Article

Situating Digital India Indian Journal of Public

Administration
Mission in Pursuit of 66(1) 110–126, 2020
© 2020 IIPA
Reprints and permissions:
Good Governance: A in.sagepub.com/journals-permissions-india
DOI: 10.1177/0019556120904034
Study of Electronic journals.sagepub.com/home/ipa

Governance Initiatives
in the Indian Province
of Odisha*

Sangita Dhal1

Abstract
Contemporary states act as facilitators and this facilitation can be result oriented
and successful only when effective governance is ensured. In the era of globalisa-
tion, greater emphasis is being laid today on good governance because of the
critical link between the state and the global community. The nation states need
to reinvent themselves and reframe their development strategy, which requires
a thorough revision of their existing approach to international relations and
internal governance. As a part of the ongoing administrative reform process,
e-governance envisages a structural change in the bureaucracy and is perceived
as a key to a more flexible and proactive governance in tune with the concerns
of citizen-friendly administration.
The present article explores the challenges and prospects of e-governance and
tries to delve into the complex socio-cultural dynamics alongside political-bureau-
cratic initiatives that are crucial factors for the successful transition from traditional
governance to the electronic governance. It attempts to situate the ongoing Digital
India Mission in the larger context of good governance by examining the case study
of the Indian Province of Odisha, where a silent but stunning revolution is taking
shape.

* Paper presented in the seventh International Conference on Public Administration in the 21st Century:
Opportunities and Challenges by the Center for Chinese Public Administration Research at Sun Yat-Sen
University, University of Macau and the Macau Foundation, 27–28 October 2016.
1
Kalindi College, University of Delhi, East Patel Nagar, Delhi, India.

Corresponding author:
Sangita Dhal, Kalindi College, University of Delhi, East Patel Nagar, Delhi 110008, India.
E-mail: sangitadhal@hotmail.com
Dhal 111

Keywords
Globalisation, administrative reforms, electronic governance, Digital India,
Common Service Centres, citizen participation

Introduction
Every phase of history is an improvement upon the previous one in terms of
human progress based on knowledge, information and innovation. The globalised
world today is increasingly getting integrated through shared ideas, values, prin-
ciples and vision of common destiny jointly achieved by nation states.
Technology and information are the two enabling instruments, which are com-
plimenting and supplementing this objective and are providing solutions to the
problems of the human race. The internet is a core pillar of the modern infor-
mation society. It was on 12 March 1989 that the idea of the modern internet
came into existence when CERN (European Organisation for Nuclear Research)
researcher Berners-Lee laid out his vision of an internet network. As a result, the
number of internet users increased from 15 million in 2005 to 4.4 billion internet
users in April 2019.1 This goes to prove beyond doubt that internet as a significant
enabler is proving to be relevant to the citizens’ everyday lives and addresses their
personal needs. The use of Information Technology (IT) applications (internet,
wide area network [WAN], mobile phones and social media) for sharing infor-
mation and delivery of services by the government agencies seek to transform
relations with citizens and business (Sharma, 2004).
In the present era, the global community re-organises the political and eco-
nomic relationships among nation states based on the principles of democracy
and neo-liberalism. It is a system of getting nation states and their economies
integrated through commonly agreed principles of global trade, commerce and
services. Globalisation today is seen to be the only way forward to negotiate
with the challenges of poverty and underdevelopment, which are responsible for
other critical issues such as hunger, illiteracy, unemployment, malnutrition and
high mortality rate. The nation states have reinvented their role to facilitate a
new global environment of good governance, free trade, commerce and collab-
orative ventures (Santiso, 2001; World Bank Report, 1992). The pursuit of good
governance through the application of technology and speedy dissemination of
information to the people is today considered to be the most effective and result-
oriented approach to development. It further aims to transform public administra-
tion by providing various services to citizens without the interface of government
offices (Holmes, 2001).The issues and challenges of governance thus occupy the
centre stage of political and academic discourse in the contemporary world. India,
one of the fastest-growing economies in the world today, offers a classic example
of how rapid economic transformations can be affected through the application of
modern technology (Chakrabarty & Bhattacharya, 2008).
This present article contextualises the Digital India Mission as an enabling
futuristic goal to achieve success in mitigating the challenges of development.
It also locates electronic governance as an enabling and technologically driven
instrument to improve governance in Odisha, a relatively underdeveloped state
112 Indian Journal of Public Administration 66(1)

in the eastern coast of India that has made remarkable progress in recent times in
terms of implementing e-governance objectives and projects. This article delves
into the complex socio-cultural dynamics alongside political-bureaucratic initia-
tives that are crucial factors for the successful transition from traditional gover-
nance to electronic governance.
E-governance is one of the recent trends in administrative reforms adopted in
the state of Odisha after the introduction of new economic policy at the national
level in the early 1990s. As a result of this change in policy and approach to
governance, the state government started using Information and Communications
Technology (ICT) in the administrative processes and in providing services to the
citizens. The concept of e-governance is explored in this study as a major outcome
of new public service reforms in Odisha, which has a tremendous impact on the
functions of the government and its policies. The present research article is based
on the following provisional suppositions:

