E-Government Initiatives in India

In democratic states information about government activities is of crucial importance to all citizens, who need to make judgments regarding public policy. Government of India has emerged as a vital group engaged in generating, collecting and disseminating information in the country which is essential to the public for understanding of the national issues. National Informatics Center (NIC) has developed government websites in which one can get an overview of the functioning of government bodies. Now, there has been greater emphasis on free flow of information from government to public as it is considered to be an indicator of good governance. E-governance contributes to the functioning of democracy by online provision of government information and services to the public, leading to increasing transparency, greater efficiency and productivity. This paper focuses on innovative applications of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in support of e-government initiatives in India in various sectors viz. rural development, agriculture and administration etc. The study also tries to look at the various benefits of e-government initiatives in Indian context. It also briefly discusses the National e-governance Plan (NeGP) and other planning initiatives undertaken by the Government of India (GOI) to develop a single coherent policy for implementation of mission mode e-governance projects. It highlights the salient features of government websites in India followed by analyses of three websites selected as case studies. The major finding of this study is that the e-governance initiatives have been partially successful in India and it has limited impact due to low e-literacy and infrastructure limitations.