Information Studies

Fiitoy Dharmadhikari ¹, Jagdish Nazareth ², S. Rajagopalan ³

Affiliations
1 e-Govemance Group, DIT, Ministiy of C&IT, Government of Inida, 6, CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi 110003, IN
2 Institute for Studies in Transformations, Ahmedabad, IN
3 Technology Informatics Design Endeavour, Bangalore, IN

Abstract

Presents a review of the impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in various sectors of the national economy over the past five decades. While there are significant achievements in such areas as railway reservations, airline operations, accounting and finance, entertainment, and software development and exports. ICTs have not yet played a major role in alleviating the operational handicaps and positively enabling nation-building activities, for example, in people's participation in governance, health and nutrition security, smaU farmer profitability, watershed and natural resources management. Government structures, operating under democratically - elected executive, has largely been more responsive to die pulls and pushes of the elite and the better-of middle-class, but bypassing and alienating nearly fifty percent of the billion population. Asserts that now, more than ever, the national government, needs the goodwill and involvement of all citizens in improving the practical ground level effectiveness of its various schemes; it is time for citizens themselves to be enabled to render, through temporary or voluntary service, many functions of governance, currently being implemented through government employees. Many functions of the government should become much more transparent to the citizens, and open to citizen's inspection, review and discussion. ICTs can very much help in the goal of data-based planning in making transparent the processes and criteria of government (at the Centre and State levels) decision making; in development of data bases on citizens/officials with competence to serve in specific governance functions; in maintenance of 'electoral colleges' for selection of various governing bodies and government offices; in the creation of a referendum machinery for citizens' evaluation of government's services and for citizens' registering of demands for products and services. Describes a three-tier (Three-echelon) information systems design - regional/district/block level in the framework of the National Information infrastructure (NIT) briefly enumerates the role and value of the systems, and mentions the collaborating/contributing bodies and the necessary administrative/legislative mechanisms. Concludes with the hope that information technology professionals in the country in general, and in the departments of the National Information Infrastructure Commission, in particular will ensure that the Nil actually benefits all citizens of the country.

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