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Everyday, when I see many faceless citizens approaching me for many of our acts and non-acts, I can’t help asking myself a question whether it is possible for me to live up to their expectations. The expectations that are huge while the resources I have at my disposal are thin. To make matters worse, the systems to administer these resources are primitive and inefficient. Nonetheless, I would also be unsure as to how many of them are in a position to approach me and how many would feel positively about the prospects of their case if they could do so.
I know my own constraints; sometimes I have lack of resources while sometimes the manpower, sometimes there are vested interests not allowing it to be done in a particular way while on few occasions the general lethargy and casualness that has crept into our system is the major impediment. The vast apparatus of governance that we have, has come to a state where it does not move without getting a push. The unfortunate thing is that many of us don’t have the capacity or the wherewithal to give that push. The systems of governance are controlled by the powerful and influential; this needs to be transformed to serve the requirements of all, whoever they may be. This rhetoric might sound a bit clichéd, after all there are so many who have been talking of this. What remains unaddressed however, is that many of these issues have been getting swept below the carpet without any visible change. Nobody is able to tell us where the real action and the solution is. One thing is certain; the solution does not lie in the talk and cannot be in pronouncements. If we have to improve the administration of governments anywhere, we would have to do some serious introspection, do a system analysis and figure out where the rub lies. Every government department has two lives. One that it lives internally and the other that it lives with its clients, the citizens. Internally, the organizations suffer from problems of malfunctioning due to lack of proper and smooth systems while externally it makes its clients suffer. There are many in the government who are extremely overworked while there are many more who are woefully underworked or do not want to work. Due to this, it is very difficult to distinguish where the disease is and who the diseased is. A thorough system analysis would however confirm that nine out of ten times, both the prevention and cure of this disease is possible only if we allow technology to take precedence over the norm. Internally, technology solutions would ensure that the non-performers can’t hide themselves and the decision support systems are on a stronger wicket with properly processed information base. Externally, technology would ensure that the discretionary advantages and favors possible in the tech-less system are eliminated allowing level playing field to everybody, which in the essence, is the purpose of governments. This however does not mean that technology by itself can make governments transparent, smart and responsive as there are host of other factors that influence governance. But, it is also true that technology is a sine qua non, an indispensable condition for achieving that. To any casual observer, a government office is a place where papers move or get stalled, affecting people. This information moves through a huge hierarchy, giving scope to maneuverability at all levels. This leads to imperfections in its processing leading to bad decisions that range from being whimsical to looking prejudiced. The bureaucratic system that was based on the impersonal arrangements is now caught in the web of its procedures. The same procedures that were created to protect it from its ill-wishers are seriously hampering the lives of its well-wishers.
Unfortunately, information technology in the administrative parlance has been simply equated to computerization resulting in myriads of computers with absolutely no accent on the information part of IT. Anybody, who understands information technology would agree that IT is almost 80% in the information part and rest in the latter. The misinterpretation of this definition in government has resulted in needless addition of computers leading to a system which is neither citizen focussed nor having any real understanding of its maladies. Most of the computers lying with various organizations are relegated to being used as typewriters; more than 90% of their processing and storing capacities are unutilized. It is well said that most complex problems have simple solutions and you only require an eye to find them. In most the cases, if every government department can take a lead, analyze its functioning, simple local IT solutions keeping citizens as focus can be found. Many such decentralized local initiatives are exemplars in this regard. The need of the hour is to build on the successes of these initiatives and replicate them everywhere without reinventing the wheel. A strong political and administrative will can achieve this in fairly minimal time. Due to the scale of operation and multiplicity of tasks what one needs in government system is creation and maintenance of databases that allows the retrieval and sorting of data easier and faster. Smooth front ends, that can allow user friendly access to these databases is the next step. Another issue is networking and connectivity wherein making all these related computers and databases talk to each other, share the information and live symbiotically. A stand alone computer serves no purpose and is an injustice to its inherent capacity. These computers, talking sub consciously without any human intervention are the key to administrative reforms. It is also important that once the databases are readied and set, any further transaction be compulsorily routed through the database so that the database is routinely and sub-consciously updated and remains relevant and dynamic at all times. The bane of most of the government databases is that it is driven by individuals rather than systems and hence, most of it is never updated once the individual departs. It is, therefore, essential that this process is ingrained into the departmental bloodstream and the transactions are invariably done through the database and updated without any conscious effort.  Kiosks – Serving people The possibilities of having common databases for multiple departments needs serious attention and require promotion. The centralized maintenance of databases at various strategic levels emerges out of this principle. Throwing open these databases into the public domain is the next logical step to complete the cycle. Such an exercise not just helps in ‘citizen centering’ the whole process but also enables purification and weeding out of incorrect data. There exits a widely prevalent myth that the Information Technology solution is anti-poor and is an unaffordable luxury to nations like India. Information technology is only a tool that influences the objective and if the objective is to make the system more transparent, open and accountable, there is no way it can be anti poor. Most rural areas suffer due to the lack of accurate information on markets, products, agriculture, health, weather and education. If this can be addressed through connectivity and information technology, a sea change can be brought in the conditions of rural communities. This is why creation of a knowledge and information economy can create opportunities and thereby prosperity to impoverished areas. All the villages can become knowledge hubs and gain symbiotically from each other and derive benefits from the global Another area where information technology can improve things is in the delivery of civic services. These services range from bill payments, certifications and grievance redressal to citizen forums that can push the representative democracy towards becoming a popular democracy. It can not be denied that the interface between the governments and the citizens that presents a relationship of a benefactor - beneficiary has to be transformed to a principal-client one. Technology can act as a strong catalyst in this regard. Information Technology entails connectivity and networking thereby making the delivery of services offered by governments become better and while talking of governments, local self-governments deserve maximum attention as they are at the cutting edge and immensely affect the daily lives of the citizens. It was in this context that project Saukaryam came to life. To say the least, if we fail to act now, the Information Gap risks may widen into an unbridgeable gulf that may increase global inequality and leave the poor further behind. But if we approach the matter with the same kind of urgency and application as the commercial “dot-com” sector, then we have every chance of building a strong, new wired future that not only includes the world’s poor but gives them an unprecedented opportunity to lift themselves out of poverty. |
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