1. The use of ICT to modernise the state of Odisha has resulted in a greater
degree of government efficiency, accountability and speedy delivery of
services to people;
2. The political and administrative will to employ modern administrative
tools such as e-governance plays a crucial role in the overall course of
development and progress of a backward state like Odisha.

Basic Framework of E-governance

A well-defined and comprehensive system of information forms the core of the
e-governance. Electronic governance acts as an important tool for good governance
in making democracy meaningful through interactive communication and exchange
of information among various stakeholders. Many scholars have focused on the dem-
ocratic dividend of electronic governance for its ability to enhance the direct partici-
pation of people in the political processes (Bhatnagar, 2009; Holmes, 2001). For
instance, modern technology is of great value in registering the political attitudes and
inclinations of the public, interactive media which can accommodate dialogue among
various stakeholders, government, citizens and the players in the private and the
public sectors. This process creates the foundation of an inclusive governance system
through online administration. E-governance is based on the three characteristics in
the UNESCO definition as outlined by Benkler.2
In the e-governance framework, the citizen is put at the centre stage and is
encouraged to participate in the process of governance. Advanced countries such
as the USA and European states are fast moving towards interconnectedness
wherein gadgets, vehicles and buildings are embedded with software, sensors and
network connectivity for exchanging data between objects, owners and the world.
Japan will make a transition from the internet of things to the internet of every-
thing, with everything ceaselessly transmitting real time data. Thus, Japan seeks
to build a safe and productive society with a positive integration and interaction
between man and machines to enhance human existence. In India too, we are
Dhal 113

using technology to empower citizens through ICT, speed up public delivery of

services and create more jobs.
The concept of new public service dwells upon this aspect of governance, where
corporate, managerial methods are blended with the application of technology to
make good governance a reality. As a result, most of the underdeveloped countries
today are adopting the electronic mode of governance in order to make the process
of governance more efficient and smart. The objective of this new approach is to
bridge the governance deficit and re-establish the credibility of the government
that had been constantly eroding due to under-performance or lack of success in
achieving the desired goals of development (Gyan & Singh, 2008). The role of
the government can be best ensured by using the technology and bringing more
objectivity to the decision-making process rather than leaving the process of poli-
cymaking and programme implementation to the subjective discretion of political
executives and bureaucrats (Denhardt & Denhardt, 2009). There is an urgent need
to replace the subjective element in the process of administration with objective
assessment and transparent dealings in the public domain. To pursue this goal, the
central and state governments have initiated many strategies to promote ICT in
all walks of life representing a structural and functional change in the government
organisations and the bureaucracy. Several efforts are made to increase ICT acces-
sibility through computers and internet to reach out to large sections of the popu-
lation with the help of civil society organisations and Common Service Centres
(CSCs).

Evolution of E-governance in India

E-governance had its origins in India during the 1970s with a focus on develop-
ment and deployment of IT to manage data-intensive functions related to elec-
tions, census, tax administration, etc. During the 1980s, the efforts of National
Informatics Centre (NIC) to connect all the district headquarters was a significant
step. The states followed a three-pillar e-governance structure of State Wide Area
Network (SWAN), State Data Centre (SDC) and CSC that linked all districts
through ICT networks.
From the late 1990s, the Central and the state governments have been pursuing
a policy for the adoption of ICTs, web-based technology and internet. By 1995, the
Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited (VSNL) formally launched internet services for
the Indian public to use the World Wide Web (www) network in the public domain
and sharing of information extensively. India has been at the forefront of the IT
revolution encompassing the areas of rural development, services delivery, local
administration, education, training, economy and many others. Digital governance
has been legalised in India by the Information Technology Act 2000, which
provides legal reorganisation for transactions carried out by means of electronic
data exchange. This Act was a path-breaking initiative towards administrative
reform in India.3 Further, the political will to employ e-governance and online
administration has led to the transformation of a representative democracy into
a participatory democracy through the introduction of key milestones for digital
empowerment like National e-Governance Plan (NeGP), 2006, comprising
114 Indian Journal of Public Administration 66(1)

