold to pay some fees. Bank officials tell that no fees are to be paid. I am caught in this situation what to do?The Bank official asks me to change the nature of loan, that I should get a loan for buying two buffalos andthe veterinary doctor whom they know, will give certificate (fictitious) and there will be no botheration [sic].I can use money as I want. But I want the loan for true purpose.”

An unemployed youth: “I had registered my name in employment exchange. I completed my diploma inpharmacy in stipulated two years time whereas my classmate did it in five years. But he registered himselfin employment exchange of other district and got the job immediately. Now I am junior to him by 4 years asI got job now.”

A local political leader and Panchayat representative: “Who will go from one office to another to getthings done? I wrote an application, went to Shimla and approached a minister. The minister then and therephoned DC about my job. I approached DC personally and he immediately sanctioned one and half lakhsrupees for the Well in my Panchayat.”

A civil servant: ‘Whosoever comes to us with complaints is definitely heard. But many people don’tapproach us. Sometimes I wonder if the whole administration is meant for politicians and employees only.”

An official: “Everything is in rule books. But rules vary from one official to the other so far as theirapplications are concerned. Who worry about the rules?”

A patwari who was candid enough: “If someone shows me disrespect, I can make a person “dance’ (sic)for months by dilly-dallying.”

6. Analyzing the Government-Citizen Interactions

There are no speedy and formal information channels by which citizens can be made aware of developmentalschemes. The people lack information to deal with changing economic and occupational situations in thevillages. The participation of the citizens in developmental schemes is indirect through their electedrepresentatives and even the decisions of the local representatives can be vetted by the bureaucrats. Thereis no effective grievance redressal system in place by which the citizens can be heard about the day to dayproblems faced with the offices. So far as the formulation of the developmental schemes is concerned, theseare made at Centre or State levels without people’s participations or without looking at real needs at locallevel. The responsibility and accountability of the government officials is brought open by CAG reports aftertwo years (as CAG audit is done after the completion of financial year). The general public knows about thesummary of the findings in the form of gist news item next day after the discussion on reports in theLegislative Assembly. The negative reports are handled by PAC (Public Account Committee) of the MLAsand PAC’s Action Taken Reports also remain either in Legislative Assembly library or may appear as smallnews items in media. The only way people inform the government about their verdict is through generalelections which generally come after along span of five years. The verdict may not be from informed citizensbut rather from the citizens who are cheated by publicity propaganda during the elections!

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There is lack of equity concept in government–Citizen interactions. The rules and procedures are notmuch publicized in public domain. Influential people can always jump to front row! The red-tapism anddelay in government functioning is high and people waste their time, money and energy by hanging aroundgovernment offices for long durations. The access to government services is cumbersome. There is noeffective information sharing across departmental boundaries. The procedures are complex and non-transparent. The people look at civil servants as if they are masters. They largely get humiliation, frustrationand fear while interacting with government agencies.

Lack of proper information among citizens, delay in paper work in the offices, lack of communications fromone agency to another and bureaucratic attitude in the offices encourages middlemen and corrupt practices.The citizens visit those offices from which they need essential services only under pressing situations. Mostof the government agencies are black boxes for an average citizen. Fig. 2 depicts the degree of government-citizen interactions. Vertical axis shows either the fear of people interacting with agencies or the frequency ofinteractions. Horizontal axis shows the reluctance of people to visit longer distances to interact with theagencies.

Fig. 2: Degree of Interactions between Citizens and government Offices

7. Justifying E-governance and the Way Ahead

Given the people’s lives and work culture in the government offices as depicted in previous sectionsof this paper it can be easily drawn that the district lacks good governance but a kind of a kind ofgovernance called Hybrid regimes (Karl, 1995). There is little transparency in government functioning andinfluential people can direct government decisions. The role of middlemen and corruption has becomeinstitutionalized. The people want information about government policies and programmes in a improvedmanner and they want effective and efficient delivery of services. Therefore, it is high time to exploit ICT toimprove information delivery channels to the people, improve communication channels within governmentdepartments and to improve service delivery channels to citizens in a hassle free and without corrupt

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environment.

Even simple use of ICT, to begin with, like Interactive Voice Response Systems or Call Centres atgovernment offices can prove a boon for disseminating information. In future more complex but interactiveway of interaction can be used by putting information of people’s concerns on web-sites which can savecitizens from long travels and unnecessary harassment they face at present. Internet can be used as powerfultool to empower people by having access to information round the clock. The service delivery channels ofthe government can be improved by integrating data bases of various departments. As shown in Figure 3, theICT has potential to integrate various government agencies and even reduce some of the levels of government(Pal, 1997).

Fig. 3: Pre-ICT Government and ICT Enabled Government

However the policy makers and technology implementers face two serious challenges in executing e-governance project in our case

• Justifying return on investment as the government already faces resource crunch. Return on investmenthas always been a complex and difficult problem for ICT based initiatives (CTG, 2005). However, inorder to improve people’s lives the justification for return on investment should not be based purely onquantitative cost benefit analyses always rather principle of allocative efficiency (ADB, 2001) shouldbe followed. According to the concept of allocative efficiency, the total benefits should not be measuredin terms of financial inputs rather the benefits should be measured on the basis of outcomes which aregenerally qualitative in our case.

• The introduction of ICT and its effective use leads to temporal and spatial re-orientation of the existingsystem of governance (Taylor & Williams, 1990, Atkinson & Ulevich, 2000). The E-governance, throughthe use of Internet, promise to provide 24 hours services. Will the government be ready to respond tothe people and provide instant update on information at all the time? This is a question to be answered.Providing E-services to people through Internet will separate the government departments in ‘front-

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office’ and ‘back-office’ activities and ‘front-office’ interactions of government with citizens will be doneby relocating these offices near to citizens’ localities. It will bring new geographically identities to thedepartments/organisations. The traditional front offices at the moment are just doing clerical work orhandling dak. In new context, front-offices need more power. This requires changes in the decision-making procedures in terms of decision making levels and delegation of authority. The presentadministrators which are more generalists need to be more specialized because ICT will delayer some ofthe middle levels and middle skills will pass to higher level. (Some decision making will pass to frontoffices and some to higher levels– thus requiring centralization and decentralization of decision makingsimultaneously). De-layering of the decision-making levels will lead to re-engineering and optimumsizing of the decision-making machinery. This process may render some people jobless or createapprehension of loosing jobs and these issues need to be addressed. E-services will also reduce themiddle-men between citizens and government. These people may try to sabotage the new systems ofgovernance. From these examples it is clear that emergence of E-governance will be considerable re-casting of government organization giving rise to many management issues. People at any level mayresist change; finding their existing authority challenged or they may not like to learn new ways ofworking or there may be many unforeseen day-to-day problems. The management of this change requiresnew skills on the part of governments to deal with such issues.


Before embarking upon any E-Governance project, there is a need to do requirement analysis of citizens’demands at grassroot levels. The citizens at grassroots demand better treatment and services by the governmentwhich is clear from the current case of Hamirpur District. There is no proper integration for informationsharing across the boundaries of various government departments. The situation will become more alarmingfor government under the Right to Information Act to collect and provide information to citizens in time.Given the sorry plight of the people at the hands of government agencies, there is full justification that E-Governance in general and even simple applications of ICT can make a positive difference to people’s lives.The return on investment on E-Governance should be measured by qualitative benefits, given the nascentnature of E-Governance adoption. Also the introduction of E-Governance will require restructuring theexisting organizational structures of government. The present paper analyzed the impetus for adoption of E-Governance. How the E-Governance will be implemented in a given situation, is a question to be answered byE-Governance advocates!

References

1 ADB (2001). Asian Development Bank. The Government Brief, Issue-1, Available at: http://www.adb.org/Documents/Periodicals/GB/GovernanceBrief01.pdf. Accessed March 29, 2004.

2 Atkinson Robert D. and Ulevich Jacob. (2000). Digital Government: the next step to reengineering thefederal government, USA: Progressive Policy Institute (Technology & New Economy Project). Availableat: http://www.dlcppi.org. Accessed September 10, 2003.

3 CTG (2005). Centre for Technology in Government, University at Albany. Annual Report, 2005, p.10.

4 Heeks R. B. (2000). The approaches of senior public officials to information technology-related reform:lessons from India. Public Administration and Development, Vol. 20, pp. 197-205.

5 HPHDR (2002). Himachal Pradesh Human Development Report, 2002. Planning Dept., Govt. of HimachalPradesh.

6 Karl Terry L. (1995). The hybrid regimes of central America. Journal of Democracy, Vol. 6, No.3, pp 72-86.

7 Pal Leslie A. (1997). Virtual Policy Networks: The Internet as a model of contemporary government, Inet97. Available at: http:// www.botany.uwc.ac.za/mirrors/inet97/G7/g7_1.htm. Accessed July 8, 2002

8 Taylor John and Williams Howard. (1990). Themes and issues in an information polity. Journal of

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Information Technology, 5, pp 151-160.

9 Wescott Clay G. (2002). Asian Development Bank. E-government in Asia Pacific Region, Available at:http://www.adb.org/documents/Papers/E-Government/egovernment.pdf. Accessed March 12, 2003.

About the Author

Amar Jeet Singh is an Associate Professor in Department of Computer Science, Himachal PradeshUniversity Shimla. He is Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Technology from MACT Bhopal, Masterof Science in Distributed Information Systems from University of East London and Ph D in E-Governancefrom Himachal Pradesh University. His areas of interest are Distributed Information Systems, E-Governance, E-Commerce and ICT for Sustainable Development. He can be reached at:[email protected].

IT as a Source of Intrepreneurship Development in Rural areas-Akshaya Project in the State of Kerala, India

Ch. Radhakumari1

ABSTRACT

Recognizing the potential of broadband services, the government of Kerala in India, has taken abig leap by leveraging broadband application to the rural areas, through a unique and integratedproject called “Akshaya”. The study is undertaken to identify the initiatives made by theadministrators in implementing the project and to analyze the unique contribution the project ismaking to the entrepreneurship development. The study also highlights the associated featuresand improvements that occurred both internally and externally; besides bringing to focus thecritical success factors which created the necessary environment for entrepreneurship development.

Key words: Digital divide, Broadband deployment, entrepreneurship development, Akshaya Project, Criticalsuccess factors

1. Introduction

Entrepreneurship is a distinct factor of production that contributes to the economic development of aneconomy. The wide range of significant contributions that entrepreneurship makes to the economicdevelopment include promotion of capital formation, creation of employment, effective mobilization of capitaland skill, induction of backward and forward linkages that stimulate the process of economic development.Promoting entrepreneurship implies developing people with a vision and drive for achievement; and theability to bear risk. An entrepreneur is considered as a ‘spark plug’ that can transform the entire economy.Therefore entrepreneurship development has become a matter of great concern in all developed and developingcountries, all over the world. It is in this context the present research paper assumes greater importance.Entrepreneurship provides an important avenue for expanding the economies of developing countries.Although capital is needed to kick-start entrepreneurial endeavors, an understanding of the marketplace,application of sound business practices, and effective technology use can help entrepreneurs put investmentsto good use.

Now the route to a fully operational e-governance is just emerging. Therefore IT is also employed as apotential source for generating employment across all locations in the society including rural areas. In theinitial stages of its evolution IT deployment was confined only to metros, and has gradually moved to urbanareas, and now it is time that it is spread into rural areas. As a result, the manpower resources available inthese centers get opportunities thrown up by these developments. Transformation of the rural citizens from‘ignorant’’ to ‘Aware’ categories is making them conscious of the role the IT is playing in improving thequality of their life and, therefore, there is a growing demand for online services and information that

1 Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning, Anantapur Campus, Anantapur A.P -515001, India (Phone: 09440045717, E-mail: radhakumari [email protected])

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increases democratic participation, accountability, transparency, and the quality and speed of services.Entrepreneurship Development takes the route in the form of people in the rural areas taking to these activitiesand developing them into a sustainable business propositions. The major driving force for this transformationbeing the dawn of realization among the public that they will be left behind the train of development, if theydo not accept the flow of benefits on account of these developments.

The roots of ICTs for development lie in the 1970s assertion that economies and societies were beingrevolutionized not by industry but by the information and knowledge that were critical to securing the meansof production ( Bell 1973). On average women have less income, education, time, mobility and face religiousor cultural constraints that restrict their access to and use of technology. More accurately, some groups ofwomen (i.e. rural women) are more disadvantaged as compared to younger, more literate or wealthier urbanwomen. Added to this, totalizing theories’ of gender and technology risk ignoring the reality that women (andmen) are indivisible from modern-day science (Haraway 1990).

Some analysts have argued for a focus on ‘digital opportunities’ rather than a ‘digital divide’ whichincorrectly assumes that, in general, developing countries are falling behind the industrialized nations interms of ICTs per capita, (Hafkin 2006). The gap between ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ is historically wide inabsolute terms, but not in relative terms as developing countries show faster rates of growth in networkdevelopment than developed countries (Fink and Kenny 2003). Still other analysts like Modoux (2002) areconvinced that there is a digital divide and it is a ‘cyber ghetto’ where even increasing growth rates in theadoption of ICTs is characterized by higher costs and often lower quality equipment and service.

Thus, a plethora of research in the past two decades has focused on the relationship between IT investmentand productivity in general. Although earlier studies generally found no relationship, the consensus amongmore recent studies is that IT investment has a positive and significant effect on labor productivity andeconomic growth. It is now well known that the sectors of the economy that have invested the most ininformation technology experienced some of the largest productivity gains during the 1990s and that theapplication of information technologies has stimulated remarkable improvements in production processes inmany sectors of the economy. In contrast to the literature on IT investments and firm productivity, we knowvery little about the role of IT in entrepreneurship development.

At some level, studies have concluded that personal computers are useful for most small businesses.Estimates from the 1998 Survey of Small Business Finances indicate that more than 75 percent of smallbusinesses used computers (Bitler, Robb and Wolken 2001, and Bitler 2002), and estimates from the 2000Computer and Internet Usage Supplement (CIUS) and the Current Population Survey (CPS) indicate highrates of computer ownership among self-employed business owners (U.S. Small Business administration2003). Some studies also reveal that small- and medium-sized businesses make relatively large investments incomputers and communication equipment (Buckley and Montes 2002) and that 25 to 45 percent of totalcapital expenditures are for computers among relatively young employer firms (Haltiwanger 2004).

Although these patterns suggest that personal computers are useful for small businesses, an unansweredquestion in the literature is whether the information technology has any effect on the earliest possible stageof business creation i.e. the individual’s decision to become an entrepreneur, particularly in rural areas. Inother words, how far information technologies are contributing to entrepreneurship development particularlyin rural areas. One approach to exploring this hypothesis is to analyze that if given an opportunity forgeneration of employment in a developing area, what is the likelihood that an individual chooses to becomean entrepreneur. Theoretically, we might expect that exposure to current technology may make it substantiallyeasier for a potential entrepreneur to create an experimental business plan, obtain information about variouspossibilities, establish world wide links, get information about legal regulations, learn about specific industries,and research competition. Further, the skills acquired from the established business using the currenttechnology, such as familiarity with using computers and related issues like knowledge about using

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spreadsheets, word processing and database programs, may be valuable for creating and managing a business,and other specific computer skills, such as programming, graphics design, and hardware knowledge, may beespecially valuable for creating firms in hi-tech industries. Therefore the time has come to understand whetherwe are laying any foundation for initiating hi-tech industries in rural areas.

