Introduction E-Governance is a powerful tool for bringing about change to government processes in the developing world. E-governance operates at the cross roads between Information and Communication Technology and government processes, and can be divided into three overlapping domains: e-administration, eservices and e-society. In order to be successful e-governance must be firmly embedded in the existing government processes, must be supported, both politically and technically, by the governments, and must provide users with
reasons
to
use
these
on-line
domains.
E-
Government is not just “electronic” government. It is “enabled” government, thegovernm ent that delivers different and better programs and services. E-Government is about people: new skill sets, mindsets and leadership approaches. It will transform how public servants work, relate to each other, do business, and engage citizens and others. E-government is a process that requires a sustained commitment of political will, resources and engagement among the government, private and public sectors.
Research Methodology This study is a simple research work. No statistical tools or techniques are use here but a simple questionnaire. It’s a descripti ve report, a narrative description on the collectedinformation collectedinformation from Books, Journals, Net Blogs, Websites and Field works. Thequ estionnaire was prepared on the basis of the required information. In order to make it formal and comprehensive report I have gone through a marvelous experience while collecting and combining all information from Primary and Secondary Data source: Primary Data Source
I have interviewed 100 adults (70 students and 30 of other occupations) from 8 different districts of Bangladesh for the purpose of this study. In this purpose I have interviewed them directly, mailed questionnaire or through Facebook questions. Secondary Data source
Foe the specific and defined information I have followed the following sources;
Websites
Blogs
Books
Reports
Journals
Newspaper etc. etc.
Theoretical Framework Governance Generally Governance means the continuous exercise of authority over a particular syste m unit, where there some visible and invisible actors and sectors act together for the betterment of a particular purpose. Governance is concerned with overseeing the responsible, legal, ethical, transparent and effective achievement of national or organizational
goals.
Governance
deals
with
theformation and stewardship of the formal and informal rules, laws, regulations and poli cies that regulate delivery of services in the public and private sectors. It can be said, a system of government concentrating on effective and accountable control over country and an open-legitimate relationship between between the civil society, private sectors and the state
E-governance It is the use of a range of modern information and communication technologies such as internet, local area networks, mobiles etc. by Governments to improve effectiveness, efficiency, service delivery and to promote democracy. E-governance is defined as the application of electronic means in — the the interaction between government and citizens and government and businesses, as well as in internal government operations to simplify and improve democratic, government and business aspects of Governance.
The term interaction stands for the delivery of government products and services,exchang e
of
information,
communication,
transactions
and
system
integration.E-
governance contributes to the functioning of democracy by online provision of governme nt information which would otherwise be difficult to obtain or unavailable, and through online
debates
……..
(Teicher
et
al.,
2002).E -
governance is perhaps the second revolution in public management, which maytransform not only the way in which most public services are delivered, but also the fundamental
relationship between government and citizen. Broadly, e-governance involves the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to transact the business of government. At the level of service, e-governance promises 1. A full service available 24 hours a day 2. And seven days a week 3. Greater accessibility 4. The capability to obtain government services without visiting government offices and 5. Reduced service cost.
E-government: A double edged sword
Countries like Bangladesh which have not e-citizen, enough computer infrastructures, coping with administrative corruption yet, even there’s not 100% literac y is quite a double edged sword. There are a lot of risks wink with the upcoming benefits.
Risks There are many considerations and potential implications of implementing and designinggovernment, including disintermediation of the government and its citizens, impacts on economic, social, and political factors, vulnerability to cyber-attacks, and disturbances to these areas. Hyper-surveillance
Increased contact between government and its citizens goes both ways. Once egovernment begins to develop and become more sophisticated, citizens will be forced to interact electronically with the government on a larger scale. This could potentially lead to a lack of privacy for civilians as their government obtains more and more information on them. In a worst case scenario, with so much information being passed electronically between between government and civilians, a totalitarian-like system could develop. When the government has easy access to countless information on its citizens, personal privacy is lost. Cost
Although “a prodigious amount of money has been spent” on the devel opment and
implementation of e-government, some say it has yielded only a mediocre product. The outcomes and effects of trial Internet-based governments are often difficult to gauge or unsatisfactory. According to Gartner, Worldwide IT spending is estimated to total $3.6trillion in 2011 which is 5.1% increase from the year 2010($3.4 trillion). Inaccessibility
An e-government site that provides web access and support often does not offer the potential to reach many users including those who live in remote areas, ar eas, are homebound, inco mes.” have low literacy levels, exist on poverty line incomes.” False sense of transparency and accountability
Opponents of e-government
argue that
online governmental transparency is
dubious because it is maintained by the governments themselves. Information can be added or removed from the public eye. To this day, da y, very few organizations monitor and provide accountability for these modifications. Even the governments themselves do not always keep track of the information they insert and delete.