twenty-seven Mission Mode Projects (MMPs) at the Centre, state and grassroots
level to enable citizen-centric governance. NeGP seeks to improve the delivery
of government services to citizens and business establishments with the vision
to make them accessible to the common man through common service delivery
outlets situated in convenient locations at affordable costs.4
The Digital India Programme was introduced as a flagship programme with
a vision to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge
economy. The Digital Mission in India called e-Kranti (e-revolution) launched in
August 2014 falls under the purview of Digital India initiative and is considered
to be the world’s most ambitious and costly broadband project.
As illustrated in Figure 1, Digital India envisages all government services to be
delivered electronically for the benefit of the citizens through high-speed internet
as a core utility extending to the village administrative unit and providing a
‘cradle to grave’ digital identity to the citizens. The government has also launched
few other innovative IT programmes relating to Make in India, Startup India and
Digital Lockers to bring positive changes in state-citizen relationships. Successful
implementation of these programmes will be dependent on strengthening the
basic foundation of the digital economy and making the internet accessible, open
and safe for all the citizens of India (Basu, 2016).
The introduction of new technology offers a monumental opportunity to the
pensioners through a major service of Digital India known as ‘Jeevan Pramaan’
(life certificate) wherein life certificate can be given online which has benefitted
1.17 crore pensioners.5 For the benefit of the students, a National Scholarship
Portal, that creates a transparent database of scholars, has been introduced. This
provides 32 scholarship schemes online through direct benefit transfer to nearly
1.4 crore students who have been registered and availed the scholarships which
were timely disbursed. As shown in Figure 2, the vision of Digital India is based
on three key areas such as digital infrastructure as a utility to every citizen, gov-
ernance and services on demand, and achieving digital empowerment of citizens
(Business Standard, 2014).

Figure 1. Digital India Website

Source: http://www.digitalindia.gov.in/
Dhal 115

Figure 2. Three Core Areas of Digital India Programme

Source: https://www.csc.gov.in/

Another path-breaking initiative is the State Resident Data Hub, which

includes big data technology wherein Aadhaar ID (social security number) based
information on demography is stored for the citizens with photographs. Through
this digitisation project, already more than 1.1 billion citizens of India have been
issued Aadhaar IDs which has proved to be a revolutionary digital ID platform.
To utilise and harness the benefits of cloud, an internet facility, the Department
of Electronics and Information Technology (DeiTY) of Government of India has
embarked upon another ambitious programme known as ‘GI Cloud’ (MeghRaj).
In order to implement this initiative, a task force was constituted by the DeiTY to
provide strategic direction and implementation roadmap of GI Cloud and integrat-
ing it with the existing or new infrastructure. The architectural vision of GI Cloud
centres on a set of discrete cloud computing environments spread across multiple
locations based on the guidelines issued by the state.6
The governments across the country today are using ICT to facilitate
governance and provide services to citizens in different spheres of government-
citizen engagement (Bose, 2007; Heeks, 2006). IT has also been playing a
noteworthy role in the successful implementation of development initiatives in
the rural areas. The importance of transparency through flow of information is
widely acknowledged to promote greater public confidence in the policymaking
processes. The government departments and organisations make use of the digital
platform to publish official information. Thus, government websites are the most
important public faces of the internet promoting new civic engagement and online
activism.
The Indian experience of the last seventy years proves that chronic problems
of maladministration cannot be solved using traditional methods which are
slow and face different problems such as corruption, nepotism, pilferage and
bribery. So, technology becomes an indispensable tool to counter the myriad
socio-cultural and psychological barriers in governance. Digitisation is changing
the way governments are addressing the problems of people in particular and the
issues of development in general. New technology backed by strong political will,
provides a path-breaking platform that has given a fillip to the overall governance
(Singhal & Everett,1990). Today there is an emphasis on doing every governmental
transaction digitally and the political leadership is driving the change and ensuring
its implementation.
116 Indian Journal of Public Administration 66(1)

E-governance is making citizens conscious of their rights to get required services

due to them and both state and Central governments recognise the need to deliver
faster and efficient services to the citizens. Odisha is one of the few states in India
which has initiated many e-governance projects to promote specific, measurable,
attainable, relevant and time-based (SMART) governance in different spheres of
administration. The government of Odisha has tried to provide several govern-
ment services of which many are unique and trendsetting in the entire country,
thereby making life easier for people. The CSCs aimed at providing multiple
electronic services under one roof, particularly in the rural areas of the state, are
also assigned the task of implementing the ambitious National Digital Literacy
Mission (NDLM). Suitable training for the rural and urban population is imparted
to ensure that every family in the state has at least one e-literate member, prefer-
ably a female. However, the useful and potentially forward-looking vision of the
Central government’s flagship Digital India Mission can succeed in the state, only
if the rural people are also provided access to the modern banking system, which
promotes the idea of financial inclusion.