The purpose of the present paper is to examine the potential of IT in creating entrepreneurial opportunitiesfor educated unemployed youth in rural areas, and to highlight the role the entrepreneurs are playing inharnessing the available opportunities.

2. Need and significance of the study

There is growing evidence of a significant causal relationship between entrepreneurship, economic growthand poverty reduction. Small and micro entrepreneurs are often the backbone of the private sector in thedeveloping world, creating jobs and providing a tax base for local government. And frequently these smallentrepreneurs offer the only employment available to number of poor people. Yet many developing countrieshave been unable to create and maintain the favorable environment needed to foster entrepreneurshipdevelopment.

Therefore the time has come for the developing countries to provide opportunities for the potentialentrepreneurs to execute their ideas and build successful businesses. Entrepreneurship support offers a newmodel for fighting poverty in rural areas and ensuring economic growth; and it has come to the forefront ofactivities to bridge the digital divide and deliver development aid. A significant number of ground-levelinitiatives are already underway. There are also several high-level initiatives in planning that may result inconsiderable resources being devoted to entrepreneurship support. The needs of this crucial sector must beunderstood to frame an effective and sustainable approach to modern development aid. Entrepreneurshipssupport initiatives (ESIs) come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and they offer a range of services toentrepreneurs. Since it is time to take stock of the concrete efforts made by the developing countries in thedirection of the contribution of information technology to the entrepreneurship development, the presentstudy assumes its relevance and significance. Though numerous attempts are being made to analyze theimpact of IT investment in building close rapport between the government and citizens, in improving thedelivery of services, and the quality of citizen’s lives in general, but little has been done to understand moreabout the role of Information technology in contributing to the entrepreneurship development in rural areas.

Therefore the present paper examines the influence of IT investment on entrepreneurship development inrural areas, through a case study i.e. the Akshaya project of the State of Kerala.

3. Research Design

The study is undertaken to address the following objectives.

• To highlight the functioning of the Akshaya project, a unique experimentation with the broadband forbridging the digital divide.

• Highlight the role of Private entrepreneurs in the overall implementation of the project, including themethod of their selection, training.

• To study the role of the Akshaya project in facilitating entrepreneurship development among theeducated unemployed in the rural areas.

• It is also intended as a report to the various national and international agencies and researchers tohighlight salient features of the Akshaya project and its impact on entrepreneurship development throughinformation technology.

The Akshaya project of the State of Kerala, a unique initiative that is notably successful, innovative, andrepresentative, is selected to illustrate the kind of entrepreneurship service initiatives originated as ancillaryproducts of the implementation of Akshaya project. The project is selected mainly because the implementation

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of the project has laid foundation for entrepreneurship development in the districts, though the basic idea ofits implementation is to bridge the digital divide through introduction of e-literacy to every nook and cornerof the rural areas. We have covered a range of programmes - from local community initiatives to large Statelevel efforts all of which are akin to the international initiatives for bridging the digital divide. The project isgaining the prominence and proving to be an effective model. For the purpose of collection of data, twodistricts i.e. Malappuram, where the project is first implemented on a pilot basis and Calicut, where the projectis rolled out during the second phase of implementation are chosen.

• A specially drafted questionnaire (Annex-II – Questionnaire for govt. officials) was served to theDistrict Secretary, Akshaya State Project Cell, Malappuram, who represents the Kerala Government inthe implementation of the Akshaya project.

• Information was collected from 100 private entrepreneurs selected at random at the rate of 50 from eachof the two districts who are actively involved in the implementation of the project as private partnersto the project. A questionnaire, developed for the purpose was administered to the selected entrepreneursand the information thus gathered was used for statistical analysis (Annex III- questionnaire for privateentrepreneurs).

• Information was also gathered from both the govt. officials and the private entrepreneurs, besides theIT mission which is the nodal agency for implementation of information technology in the State ofKerala.

The study is based on both primary and secondary data. The private entrepreneurs and the governmentofficials concerned with the implementation of the project mainly constituted the data source for primarydata. The Akshaya project’s policy proposal and the other documented information supplied by the ITMission of the Kerala State became the secondary data source.

Since the purpose is to compare two districts in terms of their contribution to entrepreneurshipdevelopment, comparison is made on the basis of two statistics i.e. a) Proportions and b) Means. Since thesample size is large i.e. greater than 30, we used the large sample statistic “Z” for testing both statisticsdepending on the nature of the questions and the type of responses i.e. a) ‘Z’ test for testing the significantdifference between the two proportions and b) ‘Z’ test for testing the significant difference between the twomeans. Z critical values are 1.96 and 2.58 at 5% and 1% level of significance for all tests. Based on Z calculatedvalues, the respective hypotheses are accepted or rejected. Since the purpose is to analyze the factorscontributing to entrepreneurship development in the areas, the following hypotheses are framed.

Null hypotheses ( 0H ):

• The difference in the mean scores of the incomes earned by the entrepreneurs before joining the Akshayaproject is not significant. (Annex-1—Table—1)

• There is no change in the income levels between pre and post Akshaya project periods. (Annex-1—Table—2)

• There is no relation between the quantum of investment made in the project and the source of investment.(Annex-1—Table—3)

• There is no significant difference in the opinion expressed regarding the recovery of loans. (Annex-1—Table—4)

• Nature of occupation before joining the project and the capacity to make current investment in theproject are not associated. (Annex-1—Table—5)

• Quantum of investment made in the project does not influence the percentage recovery of the amount.(Annex-1—Table—6)

• There is no association between the quantum of investment made in the project and the estimationregarding the future recovery of investment. (Annex-1—Table—7)

• The occupation of the entrepreneurs prior to joining the project does not influence their source of

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knowledge about the project. (Annex-1—Table—8)• The place of origin of the entrepreneurs does not influence the source of information about the project.

(Annex-1—Table-9)• Ownership of the assets prior to the project has no influence on their awareness about the amount of

investment to be made in the project. (Annex-1—Table—10)• Period of occupation prior to the project does not assure investment to be made in the project from own

resources. (Annex-1—Table—11)• The difference in the means of opinion expressed by the private entrepreneurs in both the districts is not

significant. (Annex-1—Table—12)• Ownership of the assets prior to the project has no influence on meeting the infrastructural requirements

of the project specified by the government. (Annex-1—Table—13)

4 Results

The results of the study are divided into two parts as under:

• Highlights of the implementation of the Akshaya project.• Analysis of the relation between IT implementation and entrepreneurship development in rural areas,

through direct experiences of the private entrepreneurs.

4.1. Implementation of the Akshya Project

• Initiation of the project: The ‘Akshaya’, meaning ‘perpetuating prosperity’ marks the beginning of adrive to “bridge the digital divides”, in the State of Kerala. The initiation for the project unlike any otherIT projects, has not come from the government as an imposition, but came as a result of the initiativetaken by the three-tier Panchayats i.e., the Village/grampanchayat, Local/block panchayat, and thedistrict panchayat, making the roject a unique one among the other IT projects not only in the KeralaState as well as other States in India. The Grampanchayat of Malappuram proposed a plan for spreadingthe e-literacy to every family. With the support of block panchayat and the district panchayat, theMalappuram grampanchayat approached different agencies to undertake this project by setting asideRs. 60 lakhs during 2001-02 plan period. When the State IT mission was finally approached, it took upthis project proposal as a novel idea and extended full cooperation and the needed support for thematerialization of the plan. The Akshaya project in Malappuram district was launched by none otherthan the President of India, Sri A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, on 28th November 2002, on a pilot basis. The localbodies, with support and monitoring from the district and State administration, are implementing theproject.

• Objectives of the Akshaya project: Akshya’s main aim is to transform the lives of 6.4 million families inKerala, cutting across the social, cultural and linguistic barriers, and to bring home the benefits ofInformation Technology to the common man by familiarizing at least one person from each family inKerala with computers and empower him or her to access relevant e-content in the regional language.

• Achievement of the objective: Envisaging a 15 hours training for 10 days at one and a half hour durationper day to train the citizens, the Government of Kerala sought to create 6,000 modern communityinformation centres called the ‘Akshaya centres’, and provide convenient access to information serviceswithin a radius of 2-km from the citizens’ residence.

• Implementation of the project in the State: The government conceived a three stage implementationplan for taking the Akshaya project to the entire State. During the first stage, the project is implementedin one district i.e., Malappuram, on a pilot basis which has benefited 5,83,264 people spread over 78panchayats and the municipalities in the district, with at least 1,000 persons from a panchayat, who areconverted into e-literates and are ready to use this knowledge to take full advantage in the use of

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internet. Based on the successful implementation of the project during pilot scheme, the project is rolledout to another six districts, which constitute the second phase of the Akshaya project’s implementation.Kozhikode, the second district selected for the study, is covered under the second stage of implementationof the project. By setting up 176 Akshaya centres with two centers for each grama panchayat, 10 for theKozhicode corporation, seven for Koilandy municipality and five for Vadakara municipality, the districtis covered under second stage of the project’s implementation. Presently, the project is completing itssecond stage of implementation, and is all set to take off to the third stage of its implementation bycovering the remaining six districts in the State. With the completion of the second stage of implementation,the project is able to convert people from seven districts of the State, as e-literates.

• Functioning of the project: The functioning mode of the project is the Public-Private Partnership (PPPmodel) where in the three tier panchayats take the lead role in planning for the project; and the executionpart of it is taken care of, by the selected private entrepreneurs of the area. The project has set for itselfa three phase implementation strategy. The first phase deals with the achievement of cent percent e-literacy in the state. The second phase covers “e-vidya” programme. Under the e-vidya programme, allthose citizens who have undergone training in the first phase besides the others, and who are ambitiousin furthering their knowledge of computers are given an opportunity to take part in the 30 hour computertraining programme that offers knowledge relating to the entire basic computer operation. This courseoffers a certificate to all those candidates who complete the e-vidya course successfully. The Governmentof Kerala recognizes the certificate. The third phase would comprise an ‘internet package’ which envisagesa 10 hour comprehensive training to each person in using email, chat and other internet facilities, so thatthey become familiar with the use of internet including browsing. After completion of this training, eachtrainee is given a free e-mail account.

• Financial implication of the project to the citizen: Each trainee has to pay only Rs. 40/- out of the totalfees of Rs. 120/-. The remaining amount is shared by the grama panchayat, block and the districtpanchayats in the ratio of Rs. 60/-, Rs. 10/-and Rs. 10/- respectively, during the first phase of theproject’s implementation. Trainees belonging to SC/ST communities are exempted from paying even thisnominal amount of Rs. 40/-. During the second phase of Akshaya implementation, the cost of the total e-vidya course comes to Rs. 450/-, which is met totally by the trainees. The total cost of the Internetpackage programme of the project during the third phase is estimated to be Rs. 140 per person. Governmentproposes to contribute Rs. 100/- and the remaining Rs. 40/- to be met by the trainee.

• Financial implication to the government: Government is required to make no lump sum investmenttowards the implementation of the project either towards infrastructure development or development oftraining centers, except a sum needed to provide the connectivity to the Akshaya centers.

• Private entrepreneur–selection, training and motivation: All the educated unemployed youth whohave secured minimum 12th standard degree with basic computer knowledge and with the minimumentrepreneurial abilities like capacity to take certain amount of risk, manage the Akshaya center set up,and the minimum zeal to serve the citizens, are all eligible to become the entrepreneurs for running theAkshaya centers. The final selection, however, is made on the basis of interviews and the opinion of thelocal bodies. Every selected entrepreneur should be ready to make an initial investment of Rs. 3 lakhs toset up an Akshaya center requiring a built up area of 400 sq.ft. and five computers. In order to promotethe entrepreneurship development, the government also assists those entrepreneurs who are fulfillingall the other formalities but are unable to secure financial support, in getting the loans from banks bystanding as their sureties. Entrepreneurs who appear for interviews are also given an opportunity to filecomplaints, if any, with the Appeal Committee. The selected entrepreneurs have to file an undertaking ona Rs. 50 stamp paper at the Akshaya project office. The selected entrepreneurs are trained in differentbatches in two day and three day workshops and seminars, in management skills to run the Akshayacenters. Experts from C-DIT (Center for Development of Imaging Technology) become the trainers for

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this training programme. The entrepreneur is expected to recover his investment by conducting the e-literacy course and providing various utility services.

• Trainers / instructors: In all, 176 Akshaya centers in Kozhicode district and 600 in Malappuram havebeen set up. Every Akshaya center has a minimum five instructors, one of whom is required to possesseither PGDCA or MCA or B.Sc. computer science degree. The others can be persons with computerknowledge and a minimum of Plus Two education background. All the instructors are given training byC-DIT experts who introduce them to contents of four CDs developed by C-DIT for the e-literacycampaign. These CDs meant for e-literacy learners contain self-study materials, besides some computergames and certain simple computer programmes. Three instructors are selected at one for every 500learners and their salary is to be paid by the entrepreneur himself / herself.

• Beneficiaries or trainees: Trainees are selected through household surveys. Entrepreneurs, local bodyrepresentatives, volunteers of Kudumbasree (a poverty alleviation programme of the Local Government),and Nehur Yuva Kendra and the Literacy Mission, are undertaking the e-literacy campaign to createawareness among the public about the entire Akshaya project. The Akshaya centers, which are spreadto every nook and corner of the rural areas with full network connectivity, are getting linked to theFRIENDS Janaseva Kendras (Fast, Reliable, instant, efficient, network disbursement of services). Assuch all the government department services will be eventually extended to the citizens through thesecenters.

4.2. IT implementation and Entrepreneurship Development

• Sex-wise composition of the private entrepreneurs revealed that the proportion of male is more in boththe districts implying that the educated unemployed males have readily joined in utilizing the employmentopportunities which came to them in the form of the Akhshya project. Though the proportion of femalesin general is less compared to males, in both the districts, the women of developed region (Calicut) areseen taking active involvement in entrepreneurship related activities as compared to the less developedregion i.e. Malappuram. This implies that females in less developed region need more encouragementand support to come forward to actively involve in implementation of the projects of this kind. (Figure1)

• Study of the selected entrepreneurs on the basis of marital status revealed that more of married membersare actively involved in the project’s implementation. The married status, which confers the support tothe couples from each other, also provides the encouragement to take part in developments taking placein the areas. Spouses share between them the knowledge gained during the exposure to these activities.The support of the spouse also enables an individual to take certain degree of risk and challenge. Theyalso have the advantage of sharing the functions and managerial abilities of the spouse for thedevelopment of the centre so that they can meet the competition in the market. Ability to meet thecompetition is one of the essential features for the development of entrepreneurship. Hence married

Fig. 1:Sex-Wise Categorization of Private Entrepreneurship

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status can be used as one of the important factors for contributing to the success of the entrepreneurialdevelopment in rural areas. (Figure-2)

Fig. 2: Categorization of Private Entrepreneurs as per marital status

• The study of the educational background of the selected entrepreneurs suggests that the proportion ofpre-university and above, level of education is almost the same among the private entrepreneurs in boththe districts. This implies that the prevalence of educated unemployment is equal in both less developedas well as developed regions. Implementation of Akshaya project has thrown open the opportunities forself-employment. (Figure-3)

Fig. 3: Educational background of Private Entrepreneurs

• Figure-4 supports the view depicted in figure 3 that educated unemployed youth constitutes the majorpercentage among the entrepreneurs, in both the areas. Though the fundamental requirement for gettingeligibility to become the private entrepreneurs to the Akshaya project is to have the basic formal education,participation of more qualified people as private entrepreneurs indicates the fact that there is prevalenceof educated unemployment in the rural areas. Implementation of Akshaya project has provided employmentavenues to the educated youth.

