The 2nd ARC’s 11th Report (2008) envisioned “SMART Governance”, Simple, Moral, Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent, through e-governance.
E-governance ushering in effectiveness
Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)- saved more than
Unified Payments Interface (UPI) – Revolutionised digital payments with real-time, low-cost, interoperable transactions. Eg: 20+ billion transactions/month
Aadhaar-Based Authentication – Universal digital identity enables paperless, presence-less service delivery at scale.
DigiLocker – Digital storage of documents enables instant verification across services.
PM Gati Shakti – Inter-Ministerial Convergence
E-governance ushering in transparency
Open, competitive procurement on Government e-Marketplace (GeM) eliminates discretion and middlemen.
CoWIN Platform – Real-time vaccination tracking with public dashboards ensured transparent COVID response.
Online RTI Portal
Open Government Data Portal – data.gov.in publishes datasets across ministries for citizen scrutiny and research.
e-Procurement and e-Tendering – reduces corruption opportunities.
E-governance ushering in accountability
CPGRAMS Grievance Redressal – enables time-bound resolution and tracking by citizens.
MyGov – Direct policy participation through online consultations, polls, and feedback mechanisms.
Social Audit via MGNREGA – Online MIS publishes worksite details, wages, attendance
Aspirational Districts Dashboard – Real-time performance ranking of 112 districts on 49 indicators
Inadequacies hampering e-governance
Digital Divide – Eg: Rural internet penetration 59.06% vs urban 131.45% (TRAI Q1 2025).
Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities- Eg: cybercrime losses in 2024 – 206% rise (I4C, MHA 2025).
Data Privacy Concerns – Weak enforcement of data protection exposes citizens to misuse risks.
Poor Digital Literacy – Eg: Only 38% women have ever used internet (NFHS-5, MoHFW).
Inadequate Infrastructure – Internet connectivity, electricity, devices remain insufficient in remote regions.
Capacity Constraints – lower level government staff lack training in digital tools, data analytics, AI skills.
Targeting and verification errors exclude genuine beneficiaries from welfare schemes. Eg: PM-Kisan validation errors stranded 2.18 crore families (Dvara Research).
Departmental Silos – Ministries operate in isolation; lack integrated digital data ecosystems for governance.
Faulty validation processes. Eg: Aadhaar-PDS biometric failures linked to Simdega starvation death, Jharkhand (NHRC).
Linguistic Barriers – English-dominant interfaces exclude regional language users from accessing services.
Measures for Effective Implementation
Bridge Digital Divide – Saturate rural connectivity through BharatNet expansion and affordable smartphones distribution.
Mass Digital Literacy Drive – Scale PMGDISHA and Mission Karmayogi to all citizens and government employees.
Citizen Co-creation – Engage citizens through MyGov, hackathons, and pilot testing before scaling projects.
Outcome-Based Monitoring – Real-time dashboards, third-party audits, beneficiary feedback for course correction.
Adopt Global Best Practices – Estonia’s X-Road, Once-Only Principle for seamless inter-departmental data sharing.
For Viksit Bharat 2047, robust ICT governance demands inclusion, security, capacity, and citizen-centric design.