Heralding a New Era in Inclusive Governance

in Odisha
The history of e-governance in Odisha can be traced to 1986 with the formation
of NIC at Bhubaneswar. Within few years of its inception, NIC in 1988 introduced
District Network Project (disnic) in thirteen districts of Odisha situated in the
eastern region and, after a decade, took a leap by launching the first website in
19987 within the government departments to facilitate the process of mail and file
transfer through NIC Network (nicnet). Presently, nineteen government depart-
ments out of thirty-nine departments in Odisha have already successfully inte-
grated e-Despatch with Odisha State Wide Automation System (OSWAS) to
enable smooth and hassle-free official transactions.
Figure 3 shows that Odisha State Wide Area Network (OSWAN) created
this integrated network, linking the various departments at all the levels of

Figure 3. Institutional Framework of Odisha State Wide Area Network

Source: www.ocac.in
Dhal 117

Government-to-Citizen (G2C) that will improve government efficiency through

connectivity. OSWAN is regarded as the backbone for network, data transmis-
sion, video and voice communications throughout the state which includes one
state headquarter, 30 district headquarters, 200 and 84 block headquarters and
61 horizontal offices. Thus, by increasing the bandwidth, better connectivity
was enabled among the various departments in the state horizontally and verti-
cally through land area network (LAN) and WAN. With an integrated network
system in place, the government departments are able to transfer files, records,
information and notifications smoothly through internet. WAN has helped in
linking the state headquarters with the district and cities, towns and even the vill-
ages as a result of which departments are now able to stay connected with their
local units. This helps in sending notices, directives and mails related to policy
matters via mail and internet.
Keeping in line with the increased thrust on e-governance across the country,
Odisha launched innovative initiatives to computerise various departments since
the year 2000, which includes policies, infrastructure and software application
development specifically to create an ICT enabling environment to enable citizen-
centred services delivery in the fields of education, treasury, commercial tax,
registration office, transport sector, Panchayati Raj, election office, etc.
Odisha Information and Communications Technology Policy, 2014, shows that
it aims at setting up at least one active CSC in every gram panchayat to facili-
tate citizen-centric services. The citizens should get the services from either CSC
or the confines of their home through electronic means within stipulated time-
lines as mentioned under the ‘Odisha Right to Public Services Act, 2012’. The
state government has also started a number of flagship e-governance projects in
recent years which have won several international and national awards such as the
e-Abhijoga, e-Pothi, e-Saksham, e-GPF, e-Nijukti, Sarathi, Bhulekh, e-Shishu,
e-Despatch, Student Admission Management System (SAMS), Tracking of the
Missing Child, Betan, which are in operation in the different districts for deliver-
ing state of the art e-services in the state.
E-governance has provided the citizens a choice and a possibility of easy
access to government information and services. People today want to participate
in the process of governance and control their own destiny by making informed
choices. Through network communities and internet, citizens today are using new
technologies to influence government policies.
The Odisha Information and Communications Technology Policy, 2015, envis-
ages that every department in the state shall spend two per cent of its plan budget
for electronic-enabled service delivery to the citizens and towards capacity building.
This policy envisages the creation of a government-wide information network, which
would simplify service delivery, better targeting of beneficiaries and reduce dupli-
cation and corruption. Further, the government has also implemented Digital India
Mission, Skill India and Startup Policy to boost entrepreneurship and job creation in
the state.
People of Odisha have online access to nearly 200 public utility forms pertaining
to commerce and transport, food supplies and consumer welfare, general adminis-
tration, home, industries, law, public grievances, pension administration, revenue,
118 Indian Journal of Public Administration 66(1)

disaster management, excise, rural development, science and technology, Scheduled

Tribe and Scheduled Caste development, Minorities and Backward Classes Welfare
Department, Tourism and Culture and Women and Child Development Department.
The state government has also started a number of pioneering e-governance projects,
which are in operation in the different districts for promoting electronic governance.
Given below are few landmark e-governance projects that are innovative efforts
to maximise public interaction and to bring government closer to the people and
empower them through ICT.