• The analysis of the occupational status of the private entrepreneurs during the pre-Akshaya project(Figure-5) brings to focus that all the entrepreneurs to the Akshaya project have come with someexposure to the entrepreneurial skills acquired through either self-employment or private employment orinherited family business. The other highlights are:

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Fig. 4: Computer Knowledge among Private Entrepreneurs

Fig. 5: Occupation-Pre Akshaya Project Peirod

- People with entrepreneurial talent are available in a large measure which is lying idle in the rural areas.The Akshaya project has provided the scope to exploit this talent through implementation of theproject.

- Information technology or any other new technology adoption is not an unwelcome feature even inthe rural areas. It is the non-availability of the opportunities and facilities to the local people, thatmakes the region remain underdeveloped, and not the nature of technology or the attitudes of people.

• Analysis of the nativity factor drives home (Figure-6) the fact that majority of the entrepreneursparticipating in the implementation of the project hail from the same place in both the regions. This alsosupports the view that there is adequate talent available in the rural areas and migration of talent fromoutside the area is not required to develop the region. The opportunities for development through thelocally available qualifications and skills are awaited by the people of the region. Desire for being withthe families, fear of not getting suitable income-earning opportunities on migration, fear of inability tomeet the expenditure involved in migration, if expected income is not generated, cultural factors such asdesire to take care of elderly parents who refuse to be uprooted from the place of origin, social factorssuch as unwillingness to leave the long standing association developed with the people of the region,and so on, are some of the important factors for the talented and educated youth to continue to remainin their native places. The decision of the Government to use the locally available talent, by designingand implementing suitable policies, for bringing about the balanced economic development, is a step inthe right direction to improve the rural areas.

• Figure 7 highlights that people who started their entrepreneurial activities on a limited basis earningmeager income of Rs. 2500 to 4,500 per month on an average, are the ones who joined the implementationof the Akshaya project in the less developed region i.e. Malappuram. Contrary to this, the entrepreneursin Calicut were earning an average monthly income ranging from Rs. 6,500 to 8,500. This indicates thatthere is a need for giving more of these opportunities to the less developed regions with the help of IT,as is done under the Akshaya project for improving the less developed regions.

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Fig. 7: Annual Income Pre-Akshaya Period

• Analysis of the reasons for opting to join the Akshaya project revealed that majority of the entrepreneursin both the districts decided to join the project mainly to derive the satisfaction of participating ingovernment initiated activity. The next majority of the people joined the project in Calicut, in anticipationof the scope for improving their existing business, while the second major category of entrepreneurs inMalappuram undertook the Akshaya project expecting opening up of more opportunities for their skilldevelopment. (Figure-8) Some of the entrepreneurs opted to join the Akshaya project for availing theassured employment opportunity.

• In order to understand the perception of the entrepreneurs about the Akshaya project, an analysis wasmade as to know whether the proposed Akshaya project was perceived as way of turning educatedunemployed into self-employed individuals; or a method of achieving cent percent computer literacy; ora project which gives more for developing their on-going small business; or a project which is initiatedto show the income earning path to the unemployed youth of the State. Figure-9 reports that majority ofthe private entrepreneurs perceived the project as a method of achieving total computer literacy in ruralareas. Since locally available talent of the educated unemployed youth is utilized for implementation ofthe project, a good foundation is laid to the entrepreneurial development in the areas.

4.3. Discussion on statistical analysis

Statistical analysis of different variables like level of income of the entrepreneurs prior to joining theproject, and its comparison with post-Akshaya project income, quantum of investment required to be madein the Akshya Project, source of information to the entrepreneurs about the Akshaya project, time taken forrecovery of the investment made in the Akshaya project, occupation of the entrepreneurs before joining the

Fig. 6: Nativity of Private Entrepreneurs

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Fig.8

Fig. 9: Pre-Akshaya Project perceptions of Private Entrepreneurs

Akshaya project, source from where the investment was made in the Akshaya project, infrastructuralspecifications of the government for setting up the Akshaya centers, has been made to understand thecontribution of Akshaya project to the entrepreneurship development. Following are the component wisediscussion of the results.

• Level of income before the project: Since the calculated value of Z is more than the table value, 0H is

rejected. (Table-1) Therefore we conclude that the difference in the mean income of the entrepreneurs inboth the districts, prior to joining the Akshaya project is significant. It is also seen from the table thatpeople from the developed region (Calicut) have more after-project income than in less developed region(Malappuram). It suggests that the level of income of people in developed region is more than theircounterparts in the less developed regions.

• Pre & post Akshaya project income: Comparison of pre and post Akshaya project income levels inabsolute terms, (Table-2) in both the districts reveals that there is significant change in the income

earned during the periods under consideration, and hence H 0 is rejected at 1% level of significance. The

entrepreneurs could derive increased incomes after joining the Akshsya project by setting up andmanaging the Akshaya project.

• Investment: It is clear from table 3 that there is no relation between the quantum of investment to be made

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to set up the Akshaya centers and the source of funds. Hence H0 is accepted. It implies that factors like

the zeal of the entrepreneurs, encouragement and the opportunity given to them to exhibit their skills,assurance of different kinds of support needed by them and so on, will motivate them in undertakingentrepreneurial ventures, and not the quantum of investment alone. It is observed in the study that inspite of the huge investment requirement, entrepreneurs are ready to take risk and come forward forinvestment if the other factors are conducive. Among the sources of funds for investment in Akhayaproject, it is observed that bank loans served as the major source, for the entrepreneurs.

• Time taken for recovery of the investment: Since the calculated value of Z in table-4 exceeds the tablevalue at 5% level of significance, H

0 is rejected. Hence it is concluded that there is variation in the time

taken for recovery of the investment made in the Akshaya centers, from entrepreneur to entrepreneur;and from region to region. This variation is due to allotment of varying number of trainees to eachAkshaya center based on the geographical set up of the districts and the Akshaya centers. In spite ofbeing aware that all of them do not recover their investment at the same time, entrepreneurs came forwardto exhibit their skills through the project and derive benefit, besides conferring benefit to the society.

• Pre-project asset ownership: The calculated Z value in the table-5 brings to focus that there is noassociation between the assets owned prior to joining the project and the ability to make the requiredinvestment to join the project. Therefore, the capacity to make the required investment in the project isinfluenced by other factors such as risk bearing ability, availability of self-generated funds, willingnessto invest own funds available, confidence on managerial ability and skills for running and maintenanceof the Akshaya center, and so on.

• Recovery of investment: Since the calculated Z value for the data in table-6 is less than the table value, H0

is accepted. Hence the percentage recovery of the investment is not related to the quantum of theinvestment made in the Akshaya project by the entrepreneurs. Factors such as the zeal of the entrepreneursin investment, and efforts made for recovery of the investment, skill employed in managing the flow offunds, capacity for minimizing the bad debts, ability to generate more than a rupee returns, risk bearingand risk management attitudes; and so on, determine the speed with which the investments are recovered.

• Period of recovery: To judge the time required for recovering the balance of investment, an analysis ismade between the quantum of investment made in setting up Akshaya center and the expectation of theentrepreneur regarding the period required for recovering the balance of the investment. Since H

0 is

accepted as per the Z value, the study brings to focus that there is no relationship between the twoselected variables, implying that the period of recovery depends on entrepreneur’s managerial and otherfactors. It is in this context that initiation of formal training to the entrepreneurs will go a long way indeveloping the innate abilities lying dormant in them for managing the centers (Table-7).

• Pre-project occupation and nativity: Acceptance of H0 in tables 8 and 9 focuses on the fact that the

variables such as occupation of the entrepreneur before joining the Akshaya project, the source ofknowledge about the project, nativity of the entrepreneur are independent of each other. It implies thatthe occupation they were holding prior to joining the project has no relation with the Akshaya project.People came forward to become entrepreneurs in the implementation of the project irrespective of thenature of their pre-project occupation.

• Source of investment: There is no relationship between the pre-Akshaya project period occupation andthe availability of the means to make investment. Similarly, income earned under Akshaya project andsense of satisfaction derived from the income earned , are not related as revealed by the data as per thetables 10 and 11. Some entrepreneurs express good satisfaction as derived from the Akshaya participation,though the quantum of income earned under the project is not very significant. Hence the sense ofsatisfaction these entrepreneurs are deriving from the project is influenced by two other importantfactors such as, expectation of future recovery of the investment and the opportunity of participation in

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the project to develop the existing entrepreneurial abilities, as observed in the study.

• Infrastructure: The Kerala government prescribed certain specifications pertaining to the infrastructurerequirements like building 400 Sq. ft, five computers, training of 40 trainees per day, appointment ofminimum five trainers for the center. There is no uniformity in the opinion expressed by the entrepreneursin both the districts regarding the capacity to meet the requirements. Some say they could easily meetthese requirements yet others say that though they could not meet them immediately, they are hopeful tomeet the requirements within a short period after entering into the contract, as is revealed by the table-12.

• Owning of computer center: The data in table 13 highlights that there is a close association betweenowning a computer center before joining the project and the capacity to meet the infrastructurespecifications made by the government for starting the Akshaya centers. Hence H

0 is rejected. This

throws light on the fact that entrepreneurs who have already owned a computer center were able to meetthese specifications easily, as per the prescribed norms of the government, compared to those who didnot own a computer centre prior to joining the project.

5. Leaning points

The following factors illustrate the success factors of implementation of the Akshaya project and thedevelopment of the entrepreneurship among the people in the rural areas.

• Initiation for implementation of the project came from the villagers and moved upwards to the Stateauthorities, making it easy for the IT dept of the state to implement the project.

• Active involvement of local bodies and three level panchayat’s in implementation of the project iscontributing to achieving the expected results, besides paving the way for identifying the novel forcesfor strengthening of the project.

• Involvement of local educated unemployed youth as private entrepreneurs is the assurance factor forsustenance of the project. It has contributed to mitigate the ill effects of unemployment at local levelbesides promoting the entrepreneurship development.

• Establishment of broadband network for providing connectivity to different Akshaya centers in all theareas.

• Simultaneous selection, training and motivation of the entrepreneurs has resulted in bridging the timegap between the idea conception and implementation.

• Government conceding the plea of local bodies and revoking the transfer orders issued to one of the keyofficials to the project, at the crucial stage of project’s launching.

• Government lending all needed support to entrepreneurs for raising loans to set up Akshaya centers.


The Akshaya project, which is an ambitious e-literacy programme of the Kerala State, has proved thatInformation Technology implementation in rural areas can promote entrepreneurship development. The projecthas activated the dormant talent of the educated unemployed youth in the rural areas. It has shown them thepath to earn income, and thus, served as a pioneering step in preventing the brain drain. The projectimplementation also provides an ample scope to reduce the growing levels of frustration and suicidal tendenciesamong the rural unemployed youth. The study of the relationship between application of InformationTechnology and entrepreneurship development in the rural areas revealed that participation of females in lessdeveloped regions is not very active; steps are to be taken to involve them actively in the implementation ofIT related projects. As married people are more among the entrepreneurs, status of marriage can be used asa source for encouraging entrepreneurship. Participation of entrepreneurs with more educational qualificationthan required, testifies the fact that there is rampant unemployment of educated youth in the rural areas.

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Deployment of IT would go a long way in solving the problem as is revealed by the project. The study alsobrought to light that there is lot of entrepreneurial talent lying idle in rural areas and unearthing this is thecurrent requirement of the day. It is also highlighted in the study that non-availability of opportunities alonemake people remain underdeveloped and not their attitudes. For bringing about balanced economicdevelopment, providing an opportunity to utilize the locally available talent particularly in less developedregions is considered essential. Adoption of new technology, as demonstrated through the implementationof the Akshaya project, has resulted in increase in the income of the entrepreneurs. The explosive growth ofinformation technology presents new opportunities as well as challenges to entrepreneurs even in ruralareas.

For citizens, the opening of Akshaya e-centers has brought an opportunity to become part of the currentknowledge revolution, besides bringing about a great technological transformation to the district. Movingfrom a manual to electronic process with broadband technology as an enabler, for not only bridging thedigital divide, but also ushering in the entrepreneurship development, the State of Kerala has set an example,which is worthy of emulation.

The entrepreneurs have to formulate, develop, and implement new strategies and innovations into theirbusiness. Because of the rapid acceleration of technology, the ability to respond quickly to changes as wellas to forge new relationships can be one of the several ways in which rural entrepreneurs can bring aboutrevolutionary new ideas into their businesses and electronic marketplace. This way they will be creating newmodels of entrepreneurial behavior and performance.

Acknowledgements

The author submits this work at the Lotus Feet of Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba, whose unseen blessingsand grace guided her in all the endeavors. The author expresses her deep sense of gratitude to Sri Sathya SaiInstitute of Higher Learning, her parent Institution, for encouraging her to take up the on-going UGC sponsoredMajor Research Project and to the UGC for supporting the project financially. The present paper constitutesa part of the above project. The author acknowledges the excellent support extended by the IT Mission ofKerala, and the concerned authorities of Akshaya Project in Malappuram and Calicut districts, in writing thispaper. Special thanks are due from the author, to Prof. K.L.A.P Sharma, Department of Statistics, S.K University,Anantapur, for his constant guidance in Statistical Analysis pertaining to the paper.

References

1 Archibald Jacqueline et al. (2005).“The Gender Politics of ICT”, London: Middlesex University Press.

2 Autor David, Lawrence Katz and Alan Krueger (1998). “Computing Inequality: Have Computers Changedthe Labor Market?” The Quarterly Journal of Economics. 113:4, 1169-214.

3 Bell Daniel, (1973). “The coming of the post- industrial society: a venture in social forecasting.Harmondsworth,Penguin.

4 Bitler Marianne P, (2002). “Does PC Use Pay? Computers and Small Business Performance,” RANDworking Paper.

5 Bitler Marianne, Alicia Robb and John Wolken, (2001). “Financial Services Used by Small Businesses:Evidence from the 1998 Survey of Small Business Finances” Federal Reserve Bulletin, Vol. 87, April2001.

6 Buckley Patricia and Sabrina Montes. (2002) “Main Street in the Digital Divide Age: How Small andMedium-Sized Businesses are Using the Tools of the New Economy,” U.S. Department of Commerce,Economics and Statistics Administration, Washington, D.C.: USGPO.

7 Fink C. and C.J. Kenny (2003). ‘Whither the digital divide?’. Washington, DC, World Bank.

8 Haraway Donna (2000). ‘A manifesto for cyborgs: science, technology, and socialist feminism in the1980s’.

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9 Hafkin Nancy and Sophia Huyer (2006). “Cinderella or Cyberella? Empowering Women in the KnowledgeSociety”, Bloomfield, CT: Kumarian Press.

10 Haltiwanger John. (2004) “What do we know (and not know) about the contribution of young businessesto economic growth,” Presentation at the Entrepreneurship in the 21st Century Conference, March 26,2004, U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Advocacy.

