National Institute for Smart Government (NISG) is driving the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) and estimated to cost Rs. 14,000 Crores.

Governance has evolved by trial and error over a very long period of time, much the way free software evolves these days. Governance was thought best to be divided into legislative, executive and judiciary. eGovernance could avoid the many prejudices a human executive suffers, and the old divisions have to be redefined. Compare:

developer : user :: legislator : citizen

A BDFL manages the developer:user gap pretty much, and the right to fork satisfies the disgruntled in the unlimited virtual world. The legislator:citizen relationship is constrained severlely by limited resources, and there could be no right to fork. It is for this reason, the Constitutional machinery elaborately defines how citizens govern themselves by electing legislators. The existing Constitutional machinery assumes paper as the medium through which the laws will be executed. Writ of certiorari traditionally meant "calling for the (physical) records" - now, if a judge could "visit" the files through an electronic medium, the scope, nature and methods of the writ stands vastly modified. Each and every constitutional device, control and measure has to be modified to suit the new medium of execution. Traditionally, constitutions are classified as written and unwritten, and today we have to create a new classification electronic and non-electronic. The constitutional machinery has to be totally rebuilt from scratch to suit the new medium. eGovernance actually calls for serious debates on constitutional reform before spending a single rupee on any eGovernance program.

Sprinkling "IBM", "Linux", "Open Source", "Open Standards" and other catch words here and there over the project are mere incidental things that do not go to the core issues of governance. Does the GOI expect IBM to give the framework for eGovernance? Is Indian legislative history (1600 - 1950) repeating itself ? E-Courts has been added to their planning boards as an after thought, and clearly shows poor planning. Burning 14K Crores (in two years ?) over NeGP, that too controlled by NASSCOM sounds very stupid, to say the least. They are looking for consultants (apply at your own risk ;) and I hope they don't get too smart ;) Bullock carts fitted with electric motors won't move efficiently - NiSG is only doing this and this is not my imagination: their advt calling for consultants has the wheel of a bullock cart with an e in the centre :)

There are other strange issues there too:

:: forwarded message ::

-------- Original Message -------- Subject: [eGovINDIA] The Share-holding pattern of NISG as obtained from NISG website (MOA) Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2005 06:13:45 -0700 (PDT) From: eGov INDIA egovindia@yahoo.com Reply-To: eGovINDIA@yahoogroups.com To: eGov INDIA egovindia@yahoogroups.com

NISG is a controlled company - You all can look at it.

Who are all involved in it ON behalf of President of INDIA the following GOI departments are partners.

1. Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Government of India,

2. Department of Information Technology, Government of India

3. Mr. R. Chandrashekar, Officer on Special Duty (NISG), Current Joint Secretary eGovernance of GOI. Who makes most of the decisions now. He is from GOAP cadre and was in GOAP before coming as JS of GOI.

NASSCOM is facilitating this. They are SILENT partners. Which holds 52 % This is for name sake.

The Share-holding pattern of NISG as obtained from NISG website (MOA) is as under: http://www.nisg.org/corpinfo.htm

1. Ajay Kumar Agarwal, S/o Shri Krishna Murari Lal Agarwal, Secretary, For and on behalf of President of India, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Government of India, North Block, New Delhi – 110 001 160 Equity Shares of Rs.100/- each (One Hundred and Sixty only) Total Amount : Rs 16000

2. Rajeeva Ratna Shah, S/o Shri Janardhan Das Shah, Secretary For and on behalf of President of India, Department of Information Technology, Government of India Electronic Niketan, 6 CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi – 110 003 160 Equity Shares of Rs.100/- each (One Hundred and Sixty only) Total Amount : Rs 16000

3. Kiran Karnik, S/o Shri Sharadchandra Karnik, President For and On behalf of National Association of Software and Services Companies, International Youth Centre, Teen Murti Marg, Chanikya Puri, New Delhi – 110 021 520 Equity Shares of Rs. 100/- each (Five Hundred and Twenty Only) Total Amount: Rs 52000

4 Rentala Chandrashekhar, S/o Shri Rentala Ramachandra Rao, Officer on Special Duty (NISG) For and On behalf of President of India Government of India, 4007, Electronics Niketan, 6, CGO Complex, Lodi Road, New Delhi – 110 003 160 Equity Shares of Rs.100/- each (One Hundred and Sixty only) Total Amount : 16000

Ministry of Personnel : 16000 Ministry of IT : 16000 Ministry of IT: 16000 NASSCOM : 52000

GOI share value 48000 NASSCOM share value 52000

Current Shareholder pattern 48 % and 52 %

For just Rs52000 one can hold majority stake in NISG which is going to decide GOI investment of Crores of rupees ?

Is it PPP ?

NISG has to be AUDITED by CAG

CVC need to look into NISG activities !

-------------------------------------------------------

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Fair play? Video games influencing politics. Click and talk back! http://us.click.yahoo.com/VpgUKB/pzNLAA/cUmLAA/tSwplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~->

Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eGovINDIA/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: eGovINDIA-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/