E-governance success factors An analysis of e-governance initiatives of ten major states of India

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to evaluate e-governance projects for the social and economic development and citizen services by ten major states of India: Haryana, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and West Bengal. Design/methodology/approach - ICT and e-governance policy framework of these ten states was captured from their published policy documents/literature, as well as through the in-person interviews and discussions with the concerned Secretary/Director/Managing Director level officials at different forums on the basis of a structured questionnaire. Findings - The results highlight the policy gaps and suggest that there is a need to look at improving such factors as capacity building, common standards, security guidelines, quality, completeness, depth and spread of services, coordination, mindset, etc. In terms of overall performance, four e-governance projects, e-Sewa in Andhra Pradesh, Bhoomi in Karnataka, Setu in Maharashtra and Suwidha in Punjab had higher scores than other projects. Originality/value - The paper introduces the best e-governance projects which can be role models for other states in improving e-governance initiatives. This will help policy makers to understand the policy gaps and focus on those parameters which lead to good governance, not only in India but in other similar developing economies as well.