11 Modoux A. (2002). ‘The ‘digital divide’ could lead to a gigantic ‘cyber ghetto’ in developingCountries’.Geneva.

12 Cecilia and Swasti Mitter, (2005). “Gender and the Digital Economy: Perspectives from the DevelopingWorld”, London: Sage Publications Pvt., Ltd.

About the Author

Ch. Radhakumari Ph.D; is currently working as a Reader in the department of Commerce, Sri SathyaSai Institute of Higher Learning, Anantapur Campus, Anantapur. Securing National Merit Scholarship forher Master’s programme and 1st rank in M.Com, She has presented papers in various National andInternational conferences; besides having journal articles to her credit. Developing interest in the e-governance area, she is currently working on a Major Research Project titled “Models of e-governance &implementation-a comparative study of three Southern States of India-Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka andKerala”, sponsored by the University Grants Commission of India.

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Annexure-I —Data tables—Z test for testing the significant difference between two means

SD 471.5886272 SD 419.1385014Total 2450 Total 1625Mean 49 Mean 32.5S 21.10363863Z 3.909278463**

Calicut Mallapuram Income per Annum (Rs)

Mid Values Count X1 Count X2

< 25000 12.5 11 137.5 17 212.5 25000 to 50000 37.5 19 712.5 26 975 50000 to 75000 62.5 6 375 7 437.5 > 75000 87.5 14 1225 0 0

Table 1: Income Earned Before Joining The Project

Table 2: Prior Period & Post Period Income Relating To Project

Calicut Mallapuram Income per Annum (Rs)


< 25000 12.5 16 200 11 137.5 25000 to 50000 37.5 18 675 7 262.5 50000 to 75000 62.5 4 250 1 62.5 > 75000 87.5 0 0 2 175

SD 283.8536888 SD 83.15084185Total 1125 Total 637.5Mean 22.5 Mean 12.75S 18.7482291Z 2.600245588**

Table 3: Quantum Of Investment And Source Of Investment

Calicut Mallapuram Investment in Lakhs


0 to 1 0.5 1 0.5 10 5 1 to 2 1.5 30 45 15 22.5 2 to 3 2.5 14 35 16 40 3 to 4 3.5 6 21 9 31.5

SD 19.28460094 SD 14.98054294Total 101.5 Total 99Mean 2.03 Mean 1.98S 14.80579449Z 0.016885281

Table 4: Opinion Regarding Recovery Of Investment

Calicut Mallapuram Months Mid Values Count X1 Count X2

0 - 12 6 28 168 11 66 12 - 24 18 9 162 7 126 24 - 36 30 5 150 4 120 36 - 48 42 5 210 9 378 48 - 60 54 3 162 19 1026

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SD 23.08246087 SD 400.3938061Total 852 Total 1338Mean 17.04 Mean 26.76S 14.86978414Z -3.268372932**

Table 5: Prior Period Occupation & Quantum Of Investment



0-1 0.5 0 0 9 4.5 1-2 1.5 21 31.5 28 42 2-3 2.5 18 45 4 10 3-4 3.5 11 38.5 9 31.5

SD 19.94367068 SD 17.70593121Total 115 Total 88Mean 2.3 Mean 1.76S 14.81691889Z 0.18222412

Table 6: Amount Of Investment & Percentage Recovered



0-1 0.5 3 1.5 1 0.5 1-2 1.5 19 28.5 29 43.5 2-3 2.5 19 47.5 14 35 3-4 3.5 9 31.5 6 21

SD 19.08533468 SD 18.78385832Total 109 Total 100Mean 2.18 Mean 2S 14.80242944Z 0.06080083

Table 7: Quantum Of Investment & Opinion On Future Recovery



0-1 0.5 10 5 1 0.5 1-2 1.5 15 22.5 29 43.5 2-3 2.5 16 40 14 35 3-4 3.5 9 31.5 6 21

SD 14.98054294 SD 18.78385832Total 99 Total 100mean 1.98 Mean 2S 14.73294001Z -0.006787512

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Table 8: Prior Period Occupation And Source Of Knowledge About The Project

Friends & Relations Media Newspapers Source Occupation Mal Cal Z Mal Cal Z Mal Cal Z Self-Employment

5 4 0.349428266 10 10 0 8 15 -1.663369656

Private Employment

1 1 0 1 7 -2.211629152* 15 6 2.20962882*

Inherited Family Business

3 2 0.458831459 4 1 1.376494408 3 4 -0.391930878

Table 9: Nativity Of Pe’s And Source Of Knowledge About The Project

Friends & Relations Media Newspapers Source Nativity

Mal Cal

Z Mal

Cal

Z Mal Cal Z

Belong to the area

7 4 0.958804131 13 15 -0.445435405 23 19 0.810440898

Do not belong to the area

2 2 0 1 3 -1.020620704 3 3 0

Migrated for Project

0 1 -1.005037785 1 0 1.005037785 0 3 -1.758631229

Table 10: Prior Period Occupation And Personal Means For Investment

Self Funds Confidence In Getting Loans

Confidence in Govt. Support for Loan

Personal Means Occupation Mal Cal Z Mal Cal Z Mal Cal Z Small Business 12 12 0 10 10 0 7 7 0 Computer Centre 5 5 0 4 4 0 4 4 0 Inherited Business

2 2 0 4 4 0 2 2 0

Table 11: Income Earned And The Satisfaction Derived

With Satisfaction Without Satisfaction Viewed as an Opportunity

Satisfaction Income Mal Cal Z Mal Cal Z Mal Cal Z

Increase 16 14 -0.436435759

13 14 0.225245789 29 28 -0.201989293

No Increase

6 10 1.091089487 15 12 0.675737381 21 22 0.201989293

Table 12: Opinion Expressed Regarding Meeting Govt. Specifications

Districts Opinion Mal Cal Z

At the time of Agreement 46 31 3.56436348** After the Agreement 4 19 -3.56436348**

TABLE 13: Prior Period Ownership And Meeting The RequirementsAt the time of Agreement

After the Agreement Meeting Specifications

Ownership Mal Cal Z Mal Cal Z Small Business 23 24 -0.200360969 3 18 3.682714462** Computer Centre 23 6 3.746456861** 1 2 -0.58621037

E-sahayata: Integrated Citizen Information and Service Centers

Susant Kumar Panda1, Susanta Kumar Mohapatra1, Lalatendu Dash1, Jagannath Prasad Bakshi1, KartikChandra Panda2 and Ajit Kumar Pattanayak3

ABSTRACT

Government of Orissa has embarked on major initiatives of ushering in e-Governance inGovernment-to-Citizens (G2C) & Government-to-Business (G2B) domains. This is being done toimprove service delivery to both external & internal stakeholders, i.e the common man, thebusiness enterprises and the government employees. GoO’s flagship e-governance project, e-Sahayata - is the unified IT-enabled service and information delivery system. The vision ofeSahayata is to provide multiple technology-driven user interfaces spread throughout the statebut unified through a common web-enabled portal. The service to citizens is provided throughan integrated system of government/ private/ ngo owned and managed e-Sahayata centres equippedwith touch-screen kiosks & service counters.

Keywords: E-governance, E-government, G2C, G2G, G2B, Information, Service, Public Private Partnership,Location codes, Internet, SAN, Single Window Service Counter, Grievance Redressal, Office ProcedureAutomation

1. Introduction

E-governance initiatives in India has taken a giant stride with the launching of the National e-governancePlan (NeGP). The plan seeks to create the right governance and institutional mechanism towards ensuringcitizen-centricity by adopting suitable standards and best practices. Under NeGP, a number of missionmode projects are being implemented throughout the country. Moreover, a number of independent initiativesare also underway in various states. eSahayata is one of the major e-governanve initiative in the state ofOrissa being implemented through National Informatics Centre, Orissa State Unit.

Similar eGovernance initiatives are also underway in other states. The important projects are; (i)SETU:Integrated Citizen Facilitation Centres of Maharashtra, (ii) eMitra (Lokmitra & Janmitra) of Rajasthan, (iii)eSeva: Integrated Citizen Services of Andhra Pradesh, (iv) FRIENDS: Fast, Reliable, Instant, Efficient, Networkfor Disbursement of Services, Kerala.

E-sahayata is an integrated single-window based Information and Service delivery system to offer variouspublic related information and services (Figure 1). The information to be offered includes the informationabout the on-going public-oriented projects and the information needed to be provided under the rights toinformation act. The services includes all common services offered to the public by various departments ofthe government. In addition, e-sahayata also includes ‘Computerisation of related govt processes’, ‘Grievance/

1 National Informatics Centre Orissa State Unit, Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India2 National Informatics Centre District Unit, Khordha, Orissa, India3 National Informatics Centre District Unit, Keonjhar, Orissa, India

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complaint redressal’, and ‘Govt. office procedure automation” under its scope.

The philosophy of e-Sahayata is to offer SMART (Simple, Moral, Accountable, Responsive and Timely)e-governance to all the stakeholders using the latest state-of-the-art Information and CommunicationTechnologies.

2. e-Sahayata System

The objective of eSahayata is to primarily provide all the required information and services to citizensthrough eSahayata centres located throughout the state. eSahayata also aims to cater to the needs of theGovernment machinery by handling the office and inter-office automation needs.

The KIOSK would also provide information on guidelines for obtaining any e-sahayata related service,services related information and application status.

The list of services, their specified delivery time and the documents & fees to be submitted is displayed(Table -1) at the service counter for public intimation.

List of Services for eSahayata

• Collectorate (Grievance Redressal, Marriage Certificate, Ration Card, Name addition / Deletion / Correctionin Voter List, ROR Certified Copy, Application for Mutation, Sanction amount from CM relief fund,

Fig.1

Pension for old age / widow / physical handicap, Procedure of tree cutting Permission, Income Certificate,Caste Certificate, Nativity Certificate, Residential Certificate, Allotment of Land for Public use, Demarkation,Conversion of agriculture land, Arms License, Explosive License, Appointment of Small Savings Agent,Society Registration)

• Jila Parishad / DRDA (Loan sanction under Swarn Jayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana )• Transport (Driving Learner License, Permanent License, Renewal of License, Duplicate License)• Municipality Services (House Tax Deposition, Payment of Lease Money, Birth & Death Registration,

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Susant Kumar Panda et. al. / E-sahayata: Integrated Citizen Information and Service Centers ....

Information Currently Provided

Sl No Application G2C Features G2G Features 1 eSahayata (Information)

Provided through Information KIOSK at eSahayata centres & eSahayata Portal

Get all relevant citizen-centric information. Provide feedback on Govt. plan & schemes

Facilitate creating digital govt data repository & helps in analysis

eSahayata (Services) Provided through eSahayata centre counters & eSahayata portal

Single-window based services delivery within stipulated time period

Computerisation of the concerned departments’ back-office applications related to eSahayata services & information

2 eSahayata- JANAVANI Provided through eSahayata centres & eSahayata Portal

Lodging of grievances, monitoring of status & sending reminder

Online redressal & pendency status monitoring and analysis for better service delivery

3 eSahayata- Office*Suite Provided through eSahayata portal & accessed from departmental computers

To provide citizens with their application status. Status is also made available trrough eSahayata Information KIOSKs

Address Office Procedure Automation requirements of the departments.

Table 1 : Features and Services

Rent for Hoardings, Hotel License, Grievances for Street Light, Grievances for Sewerage Line)• STA/ OSRTC (Issue of Bus Passes )• PHED (New Connection, Payment of Bills, Meter Change, Complaint Regarding Billing Issue )• Registration & Stamps (Copy of Registration Documents, E.C, Valuation, License to stamp vendor &

deed writer )

e-Sahayata Janavani - An eGovernance Oriented Public Grievance Redressal Initiative

The Objective of Janavani is to provide an Internet based Grievance Redressal & Information interface forthe Citizens. Janavani aims to capitalise on the emerging Information & Communication Technology (ICT)framework to provide Efficient, Effective, Accountable, Responsive and Transparent Grievance RedressalSystem to the public. Janavani is a pioneering attempt to usher in the era of e-governance in the variousdistricts of Orissa.

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JANAVANI has been developed considering the needs of the common citizens in terms of not onlylodging the grievance but also to help them see the online status. Moreover, it aslo attempts to integrate theconcerned administrative functions in the same unified application. Thus JANAVANI provides both G2Cand G2G eGovernance features.

For Citizens

(i) Lodging of Grievance, (ii)Grievance status check, and (iii)Sending reminder For Government – OIC,Grievance

(i) Grievance Marking, (ii)Departmental Actions, (iii)Grievance Forwarding, (iv)Reminder/DO Letter ,(v)Grievance Disposal, (vi)Grievance Monitoring and (vii) Printing of Grievances

For Government – Redressing Officials

(i) Viewing Grievances Received, (ii)Entering Interim Actions, (iii)Entering Final Actions, (iv)Printing ofGrievances

For Government – Monitoring Functionalities

Checking of Pendency Status( Department wise, Grievance type (CM/VIP/Gen) wise, Pendency type(before deadline/after Reminder/DO) wise, Period wise )

Analysis of Grievance Compliance( Department wise, Grievance type (CM/VIP/Gen) wise, Period wise)

e-Sahayata Office*Suite – An integrated office procedure automation application

The objective of e-Sahayata Office*Suite is to computerise the various office prcedures such as file/document related transactions, maintenance of registers and help create a digital office repository of thevarious orders, circulars, notifications, decisions, minutes etc.

e-Sahayata Govt. Feeder Applications – All government backend applications contributing informationand providing services for eSahayata

eSahayata cannot be truely functional in a sustainable way unless all the related backend applications ofthe various goverment departments are computerised. This is needed as these applications would providethe required information and services through the eSahayata portal. These applications would also be web-enabled and inter-operability with the eSahayata portal would be provided through web services.

3. Implementational Approach of E-sahayata

The implementational approach for eSahayata is based on the best practices employed in various successfule-governance projects. The broad parameters of eGovernance such as (i)Service orientation, (ii)Technology,(iii)Sustainability, (iv)Cost effectiveness, and (v)Replicability has been kept in mind while chalking out thephase-wise implemetational plan. The eSahayata centres would be operationalised through PPP (Publicprivate partnership) with BOO/BOOT options. The back-office departmental applications would becomputerised and managed by the concerned departments while the frontend part would be taken care bydepartments/outsourced as required. The management of the project would be handled at the State & thedistrict level. The state level committee would take care of policy, funding issues, capacity building andprocess re-engineering & change management. The district level committee would handle the detailed execution& operation & monitoring of the project in their respective districts. Interoperablity of eSahayata with relatedweb enabled departmental backoffice applications would be achived through the use of Web services. Theproject would be implemented through a multilingual and web-enabled state portal with secure SAN baseddata storage. The project would make use of the on-going State Wide Area Network (SWAN) project. ACompaison with other rainlar Projects is givern in Table -2.

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e-Sahayata project was conceptualised by S.K.Lohani, IAS, Collector & District Magistrate, Keonjhar inthe Staff Meeting of Collectorate on 1st January,2005 and it was implemented in the month on June,2005 in thedistrict. Hon’ble M.P(Lok Sabha), Keonjhar Sri Ananta Nayak provided Rs. 5.0 lakh out of his MPLAD fund

Integrated Services

Integrated Information

RTI Enabled

eSahayata Yes Yes No, under planning

Ye

eSeva Yes No No NoeMitra Yes Yes No NoSETU Yes No No Ye

Table 2

for purchase of hardware and for site preparation of Citizen Information Centre. It was inaugurated on 15th

August,2005 and is successfully functioning since then.

