• From: M Moni moni (AT)nic.in>
• Date: Jan 24, 2008 2:02 PM
• Subject: Re: [se-ictd] DISCUSSION: Models for Citizen *Participation in e-government. Reply by 1st February 2008
• To: ICT for Development Community

I have been following the responses being circulated for this particular query. It is very good. I have been promoting the concept that "Village shall be the first mile problem and not last mile problem". The existing 5 Lakhs Libraries (which included 57000 Public Libraries, 4 Lakhs School Libraries) shall be converted as "Common Services Centres" in the country. My Valedictory Address at 10th IASLIC Conference gives a ROADMAP for this. I have enclosed the following text, which was forwarded for another query, for its relevance to this query:-

1) India has undertaken measures such as globalisation, liberalization and decentralization at grassroots level, to achieve vibrant economy, growth and development. Contemporary globalisation has encouraged the movement of people, capital, knowledge and ideas. New links, networks and partnerships have been formed between developed and developing regions, remote and favoured regions, urban and rural areas. These challenges and opportunities pose the following questions:-

• How can we understand these changes at grassroots level?

• What challenges do they present to theory, policy and practice?

• What are the opportunities for new thinking and action?

• What impacts do they have on poverty and inequality, and on related issues such as the environment, rural and urban livelihoods, corporate social responsibility, conflict and security, and HIV/AIDS, etc?

• Are grassroot level people competent enough to overcome these changes (Farmer's Suicide)? Can they see opportunities (global markets for their products) in these challenges?

• What are the measures to be taken to make them aware and competent?

• Will traditional, tacit as well explicit knowledge, well-proven practices and technologies get lost in this socio-economical churning?

• How to record and achieve the amalgamation of these knowledge and technologies with new technologies?

2) Various Study Reports corroborate that the current state of various government departments, in terms of usage of ICT, is not in a "holistic manner" so as to achieve profound impact on ROI [in terms of people, process and knowledge]. e-Governance Roadmaps of many Government Departments, as of now, do not reflect the "pyramid upside down". G2G?, G2B?, G2C? components of e-Governance Framework require "institutional approach", i.e. training, extension, development, education and research approach. It requires moving beyond "technology" component.

Mainly ICT Infrastructure is being used for email, word processing, and in some cases process based applications (File tracking, scheme monitoring, public grievances monitoring, etc). Content Generation, Workflow applications, Decision Support Systems, Data Analysis, Framework based Web Services etc., have taken a back seat. What we require at grassroots level is C2G?, C2B?, C2C? components of e-Governance Model. As of now, there is only G2C? component.

3) The XI Plan envisages moving towards faster and more inclusive growth.

4) In order to realise this goal, and also with its vast experience of " Informatics led developmental services in Government" during the last 30 years, NIC has introduced the following Schemes in its XI Plan:-

• GRID (Grassroots Level Informatics Development) Programme

• "Smart Village" Project

• "Smart Island"

in addition to the DISNIC-PLAN Programme ([ http://disnic.gov.in/ ] and Agricultural resources Information System ([1], on pilot scale. These Schemes are envisaged to provide the benefits of Information Communication Technology (ICT) directly to the communities at the grassroot level for promoting need based services related to life-cycle needs of rural population with institutional linkages and capacity building among rural communities. The Schemes descriptions are as follows:-

• GRID (Grassroots Level Informatics Development) Programme: This program is being launched to synergistically combine the efforts and resources of various functionaries at grassroot level, effectively and efficiently, harnessing state-of-the-art ICTs, for bottom up development. It has been decided to implement it on pilot scale and with a mission to roll out at later stage, in 18 district typologies:

• (1) A tribal people dominated district;
• (2) A hilly district;
• (3) A dryland farming district;
• (4) A socially backward district;
• (5) A green revolution district;
• (6) A district dominated by cash crop;
• (7) A coastal district for Brackishwater Aquaculture;
• (8) A district where mining/ industrial activities are undertaken;
• (9) A district dominated by forest economy;
• (10) A dairy farming district;
• (11) A district dominated by one or two urban centers (Peri-urban);
• (12) A district in arid-zone;
• (13) A district, which is flood prone but having vast wasteland that could be used to generate forest cover,
• (14) A Blue-revolution (Fish Farming) District,
• (15) A District having urban or rural cluster of Micro, Small and Medium Industries (MSMEs);
• (16) A District dominated by a Minority Community;
• (17)A District prone for Natural Calamities; and
• (18) A Border Area District having international border.

• "Smart Island": The project aims at making "island – A Knowledge Society, NIC proposes to undertake "Smart Island" project in Andaman and Nicobar islands with respect to citizen centric services mainly. The Objectives of the "Smart Island" Project is to usher the usage of Information & Communication Technologies (ICTs) for development and empowerment of communities (mostly disadvantaged communities) of the Island.

