e-governance, as a critical tool of governance, has ushered in effectiveness, transparency and accountability in governments. What inadequacies hamper the enhancement of these features?

The question “e-governance, as a critical tool of governance, has ushered in effectiveness, transparency and accountability in governments. What inadequacies hamper the enhancement of these features? " was asked in the Mains 2023 GS Paper 2.  Let us look at the model answer to this question.

Answer:  E-governance is the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to improve the delivery of government services and information to citizens. It enhances the efficiency, transparency, and accountability of government operations.

E-Governance: Enhancing Government Effectiveness, Transparency, and Accountability

Inadequacies Impeding the Enhancement of E-Governance Features

Inadequacies	Rural	Urban
Digital Divide	The NFHS provides data segregation based on the rural-urban divide. Whilst 72.5% of the urban males and 51.8% of the urban females have ever used the internet, only 48.7% of rural males and 24.6% of the rural females qualify for this condition.
Cybersecurity Concerns	Rural areas face heightened cyber threats due to limited digital literacy and cybersecurity awareness.	Urban areas, while more equipped to invest in cybersecurity, also require increased awareness and robust security measures to counter cyberattacks.
Incomplete Digital Transformation	Reliance on paper-based and outdated systems.	Mix of digital and traditional systems.
Privacy Concerns	Citizens in both rural and urban areas have concerns about data protection and privacy. This is especially true in the wake of recent data breaches and privacy scandals.
Bureaucratic Resistance	Resistance to digitalization within agencies.
Limited Accessibility	Only 20.26% of rural India and 64.84% of urban India population have internet access presently.
Digital Infrastructure	India’s 80% rural population and 35% urban population is yet to adopt a digital mode of payment.
Language Barriers	Limited access to services in regional languages.	Access to services in multiple languages.
Fragmentation	Multiple portals and platforms lead to confusion.

Government Efforts and Programs to Address Inadequacies

Government initiatives to address inadequacies include PMGDISHA for digital literacy, BharatNet for rural internet, e-KRANTI for e-Governance, MyGov for citizen engagement, UMANG for mobile services, DigiLocker for document storage, e-Office for paperless workflows, CERT-In for cybersecurity, Cyber Surakshit Bharat for best practices, and promoting digital payments through infrastructure like One Nation One Digital Platform.

Even though government digital literacy initiatives like NDLM and PMGDISHA exist, efforts must be further intensified. Infrastructure should improve for wider access and underprivileged groups should be motivated to embrace technology with skill training.