Benefits E-government helps simplify processes and makes access to government information more easily accessible for public sector agencies and citizens. It is convenient and cost-effective for businesses, and the public benefits by getting easy access to the most current information available without having to spend time, energy and money to get it. The anticipated
benefits
of
e-government
include
efficiency,
improved
services,
better accessibility accessibility of public services, and more transparency transparency and accountability. accountability. Democratization
One goal of e-government will be greater citizen participation. Through the internet, people from all over the country can interact with politicians or public servants and maketheir voices heard. Blogging and interactive surveys will allow politicians or publics ervants to see the views of the people they represent on any given issue. Chat rooms can place citizens in real-time contact with elected officials, their offices or provide them with the means to replace them by interacting directly with public servants, allowing voters to have a direct impact and influence in their government. These technologies can create a more transparent government, allowing voters to immediately see how and why their
representation in the capital is voting the way they are. This helps voters better decide who to vote for in the future or how to help the public servants become more productive. A government could theoretically move more towards a true democracy with the proper application
of
e-government.
Government
transparency
will
give
insight
to
the public on how decisions are made and hold elected officials or public servantsaccount able for their actions. The public could become a direct and prominent influence in government legislature to some degree. Environmental bonuses
Proponents of e-government argue that online government services would lessen the need for hard copy forms. Due to recent pressures from fro m environmentalist groups, the media, and the public, some governments and organizations have turned to the Internet to reduce this paper use. Speed, efficiency, and convenience
E-government allows citizens to interact with computers to achieve objectives at an y time and any location, and eliminates the necessity for physical travel to government agents sitting behind desks and windows. Improved accounting and record keeping can be noted through computerization, and information and forms can be easily accessed, equaling quicker processing time. On the administrative side, access to help find or retrieve files and linked information can now be stored in databases versus hardcopies stored in various locations. Individuals with disabilities or conditions no longer have to be mobile to be active in government and can be in the comfort of their own homes. Public approval
Recent trials of e-government have been met with acceptance and eagerness from the public. Citizens participate in online discussions of political issues with increasingfre quency,
and young
people, who traditionally display minimal interest
in government
affairs, are drawn to e-voting procedures. pr ocedures. Although internet-based governmental programs
have been criticized for lack of reliable privacy policies, studies have shown that people value prosecution of offenders over personal confidentiality.
Strategic Objectives The strategic objective of e-governance is to support and simplify governance governance for all parties - government, citizens and businesses. E-governance uses electronic means to support and stimulate good governance. Therefore the objectives of e-governance are similar to the objectives
of
good
governance.
Goodgovernance can be seen as an exercise of economic, political, and administrativeaut administrativeaut hority to better manage affairs of a country at all levels, national and local. The use of ICTs can connect all three parties and support processes and activities. It provides a common framework and direction in the implementation of Government Policies for the following:
Across the public sector organizations and institutions (G2G)
Between Government and the Business Community (G2B)
Between Government and Citizens (G2C)
Regarding E-government, the distinction is made between the objectives for internally focused processes (operations) and objectives for externally focused services. External strategic objectives
The external objective objective of e-government is to satisfactorily fulfill the public’s needs and expectations on the front-office side, by simplifying their interaction with various online services.
The
use
of
ICTs
ingovernment operations facilitates speedy, transparent, accountable, efficient andeffectiv e interaction with the public, citizens, business and other agencies. Internal strategic objectives
In the back-office, the objective of e-government in government operations is to facilitate a
speedy,
transparent,
accountable,
efficientand effective process for performing government administration activities.Signifi activities.Signifi cant cost savings (per transaction) in government operations can be the result.
FMIS Financial Management Information Systems accumulate and analyze financial data in order to make good financial management decisions in running the business. FMIS is the acronym for the term “Financial Management Information Systems”. The basic objective of the financial information system is to meet the firm's financial obligations as they come due, using the minimal amount of financial resources consistent with an established margin of safety. Outputs generated by b y the system include accounting reports, operating and capital budgets, working capital reports, cash flow forecast, and various What-If Analysis reports. The evaluation of financial data may be performed through ratio analysis, trend evaluation, and financial planning modeling. Financial planning and forecasting are facilitated if used in conjunction with a Decision Support System (DSS). Financial management information system is:
Information system that tracks financial events and summarizes information
supports
adequate management reporting,
policy
decisions,
fiduciary
responsibilities, and preparation of auditable financial statements
Should be designed with good relationships between software, hardware, personnel, procedures, controls and data data
Generally, financial management information system refers to automating financial operations.