• Bhulekh: The land record web portal in Odisha is a software application, an

initiative taken up by Directorate of Land Records and Surveys, which pro-
vides online information on land records. The software enables optimised
maintenance of records and provides accurate copies of Record of Rights
(RoR) to the landowners all across the state.8
• E-Shishu: It is another ambitious project implemented by Odisha Primary
Education Programme Authority which is the first of its kind in the country.

This project has two components:

• Child Tracking System (CTS)

• Intervention Monitoring and Information System (IMIS)

These above examples outline how e-governance initiatives in Odisha contribute

considerably to the current transformation of the form and functioning of the
government.
Growth of the internet and mobile phones penetration has played a critical role
in transforming the state into a more people-friendly and development-oriented
province of the Indian Union. Teledensity, which is equal to the number of tele-
phone connections per 100 population, has grown rapidly in the state. However,
it is yet to catch up with the national average. The overall teledensity of the state
by the end of March 2014 was 60.90 per cent as against the all India average of
75.23 per cent. In case of urban teledensity, Odisha is far better than the all India
level which has reported urban teledensity of 161 per cent in comparison to 146
per cent at the national level. The rural teledensity in the state was 40 per cent as
compared to 44 per cent at all India level. Cell phones constitute about 75 per cent
of total telephone connections in the state. An ordinary person can use internet
with broadband connectivity to avail government and private services reaching
every gram panchayat (Government of Odisha, 2015, pp. 360–365).

Odisha Government Budget in Information

Technology Sector
Table 1 depicts the year-wise allocation of funds for the ICT promotion and deve-
lopment in Odisha. It shows there has been a steady increase in the governmental
allocation for ICT sector from the total consolidated fund of the state from
Dhal 119

Table 1. Total IT Allocation Component in Odisha Government Budget

Information
Consolidated Total State Technology % of the
Fund Total (in Budget (in Department (in Consolidated
Financial Year Crores) Crores) Crores) Fund
2015–2016 84,487.77 239,753.42 175.04 0.21
2014–2015 80,139.58 207,355.51 138.19 0.17
2013–2014 60,303.09 223,439.67 125.42 0.21
2012–2013 52,030.77 207,367.51 122.63 0.24
2011–2012 49,810.21 – 110.11 0.22
Source: www.budget.odisha.gov.in

2011–2012 to 2015–2016. However, looking at the huge prospect of ICT expan-

sion and government’s ambitious plans for the future, the funding seems to be too
inadequate. A meagre 0.21 per cent of the total consolidated fund of the state
being spent on IT sector does not match the ambitious expansion plan as well as
sustenance of the ongoing e-governance projects. Further, it shows that in the five
years, though there has been a slight increase in terms of funding in the IT sector,
in terms of percentage of the total consolidated fund, there has been no upward
swing. The percentage was 0.22 in the financial year 2011–2012 and after five
years, it still remained stagnant at 0.21 in the financial year 2015–2016. Although
the trend shows a marginal increase to 0.24 per cent in the year 2012–2013, it
registered a decline in the two subsequent years, 2014–2015 being the worst,
receiving just 0.17 per cent of funds from the consolidated fund of the state.

Common Service Centres: Encouraging Citizen

Participation in Governance
CSCs are envisaged as the grassroots agencies of social change in the rural areas
providing e-governance facilities in the fields of education, tele-medicine, agri-
culture, entertainment, etc. Due to their outreach and success, the number of
CSCs has increased from 83,000 in 2014 to a record number of 365,000 in May
2019. Various government services through these CSCs were expected to benefit
the citizens, who lived closer to the areas of operation and reduce the waiting
period for a majority of public services. Recently, the private sector has been
involved in the IT development, financing and operation of such systems, where
a small transaction fee is charged for providing government services. The objec-
tive of involving the private sector and NGOs in CSC projects is to make them
partners in developing rural India. The CSCs have turned out to be popular des-
tination of service seekers, ranging from students, pensioners, farmers, women,
panchayat-level workers, businessmen, etc. These information centres/kiosks are
providing information on health, education, insurance, etc., to the various cate-
gories of people and are catering to their variety of needs and requirements (refer
to Figure 4).
As per the CSC guidelines outlined by Government of India, there would be
one CSC for every six census villages. However, with 51,349 census villages in
120 Indian Journal of Public Administration 66(1)

Figure 4. Organisational Structure of Common Service Centres

Source: http://apnacsccenter.blogspot.in/p/role-of-csc.html

the state, the target of setting up 8,558 CSCs in Odisha is yet to be achieved.9
The CSCs played a significant role in the remote areas by providing easy access
to government services for the benefit of the citizens. Figures 5 and 6 reveal that
through the CSCs, the government and market are working in tandem with each
other offering Business-to-Citizen (B2C) services which are indirectly promoting
e-commerce in their area.
A Village Level Entrepreneur/Operator (VLE) manages every CSC in
the rural area who is a CSC operator and a key element to the success of its
operations. An efficient VLE is one who has entrepreneurial skills or traits,
strong social commitment and respect within the community. Many studies
have proved that there is a direct correlation between the quality of services
offered at the CSCs and entrepreneurial abilities of VLEs operating them.10
The gap between the citizens, state administration/machinery and people’s
representatives is thus narrowing down by making the administration process
citizen-centric, convenient and transparent.