The project is currently operational at Keonjhar, Dhenkanal, Koraput. Implementation is in process forJagatsinghpur, Jharsuguda, Rayagada and Sambalpur districts of Orissa. JANAVANI is operational at all theblocks and district HQ of Khurda. IVRS integration for Janavani is comtemplated. Office*Suite applicationis currently under development.

4. Outcomes & Achievements

Information on usage is only available for the eSahayata centre at Keonjhar (Table -3). Till date, as per thetable given below, around 12000 people have availed these services on time and without any harassment. Allthey had to do was to file an application along with requisite application fee at the counter and received theservice within the prescribed time frame. Similarly e-Sahayata touch screen window has also been visitedmore than 18000 times in the last one year to access various kinds of information. The huge number of visitorsto the e-Sahayata Citizen Information Centre in such a short span of time for accessing the services and theinformation is no doubt an exceptional achievement for the project and speaks for itself the utility andrelevance of the project for the common citizen of Keonjhar.

e-Sahayata has brought about a total change in the mindset of Government servants who are now moresensitized to the needs of the common man and have become more responsive and prompt. This is also

Status of applications received as on 30.07.2006.

No. of ApplSERVICE TYPE Received Under

Process R

Driving Licence(M/C) 1475 20 Regn.of Two Wheelers 3815 60 Nationality Certificate 9 2

Explosive Licence (New) 39 1 Society Registration 1 1 Gun Licence (New) 127 127

Encrumbance Certificate (EC) 1121 10 Small Savings Agent Licence 31 4

Driving Licence(LMV) 1615 24 CertifiedCopy(Record Room) 2467 360 Driving Licence(LMV& MC) 1030 20

Building Plan Approval 108 22 Total 11838 651

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changed the perception of the people about the Government departments who were earlier seen as unfriendly,unapproachable and insensitive.

Some of the key benefits of the project are listed as follows;

• Single window based integrated service delivery• Availability of relevant information co-located with service delivery• Timely delivery of services• Reduction of the harassment caused to the people by eliminating the role of touts /middlemen.• Ensuring a transparent and corruption free interaction between citizens and administration.• Ensuring easy access to information.• Saving the time, energy and money of the citizens as well as of the government.• Streamlining the internal processes in the Government offices and making them more standardised,

accountable and responsive.

A number of significant lessons have been learnt during the implementation of eSahayata and also fromthe experience of others. The single most important lesson is make the project politically relevant bytransforming the process of governance so as to deliver maximal visible benefits to the citizens. The need forstrong political will backed-up with a administrative champion was also felt. Arangement of timely fundingand a judicious and sustainable phasing out of the project is also crucial. Bridging the digital divide was oneof the most difficult lesson. Government office process re-engineering and change management are also twoof the key lessons most important but difficult to address, as discovered during the implementation of theproject, and in eSahayata we have barely scratched the surface in this regard.


eSahayata, being one of the first of its kind in Orissa, naturally encounters a number of challenges andopportunities. The recommended eGovernance best practices has immensely helped in forging ahead despitethe challenges. Though significant road-blocks are still to be handled, the success of the project is ensuredby the political will and administrative championship currently available. This project compares quitefavourably with the similar projects being underway in other states. A distinctive feature of eSahayata is theplanned proactive disclosure of information within and beyond the RTI ACT, 2005. In the future it is plannedto accept the RTI application and provide statutory information under RTI at the eSahayata centres. Theuniqueness of this system lies in its holistic view, service orientation, flexibility, maintainability & replicability.The system carries a lot of promise in spearheading the eGovernance initiatives in Orissa.

References

1 Good Governance through ICT, National Informatics Centre, 2006.

2 INDIA: E-Readiness Assessment Report 2003, MIT, Govt of India, 2003.

3 URL: The e-government Handbook for Developing Countries. Available at http://www.cdt.org/egov/handbook/2002-11-14egovhandbook.pdf Accessed July 15, 2006.

4 URL: E-Governance asessment Frameworks (EAF Version 2.0). Available at http://www.mit.gov.in/eg/home.asp. Accessed July 20, 2006.

5 URL: eSeva project of Andhra Pradesh. Available at http://www.esevaonline.com Accessed July 20,2006.

7 URL: SETU project of Maharashtra. Available at http://setu.maharashtra.gov.in Accessed July 20, 2006.

8 URL: FRIENDS (Fast, Reliable, Instant, Efficient Network for Disbursement of services), Kerala. Availableat http://www.keralastateitmission.org Accessed July 20, 2006.

9 URL: eMitra project of Rajasthan. Available at http://www.emitra.gov.in Accessed July 20, 2006.

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About the Authors

Susant Kumar Panda has done his B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from N.I.T, Calicut in 1982 andM.Tech in Industrial Management from IIT Kharagpur in 1987. Since 1990 he has been working atNatioanl informatics Centre, Orissa State Unit at Bhubaneswar. He is currently working as a SeniorTechnical Director & Head of Orissa State Unit. He is in charge of all the activities being done by NIC inthe state of Orissa. He may be contacted at [email protected] and his phone No is 91-674-2500980

Susanta Kumar Mohapatra has done his B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from I.I.T, Kharagpur in1985 and M.Tech in Computer & Information Sciences from Hyderabad Central University in 1987. Since1988 he has been working at Natioanl informatics Centre, Orissa State Unit at Bhubaneswar. He iscurrently working as a Technical Director and is in charge of a number of initiatives such as the Landrecords computerisation project and the e-governance initiatives such as e-Sahayata and Janavani inOrissa.

Kartik Chandra Panda has done his M.Sc & Diploma in Computer Science in 1984 & 1986 respectivelyfrom Utkal University. He has done his MBA from IGNOU in 1996 and currently doing PhD in BusinessAdminstartion in Utkal University. Since 1996 he has been working at Natioanl informatics Centre,Khordha. He is currently working as the District Informatics Officer (DIO) and is in charge of all theinitiatives done at the district level. He has pioneered the Janavani project and has implemented the samesuccessfully at his district.

Ajit KumarPattnaik has done his M.Sc. in 1987 and M.Phil in 1988 from Utkal University. He didPGDCA from Alagappa University, Karaikudi in 1992 in Distance Education. Joined in NIC in 1988 andat present working as District Informatics Officer (DIO) at Keonjhar. He has pioneered eSahayata andcurrently working on a number of e-governance initiatives in his district.

Lalatendu Dash has done his M.Sc & Diploma in Computer Science in 1987 & 1989 from UtkalUniversity & College of Engg. & Technology respectively. He has done his MCA from IGNOU in 2000.Since 1989 he has been working at Natioanl informatics Centre, Orissa State Unit at Bhubaneswar. He islooking after the ICT initiaves in Natural Calamity & Public Health sectors. He is also involved in theeSahayata Poject.

Jagannath Prasad Bakshi has done his Msc in Physics from Utkal University and subsequentlydone MBA from the same University. Joined NIC in 1997 and since 2001 he has been working at Nationalinformatics Centre, Orissa State Unit at Bhubaneswar. He is currently working as a System Analyst andis involved in projects such as the Land records computerisation project and the e-governance initiativessuch as e-Sahayata and Janavani in Orissa.

Rural e-Sevaa project empowering citizens through information technology

C. S. R. Prabhu1* and N.S. Sathya Sai Baba1

ABSTRACT

The Rural e-seva is an effort to bring government close to the people rather it makes governmentpossible by the people. It is an effort to deliver various G2C and C2C services to the citizens inrural areas. Under this project web enabled rural kiosks termed e Seva kendrams have beenestablished at the mandal (a sub district unit of administration) level. The fully computerized eseva kendrams are on a district wide network connected through the dial up circuits and interactwith the district server that act as a remote access server. In order to save on the networkingcost, project has developed a unique synchronization tool that allows the kiosks to work offlineand allows the databases to be periodically synchronized in minimal time. This has huge potentialfor replication in hinterland elsewhere and should be considered as the USP of this Porject.

Keywords: E-governance, G - C, Rural services

1. Introduction

The e-Seva Kendram runs on a district portal (http://www.westgodavari.org) that allows access to variouscitizen centric services. These services range from the issuance of various certificates to getting informationabout various programmes and also go to the extent of networking citizens to each other and allow them theflexibility and convenience of mutually beneficial transactions. The horizontal portal is eventually put on theglobal World Wide Web and thus allows vertical integration with the expanding frontiers of universalknowledge and information bank. The project allows access to hitherto marginalized communities and thereforehelps bridge the existing information gaps and is a step towards digital unite. One unique thing about thisexperiment is that all these centers are run by the women self help groups, a movement that has been gaininggrounds by the day in this district. The project thus provides Information leadership to these groups andhelps them act as change agents and makes it possible for them to grow in strength and stature with theproject. As a result, the self help groups are drawing strength from the project and on the other handbuttressing the project with their existing strengths, a win-win situation for the twosome.

There is also a myth under circulation that the Information Technology solution is anti poor and is anunaffordable luxury to nations like India. One has to only realize that information technology is only a toolthat influences the objective and if the objective is to make the system more transparent, open and accountable,there is no way it can be anti poor. Most of the rural areas suffer on account of lack of right informationregarding the markets, products, agriculture, health, weather, education etc and if all this can be addressed

1 National Informatics Centre (NIC), Hyderabad 500063, India*Corresponding Author : (Email: [email protected]).

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C. S. R. Prabhu and N.S. Sathya Sai Baba / Rural e Seva a project empowering ....

through connectivity and information technology, a sea change can be brought in the conditions of therural communities. This is why creation of a knowledge and information economy can bring in moreopportunities and thereby prosperity to the impoverished areas than any other rhetoric. The project recognizesthat and envisages that all the villages can become knowledge hubs and gain symbiotically from each otherand derive benefits from the global networks.

2. Services Offered

Online filing of Complaints and grievances

Governments enter into the daily lives of the citizens in many ways. There is a fair degree of discontentamongst the citizens about the delivery of these services. The craving for better services couldn’t have beenstronger. Everybody wants an outlet to report their individual or communal grievance and would be veryhappy if the same is attended to with alacrity and promptness. The project allows citizens to file theirgrievance in these centres. Every grievance is acknowledged and transferred online for bringing in field levelaction. Grievances have been territorially and functionally categorised allowing ease of registration. EveryGrievance is given a unique Number (year – mandal code- serial Number) for easy retrieval to monitor and toknow the status. As the grievance is uniquely numbered and recorded in real time in the central database,there is no way it can miss the attention of the concerned. Registered grievances can be easily monitored byconcerned departments by logging with their user id and passwords specifically assigned to them. Everygrievance becomes monitorable at the highest level leading to prompt and effective redressal. The real timesummary statistics and performance summary statement of the individual departments can be seen andverified. The citizens can verify and track the status of its disposal online. The project works on the principlethat the citizen need not go himself to the authorities if someone can carry his grievance and in this case if atelephone wire can do that, where is the need for them to act otherwise? The Citizens now need not wait ifthere is a drinking water problem or a non functioning Fair Price Shop or a government functionary not doinghis duty. All this is only one click away now. Over 15000 different grievances relating to various departmentshave been received from the citizens, over 14000+ of them pertaining to various problems have been redressed

Online Application Registration

There are host of areas where the citizens approach various tiers and areas of governments for gettingbenefit out of various government programmes. These areas range from getting a loan under self employmentschemes to applying for an old age pension or asking for subsidized agricultural inputs. Instead of movingfrom offices to offices and getting harsh responses, the citizens just need to come to the kiosk and applyonline. They get their acknowledgement number and the rest is taken care of. The module provides for onlineforwarding, transmission, handling and disposal of such requests and would therefore minimize the disposaltime and the concomitant citizen effort to get their cases redressed. The interconnectivity and linkage withthe citizen database also helps in weeding out bogus and repeat cases. The old age pensions being given inthis project were computerized and put on the project website along with the photographs and the citizenidentification number helping the administration weed out over 7000 bogus names saving over Rs. 7 millionyearly for the state.

Issuance of Certificates

There are many kinds of certificates that the citizens need from the governments, the important amongthem is the integrated caste, nativity and income certificate. The Citizen now need not go the MandalRevenue Office and can apply directly at the Kendram, from where the request is transmitted online; thecertificates are prepared and made available to the applicant at the kiosk itself without any inconvenience and

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without any drudgery of sifting through offices.The project also provides for the issuance of deaths andbirths certificates in all those cases where the time for getting from the respective gram panchayats hasexpired. The philosophy behind this intervention is that Citizen always loathes approaching a governmentdepartment for the fear of getting discourteous treatment and being subjugated to corrupt practices. Theproject therefore improves upon this interface and expects them to come to a centre run by their own peers,a place that is much more accountable, open, transparent and subject to public scrutiny. Over 400000 certificateshave so far been issued to the citizens that tantamount to a saving of over Rs. 30 million to the citizens, anindirect cost that the hapless citizen incurs due to rampant corruption in issuance of such certificates.

Issuance of Land Records

The plan document of the Seventh Five Year Plan rightly opined, “Land records form the base for all landreforms and therefore regular periodic updating of land records is essential in all states”. The informationrelating to land plays a very important role. These may include primary information about land presented interms of its geological information like the shape, size, land forms, soils; economic information related to landuse, irrigation and crops; and the information pertaining to the legal rights, registration and taxation. Themanual system of land records maintenance was highly opaque wherein the land records were maintained bythe village accountants and therefore there was a situation of virtual monopoly of village accountants overthese records. Records were not open to public scrutiny and were updated many a times only on variousconsiderations. Many a times farmers faced harassment and extortion for not only provision of land recordsto them by the village officials but also for processing requests for change in land title. On many occasionssuch delay was unintentional. Even if a village accountant was willing to give such records in time, he was notavailable when farmers wanted him most as he was manning more than 4-5 villages. Therefore, there was nocertainty about timely availability of such records when a farmer required them. Land Records containvarious useful data like soil type, Irrigation details, trees, crops grown, crop yield etc. All such data is veryvaluable for various administrative purposes. As data was previously manually maintained, it was not possibleto collate and analyze such data resulting into mine of such useful data not being used in any meaningful way.However keeping this in view the land records in the state have been computerized and all the mandalrevenue offices now maintain these records. But despite the availability of computerized database, no publicoutreach to this database was put into place. Further validation of data was also not properly done leading toerrors in database. The printed records were distributed to the farmers without proper validation and theupdation or any use of the database was mostly forgotten. The process of mutation (change in land title) wasalso very cumbersome. Applications were being given to Mandal office/ village officials who virtually enjoyeddiscretion of either processing them or not. As records were maintained in decentralised manner, there was noreporting mechanism available at the district level about the pendency of such applications. Lack of anymonitoring mechanism in the manual system makes farmers amenable to all pressures from the hierarchy ofthe Department. The project has casted this data into the public domain to support development of a citizencentric land records system. The result is evolution of a transparent and effective land record deliverysystem which fully addresses the insecurities and concerns of the farmers.