Importance of FMIS
The World Bank defines a Financial Management Information System as the automation of financial operations. Automation is achieved through the use of financial accounting applications and database management systems. The use of FMIS applications is designed to simplify the recording of events, processing of transactions and reporting of financial information in your business. Quick Decisions
The FMIS application provides timely, accurate, reliable and verifiable information that hasten your decision-making process. It provides advanced financial reporting and decision-making procedures for evaluating the merits or shortcomings of your operational and strategic approaches to business. This reduces uncertainties that may derail your implementation of important business decisions. Planning
Implementation of FMIS enhances your scheduling and forecasting capacity. This enables you to allocate your financial resources effectively and set realistic performance targets. Limit the scope of your plans to your financial resource capabilities. The realistic planning capacity also accelerates the achievement achievement of your goals within the desired time frame. Efficiency
You stand to achieve greater efficiency in financial operations and reporting procedures when using FMIS applications. These systems entrench the controls you need to eliminate misuse of financial resources, but also the mitigation measures you employ to protect your business against the occurrence of expected and unexpected risks. The control measures also provide the historical evidence of performance you need to regulate the current and future activities of the business. Auditors also use this historical evidence to evaluate the progress of your business. Integration
FMIS provides you with a framework for integrating functional processes and financial resources in your business. This accelerates the processing of transactions and conveyance conve yance of financial information, in addition to eliminating duplicate activities and responsibilities along the organization’s chain of command. Systems integration also provides you greater
leverage for centralizing shared services so as to reduce operational costs associated with running multiple operational units for the shared services. Competition
The adoption of FMIS applications elevates the competitive advantage of the business. Indeed, the strategic value of information technology is extremely important in the advancement of customer satisfaction and growth of productivity. It enables the business to respond appropriately to changes in target markets and stay ahead of its competitors.
E-governance, Bangladesh Perspective Early Efforts: ICT as a sector The realization that ICTs can be an important enabler for Bangladesh’s development is not
new. The early efforts in 1991, in this regard were directed towards developing ICT as an export sector and a potential area of employment generation for ICT graduates. One of the most recognized efforts in this regard was taken in 1997. A committee was formed with Professor
Jamilur Reza Choudhury as
its convener to explore the potential
of an export oriented software industry in Bangladesh. The committee comprised of repre
sentatives from the government, industry, and academia, which submitted its reportin September 14, 1997. Several of the recommendations of the committee wereimpl emented which, in many ways, shaped the modern discourse around ICT inBangladesh. E stablishment of Bangladesh Association of Software & InformationServices InformationServices
(BASIS),
formation of ICT Task force headed by the Prime Minister in 2000,substantial reduction of government
levies
on
ICT
imports,
can
be
traced
back
to
therecommendations therecommendations made in that report. The role of the role of Bangladesh Computer Sh amity (BCS) also played a part in implementing these recommendations.
Appling E-governance- Towards Digital Bangladesh : Public sector initiatives (2002-08) The country's first National ICT policy, approved in 2002, touched upon issues related with e-Governance and ICT4D but stopped short of addressing them from a holistic viewpoint. Especially, in the absence of concerted effort to implement the policy within the government, the real impact of the policy was not significant. Establishment of “Support to ICT Task Force” (SICT) project was the first major public sector initiative
to leverage ICT for development. Launched in 2002, the project started its operation from 2003. The project was created to implement the ICT Task force decisions. Unfortunately, the task force remained largely inactive ever since and hence the project could not benefit from
the
task
force
much.
Rather
it
became
the
factoimplementation factoimplementation wing of the executive committee of the task force.A year
de later,
another project was initiated in the Prime Minister’s Office with technical support from UNDP in July 2004. The activities of the project led to the formulation of acomprehensive action plan for e-Governance including government process reengineering and promoted the pioneering initiative to build leadership for ICT enabled change in civil administration. Appointment Appointment of a senior officer as ICT focal point for each ministry started the process of building the critical mass and awareness within
theadministration theadministration for ICT enabled change. The project initiative to publish 50 mostfreque ntly government forms online can be cited as one of the first e-Governance initiatives to directly benefit the citizens.