5) The proposed models will facilitate the participation of Citizen in e-Government. Outcome will be e-Governance in the Country. The "Road for Nation's prosperity goes through Villages". The Project Coordinators are as follows:-

• GRID (Grassroots Level Informatics Development) Programme : Mrs. Pratibha Lokhande, Principal Systems Analyst: eMail: Pratibha (AT) nic.in

• "Smart Village" Project : Mr. Rakesh Vardhan, Technical Director: eMail: rvardhan AT) nic.in

• "Smart Island" Project : Mr. Suresh Bahl, Technical Director,eMail: bahl(AT)nic.in

• DISNIC-PLAN programme : Mrs. Sameena Mukhija, Principal Systems Analyst, eMail : sameena(AT)nic.in

• Agricultural Resoucres Information System Project (Sponsored by the Department of Agriculture & Cooperation, Government of India): Dr. A.K.Choubey, Senior Technical Director; eMail : akchoubey (AT) nic.in

M. Moni National Informatics Centre New Delhi

DISCUSSION: Models for Citizen Participation in e-government. Reply by 1st February 2008

Moderator's Note: Taking forward the agenda set at the Visioning Workshop, we present the first Action Group convened by the Society for Promotion of e-Governance (SpeG?) to you. An Action Group on Stakeholder Consultation processes for e Government emerged during the ICTD Visioning Workshop held in December 07. We invite members of the community to think and write freely ("out–of-the box"). This is a new area with few precedents, so all ideas are welcome. Please concentrate on citizens' needs that can be addressed by e-governance and the processes to bring these out.

Dear Friends,

The Society for Promotion of e-Governance (SpeG) along with its associate organizations has been working with government agencies, NGOs, academia and other stakeholder groups, to carry out its eponymous mandate.

International experience has shown that one of the drawbacks in e-governance is that services offered are not heavily used by citizens. This suggests that wider and more systematic efforts are required to get the citizens' voice in designing e-governance programmes. SPeG? recently organised [ http://www.egovworld.org/ e-GovWorld? 2007], and one of its recommendations was to design and pilot processes to better include citizens' voice in the design of programmes. This was subsequently discussed as an Action Group during the Visioning Workshop of the ICTD community of UN Solution Exchange in Pondicherry. With this background we are pleased to initiate the process of creating a National e-Governance Stakeholders' Forum (NeGF)

The aim of NeGF? is to help the government agencies and citizen representatives take stock of the programs under the [ http://www.mit.gov.in/default.aspx?id=827 National e Governance Plan (NeGP?)] and build on the achievements so far, to accelerate further developments and set directions for the next phase of efforts.

 In this context we would like members to share: 

• Citizen/ Stakeholder consultation formats at different levels (Gram Panchayat/ municipal ward, sub-district, district/ city, state and national) and methods of aggregating the consultations

• Partnering with different government and civil society organizations – processes for doing these and the different roles that partners can play

• Examples and experiences of stakeholder consultation processes on e-governance in India and abroad

This e-discussion will help give a final shape to the NeGF?. During the Annual General Meeting of OneWorld? South Asia on February 8th, 2008, SPeG? (with Solution Exchange as a partner) proposes to finalise a framework for citizen/ stakeholder consultations for e-governance. . We plan to invite active participants with valuable contributions in this discussion to the final face to face meeting on 8th February 2008.

Thanking you,

Best wishes,

Vikas Kanungo, The Society for Promotion of e-Governance, New Delhi

Metadiskussion

Hallo Franz

In der Kürze liegt die Würze.
Warum bringst du meistens endlos Text, wer hat Zeit und Lust all das zu lesen!?
Du gehst auch immer von dir aus, was ist wenn man nicht gut Englisch kann wie du!? ~ ErnstGruber

Ernst, das ist ein Schreiben aus einer internationalen Community, und Franz kann es nicht kürzen ohne es zu verstümmeln. Ein Teil der Teilnehmer hier kann genug Englisch, um es zu verstehen. Ich finde es z. B. interessant, wie die Inder denken und ihre Probleme in den Dörfern angehen, wobei aber das Email wieder nicht so ausführlich ist, dass man viele Details entnehmen könnte. Ich würde das Email übersetzen, wenn ich die Zeit dazu hätte. Vielleicht kann das jemand anderer tun. Vielleicht hat ja auch Franz gehofft, dass sich jemand für eine Übersetzung opfert. lg -- HelmutLeitner 26. Januar 2008 9:18 CET

Hallo Helmut

Wir sollten uns alle im Sinne der Internettauglichkeit unseres Dorfwiki angewöhnen,gekürzte Einleitungen am Anfang einer Seite zu setzen und erst danach längere Versionen.
Wer neu auf eine Seite kommt und einen Schwall an Text vorfindet verliert wohl schnell die Lust.
Erklärende Bilder kurze Einleitung ec. Links im Dorfwiki und Ausserhalb zu mehr Info...
Mir fallen diese Seiten mit endlos Text schon von Anfang an auf, doch es bessert sich leider nicht.
Wollen wir im Sinne des Wikierfinders die Welt einfacher und überschaubarer gestalten, oder noch mehr zerreden und komplizieren!?
Natürlich hat man in Indien und Afrika ähnliche Herausforderungen zu Meistern,dort Leben auch Menschen. ~ErnstGruber

Ernst, du hast völlig Recht mit der Forderung nach guten Einleitungstexten. Gibt es auch schon lange: GründerWiki:SeitenIntro. -- HelmutLeitner 29. Januar 2008 7:48 CET

Natürlich würde ich mich freuen wenn das Dorfwiki von einigen Leuten vom redaktionellen Gesichtspunkt betrachtet würde, aber hier gings wirklich bloss um Info für einschlägig interessierte.... Franz