The farmers now approach the kiosks and can ask for the Land Records abstract for the Fasali for whichJamabandi has been done (Viz. 1410) and get that instantly. In these Kiosks farmers can see their land relatedinformation without any intervention or help They can also apply for the latest extracts and their request istransmitted online to the Mandal Revenue Office which sends the prepared extract to the centre within thetime frame stipulated under the citizen charter. The monitoring of such requests and their disposal at thehigher levels ensure timely compliance and greatly benefits the citizens. Besides this, they can also lodgerequest for mutation to their land records (change in land title) at the computerised kiosks, get acknowledgementfor the same and can monitor the progress at the Kendrams. They then get their updated land record in a fixed

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time frame without the need of approaching any authority. As against earlier time of 70-200 days, mutationnow require less than 30 days, that too without going to any government office. It is also envisaged to havea fully online system to carry out mutations on land records data and the manual changes without movingthrough the database are proposed to be banned.Farmers can also get the official status report of theirrequest for mutation which would let them know the stage at which their request is pending. This statusreport helps them in enforcing their right of getting the record mutated in the prescribed time. It is alsoproposed to network the sub registrar offices with the mandal revenue offices so that the changes in titletaking place there is also incorporated in the village accounts within the stipulated time without fail.

Online Auctions and Biddings

One fundamental reason for the rural-urban divide is the lack of well developed markets in the rural areashindering efficient sale and purchase of goods. As a result most of the decisions made by the farmers and therural poor are based on insufficient information and are therefore sub-optimal and in majority of the cases goagainst them. The middlemen present in all such areas therefore are having a field day and the citizens suffer.The project has been trying to fill in these information gaps and allows the citizens the facility to post theirproducts for online auctions at any of the kendrams. They have the convenience of posting their productdetail along with the specifications and the expected price. As this information is shared by other mandalkiosks, online bidding by citizens there is possible giving a beneficial situation to both of them. As the portalis vertically integrated through internet, online queries from other parts can improve the available choices.The kind of products that can be put for auction may include agricultural commodities, farm implements, landor buildings etc, literally anything that a rural household would like to buy or sell in the rural areas. This alsoopens the possibility for the DWACRA and self help groups to market their products directly without anymiddlemen to citizens horizontally within the district and vertically outside. In short, as days go by and as thecitizens get used to this facility, it may trigger a chain reaction for opening up the window of opportunities torural populace to have more informed choices in their trades.

Online Mandi (Market) Rates

Ideally an average household makes a decision before buying or selling the goods and products based onthe information they collect locally. The advent of communication facilities like telephone, television etc havewidened their information base. Nonetheless it would have been much better if they had an easy access tothe rates prevailing as on that moment in various PACS or rythu1 bazaars and other mandis2 within the districtand elsewhere. The Project envisages doing right that. Every kendram uploads the market rates prevailing intheir area which are then available to everybody else. The rates in other markets elsewhere in the state arealso available for the citizens to watch the trends and make the right decision after weighing all options.

Payment of Dues

The citizens require a friendlier environment to pay their dues be it the payment of electricity bills or thetelephone bills or the land revenue. The Kendras offers the facility to the citizens so that while transactingother services, they can clear off their pending accounts as well. The individual departments have the benefitof expeditious collections and can also save on collection costs and at the same time also monitor theircollection performance. In future, payments of private organizations like cellular phones etc can also bedovetailed. Under the project the women self help groups through these e-seva centres have so far collectedover 125067 bills amounting to Rs.48 millions without any hitch.

Easy access to Information

The right to information has now been recognized by the Parliament; Kendras through the District Portalallows access to all kinds of valuable information to the Citizens not just with respect to the government

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Programs but also allows access to the databases like the Old Age Pensions, Ration Cards, Multi PurposeHousehold Survey Records, Beneficiaries under various self employment schemes, Children Database, Civilworks etc. This induces transparency in the implementation of these programs and facilitates weeding outineligible cases so that corresponding benefits can be passed down to the needy. The Project recognizes thatno matter what the rhetoric is, real right to information is possible only if the information is put into the publicdomain and new technologies provide the most cost effective solutions for doing that.

Matrimonial Services

The networking of citizens with each other for mutually beneficial transactions should be the ultimateobjective for a vibrant civil society. Other than the government-citizen services, host of citizen-citizen (C2C)services are being rendered through this project. As part of that, a marriage bureau has been operationalzedso that prospective brides/grooms can place their bio-data eliciting suitable offers and gradually as thingsmove along, a huge record of eligible wed-seekers is created making search for life partners easier and costeffective. The package designed also keeps matching points so that the search is quick, accurate and fast.The facility has been so far utilized by over 250 prospective wed seekers.

Online Civil Supplies Allotment

The Public distribution system through string of fair price shops provides access to the citizens to manyessential commodities. The Project proposes to bring the card holders list into public domain so as to weedout ineligible citizens. There is also a need to prevent frequent movement of FP dealers to various offices.The facility for online stock entry to the dealers through the Kendram is being provided and they also wouldhave the ease to collect allotment orders online from the centre without wading through the civil suppliesoffices and greasing palms at various tables.

Tele medicine

The provision of basic and primary health care is the principal duty of the welfare state. There arehowever many situations when expert advices is needed and instead of the patient traveling all over, therequest can travel on wire and the right prescription can travel back. This also can minimize the citizendependence on the hospitals and their over dependence on quacks. The physical barriers of distance wouldhold no meaning and the gradual linking with other health sites would improve things further.

Tele Agriculture

The district being predominantly agriculture based generates lot of questions related to farm practiceswhich many times go unanswered resulting in incorrect input applications. The portal acts as a round theclock helpline for handling such queries. The only thing farmer needs to do is to come to the centre and placehis question for answer by the expert. Some of these are million dollar questions and a timely redressal canimpinge greatly on the productivity. The farmers would also be able to see the real time weather and accurateforecasts pertaining to their area for planning their agri-practices.

Consumables Management

The management and procurement of consumables required by various wings of administration includingthe Primary Health Centres is being provided through the kendrams. This also would have a bearing onreducing the procurement costs by effecting economies of scale. The cost of procurement would also beavailable for public scrutiny so as to make them more transparent and accountable.

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Forms Download

There are various forms that every department has for use by the citizens. The Kendram acts as a one stopshop for downloading all such forms. Any changes in them would also get reflected in real time.

Citizen Forum

The Kendram through the portal expects to provide a virtual meeting place for the citizens to discussissues relating to the district/villages, its problems and prospective solutions. The citizens can now freelyinteract with each other to post their ideas. This acts as an online forum for them to ventilate their grievances,air their opinions and cause necessary social change. It also provides opportunity to conduct opinion pollson the important topical issues leading to improved decision making. An ideal switch over from a representativedemocracy to popular democracy.

E-education

The digitized inputs on computer enabled education are being made available in these centres so that theanalytical and thinking abilities of the rural students is enriched opening to them the advanced frontiers ofknowledge. The project has tied up with an NGO for the supply of computer enabled CDs, all the centre incharges have been given training about their use. Over 70000 elementary school students are currentlytaking classes thrice in the month at their nearest eseva centre. This also underscores the point that theadvantages of Information Technology cannot be made limited to the few sections of the society and everybodyhas an equal right to access the same. Internet being the world’s biggest library also helps the citizens gainaccess to a brave new world of information.

Common Accounts Keeper for Self Help Groups

The kendram being run by the women self help groups provide a virtual meeting place and a focal point forsynergizing and pooling in their efforts. Instead of individual groups maintaining their own accounts, theyare in a position to use the project computer for maintaining their internal lending records and also to enterinto online transactions with their banks. Some of the banks also propose to put the ATM counters in somekendrams which would further facilitate the groups.

Bulletin Board

The Portal through the kiosks also enables the administration to pass down important socialcommunications and advocacies for broadcast to the communities. Private advertisers can also use thismedium for popularizing their brands. The Citizens can also make use of this facility for sending quickinformation to their near and dear and the SHGs running these kiosks can literally act as a courier service withminimal effort.

3. Management and Process

The project is an initiative taken by the district administration and has a flexible management structure.The project is being directly monitored and headed at the level of the District Collector, the members of thedistrict self employment agencies and the district computer centre are also copartners in this managementteam. The district training centre provides the training and consultancy support to the project and alsoundertakes the responsibility of assessing the competencies of various stakeholders. The district computercentre has a pivotal responsibility in improving upon the project design and also helps in evolving newfeatures and services in the district portal.

One of the objectives of the project has been to improve the transparency and accountability in government

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operations and to demystify the entire process that governs them. The project is a method in achieving thecitizen centering of the various services being offered by the government and also helps in fixing theresponsibilities of the various government departments to follow the citizen charter while delivering theseservices. It also helps in fixing up the accountability of the various departments with respect to the time theytake to react to such citizen requests.

An Information Technology project in order to gain wider acceptability requires the active and willingparticipation of various stakeholders. The various stakeholders in this project viz. the women self helpgroups who come from the lowest socio economic strata have to be rigorously trained not just on the usageof computer but also on the processes which governs the entire project. Besides the initial training, continuousskill upgradation programmes are being taken up to keep them live and updated on various aspects related tothe project. The entire project also depends upon the back office computerization of the various governmentdepartments. Government employees at various levels therefore also needed sensitization and exposure tothe Information Technology needs of their departments and to the project concepts. The capacity buildingof the self help groups was also followed by a strategy to create mass awareness about the project.

The project is being regularly monitored at the district and sub district levels to see that it meets thedesired objectives. The project is being monitored on two levels, one to see that the technology part of theproject is working fine while on the other the beneficiaries of the project viz the women self help groupsperform to the expectations. The success of the project hinges upon the commitment shown by the groupsand also by the extent of their capacity building. The project therefore has a periodic system of assessing thestrengths of the groups managing the kiosks. One of the indicator that is being used is the monthly turnoverthat the kiosks are able to do in financial terms. A kiosk doing better business provides a clear indication ofits popularity amongst the wider cross section of the people. The project also employs the subsidiarymethods of eliciting citizen response through surveys and media perceptions.

4. Results

The project has had a tremendous impact in furthering the gender and digital unite in this district. On theone hand, it has been able to buttress the women self help groups while on the other hand it has been able toprovide the civic services to the citizens in the user friendly and hassle free manner. Ever since the project hasbeen started it is generated tremendous goodwill both for the administration and for the self help groups.

With almost over 80 kiosks operating in the district the project has been able to carryout more than 23 lakhtransactions relating to various C2C and G2C services. These centres have been able to deliver 4 lakhcertificates while an amount of over Rs 600 millions have been collected as electricity bills without any hitch.

All these centres are doing good business and are becoming self sustainable. They are earning anythingbetween Rs 6000 to Rs 15000 per month and are providing tremendous ease to the citizens to access governmentservices. Many of the centres have also been adopting innovative methods of revenue generation. Somebodyhas started doing VoIP while somebody is doing bulk data processing to improve their earnings. They couldmake lot of money for giving the printouts of examination results this year. The students also were happy asthey could get their results in time without moving from corner to corner.

We have also so far received over 15000 different grievances from citizens through this project out ofwhich over 14000 of them pertaining to various problems have been redressed.

The project has helped in the creation of a knowledge and information economy thereby bringing in moreopportunities and prosperity to the impoverished areas of this district. The project has helped villagesbecome knowledge hubs so that they can gain symbiotically from each other and derive benefits from theglobal networks.

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5. Sustainability

The design of the project is as such that it allows all the stakeholders to get adequate return on theirinvestments. All the centres are being run on commercially viable lines and user charges are collected for theservices rendered by the centres. The equipment provided to each centre has also been given on financethrough the banks. An upfront subsidy has also been given in the beginning to minimize the burden on thewomen groups. Once the centre is established, the groups are in a position to not just meet the incidentalexpenses but are also in a position to repay their commitments and to make adequate returns for consumptionand ploughing back into the project. This therefore ensures that each stakeholder gets adequate returnswhich would sustain their interest in the continuance of the project.

The design of the project is also from the ‘demand side’ rather than the ‘supply side’ as far as the citizensare concerned. Most of the services being offered in the project do not require publicity for their acceptanceas the citizens were in any case availing these services before as well albeit with lot of hassles and harassment.That’s the reason why the citizens have accepted this project with folded hands and would not settle foranything lesser in future. The pressure from the citizens would keep the administration on their toes andwould ensure its long term sustainability.

6. Replicability

The design of the project is fairly simple. On the one hand, the project has been able to spread the needfor IT solutions and back end computerization amongst the various government departments while on theother hand has been able to provide access to various government services to the citizens through the kiosksrun by the women self help groups on commercially viable lines. The additional burden on the governmentthrough this project is therefore almost minimal and the investment of the project is shared across the widercross section of the people. That is the reason why the replication of this initiative should not be a problemanywhere else. The project has only taken two months from conception to commissioning because ofinvolvement of multiple stakeholders.

The fully computerized e seva centres are on a district wide network connected through the dial upcircuits and interact with the district server that act as a remote access server. In order to save on thenetworking cost, project has developed a unique synchronization tool that allows the kiosks to work offlineand allows the databases to be periodically synchronized in minimal time. This has huge potential forreplication in hinterland elsewhere and should be considered as the USP of this project.

The project has already been awarded the 1st prize for the National IT Awards 2003 by the ComputerSociety of India.

Annexure I

Two phase training Programmes have been conducted to all the above identified MACTS/SHG/CMEY/SCbeneficiaries at District Computer training Centre- Eluru, APTECH- Eluru and Training and TechnologyDevelopment Centre- Vatluru.

The first Phase Computer Training Programme had following components.

• Introduction to I.T.• Disk operating System.• Internet Concept.• Internet browsing & e-mails• Concepts of Windows & MS Office.

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The Second Phase training had the following curriculum.• Training on the District Portal• Digital Camera Demonstration and Practical.3. Group discussion.4. Lamination Demonstration and Practical..5. Printing Practical.6. Scanning and Photography7. Maintenance of Accounts.8. Behavioral techniques.9. DTP

Annexure II

Highlights of Rural E-seva Project

• Rural e-seva project initiated by the district administration in the year 2002 to bring Government closeto the People.

• 200 rural eseva centres are established in villages• 34 + services are offered through this project.• Marketing facilities are provided for SHG products.• The project has become sustainable .

Achivements

• 40 lakh transaction completed.• Serving 2 lakh people every month.• Rs 85 + crore collected for AP Transco.• 5 lakh certificates are issued.• 70,000 children are benefited through e-Enabled education• 16,000 grievances are addressed 400 men and women are getting employed through this Project and 500

by rural marketing .

Awards

• Project won ‘Golden Icon award’ from Government of India for the year 2004 for best Practices andInnovative operations.

• Project won the ‘CSI National IT Award’ 2002-2003.• Winner of 2003 ICT Stories Competition - Tony Zeitoun Awards• Finalist of the Stockholm Challenge Award

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Annexure III

Project Economics

EXPENDITURE

1. Internet connection charges 200.002. Telephone charges 1,500.003. Electricity charges 600.004. Stationary 1,000.005. Miscellaneous etc 500.00

3,800.06.

Monthly Loan Installment 1,000.00

T O T A L: Rs.4, 800.00

Net Income per Month 4,060.00

Additional Income Possible:

• Digital Camera - Photo identity Cards, Photographs of Beneficiaries and

Assets created under Self Employment Schemes etc.

• STD / PCO

• Xerox Machine

• Govt. Programmes - Education, Food for Work.

• NET Phone (VOIP – Voice on IP)

The Project thus has the possibility of generating sufficient returns to the groups besides giving the citizensaccess to the large range of services.

