E-governance is the use of technology to improve the delivery of government services and make governance more transparent, efficient and citizen-centric. In India, e-governance has become an important tool in transforming governance and making it more accessible to the citizens. There are several benefits of e-governance in India, including:

• Accessibility: E-governance makes government services more accessible to the citizens. It enables citizens to access government services from anywhere and at any time, without having to physically visit government offices. This makes it possible for citizens to access important services and reduces the time and cost associated with accessing them.
• Transparency: E-governance promotes transparency in government operations. It provides citizens with access to information about government policies, decisions, and actions. This makes it easier for citizens to hold government officials accountable and to participate in the decision-making process.
• Reduced corruption: E-governance has helped reduce corruption in the government. Online systems enable the automation of many routine tasks, reducing the need for face-to-face interactions between citizens and public officials. This has minimized the opportunities for corruption and improved the transparency of government operations.
• Efficiency: E-governance improves the efficiency of government operations. It reduces the time and cost associated with delivering government services and enables faster decision-making. It also enables the government to manage resources more effectively and to improve the quality of services provided to the citizens.
• Citizen-centric: E-governance is designed to be citizen-centric. It places citizens at the centre of government operations and seeks to meet their needs and expectations. It enables citizens to participate in the decision-making process and to provide feedback on government services.
• Cost-effective: E-governance is cost-effective. It reduces the cost of delivering government services by eliminating the need for paper-based transactions and reducing the need for physical infrastructure. This results in cost savings for both the government and the citizens.
• Better service delivery: E-governance enables better delivery of government services. It enables the government to deliver services faster, more efficiently, and with greater accuracy. It also improves the quality of services provided to the citizens.
• Empowerment: E-governance empowers citizens by enabling them to access information, participate in the decision-making process, and hold government officials accountable. This results in greater citizen empowerment and greater citizen satisfaction with government services.

2nd ARC and Its Core Principles for Effective e-Governance

The Second Administrative Reforms Commission identified following core principles of e-governance for the success of e-governance projects in India.

Clarity of Purpose in e-Governance Initiatives

There needs to be a clear understanding and appreciation of the purpose and objectives to be achieved through e-Governance. In the past, a large number of projects appear to be based on what technology can achieve rather than what the citizens need. A corollary to this would be a precise definition of the parameters against which any future evaluation would be done. e-Governance should not be taken up merely to demonstrate the capability of an existing technology, but the technology should be adopted to solve an existing problem. citizen-centricity should be at the heart of all e-Governance initiatives. 

Environment Building for Successful e-Governance

There is a need to change the mind-set of all the stakeholders involved, i.e. politicians, government officials and civil society at large. This would require a strong will to change among various stakeholders in the governance system. As the task involves redesigning governmental processes at various levels, implementing e-Governance would require political support at all levels. On the other hand, government personnel would have to be incentivised to change old habits and acquire new skills. In the public, awareness needs to be created so that there is a constant demand for reforms in governance through implementation of e-Governance. In the end, the environment should be such that the perceived threat to entrenched interests is removed and resistance to change is addressed by dealing with actual grievances. Thus, the positive approach of government personnel towards the needs of citizens would be the necessary elements for creating a conducive environment. Raising public awareness, forming partnerships with academic institutions – public and private, Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), exchange of best practices including with the private sector and involvement of citizen-groups should all form part of this process.

E-Governance as the Backbone of Modern Governance Reforms

e-Governance cannot be separate from governance as a whole. Further, it cannot be taken as an adjunct of governance. It has to be an integral part of the governance structure and processes. Thus, every government organization or entity, every government programme or policy and every law and regulation would have to integrate e-Governance modules within itself rather than brought-in as an afterthought or introduced as an adjunct. This is because under e-Governance, the focus is always on ‘governance’ and the range of technological tools provided by Information and communications Technology is utilized to bring about changes keeping in mind the needs of the citizens and the organization itself. As governance covers a very wide range of activities in each area, the structures and processes which need to be changed or modified through use of technology would have to be identified separately. This task cannot be performed satisfactorily if e-Governance is not made an integral part of the organization which is undertaking to reform itself.