E-Governance, also known as Electronic Governance, implies functioning of the Government with the application of Information Technology that helps in delivering Government services, transactions of communication, and information exchange to citizens. It helps provide government services to the country's people through e-governance.
E-governance is vital in spreading the benefits of economic growth through digitalization to all segments of society. The working of the Government becomes more smooth with the digitalization of Governance, and citizens are the focal point of all the decisions taken by the Government to achieve a safer, more reliable, and sustainable society.
The e-government offers more transparency to the citizens because it helps in knowing what schemes are coming and implemented in society. E-Governance will also help minimize the paperwork system, which is quite hectic and complex.
Due to the implementation of e-Governance, we are moving towards SMART Governance.
The word SMART in SMART Governance stands for: Simple, Moral, Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent. It conveys the overall properties of Governance.
Simple Governance: Simple Governance implies that all the rules and regulations of the Government are simplified in a short form. It avoids the complex processes which used to happen in Information and Communication Technology (ICT). It also provides user-friendly Governance.
Moral Governance: Moral Governance is necessary to improve various governments' efficiency through new administration and political machinery systems with technology interventions.
Accountable Governance: Accountable Governance is used to develop effective information management systems and performance-measuring mechanisms to ensure the accountability of public service functionaries.
Responsive Governance: Responsive Governance helps in processing all the work as soon as possible by properly managing them, which makes the system more responsive.
Transparent Governance: Transparent Governance is possible by providing all the information in the eye of the public through various websites, social media platforms, portals, etc. Hence, it makes the functioning and processing of the Government transparent.
There are four kinds of interactions in e-governance . These are:
G2B (Government to Business)
G2C (Government to Citizens)
G2E (Government to Employees)
G2G (Government to Government)
G2B (Government to Business) : G2B enables the business community to interact with the government by using the tools of e-Governance.The objective of G2B is to cut red-tapism which saves time and cost of operations. It creates transparency in the business environment when dealing with the government.
G2C (Government to Citizens) : G2C is the interaction between the government and the citizens. It enables citizens to enjoy benefits from the efficient delivery of a large range of public services. It also expands the accessibility and availability of government services. This makes the government-citizen relationship friendly.
G2E (Government to Employees): G2E is the interaction between the government and its employees. Information and Communication technology tools help in making these interactions fast and efficient which increases the overall satisfaction of the employees.
G2G (Government to Government) : G2G enables the unfit interaction between various government entities. This type of interaction can be between various departments and agencies within government or between two governments like central and state governments or between state governments. The main aim of the G2G is to increase the efficiency and performance of the government organization. It also ensures the smooth working of the government.
As we can see, there is a similarity between the words e-Governance and e-Government, but there is a lot of difference between the two. These are as follows:
E-government usually refers to using Information and Communication Technology in public administration. When they combine with the changes in the organization, they are intended to improve public services and the process of democracy to strengthen the support of the public. And e-Governance uses Information and Communication Technology, which helps to govern things that must be governed. The vital goal of e-governance is to reach the receiver, and all of their needs are fulfilled.
E-government uses a one-way communication protocol, and e-Governance uses a two-way communication protocol. It is always a challenge to maintain a citizen-centric relationship. The facts produced by the Government and different global bodies are only sometimes actual. The e-Governance removes so many communication layers between the Government and the citizens to ensure a transparent flow of information such as government services.
There are many advantages of e-Governance. These are as follows:
E-Governance improves the flow and efficiency of the different government services.
E-Governance ensures less corruption within the organization.
E-Governance helps provide transparency of government services and policies to the citizens.
E-Governance removes the Paper Based system, which fastens the interaction between various government bodies.
Due to electronic governance in the Government, there is a flattened organizational structure, i.e., less hierarchy.
E-Governance reduces costs and improves the growth of revenue.
E-Governance is more convenient for citizens and businesses.
In 1977, the Government of India established the Department of Electronics, followed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC).
In 1987, the National Satellite-Based Computer Network (NICNET) was set up, which helped gain momentum for e-Governance.
In 1998, the National Task Force of Information Technology and Software Development was set up.
In 1999, the Ministry of Information Technology was created at the Centre.
In 2000, the Information Technology Act was enacted.
In 2000, the first National Conference of States' IT Ministers was organized to promote IT in India.
In 2002, the National Institute for Smart Government (NISG)was set up.
In 2006, the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) was launched, which consists of 31 Mission Mode Projects (MMPs) and eight support components.
In 2008, the Information Technology Act was amended with some minor changes.
In 2012, National Policy on Information Technology (NPIT) was adopted.
The National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) was launched on May 18, 2006.
It was formed by the Department of Administrative Reform and Public Grievances (DARPG) and the Department of Electronic and Information Technology (DeitY) .
It consists of 27 "Mission Mode Projects" (MMPs) and eight components during the launch.
Now, it contains 31 "Mission Mode Projects" (MMPs).
This initiative is taken by the Indian Government to make all government services available to the citizens of India through electronic means.
It provides a holistic view of e-Governance initiatives across the country.
Due to this initiative, a massive amount of infrastructure reached down to the remotest of villages, and large-scale digitization of services is taking place, enabling easy and reliable internet access.
Under the Digital India Programme, the Government has proposed to implement "e-Kranti: National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) 2.0".
Azerbaijan started e-Governance.
The Council of Europe gave the concept of e-Governance.
The basic elements of e-Governance are:
Government
Citizens
Businesses/Investors
NICNET was the first e-Governance in India.
The five important models of e-Governance are:
Broadcasting Model
Critical Flow Model
Comparative Analysis Model
E- Advocacy
Interactive Service Model