Annexure V

Services

• Online grievances• Auctions• Certificates• Payments• Consumables• Land records• Mandi rates• Matrimonial service• Civil supplies• Tele medicine

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• Tele Agriculture• Forms Download• Citizen Forum• E-education• Bulletin board• Application registration• Easy access to information• Astrology• ICICI Insurance policies• HLL Consumer Products• Mini library ( Magazines at e-seva)• Passport Application• Employment renewal• Old age pensions• Birth and death• Internet and email facility• Seeds requirements to farmers• Xerox facility• Video conference.• Courier• i-look ( Citizen can submit the views and confidentially)• lamination• Digital Photos• SHG ACCOUNTS

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PROJECT COST ( BIG UNIT )

S.No. Name of the Product supplied Amount ( Rs. )

1 Multimedia Computer 24,000 2 U.P.S. 5,500 3 Modem 1,850

4 Printer – Dot Matrix 8,200 5 Printer – DeskJet 9,500 6 Scanner 3,600

7 CD-Writer 3,500 8 Digital Camera & Web Cam 15,000

9 Lamination Machine 8,000 10 Fibre Chairs 225 11 Internet Connection & Telephone 3,500

12 Cabin Structure with Table Elec. Fittings, Glow Sign Board etc.

15,000

13 Computer Stationary 1,000

14 Working Capital 1,125 T O T A L : 1,00,000

PROJECT COST ( SMALL UNIT )Amount Name of the Product supplied

( Rs. )

1. Multimedia Computer PIV 40 GB intel

845 GV chipset with Original motherboard

with CD writer( Wipro Make)

37,000.00

2. U.P.S. 5,500.00

3. Printer – InkJet 3,200.00

4. HP Scanner 3,600.00

5. Internet Dhaba Connection from BSNL

for 1500 Hours

0.00

6. Computer Stationary 700.00

T O T A L : 50,000.00

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ECONOMICS Annexure IV

S.No

Name of the service Charge Rs

Minimum Monthly servi

1. Issuance of Land Records 15/- 30

2. Online Auction 5/- 20 3. Online Bidding 2/- 20 4. Issuance of certificates 15/- 50 5 On line application

Registration. 5/- 20

6 Online filing of Complaints and Grievances

5/- 50

7.a Online Mandi (Market) Rates

1/- 20

7.b Printing copy 5/- 10 8. Payment of Dues

(Electricity Bills etc.) 1/- 2000

9 Online Civil Supplies allotment

15/- 20

10. Matrimonial Services 5/- 15 11. Tele medicine 2/- 15 12. Tele Agriculture 2/- 10 13. Forms down load 2/- per page 100 14. Maintenance of accounts

of S.H.G.s 10/- 200

15. Consumables download 10/- 10 16. NOAP acquaintance

printing

17. Photos 20/- (4 Colour pass port)

30

18. Lamination 10/- 30 19. Internet browsing 25/- per Hour 25 Hours 20. DTP & Job work 25 50 T O T A L :

E-government: A Study on Current Scenario in Rural India

Niti Agarwal1*, G.P. Sahu2 and Vishal Mittal3

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a study on the concept of e-government services. Using the theoretical model,it describes the case ‘E-Rural Connect’ which is a comprehensive e-government application forRural India. This e-government application includes the necessary services namely livelihood,agriculture advisory, education, health care and Panchayati Raj (village administration). Challengesfor e-government services in rural areas have been identified and methods to get rid of thosechallenges have been suggested with the use of ‘E-Rural Connect’.

Keywords: E-government, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), PPP, Rural India.

1. Introduction

E-government manual work is decreased to a considerable level, people’s efficiency is enhanced byreduction in errors and improved consistency of outcomes by automating standardized tasks. Also morereliable services in comparison to traditional method of service transaction are provided since the role ofmiddlemen (dalals) is minimized and also all information is authenticated. Another benefit provided byimplementation of e-government is that it helps in removing red-tapism by clearly defining the levels throughwhich the transaction will proceed. Thus the whole procedure is systematic and well planned unlike the oldand traditional method. One of the benefits includes enhanced transparency. Citizens are then aware of thevarious processes involves in the transaction. Also they know what about the current scenario, where theirfunding (in the form of taxes, etc) is being used, etc. in the development of the country. Since things are beingmanaged electronically a huge amount of wasteful spending is eliminated. These spending may includemaintenance of storeroom for old and unused database, large work area, large number of workforce, etc. Also,it helps in reducing government’s burden on paper work to a great extend. Some of the examples that help inreduction of this paper work include filling of online forms, filling grievances, application for employment, etc.Being electronic, these e-government services can be accessed from any center that provides these servicesat very low cost. Also it reduces the cost by providing the desired information at the doorstep withoutrequiring going to government’s offices that may be situated at a distance of several kilometers. One importantbenefit of e-government is reduction in government’s response time. This may be an important aspect sincethe traditional method of service providing involves a large amount of delay which may vary from variousmonths to years. E-government help in slicing down the response time to days.

1 School of Management Studies, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad, India* Corresponding Author : (Phone: +91-9319243994, Email: [email protected])

2 Department of Management Studies, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, India3 Birla Institute of Management Technology, Greater Noida, India

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These projects are proving to be highly beneficial to a rural person. Most of the rural regions aredisconnected from the urban area or the outside world. As such it requires a lot deal of money and time to goto urban areas for performing work and that too involves a lot many of middle people. It results in exploitationof these rural people, as they are quite ignorant about various proceedings and their rights. Thus with thehelp of these e-government project, rural people can perform their tasks from their villages and not requiredto travel to urban areas for the same. Another benefit that is provided by these projects is increased awarenessamong rural people. Initially rural people were not aware of the benefits of Rozgar Yojna, insurance loans,micro-finance, credit facilities, etc. If these facilities are available at their doorstep, they can avail them andimprove their standard of living. These projects provide them ‘single-window benefit’. It means that thepeople can avail all the benefits from one stop-point only and they need not travel from one place to anotherfor availing different benefits.

Indian farming sector is facing a serious downfall. This may be attributed to a number of reasons. Theseinclude that farmers are not receiving authenticated advice on crop cultivation. As a result, farmers retort tounscientific cultivation practices that are in most of the cases, guided by pesticide vendors. As the majorchunk of farmers belong to illiterate class, they apply wrong, untimely, unnecessary, and excessive pesticidesand fertilizers. This has very negating effects, not only on the farmers but also on the environment aroundhim. For farmers, they are facing severe crisis due to reduced crop output or crop failure. The environment isbeing polluted. Most important, consumption of such farm produces that contains pesticide residues lead tosevere health related problems. Moreover, it is difficult to get high price for such products in both domesticand international markets.

In this situation, by exploiting advances in Information Technology (IT), an effort is made to build a cost-effective agricultural information dissemination system to disseminate expert agriculture knowledge to thefarming community to improve the crop productivity, both in a timely and personalized manner. E-Sagu isrelated to farmers and their crops. In E-Sagu, agricultural experts, instead of visiting the crops in person,deliver expert advice by getting the crop status in the form of digital photographs and other information.(http://www.esagu.in/). E-Choupal is another initiative by government for rural development. It was started in2000, and it has covered 36,000 villages, turning 3.5 million rural farmers into 3.5 million e-farmers. E-Choupaldelivers real-time information and customized knowledge to the farmers which help these people to improveupon their decision-making ability, thereby better aligning farm output to market demands; securing betterquality, productivity and improved price discovery. This project also provides a direct marketing channel tothese farmers that eliminates the role of intermediaries and thus cutting down the overall costs. The E-Choupal project is already benefiting over 3.5 million farmers. Over the next decade, the E-Choupal networkwill cover over 100,000 villages, representing 1/6th of rural India, and create more than 10 million e-farmers.(http://www.itcportal.com/ ruraldevp_philosophy /echoupal.htm).

2. Case Study- ‘E-Rural Connect’

‘E-Rural Connect’ is an upcoming project developed by Samtech InfoNet Limited that lays a platform fordevelopment of ICT among the rural masses. The project incorporates high potential for rural development.Initially the requirements of rural people were limited. They were just concerned with the information as afarmer, i.e. what are the market opportunities, new technologies that are emerging in agriculture and differentagricultural policies. They also wanted to know about farm management so that they can manage their farmand crops in the best manner. But with the advent of time and modernization, the needs of a rural person arealso changing. It is no longer confined to the walls of agricultural information. But in addition to agriculture,they want to know about different business opportunities, culture, credit facilities available, debt schemes,education, entertainment and environment, food and forestry, different government services, industry. Theyare now becoming health conscious and also want to know about various job opportunities that exist in theirregion or near by. They are interested in market, micro-financing and social benefits. They want to know

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Niti Agarwal et. al. / E-Government: A Study on Current Scenario in Rural India

whether technology and weather is favorable or not. In a nutshell, they want to avail each and every service.

They want each and every information at their doorstep. They have widened their horizon and startedabsorbing new ideas and information. E-government services alone cannot make the business modelsustainable due to fewer services and limitation to downloads/access/printouts. To cater to large number ofservices, it is necessary for some private participation.

Services provided :Five basic services will be provided under this project. They are listed as below:

Livelihood- Within this service, teaching will be provided to create jobs. People will be taught vocationalcourses so that they can earn better.Agriculture advisory- Farmers will be given expert advice on various diseases in their crops so that theycan grow healthy crops.Education- This service is backed by government since government provides compulsory education toall upto class 12th.Health care- This service is provided jointly by private and government players.Panchayati Raj application- This service is completely government based.

Four-tier implementation:

In order to implement a particular project, a series of helping hands are needed. ‘E-Rural Connect’involves people at four distinct levels.

Fig. 1: Four-tier Implementation

Suppliers will be the persons who will fund the project. These can be NGOs or Content companies, etc.Then comes the role of the channel. It is responsible for a number of things like aggregation of revenueearning services, providing a robust delivery platform and tools. It is centralized and manages laboratory,data centre and studio operations. The channel also handles operations and facilitates management. It alsoformulates promotion and marketing strategies for creating the awareness of the project among the users. Ithas fixed the standards yet provides customized delivery, i.e. according to the need and requirement of thecustomer. Then comes the role of SCA (service center agency). It creates the VLE (village level entrepreneur).It is responsible for sensitizing and training them on business benefits and usage so that they may fullysatisfy the user’s needs. It is also involved in creating the District-Taluka-Village last miles and providesassistance to VLE to setup the Village Kiosk infrastructure. Finally, the VLE. It steers and oversees the localdelivery, attracts appropriate audience and promotes the bouquet of services to local citizens. It also collectsthe revenue that is prepaid. It also provides constant feedback to the channel managers so that efficientservices can be provided.

It is planned that out of 24 hours in a day, there will be 6 productive hours. That means services will beprovided for 6 hours in a day. This would take care of any power cut problems or low response at start up.

For the project, two revenue models exist. (i) In the first model, a flat fee is charged from the individual forthe whole course. For e.g.: individual is charged for 1 week’s course of auto mechanic. This means he is notcharged on day-to-day basis but on the entire course, in a lump sum amount. (ii) In the second model, Rs 150per hr will be charged from kiosks. This means if there are 10 individuals coming to kiosk, each will be chargedsay Rs 15 per hour. Since there will be 6 productive hours in a day, daily revenue from a kiosk will be Rs 900.

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For building up the portal, open source is used whereas WiMax is used as the last mile connectivity.

WiMAX is a wireless digital communications system, also known as IEEE 802.16, that is intended forwireless “metropolitan area networks”. WiMAX can provide broadband wireless access (BWA) up to 30miles (50 km) for fixed stations, and 3 - 10 miles (5 - 15 km) for mobile stations. In contrast, the WiFi/802.11wireless local area network standard is limited in most cases to only 100 - 300 feet (30 - 100m). ( http://www.wimax.com/ education )

For channel creation, capital cost is approx of Rs 1 crore where as at the kiosk level, this capital cost rangesfrom Rs 70,000 to Rs 140,000.

3. Overcoming challenges through ‘E-Rural Connect’

One of the challenges in promotion of e-government is infrastructure problem. Lack of proper infrastructureand access points obstruct the citizens from proper use of e-government services. They are not able to gainaccess to these services. Again, villages in India are not well connected to cities through any means oftransport. This creates a problem in installation of equipments and services, which include computers,Internet, etc. No proper connectivity in terms of Internet is provided to villages. This is because some of thevillages are in such remote areas that people does not easily reach them. If there is a breakdown in any of themachines or equipments, there is no one to repair them and calling a person from city would take much time.There is no constant supply of electricity to villages, which again limits the use of e-government services.Villagers are not accustomed to use the sophisticated machines, so at the initial stage they may find the useof electronic media as more time consuming. At that point they prefer doing work at their own because theybelieve more in themselves than on the foreign machines. They do not find themselves comfortable inchanging themselves. They remain rigid in their attitudes and actions. Literacy rate in India in rural is below50%. (Data Source: 1991 Census of India). So they are not trained into the use of ICT that again poses achallenge for e-government. There is one more challenge that needs to be addressed. Rural areas havedifferent local languages that make it difficult for the experts to give advice that is well understood by all thepeople.

Thus the above challenges can be summarized as:

• Weak infrastructure• Poor means of transport• No Internet connectivity• Irregular electric supply• Resistance to change• Low literacy rate• Different local languages

The above challenges were found through a survey of 20 villages, in and around Noida and Allahabad. 10villages from Noida and 10 from Allahabad were surveyed. Though the challenges were same in all the areas,the problem was more serious in Allahabad. This may be because Noida is more developed and enjoys NCRstatus.

Every problem has a solution and likewise every challenge can be overpowered. The challenges of e-government can also be overcome. After identifying several challenges, we identified several approaches.We reached out to several experts in the field of e-government in and around Delhi. For smoother functioningof the service, public-private partnership (PPP) is required. This will ensure efficient and faster implementationof the project. Thus the problems like weak infrastructure and poor means of transport can be handled betterthrough public-private partnership. Government had started several projects for rural infrastructure building.

Corpus of Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) XII will be increased to Rs. 10000 Cr. to be

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implemented during 2006-07. Some of the activities that will be covered under RIDF XII are rural roads,rural bridges, mini hydel projects, infrastructure for rural education institutions and infrastructure forinformation technology in rural areas. (http://www.nabard.org/roles/ridf/genesis.htm) Also, The WorldBank is ready to lend up to US$ 3 billion over the next three years to support a rural infrastructure programin India, called Bharat Nirman, especially to build roads, provide drinking water and establish irrigationfacilities in Indian villages, mostly through state level projects. (http://web.worldbank.org)

Offering a new deal to rural India, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has also approved an ambitious‘Bharat Nirman’ project to be implemented at a cost of Rs 1,74,000 crore over four years. The project alsoentails construction of 60 lakh houses for the poor, provide drinking water to over 74,000 new habitations,reach electricity to 1,25,000 villages that still lack such facility, offer electricity connection to 2.3 crorehouseholds and give telephone connectivity to remaining 66,822 villages. These initiatives will give a newface to the rural India. (http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/001200505162237.htm)

Many private institutions have come up for the providing literacy programs for the rural masses. Onesuch initiative is by Oneworld South Asia (OWSA) and Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS) whojointly launched the project titled socio-economic upliftment of rural women through technology intervention.The goal of the joint project is to empower communities on health, social and development issues throughMass Media and to promote various ICT tools. The students have started various activities as a part of theircurriculum on computer literacy, library and providing other related support to communities on a regularbasis. Center for Women’s Studies is already running a programme on computer literacy in BITS, for villagegirls. All these help in increasing literacy among the rural masses. (http://www.mission2007.org/ new/ICT%20in%20socia% 20economic% 20upliftment/view?searchterm=literacy%20projects)

For irregular supply of electricity, those devices can be employed which consume very less power. Non-conventional sources of energy like solar energy, wind energy, gobar gas can be used for production ofelectricity. This will provide continuous supply. Since many rural areas are situated in remote areas, access toInternet through cables or telephones cannot be provided. For this, wireless technology can be used. Wi-Fiand WiMax are wireless technologies that can be employed. For creating awareness among the masses non-government organizations can be of good use. PPP can also play a key role in creating awareness andeducating the masses. Awareness can be created through road shows.

