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

[VMK]

 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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