Figure 5. Government-to-Citizen (G2C) Services Provided in Common Service

Centres
Source: Author’s framework.
Dhal 121

Figure 6. Business-to-Citizen (B2C) Services Provided in Common Service Centres

Source: Author’s framework.

Comparative Analysis Before and After

E-governance Initiatives
The comparative assessment of the scenario existing prior to the implementation
of e-governance and the qualitative changes that have emerged after e-governance
was introduced revealed interesting facts. It is observed that a lot of paperwork
that involved in the previous system of manual handling of files has been replaced
by digital communication and interaction. Now, since the information is available
on the government websites, people have a hassle free access to transparent
information. E-governance has, to a great extent, reduced unnecessary cost
involved at every stage saving a lot of public money and time. The earlier system
of governance used to lay emphasis on rules, regulations and norms, the
interpretation of which was squarely dependent on the subjective view of the
official. The element of subjectivity often encourages corrupt practices and
preferential treatment to the service seekers. The e-governance processes being
technologically driven have created an atmosphere of accountability, objectivity
and transparency. The software and the programming in e-governance are so
organised that instant delivery of information and services are guaranteed without
delay.
Regarding the efficacy of the government to develop and sustain successful
e-governance projects, the study revealed that though remarkable progress has
been made in the last one decade in e-governance, still lot more has to be achieved.
This depends on more ICT initiatives by arresting the negative trends in terms of
bureaucratic apathy and indifference to the application of technology in governance.
Furthermore, the study also found the annual expenditure for ICT initiatives to be
inadequate, particularly when the vision document of e-governance makes ambitious
projections about the future of e-governance in Odisha. Until 2014–2015, IT budget
was below 0.5 per cent of the total budget allocation, however for the year 2015–
2016, it was raised to one per cent, which is abysmally low to develop and sustain
e-governance projects and deliver state of the art e-services to citizens.
122 Indian Journal of Public Administration 66(1)

Challenges to E-governance
The process of e-governance is not always free from technical and psychological
hurdles. The major challenge of the e-governance initiatives is how to get the
larger public use the services on a regular basis. Any sound e-government policy
must be based on a citizen-centric approach. While e-government may provide
ease and convenience in the delivery of public services and offer innovative gov-
ernment services, none of these will prompt citizens to use those facilities, unless
issues like unfamiliarity with ICT, lack of access, lack of training, and concerns
about privacy and security of information are first addressed and concrete steps
are taken to encourage their participation (Sangita & Dash, 2008). Content in the
local language is extremely important for increasing usage and delivering the ben-
efits to more people. Customised content for women is also important for increas-
ing usage among them and addressing gender-specific digital divide.

Negotiating the Challenges

Although India has achieved several milestones in the development of an electronic
governance framework for the country, certain basic problems exist which come in
the way of sustainability of these initiatives. As observed by Pippa Norris (2001),
the key issue in evaluating e-governance is the way in which it affects the nature of
the relationship between political institutions, bureaucracy and citizens and whether
it facilitates a relationship based on public accountability and participation. While
the Digital India initiative is an exemplary initiative, its execution in the field has
been running behind schedule. The major hurdle in implementing the Digital
India Mission is the wide digital divide that exists in the country among the rich
and poor, male and female, and rural and urban categories. The primary cause of
such divides in India pertains to our under-resourced education system and low
level of IT awareness among the people. Even though the mobile penetration in
India is high, internet connection and broadband connectivity are one of the
lowest in the world (UN E-government Survey, 2016). Without connectivity, the
effectiveness of digital services is hugely compromised and gets impacted among
the user communities. Digital India content is highly vulnerable and needs to be
secured against cyber attacks, so more attention should be given to cyber security.
For effective implementation of Digital India Mission, the laying of National
Optical Fibre Network (NOFN) has to be completed on war-footing. Risks of
fraud, cyber crime and poor connectivity in rural areas are problems that the state
must recognise while pushing for digitisation.
Further, it has been observed that despite state funding and assistance to public
welfare schemes, the net output in terms of successful delivery in many cases
remained significantly low. This has been attributed to the knowledge deficit pre-
vailing among the marginalised sections of the society. Therefore, it is important
to build a knowledge society before aspiring to achieve larger objectives of effec-
tive democracy. In this context, the focus needs to be capacity building as an
enabler for overall empowerment of citizens in the economic sphere as well as in
the larger socio-political sphere. Then only citizens can become vital stakehold-
ers and key players in the growth and development of the nation. Further, for the
Dhal 123