4. Stages of E-Government

‘E-Rural Connect’ is a high potential and a challenging project which visions a developed rural region.Therefore it is required that the project is carefully implemented so that it may turn out to be a success andpeople may ultimately be benefited. Further insight is obtained by mapping on growth models (Layne andLee, 2001). Stages of growth model for e-government is categorized as: (1) Cataloguing, (2) Transaction, (3)Vertical integration, and (4) Horizontal integration. These four stages are explained in terms of complexityinvolved and different levels of integration. The first stage is referred to as the cataloguing stage. In this thegovernment makes an electronic presence. Functionalities at this stage are mostly limited to on-linepresentations of government information. Toward the end of this stage, governments begin to establish alocalized portal site in which scattered electronic documents are organized so that citizens can search for andview detailed government related information and download necessary forms. In the second stage, e-governmentinitiatives focus on connecting the internal government system to on-line interfaces and allowing citizen-government interaction electronically. This stage can be called ‘transaction-based’ e-government, and at thisstage, e-government efforts consists of putting live database links to on-line interfaces, so that, for example,citizens may renew their licenses and pay fines on-line. For proper functioning of e-government services, it isnecessary that the government cater to the on growing demand of the citizens. The citizens will be benefitedfrom implementation of e-government are actually derived from the integration of underlying processes notonly across different levels of government but also different functions of government. There has to be a

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“one-stop shopping” concept where citizen can contact one point of government and complete any level ofgovernmental transaction. This integration may happen in two ways: vertical and horizontal. Vertical integrationrefers to local, state and central governments connected for different services of government. As an exampleof vertical integration, a drivers’ license registration system at a state DMV might be linked to a nationaldatabase of licensed truckers for cross checking. For achieving full potential of information technology, fromthe citizen’s perspective, horizontal integrating government services across different functional walls shouldbe employed.

The first two stages of the above models are almost the same. The difference lies in the last two stages.The suggestive implementation model for ‘E-Rural Connect’ is the model by Layne and Lee because ‘E-RuralChannel’ also involves integration of many services to provide a ‘one-stop’ solution to all the needs of ruralpeople.

5. Learning and Concluding Remarks

‘E-Rural Connect’ is a unique case. This project does not provide any particular service, but it hasintegrated many services. Unlike E-Sagu, which is related to only crop advisory or E-Mandi, which is devotedfor trading activities, ‘E-rural Connect’ provide a combination of services that includes, livelihood, agricultureadvisory, education, health care and Panchayati Raj. This integration provides a number of advantages ascompared with projects that provide a single service. Some of these advantages can be summarized as costsaving. Each e-government project involves a very large amount of cost with it. Since a number of projects’services are provided by a single project, there is an overall cost reduction. Time is also saved since allservices are provided parallel. Time is saved in designing and implementation of a single project that providesmultiple services in comparison to multiple projects. An integrated project provides convenience to the endusers also. They need not go to different places for availing different services. A ‘one-stop shop’ for e-government services is provided for government-customer interaction. Also, PPP help in setting up theproject in the given time frame and in a more efficient manner.

This purpose of this paper was to embark upon the concept of e-government on a preliminary basis,exploring its various benefits and challenges. E-government is a very powerful tool in promoting developmentof the masses. It not only helps them to be well informed about the various information, it helps in creating afeeling of civic responsibility through its transparency. The citizen feels that he is a part of nation and iscontributing in the development of nation. E-government has certain challenges, yet they can be fought withat a later stage. Nothing is free of problems. Presence of certain limitations gives rise to new ideas anddevelopments to counter it. Each and every department can avail the services of e-government and since theservices will be provided at affordable rates, it is very easy for a common man to avail them and face the worldwith the arms and equipments of new information.

References

1. 1991 Census of India

2. Dkhar T. (2004). e-Government Vision Plan 2004. http://meghalaya.nic.in/news/e-GOV_VISION_PLAN.PDF, accessed during July -September, 2006.

3. Gupta M. P., Kumar P. Bhattacharya J. (2004). Government Online, Tata McGrawHill , New Delhi

4. http://egov.mit.gov.in/ (accessed during July-September, 2006)

5. http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTINFORMATION AND COMMUNI -CATION AND TECHNOLOGIES / EXTEGOVERNMENT/0,,menuPK:702592~pagePK:149018~piPK:149093~theSitePK:702586,00.html (accessed during July-September, 2006)

6. ht tp: / /web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTABOUTUS/ORGANIZATION/EXTOFFICEPRESIDENT/0,, content MDK:20621745~menu PK:64260200~pagePK:51174171~pi

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PK:64258873~theSitePK:1014541,00.html (accessed during July-September, 2006)

7. http://www.esagu.in/ (accessed during July-September, 2006)

8. http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/001200505162237.htm (accessed during July-September,2006)

9. http://www.itcportal.com/ruraldevp_philosophy/echoupal.htm (accessed during July-September, 2006)

10. ht tp : / /www.miss ion2007.org/new/ICT%20in%20socia%20economic%20upl i f tment /view?searchterm=literacy%20projects (accessed during July-September, 2006)

11. http://www.nabard.org/roles/ridf/genesis.htm (accessed during July-September, 2006)

12. http://www.wimax.com/education (accessed during July-September, 2006)

13. ISC, Information Society Commission (2003). Egovernment-More Than An Automation Of GovernmentServices http://www.isc.ie/downloads/egovernment.pdf, accessed during July September, 2006

14. Layne K. and Lee J. (2001). Developing fully functional E-government: A four stage Model, GovernmentInformation Quarterly, 18, 122–136.

15. Sahu G. P. (2005). A Literature Review and Classification of E-Government Research, Fortune Journal ofInternational Management, 2(1), 1-45

16. Seifert W. J. (2003). A Primer on E-Government: Sectors, Stages, Opportunities, and Challenges of OnlineGovernance. http://infotech.up.nic.in/issues_and_directions.htm, accessed during July September, 2006

About the Authors

Niti Agarwal is currently pursuing her MBA from Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology,Allahabad. She is in final year with finance and marketing as her specialization. She has done Bachelor ofTechnology from Meerut. Her area of interest includes electronic government and its services. She haswon many prizes in quizzes.

G. P. Sahu is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Management Studies, M N National Institute ofTechnology, Allahabad for last eight years. He is currently pursuing his research work for the award ofPh.D. degree at Department of Management Studies, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi. Hisresearch interests are in the areas of MIS and E-Governance. He has published research papers in theJournals and Conferences both. He has also coordinated an International Conference on “IntegratingWorld Market-Living Excellence through Technology and Beyond....” (January 5-6,2002) and has editeda book on “Integrating World Market” in the year 2002.

Vishal Mittal is a final year student of Birla Institute of Management Technology, Greater Noida. Hisspecialization is finance and marketing. He has done Bachelor of Technology from Meerut. His area ofinterest includes electronic government and its implementation stages. He has won many prizes in sportsand quizzes.

343

Author Index

A

Abid, Haleem 260Agarwal, Niti 335

B

Bai, Jain 152Baisya, Rajat Kanti 191Bakshi, Jagannath Prasad 315Bandopadhyay, Tapati 232Banerjee, Gargi 222Banumathi, T. 240

C

Chandra, Somnath 55Chaudhri, Nandita 96

D

Dash, Lalatendu 315Dash, Shefali S. 96Dhingra, Anjali 268Dwivedi, Yogesh 35

G

Gautam, Vinayshil 1Ghosh, Atanu 222Godara, Varuna 49Gulati, Ved Prakash 274Gulla, Umesh 170Gupta, D. N. 160Gupta, M.P. 170Gupta, Piyush 25

H

Hariharan, Rama 268

J

Jabir 252

K

Kannabiran, G. 240Khan, A.R. 260Krishnaswamy, Girija 15Kumar, Pradeep 232Kumar, Sushil 252

L

Lal, Ram 260Lata, Swaran 55

M

Madaan, J. 199Mishra, Alka 88Misra, D. C. 6, 268Mittal, Vishal 335Mohapatra, Susanta Kumar 315

P

Panda, Kartik Chandra 315Panda, Susant Kumar 315Pattanayak, Ajit Kumar 315Prabhu, C.S.R. 322

R

Radhakumari, Ch. 105, 297

S

Sachdeva, Sameer 66, 80Sahu, G.P. 335Saji, K.B. 123Sathya Sai Baba, N.S. 322Sethi, Neerja 181

344

Singh, Amar Jeet 284Sinha, S. K. 138Srivastava, Shilpa 274

T

Thangamuthu, Pechimuthu 88

U

Unnikrishnan, P. V. 208

V

Venkatesan V. S 152Verma, Neeta 88Vijay Sethi 181

WWadhwa, S. 199Weerakkody, Vishanth 35

X

Xavier, MJ. 240

Author Index

345

Subject Index

3

3P Integration 1903P model 182

A

Administrative Culture 81Adoption of Broadband 39,44Akshaya 102,105,106-16Applications for financial services 282Artificial Intelligence 6,10ASHA 98As-Is and To-Be process 212Awareness and Communication Strategy 75

B

B2B, B2C 16Back office Governance 84Barry Boehm’s Spiral Model 211BDO 197Bhoomi 274Biometrics 138,140BPO 172BPR Cycle 162British Standard 7799 188Broadband technologies 105-7Building National InformationInfrastructure 73Business Process Reengineering 3,7,66,70Business Transformation Outsourcing 178

C

Capacity Building 20,25,165Capacity Building Framework 27Capacity Building Road map stages 27Capacity Utilization 21Centralized E-governance 81Centralized Integrated Model 279,281

Challenges of E-Rural Connect 338Change Management 3,67Change Management for E-government 31Change Management in Government 77Chillu 62Citizen Services 89Civic Engagement 75Civil Services reforms 167Collaboration for E-governance 72Community Information Centre (CIC) 96,99,101-4,191-8Community Learning Centres 103Content Management 269,277,278Content Management Features 269Content Providers 279Continuous feedback 78Cost-Benefit Analysis 71COTS software 215Critical Success Factors 225CRM 12,21

D

Demographic Variables 43Digital Divide 107,263,298Digital Signature 138,140Distributed Knowledge Management 270DIT 61Drishtee 101Dynamic Clustering 10

E

E-alliances 53E-business 50E-choupal 57,102,131-133,274E-Citizen 16,17E-collaborations 53E-Commerce 16,98,123E-Commerce adoption capability 123

346

E-Community 265E-consulting 96E-content 73E-Cooperation Commission 69eCRM 12,25E-dharti 2E-governance application development 76E-governance Consulting 2E-governance Failure 81E-governance issues 1E-governance Plan 88E-governance program management 76E-governance service 98,99E-governance Technology Architecture 74E-governement Challenges 6,11E-government 16,17,82,103E-government agriculture 254E-government human resources 26E-government project failures 25E-government related gaps 27E-Government sub-index 181E-hearing 265E-identity legislation 70Electoral Activity 99Electronification 4E-medicine 96E-mitra 315E-MLA 7E-mode 2Entrepreneurship Development 298E-procurement legislation 70E-Rural Connect 326E-sahayata 315Eseva 262,315E-suvidha 98,100Ethnographic approach 2Evaluating E-governance projects 77E-vidya 109Flexibility 173FOSS 64FRIENDS 262Front office Governance 84Functioning at Government offices 287

G

G2C Services 2G2G, G2B 16Gandhigiri 3

Gaps in achieving NEGP 26Globalisation 1Governance map 2Government - Citizen Interactions 293Government Process Reengineering 69,215Greening 205Gyaandoot 274GZC 16,39,96

H

House of Cards 161House of Quality 161Human Capacity Building 71

I

I18n 63ICT 15,16,18,19,253ICT enabled Government 294ICT Infrastructure 96,106IDN 64IDNA 64Information Architecture 90Information Channels for getting Government in information 287Information dissemination 98Information Kerala Mission (IKM) 211Information Kiosks 225Information Services 235Information Systems Management 172Information Village Research Project 128-31Infrastructural advantage of E-choupal 235Innovation Management 199Innovative Architecture 203INSCRIPT 62Institution framework with capacity building 27Integrated Government 78Integrated Service Delivery 18Integrated Service Delivery Centre (ISDC) 280Integrating ICT in agricultural sector 233Integration of Services 90Internationalization 56Internet Kiosks 241Interoperability 145,146Investments in E-government 11ITRANS 62

Subject Index

347

K

Kiosk Counter 265Knowledge Base 236Knowledge Management 51,237Knowledge Sharing 236KPO 174

L

LAMP 277Leadership 68Life events approach 20Linguistic Support 63Localization 56Lok-Vani 3

M

Mandi 57Matra 62Meta Search 10m-government 7Microsoft Systems Architecture 188MIS 1,2,9Multiple handling 57

N

National Panchayat Portal 269NEGP 25,26Network Enterprise 16New Public Management (NPM) 7NIC (Nation Informatics Centre) 262NREG Scheme 143

O

Objective of National portal 89On-Demand Outsourcing 175Organizational Development 161,162,163Outsourcing 170,171

P

Painful bloodletting 176Paradigm Shift 18,19PDS Cards 142People Participation 75Point of presence 106PPP 3,86,171,182,339Pratham 196

Presentation of Services 92Privacy and Security 75Project Management 3Public Key Infrastructure 138,140Public Service Delivery 7

R

Raj-SWIFT 4Rating of services 93RE-engineering 18Regression Analysis 40,42Remedial Infrastructural steps 224Resource Management 67Reverse RE-engineering 87Roger’s diffusion Theory 37Role of Government for Rural Development 278Rural Development 240Rural E-governance 222Rural Penetration of ICT 275Rural Services 323-7

S

Secure Socket Layer 188Selective Sourcing 175Semantic Web 10Service Delivery Paradigm 72Smart Card Technology 138-50Smart engines 187Social Inclusion 217Socio-Cultural factors 44Stages of E-Government 339Stages of growth approach 20Strategy for rural India 274Successful cases of Rural E-governance 225Sustainable Business Model 71Symmetric key Infrastructure 138,140

T

TARAhaat 262Technical Standards 145,146Technological determinism 161Technological Forecast 8Technology Architecture 66Technology Management 67Terminology Standardization 63Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) 177

Subject Index

348

Total Insourcing 174Total Outsourcing 174Training framework for E-government 31

U

UNICODE 61Universal Accessibility 75Universal Banking 4Use of ICT Tools 156

V

Vendor driven Governance 82

W

W3C 63Weberion Model 18Wiki 10Women Welfare 153

Subject Index

Broadband in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Factors Affecting Attitudes Towards Adoption

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