Innovative e-governance by leveraging new mobile networks and

Innovative e-governance by leveraging new mobile networks and devices Prabir K Das WBEIDC

Mobility, New access devices & Quad-Play Advent of new technologies 3 G/4 G wireless networks Smart-phones, TABs, PDAs These technologies have truly enabled availability of voice, data and video services to mobile devices over wireless networks Come to be known as Quadplay services

New-age mobile devices 1997 2000 2005 2009 2012

m-governance: e-governance through mobility e-Governance is the use of information technology , WAN, and Internet by Government agencies to make G 2 C services available at Citizen’s doorstep. m-Governance is not a replacement for e-Governance, rather it complements e-Governance. m-Governance, on the other hand, is the use of mobile or wireless technologies like cellular phones, laptops, Tablets and PDAs with wireless Internet connections to improve Govt. services and strengthen peoples reach “anytime, anywhere”.

m-Governance Adoption: Mobile/Wireless Applications in e-Governance m-Communication (G 2 C 2 G) m-Services (Transactions and Payments) m-Administration m-Democracy

m-Communication (G 2 C 2 G) Mobile devices provide an important access channel for governments to reach citizens (G 2 C) Citizens can subscribe to SMS/e-mail alerts for various eservices renewal of road tax, passport renewal notifications court sitting/hearing deferrals license-renewal exam results Security threat alerts Emergency broadcasts SMS is an effective channel for citizens to communicate with government (C 2 G). Citizens can text their representatives to comment and complain about government officials and services

m-Administration Health Monitoring Progress – NRHM Telemedicine Irrigation / Water Resources Capturing Reservoir Storages Monitoring Releases of water through Sluices Monitoring Minors and sub minors area under a given Canal • Electricity Board/ Urban Local Bodies Citizen Grievances Bill Collections • Public Works Monitoring

m-Services & m-Democracy m-Services (Transactions and Payments) SMS and other mobile devices enable government-to-citizen transactions. Owing to security issues , Transactions and payments have not taken off in India yet. In other countries m-tickets can be used in public transport m-Democracy Use of SMS and mobile devices for citizen input to political decision-making is an m-governance application with tremendous potential to enhance democratic participation. Owing to security & secrecy issues, this is still experimental From Deit. Y app store, an RTI application can be downloaded using which citizens can seek information from the government.

Deit. Y initiatives to promote m-governance National Rollout of Mobile Service Delivery Gateway (MSDG) to ensure easy availability of Government services to common man by making them accessible through mobile devices Target outcomes by Dec 2013 Development of MSDG platform for all delivery channels (http: //mgov. in) Mobile App Store with 75 live Apps Mobile Payment Gateway and Mobile Wallet Transactions: 1. 0 crore transactions per month (TPM) The app store (http: //apps. mgov. in) was launched in last week of May with popular apps like RTI and Adhaar card. The government is setting up a new fund to provide financial support to mobile start-ups that are developing e-governance applications

Some mobile applications in e-governance Food & Civil Supplies Tracking Lorry Movements and stocks at warehouses Information on availability of Ration at FP Shops Irrigation / Water Resources Reservoir Levels monitoring Urban Local Bodies Grievance Redress Garbage dump removals Water Supply SMS a water tanker • Railways Ticket Booking Examination Results and Mark Lists Agriculture Weather Reports, Market prices, seed availability etc.

M-Government: Pros and Cons Integrates Data, Voice & Video communication-modes that are typically used by Government to communicate Cost of ownership and operations are relatively small and affordable Improved convenience-anytime, anywhere Penetration is much higher than normal wireline Internet Personalized information can be targeted to a specific user Requires less training to operate than a PC

m-Government: Pros and Cons Can be operated with erratic power supply and without fixed line telecom access Can connect with a number of devices such a biometric identifiers, smart cards, small printers in a wireless mode Can easily communicate with back end servers and integrate with existing ICT applications Can be scaled up quickly because of less stringent requirements of power and training. Handle small amounts of data on screen and for transfer.

Role of Mobiles in Government Service Delivery Nature of government services Role of internet kiosk Role of mobile Document issue Issue of certificates/ licenses (Birth and death certificate, ration card, electoral card etc. ) Suitable Not Suitable Bill/Tax payments Issue of demand notice (electricity, phone and water bills, notice for property tax, land revenue) Not Suitable Receiving payments against bills/notices Suitable Not Suitable Information Exchange Push messages (alerts during emergencies like riots, natural calamities and disasters, traffic updates etc. ) C 2 G enquiries (on employment opportunities, agricultural product prices, filing crime reports, filing complaints/ grievances) Not Suitable Not Suitable

Challenges in Promoting m-Government Moderate penetration, given the low purchasing power. Only low cost mobiles specially designed for the needs of the poor can enhance penetration. The basic service is affordable but is limited by the restriction on size of SMS (no longer than 160 characters) and a small screen. Other value-added services and features such as MMS, packetswitched connection (GPRS), Voice-enabled services (voice SMS), data transfer cards (3 G devices), bigger screens etc require expensive phones and services. Ability of mobiles to handle many local languages. Protecting privacy and providing security for data

Challenges in Promoting m-Government Delivery of Government services through mobiles is not a part of the Ne. GP in its current design. Awareness/preparedness of govt. agencies to alter traditional ways of serving customers and adopt mgovernment High illiteracy prevents self use by citizens. The main challenge is to educate the rural poor on the usage of a phone Enabling legislation-law does not recognize mobile documents and transactions

Innovative E-Governance Practices in West Bengal • SMS based disaster alarm system • E-district pilots rolled-out in Bankura and Jalpaiguri. Roll-out in other districts will start shortly. • State data centre is successfully operational • Centralized Web based Document Management system for DM office Darjeeling

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