majority of underprivileged Indians, mostly poor and illiterate, the fruits of the
ongoing technological revolution continue to be beyond their reach.
According to the United Nations E-government Survey (2018), India, which
was ranked 118 in 2014, improved its rank to 96 in 2018. The jump shows how
digital technologies and innovations are impacting the public sector and changing
people’s everyday lives. However, India has a very low rank (0.5484) in pro-
moting e-governance as compared to Denmark, with an index value of 0.9150
which topped the list (E-government Development Survey, 2018) followed by
Australia with 0.9053 scores and the Republic of Korea with a value of 0.9010.
Until recently, South Korea has consistently been the global leader in broad-
band deployment and internet penetration surpassing other developed nations
including the USA, United Kingdom, Singapore and Japan (Kim, Pan, & Pan,
2007). Another noteworthy country with advanced e-governance framework is
Singapore. The e-citizen web portal in Singapore is an example of one-stop shop
for citizens to access information and services from various government depart-
ments in a fast and convenient way. Thus, citizens of Singapore are able to access
nearly 1,600 e-services pertaining to business, health, education, recreation, etc.
E-governance and related innovations involve blending of hardware, software,
networking, process-re-engineering, training, infrastructure and change manage-
ment. The task is a complex management of diverse challenges that emanate from
a multitude of sources. The key challenges with electronic governance in India
in general and with Odisha in particular, are not technology or internet issues
but organisational, technical and institutional issues. Although ICTs are playing
a significant role in enabling governments to pursue the agenda of good govern-
ance, the lack of human resources, organisational and technological infrastruc-
ture, committed political leadership and bureaucracy have posed hindrances to the
effective implementation of ICT in governance.
Some major concerns continue which include:

• India faces the problems of low connectivity, technical professionals,

finances coupled with inappropriate planning
• Lack of a clear vision for implementing various e-governance initiatives.
• E-governance applications should be preceded with the re-engineering of the
administrative processes in the government departments and organisations.
• Most ICT applications are implemented in a quick time frame without any
change in the organisational structure and work procedures.

According to the United Nations Survey Report (2014), 75 per cent of projects are
not able to sustain due to poor planning (UNO E-government Survey, 2014). Most
ICT projects fail to take off because of their inability to address the existing
divides in society in terms of rural and urban, rich and poor, male and female,
literate and illiterate. There is a lot of hope on the potential of e-governance to
transform the internal efficiency of government and the relationship of govern-
ment with stakeholders (Deva, 2005). To overcome the issue of the digital divide,
the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) has developed
multilingual software which helps to reach out to the rural population in their
124 Indian Journal of Public Administration 66(1)

local languages thereby creating an effective information and communication

system for the rural and agricultural sector.
Senior IT officials observed that e-government initiatives in a democratic set
up are often constrained by lack of financial resources, low level of skills and
capacity deficit within governments. This is all the more evident in the absence of
incentives and structures for suitably rewarding performance. The case of Odisha
seems to be no different. Despite an exhaustive e-governance roadmap outlined
in the Odisha Information and Communications Technology Policy, it still lacks a
full-fledged ICT framework for implementation of e-governance. Public–private
partnership models in e-government can help overcome many of these constraints
and can simultaneously increase opportunities for the private sector.

Conclusion
The e-governance has given a fillip to the overall re-engineering process in the
governance structure of Odisha today coupled with strong political and adminis-
trative desire to redefine the existing work culture, rules and procedures. However,
for e-governance to actually lead to empowerment of citizens, the focus needs to
be on multi-level institutional change, which would create opportunities for the
people to utilise the associated benefits.
It is only a few e-governance initiatives in the state of Odisha which seem
to have ventured into the more complex areas that transcend the efficiency and
management concerns of the state government and address common man’s quality
of life issues. Experiences suggest that there is a need to first determine citizens’
needs and then design the system. Despite the initial encouraging signs, the long-
term results of e-governance efforts are not very promising with most systems
that are implemented in Odisha only partly meeting their objectives. Thus, any
system, policy or government would succeed only if its processes are accountable,
transparent and its citizens are engaged. Successful implementation of the various
digital programmes is made possible by strengthening the basic foundation of
the digital economy and making the internet accessible, open and safe for all the
citizens.

