The “e” in e-Governance stands for ‘electronic’. Thus, e-Governance is fundamentally linked to executing functions and attaining governance outcomes through the use of ICT. The growing complexity and diversity of governance over the past few decades, coupled with the significantly raised expectations of citizens from their government, have driven countries globally to adopt ‘e-Governance’. ICT enables efficient data storage and retrieval, instant information transmission, quicker data processing compared to previous manual systems, accelerated government procedures, prompt and judicious decision-making, enhanced transparency, and improved accountability. It also broadens the government’s reach, both geographically and demographically.

Definitions of e-Governance in India

Definition by UNESCO

“Governance pertains to the execution of political, economic, and administrative authority in managing a country’s affairs, including the expression of citizen interests and the exercise of their legal rights and responsibilities. E-Governance can be understood as the execution of this governance through electronic means to ensure an efficient, swift, and transparent process of disseminating information to the public and other entities, as well as conducting government administrative tasks.” 

This definition highlights the implementation of electronic mediums in exercising authority over a country’s affairs while enabling the expression of citizen interests, leading to increased transparency and efficiency.. 

Definition by the Council of Europe 

“the application of electronic technologies in three domains of public activity: 

• interactions between public authorities and civil society
• the operation of public authorities throughout all phases of the democratic process (electronic democracy)
• the delivery of public services (electronic public services)” 

This definition emphasizes the utilization of electronic technologies to foster better communication between the government and citizens, enhance democracy, and provide public services.

Definition by Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

“A transparent smart e-Governance with seamless access, secure and authentic flow of information crossing the interdepartmental barrier and providing a fair and unbiased service to the citizen.” 

Definition by Ministry of Information and Technology

“e-governance goes far beyond mere computerisation of stand-alone back office operations. It implies fundamental changes in government operations; and a new set of responsibilities for the legislature, executive, judiciary and citizens.”

In essence e-governance is the application of ICT in government functioning to bring in SMART governance implying: simple, moral, accountable, responsive and transparent governance. 

• Simple: The term Simple refers to the simplification of governmental rules, regulations, and processes through ICT, offering a more user-friendly government.
• Moral: Moral denotes the emergence of a new system of ethical values within the political and administrative framework. Technological interventions increase the efficacy of anti-corruption bodies, law enforcement, judiciary, etc. 
• Accountable: Accountable points to the facilitation of designing, developing, and executing effective Management Information Systems and performance measurement tools, ensuring the accountability of public service officials. 
• Responsive: Responsive signifies optimizing processes to accelerate service delivery and enhance system responsiveness. 
• Transparent: Transparent involves making previously confidential information accessible to the public and creating transparency in governmental processes, which promotes equity and the rule of law in administrative responses.

E-Government and E-Governance: Key Differences and Impact

E-governance and e-government are often used interchangeably. However, the terms are distinct just as government differs from governance. According to Thomas B. Riley, both government and governance revolve around obtaining the consent and cooperation of those being governed. Yet, while government serves as the formal mechanism for achieving this aim, governance represents the results experienced by those affected. E-government can be a more efficient incarnation of government overall, provided it is implemented and managed effectively. E-governance has the potential to evolve into participatory governance if grounded in the right principles, objectives, programs, and frameworks. 

E-government thus represents the modernization of governmental processes and functions through ICT tools to transform how it serves its constituents. According to the World Bank, e-government encompasses the engagement of information technologies by government agencies (such as wide area networks, the internet, and mobile computing) that can reshape relationships with citizens, businesses, and other branches of government. It involves leveraging technology to enhance these interactions. It is about the use of ICT in the systems of governance, that is, using ICT to involve multi- stakeholders in decision-making and in making governments open and accountable.

Stages of e-Governance

It is clear that e-Governance is fundamentally connected to advancements in computer technology, computer networking, and communication systems. In developing nations, such technologies and frameworks became accessible with a noticeable delay compared to developed countries. Nevertheless, in India’s case, the liberalization of the economy beginning in the early 1990s led to a convergence in access to advanced technologies and opportunities within e-Governance. Generally, India’s experience indicates that the transition to e-Governance unfolded through the following stages: 

• Computerisation: During the initial phase, the arrival of personal computers led to many government offices being equipped with these machines. The initial application of computers was for word processing, which was soon followed by data processing. 
• Networking: In this stage, several units within a handful of governmental organizations were connected through a central hub, allowing for the sharing of information and data flow among different governmental entities. 
• On-line presence: As internet connectivity increased, there arose a growing necessity for government entities to establish a web presence. This necessity resulted in the development and maintenance of websites by government departments and other relevant organizations. Typically, these web pages contained information about the organizational structure, contact details, reports, publications, and the objectives and vision statements of the respective entities. 
• On-line interactivity: A natural outcome of establishing an online presence was the opening of communication channels between government entities and citizens, civil society organizations, etc. At this stage, the primary goal was to reduce the need for personal interactions with government entities by providing downloadable forms, instructions, acts, rules, etc. Currently, nearly all ministries and departments offer platforms for citizens to engage with their respective agencies.