India lacks co-ordination on e-gov - National Knowledge Commission announces e-governance recommendations [ eGovINDIA Effect ] E-governance: Panel for implementation soon

India lacks co-ordination on e-gov National Knowledge Commission announces e-governance recommendations Monday, May 08, 2006

BANGALORE: With a view to standardize e-governance across various States, the National Knowledge Commission (NKC) today made public the recommendations its special group had submitted to the prime minister a few months back.

NKC chairman Sam Pitroda today told a press conference here that the ten recommendations it made relate to processes, standards, infrastructure and organization.

“The current e-governance efforts are based on computerizing age-old processes left behind by the British Raj,” said Pitroda.

Besides Pitroda, the NKC comprises industry leaders, technocrats and academics such as molecular biologist Dr PM Bhargava; sociologist Dr Andre Beteille; Infosys CEO Nandan Nilekani; Economist Dr Jayati Ghosh and others. The recommendations have been discussed with the prime minister and the NKC is currently working with the government to implement these.

“We want to make adjustments and fine tune the existing e-governance projects,” Pitroda said.

He said that the private sector would be roped in to develop software, business models and deliver services and information to people. He said that at present, there is no national co-ordination on e-governance.

“Simply digitizing the existing government processes merely adds an additional layer of expense, complexity, delay and confusion.”

On the timeframe for the implementation of the recommendations, Pitroda said that it could take 18 months to three years. He added that no quick results could be expected. “This is the start of a journey and we expect resistance. But people are open and receptive to change. We see a better climate for change now than 20 years ago,” he said.

Addressing the media, Nilekani said that the aim was to have similar standards in the country and make sure the digital divide does not aggravate.

“Information should empower citizens. We are also considering distribution through multiple channels through wide connectivity and also mobile phones.”

The ten recommendations of the NKC are:

-Government process reengineering instead of computerization -Identify and simplify 10 to 20 important processes and services -Create common national standards -Design best practices that can be applicable nationwide -National infrastructure -Provide web-based services -Open Source Software -Create an empowered Chief Information Technology Officer (CITO) -New national programs such as Bharat Nirman, urban development initiatives -Focused Organization

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E-governance: Panel for implementation soon DH News Service Bangalore:

http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/may92006/state201854200658.asp

The Centre is planning to constitute a high-level inter-ministerial group to implement the recommendations made by the National Knowledge Commission (NKC) on e-governance. Talking to reporters after a three-day consultation on Monday, NKC Chairman Sam Pitroda said the group could be headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

“We are already discussing the recommendations at different levels. The inter-ministerial group, perhaps headed by the Prime Minister, will take shape in the next couple of weeks,” he said.

Mr Pitroda said the NKC recommended some fine-tuning of the existing e-governance system so that it works in alignment with a “new thinking”.

“This is going to be a long process, and there’s no room for quick solutions. These recommendations could take 18 months to three years before reaching the implementation level,” he said.

Co-ordination

Stressing on the importance of a national co-ordination for the e-governance system, Mr Pitroda said e-governance was not about computerising existing processes. “We need to change our basic governance pattern and ensure transparency, productivity and simplicity. We should pick 10 to 20 important services and offer them on the Web and create a common e-governance platform to make it citizen-centric,” he said and added that at present, different states had different ways of implementing e-governance.

The recommendations were based on the report of a special group formed within NKC — headed by Infosys CEO Nandan Nilekani — on e-governance.

‘Informed is empowered’ -- Mr Nilekani said the Commission, while making the recommendations, had ensured that they didn’t further aggravate the digital divide persisting in the country.

Effectiveness

“The system should be devised to ensure more effective identification of entities, like land and people. By disseminating information through multiple channels — like mobile phones — the system actually empowers the public. The access to information should not be limited to people who have computers,” he said.

NKC ROADMAP

Before computerisation, redesign government processes

Offer services like issuance of birth/death certificates, ration cards on Web

Ensure common standards of operation, across the country

Digitise relevant government data, make it accessible to the public

Provide nation-wide broadband infrastructure

Localise data and services in regional languages

Provide open source software implementations

Appoint Chief IT Officer for each State

Invest one to two per cent of national programme budget in e-governance

Create organisation with CEO to drive e-governance _______________________________________________________

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