ICT stands for Information and Communication Technologies.ICT is not just computers
and Internet. Other common ICTs are TV, radio, phone etc.
WHAT IS E-GOVERNMENT?
o E-Government is the conventional government services made available for citizens
through electronic means such as telephone, digital television and internet connected
computers and other devices.
o According to the World Bank, e-Government refers to governmental use of
information technologies (such as Internet, and mobile computing) that have the
ability to transform relations with citizens, businesses, and other agencies of
government
o The Indian Ministry of Information and Technology defines it as using ICT to bring
about SMART (Simple, Moral, Accountable, Responsive, Transparent) governance.
o Common applications of eGovernment include online delivery of government
information and services, computerized licensing and registration, web-based tender
notification and procurement, web-enabled complaints submission, and online public
comment for draft legislation.
Information or Service Flow Chart
OBJECTIVE OF E-GOVERNMENT:
The objective of e-Government is not just to computerize government offices; it is to
streamline relationships between government, business, and citizens through effective use
of ICT.
RESPONSE TO SOME COMMON QUESTIONS REGARDING E-GOVERNANCE:
There are many who are resistant to e-Governance due to lack of awareness and fear of
the unknown. This section attempts to respond briefly to a few common queries regarding
e-Governance:
Will e-Government change government processes?
The objective of e-Government is not to change existing government processes but more
to strengthen and make existing processes more efficient.
Will e-Government force new hierarchical structure?
e-Government does not necessitate change of existing hierarchical structures. It however
encourages new dimensions of cooperation and relationship among different government
offices due to improved communication systems.
E-GOVERNMENT
Will sensitive and confidential data get lost or stolen?
Digitally converted government information needs to be carefully stored and sometimes
guarded against unauthorized access. There are ways of keeping back-ups and ensuring
security by digital authentication of users. Digital storage is not riskier than filing of
paper documents.
Will people lose jobs if e-Government is implemented?
There is fear that people will become redundant and may even lose jobs if e-Government
is implemented. Although some manual tasks will become redundant, computers can
never replace humans on many occasions.
MAJOR COMPONENTS OF E-GOVERNMENT:
E-Government may be thought of as having three major components:
Dimension of Government
G2C (Government-to-Citizen) involves interaction of individual citizens with the
government. Examples include payment of utility bills or downloading government forms
from the Internet. The e-Citizen Portal of Singapore is o G2C sites.
G2B (Government-to-Business) involves interaction of business entities with the
government. Examples include corporate tax filing or government procurement process
through the Internet. One primary success story of G2B is Malaysia’s online government
procurement website called e-Prohelan which has about 3,500 government procurement
centers and about 30,000 suppliers.
G2G (Government-to-Government) involves interaction among government officials,
whether within a government office or within government offices. Examples include
using e-mail for internal government communication or a customized software for
tracking progress of government projects. A popular G2G service is e-Police System in
Karnataka, India, which has an electronically searchable database of various types of
police records.
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