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E-governance

The use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to improve the effectiveness,accountability and transparency of governmental services and processes is known as e-governance, also known as electronic governance.

 In order to enhance communication between the government and its constituents, make government information and services more accessible to the general public, and streamline administrative processes, it is necessary to use digital tools and platforms.

Online service delivery, digital communication channels (like social media and email), electronic voting systems, and data analytics to guide policy-making are just a few of the many activities that fall under the umbrella of e-governance. In order to increase citizens' access to government services, it also involves the use of mobile applications, web portals, and other electronic tools.

Information's use value is determined by several factors, including:

• Accuracy/precision/correctness — Information should be precise and close to reality. Also, information should be free of distortion, bias, or errors.
• Consistency — The information should be free of contradictions or convention
• Applicability — Information should be able to be applied
• Clarity/format — Information should be well, understandable and clearly presented to the user.
• Comprehensiveness/completeness — The scope of information should be There should be not too much nor too little information
• Conciseness — The information should be to the point and should be void of unnecessary elements
• Convenience — The information should correspond to the user’s needs and habits
• Currency — The information should be up-to-date and not obsolete
• Traceability — The background of the information should be traceable, such as the user data, and author
• Accessibility — The information should be continuously accessible without not too many obstructions
• Timeliness/Speed — The information should be processed and delivered rapidly without delays. The information should also match the user’s working pace

In e-Government, there are four different kinds of interactions: government to citizen (G2C), government to business (G2B), government to government (G2G), or relationships between agencies, and government to employees (G2E). 

• G2C (Government to Citizens): In this scenario, a bridge is built between the public and private sectors so that a wide range of public services can be delivered effectively. People can choose when to interact with the government because it's open 24/7/365, where to interact with it (like a service center, an unattended kiosk, or from home or work), and how to interact with it (like online, by phone, by fax, by email, in person, etc.). The main goal is to make government more hospitable to the people. 
• G2B (Government to Business): To help the business community interact with the government in this situation smoothly, e-Governance tools are used. The goal is to reduce bureaucracy, free up time, lower operating costs, and improve the business climate when dealing with the government. By fostering a friendly environment for businesses, these actions aid in enhancing their productivity. 
• G2G (Government to Government): Information and communications technology is used in this situation to increase communication between and within government entities as well as to restructure the administrative procedures that are necessary for their operation. This type of interaction occurs not only between federal, provincial, and local governments but also between various government agencies. The primary objective is to increase efficiency, performance, and output. 
• G2E (Government to Employees): The government, which employs the vast majority of people, must regularly interact with its workforce, just like any other organization. Both the company and the employee are involved in this interaction. ICT tools are used to speed up interactions and make them more effective while also raising employee satisfaction levels.

Advantages Of E-Government

• Inclusive administration: By using internet-based strategies to involve citizens in the policy process and show government transparency and accountability, e-Government aids in fostering the trust that is a necessary component of good governance.
• Straightforward execution:  Paperwork has been simplified and decreased with e-governance. It makes it easier for all government departments and agencies to share information and ideas in order to create a single, massive database.
• Rapid communication: Technology has sped up communication. Normal communication now takes less time due to the internet, phones, and cell phones. The speed of government decision-making will also be improved by e-governance.
• reduces the cost of maintaining a government: The majority of government spending is allocated to pay for stationery. For paper-based communication, there is a constant need for expensive stationery, printers, computers, etc.
• Superior operational effectiveness:  The effectiveness of the government is determined by the caliber of its interactions with the populace. Processing paperwork is a resource-intensive task in a typical government system, and residents don't gain much from the time spent on paperwork.
• Transparency: Information and communication technology (ICT) use enhances the governance process's transparency. The entirety of the government's information would be accessible online. The internet would contain all of the government's information. The information is available to the public at all times. This will only be possible, though, if all of the government's data is made available to the general public online.
• Accountability: When the legislative and executive branches are transparent, citizens can hold them to account. Accountability means that the public can hold the government accountable. It is the obligation to account for the government's actions. Governments are responsible when they are accountable.

India's E-Government Challenges

• Low Digital Literacy: The majority of Indians are unaware of the use of information technology, and nearly all of them lack even the most basic level of digital literacy. To ensure that e-governance services are successfully adopted, this should be given priority.
• Incomplete integration of services : The majority of state and federal government's e-governance services are not integrated. The government's various departments don't communicate well with one another. As a result, information that only pertains to one department may not even be relevant to another department of the government.
• Understanding of e-government services : The public is unaware of government facilities. It is necessary to raise the general public's level of awareness.
• Geography: As villages and remote locations are not connected by communication networks, communication networks must be established throughout the entire region.
• Privacy and Security: The development of projects containing sensitive information, such as personal information, financial records, health records, etc., can be hampered by a lack of clear security measures and regulations.

E- Governance initiatives launched in India

E-governance is not only about utilization of the power of new technology, but also much about critical importance of the 'use value of information. Explain. (UPSC - mains- 2018)