Effective Public Service Delivery: Governance to "E-Governance in India"

Abstract

The issues of governance which received much focus during the decade of 1990s, has further expanded with the inclusion of “e-governance”- the latter has enhanced service delivery, enlarged participation and made the democracy more inclusive. India is not an exception to e- governance initiatives which is apparent in the Declaration of year 2001 as “Year of E-Governance”, earmarking two to three percent of plan budget towards e-governance etc. Crisis of governability, catching up with developed world and current trend towards globalization has made India to implement egovernance. There is no uniformity in the application of e-governance in different states or provinces in India. Some states still are in the “preliminary stage” others in “catching up” stage. Only ten states have made serious efforts. Its success rates are not uniform- it varies between partial success to complete failure, including the fact that there are criticisms leveled against it for the reasons that it is “urban biased”, “one way process” and that it would reduce the importance of bureaucracy, politicians. Despite the weakness one should appreciate the fact that it has reduced the cultural and geographical barriers, shifted the paradigm of “space” and helping in completing the project of incomplete modernity. However what is needed to strengthen e-governance is not only by clubbing Cafeteria and Phase model but also the success stories from other countries.