The Way Forward

Electronic governance applications should be widespread to cover the rural and
remote areas of the country so that the rural population can access internet for
information that is useful to them. It has been observed that most of the projects
make use of business models, public–private partnership models, localisation,
appropriate technology and interface with smart government, however most fail
to replicate the initial success story. The need of the hour is to address the substan-
tive issues and examine the problems which pose a challenge for the e-governance
projects. The induction of technology alone will not improve governance rather
there is a need to adopt a balanced approach for implementation of e-governance
initiatives. With firm commitment towards digital empowerment, Odisha has the
Dhal 125

potential to transform itself and accomplish the desired goals of inclusive deve-
lopment and social justice.

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The author declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, author-
ship and/or publication of this article.

Funding
The author received no financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of
this article.

Notes
1. https://www.statista.com/statistics/617136/digital-population-worldwide
2. http://cis-india.org/digital-natives/making-change/information-structures-janaagrah
3. https://meity.gov.in/content/information-technology-act-2000-2
4. www.diety.in
5. www.jeevanpramaan.gov.in
6. http://deity.gov. in/content/gi-cloud-initiative-meghraj
7. www.nicemail.com
8. http://bhulekh.ori.nic.in/
9. http://ocac.in/Content/3/13/12/39
10. http://apna.csc.gov.in

References
Basu, K. (2016, February 12). India’s digital transformation. The Hindu. Retrieved
from   https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/indias-digital-transformation/
article8224206.ece
Bhatnagar, S. (2009). Unlocking e-government potential: Concepts, cases and practical
insights. New Delhi: SAGE Publications.
Bose, J. (2007). E-governance in India: Issues and cases. New Delhi: ICFAI University
Press.
Business Standard. (2014, December 26). Twenty-one incremental services launched
to further Digital India. Retrieved from https://www.business-standard.com/article/
economy-policy/twenty-one-incremental-services-launched-to-further-digital-
india-114122500464_1.html
Chakrabarty, B., & Bhattacharya, M. (2008). The governance discourse-a reader. New
Delhi: Oxford University Press.
Denhardt, R., & Denhardt, J. V. (2009). Public administration. New Delhi: Brooks/Cole.
Deva, V. (2005). E-governance in India: A reality. Delhi: Commonwealth Publishers.
Government of Odisha. (2015). Economic Survey 2014–2015. Retrieved from http://www.
indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/Odisha%20Economic_Survey_2014-15.pdf
Gyan, P., & Singh, A. (2008). A new public management perspective in Indian e-governance
initiatives in critical thinking in e-governance. Delhi: ICEG.
Heeks, R. (2006). Implementing and managing e-government: An international text.
London: SAGE Publications.
126 Indian Journal of Public Administration 66(1)

Holmes, D. (2001). E-gov: E-business strategies for government. London: Nicholas

Brealey Publishers.
Kim, H. J., Pan, G., & Pan, S. H. (2007). Managing IT-enabled transformation in the pub-
lic sector: A case study on e-government in South Korea. Government Information
Quarterly, 24(2), 338–352.
Norris, P. (2001). Digital divide, civic engagement, information poverty and the internet in
democratic societies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Sangita, S. N., & Dash, B. C. (2008). ICT, governance and service delivery in India: A criti-
cal review. Indian Journal of Public Administration, 74(1), 141–161.
Santiso, C. (2001). Good governance and aid effectiveness: The World Bank and condi-
tionality. The Georgetown Public Policy Review, 7(1), 1–22.
Sharma, P. (2004). E-governance: The new age governance. New Delhi: APH Publishers.
Singhal, A., & Everett R. (1990). India’s information revolution. New York, NY: SAGE
Publications.
United Nations. (2008). United Nations E-government Survey 2008. Retrieved from https://
www.un.org/development/desa/publications/global-e-government-survey-2008.html
———. (2014). United Nations E-government Survey 2014. New York, NY. Retrieved from
https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/publications/e-government-survey-2014.
html
World Bank. (1992). World Development Report 1992. Oxford University Press. Retrieved
from https://www.student.uni-augsburg.de/de/fachschaften/politik/service/downloads/
internationale_Politik/world_development_reports/1992.pdf

Websites
www.egov.mit.gov.in
www.deity.gov.in
www.negp.gov.in
https://www.csc.gov.in/ (accessed on 24 April 2019)