e-Governance - Streamlining Govt Processes through e-Gov

e-Governance - Streamlining Govt Processes through e-Gov

e-Governance is not exactly new, nor is it a much-hyped buzzword. On the other hand, e-Governance has extra-ordinary potential to transform the way a government functions by streamlining internal government processes, operations, and simplifying democratic government and the business interactions of a government with its citizens

Simply put, e-governance is of course the use of computers and Internet for better governance, but this is indeed a very simplistic definition. Because, e-Governance is more a system than just a bunch of boxes and software and online connectivity. It looks at processes first and then tries to automate and make efficient those processes that can provide substantial value through automation and interactive connectivity. Some key goals of a good e-governance system are to integrate and simplify government services, reducing the time citizens and businesses spend transacting with the government, increasing government transparency and improving government finances through enhanced revenue collection and cost reduction. Thus, e-governance is a tool to achieve good governance and is not an end in itself.

According to experts, the scope of e-governance is set to increase significant all across the globe, and even in developed countries such as the US and those in western Europe. For countries embarking on e-governance newly, veterans suggest that the right strategy is to start small rather than start off with mega e-governance projects. Typically, a project should start small, start with a pilot and subsequently, on successful completion, should be scaled into a live project.

And whose responsibility is it to make an e-Governance project a success? It is a joint responsibility between all the stakeholders viz., the government, citizens and the private sector. It is also said that for successful e-Governance projects, a public-private partnership is almost a must.