[Answered] What is e-governance? Examine importance of e-governance in growing age of digitisation.

E governance is the application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the Government services to improve the efficiency of communication and transaction between

• Government to Government (G2G)
• Government to Business (G2B)
• Government to Citizen (G2C)

Its purpose is to reduce corruption and increase accountability. It also enables a Citizen Centric Administration where citizens can participate effectively.

Importance of E-Governance in digitisation era:

1. Transforming lives: The government has been trying hard for digitisation to induce economic inclusiveness and social transformation, through initiatives like, ‘Digital India’, ‘Make in India’ and Skill India. India, as a result, is gearing up for an era of increased digitisation. E-governance is important to distribute various benefits of economic growth due to digitisation to all the sects of society. Blending technology and citizen centricity, catalysing, government operations to create a safer, more efficient and sustainable society.
2. Good governance: The complex nature of governance in India demands a holistic approach. Shedding old methods and embracing new technologies in governance, would lead to faster, smarter and more pro-active government needed in the age of digitisation catering its citizens.
3. Modern problems : With world moving towards new era of digitisation, it is necessary for government to adopt modern methods of governance to tackle new threats of modern time like cyber fraud, fake news etc.
4. Ease of Business: It is important for making doing business for economic growth of the country. Timely approval of projects and tracking of the projects and policies is important and can be made easy through E-governance.
5. Ease of services: E-governance include the digitisation of land records, single-window handling of grievances and maintenance of essential services; easing tax payments and government dues; along with internet based delivery of services. It led to faster work culture with reduction in inefficiencies and better services to Indian citizens.
6. Real Time Governance: With the help of E-Governance, the government can swiftly resolve citizen grievances and monitor infrastructure projects, incidents and weather & climatic events across the state in real time, leveraging technology services.
7. Cost Reduction: Most of the Government expenditure is appropriated towards the cost of stationary. Paper-based communication needs lots of stationary, printers, computers, etc. which calls for continuous heavy expenditure. Internet and Phones makes communication cheaper saving valuable money for the Government.
8. Transparency: Use of ICT makes governance transparent. Most of the information of the Government is made available on the internet. The citizens can see the information whenever they want to see. E-governance helped in reducing corruption by online track of various government activities.
9. Accountability: As the governing process is made transparent the Government is automatically made accountable. Accountability is answerability of the Government to the people.

Governance is a challenge in a country as vast, diverse and rapidly developing as India. That’s where new technologies intervene and enable large-scale transformation and help in the implementation of ambitious government plans. E-governance thus is important to make governance effective and easy catering to the needs of people.