The Plausibility of e-Governance as a Public Service Delivery Mechanism in India

Public administration is the backbone of the governance system of any nation. The rapid advancements in information and communication technologies and their incorporation in public administration have given rise to the practice of e-governance all over the world. E-governance is regarded as a crucial aspect of citizen-centric governance and has gradually evolved in India. In the due course of time it has acquired one of the centre stages in the programme of administrative reforms. It has come a long way in the country. Considering the need for having a national level plan for promoting e-governance and increasing public accessibility of all government services, the Government of India approved National e-Governance Plan in May 2006. Keeping in view the advantages accruing from use of information and communication technologies in governance process, the central and state governments have embarked upon numerous e-governance initiatives. The thrust on e-governance has increased with successive governments. Recognizing e-governance as one of the thrust areas, the Government of India launched its flagship programme Digital India in July 2015. State governments have their official websites and some of their projects have become popular among the masses in terms of service delivery. There is no doubt that wherever e-governance projects have been conceived, designed and implemented with due regard to the needs of the people there positive outcomes have been visible. However, it has to be acknowledged that most of the projects are facing multiple challenges which are reducing their success rate. A serious consideration must be given to all the issues which are hampering their efficiency. At the same time measures must be taken up to maintain the human face of these initiatives.