The Access to Information (A2I) Programme, a follow-up project in the PMO, started in 2007
with a proclaimed goal
necessary
capacity
of the
to leverage ICT stakeholders
in public service delivery and to promote the
use of
build ICTs
in development. This project too was supported by UNDP. True to its objective, the project initiated action research to identify the potential use of ICTs in social sectors such as education,
health,
agriculture,
etc.In the meantime, several other projects such as the World Bank supported ICTcompo nent of Economic Management Technical Assistance Project (EMTAP) of Ministry
of
Science and ICT came up with specific recommendations to leverage ICTs fordevelopment. Finally, the largest ICT initiative in the country to date was implemented during 2007-2008 for the preparation of ‘Photo voter roll’ used ICT tools to prepare a credible voter list with technical assistance form UNDP. In the course of the project, common citizens of the country, most of them for the first time in their lives, saw ICT tools, and appreciated their immense potential. In parallel, about 50,000 young boys and girls were trained to operate a sophisticated software application system and carried out bulk of the activities of the project.
Policy and Legal context Over 2002-2008, new understanding of ICT as a development enabler has made its way into the various policy documents of the government. The revised ICT Policy 2009, which has been approved in the cabinet, has specific direction and guidelines reflecting most of the priorities of the Digital Bangladesh agenda. The 9th Parliament passed the Right to Information Act. The act has required legal imperatives that corroborates and promotes the overall context of Digital Bangladesh vision. The policy directives to introduce Citizen's
Charter at all levels of government should act as another policy incentive to promote use of ICT in delivery of government services and information. Steps taken thus far to introduce such charter and related lessons learned would be useful inputs in implementing Digital Bangladesh.
Emergence of Digital Bangladesh “Digital Bangladesh by 2021” emerged as part of “Charter for Change”— the
electionmanifesto of Bangladesh Awami League for the 9th Parliamentary Election. Thed eclaration was made in December 12, 2008 for the election held in December 29, 2008.Though a date is attached to this agenda, it is interpreted as a long-term long -term vision rather than a target. This forward- looking vision quickly captured people’s imagination and became the cornerstone cornerstone of the entire election election manifesto.
Challenges in the run Challenges of G2B and G2C ICT infrastructure across the nation
Bangladesh’s
ICT
infrastructure
is
stillquite underdeveloped. The international submarine cable installation has significantly been delayed, despite the keen necessity necessity of an optical fiber link with global network. This delay has caused a difficulty of setting up Internet Exchange (IX) in Bangladesh, as establishment of IX is a must from the viewpoints of the efficient Internet connection and the national security. However, there is a good progress of digitalization of network for narrowband service.Construction of DDN (Digital Data Network) is smoothly ongoing throughout thecountry, including digitalization by using optical fiber cables for
backbone network and junction network in the city areas. This development will cater to the demands for the time being. Bangladesh has also joined the submarine cable network consortium which will link Bangladesh with Southeast Asia, Middle East and Western Europe (SEA-ME-WE). The SEA-ME-WE 4 is scheduled to be operational by the first quarter of 2004. Access to ICT by citizens
Bangladesh has a very low level of Internet and PC penetration standing at 0.04% and 0.09% respectively, according to a global IT study conducted by Harvard University, USA. There are no public places that allow access to the Internet at low cost. In such a scenario, it is a matter of great concerns how people would get G2C services even if they were offered publicly. Access to ICTs by businesses
It is mostly the larger businesses in Bangladesh that have computers. Very few among these have
connectivity
to
the
Internet.
Under
suchcircumstances, many businesses may not be able to participate in online tenders or ap plication procedures. procedures. Public Awareness about ICTs
Although there is much hype about IT among the younger generation, there is not a high level of awareness among the general public about how ho w ICTs may be useful to their lives. Also, there is cultural inhibition about the use of PCs in this country. From a cultural context, people are generally not familiar with the concept of using computers. ICTs are still generally perceived to be a thing for the rich and the elite. As a result, there is no demand or pressure from the public for service delivery through the use of ICTs.
General Challenges of e-Governance Lack of necessary regulatory/legal framework
The regulatory/legal framework in Bangladesh has not yet been modernized to accommodate the growing needs of the electronic world. Still, in government offices, an e-mail has no official value and cannot be legally considered an acceptable mode of communication. There are no laws to protect against cyber-crime, neither are there any laws for electronic authentication. Inadequate human resource capacity
For a country of more than 130 million people, the number of IT-trained people in the country
is
meager
with
about
1,630incoming students at public universities, 2,370 at private universities and 1,120 at p olytechnics. On top of that, most of the well-trained IT graduates of the country leave since there is little scope for them in Bangladesh in terms of professional development. Preparedness of local software companies
Most local software companies still have not developed the level of expertise or professionalism needed to handle large-scale integrated integrated e-Government projects. Although Although the
scenario
is
rapidly
changing
in
terms
of needed technical expertise, the companies are still lagging behind in terms of professio nalism and experienced management. Supply of electricity across the nation
With about 30% of the population of Bangladesh having access to electricity, the question of providing access to computers to a large section of the population seems like a two-step problem. Even Even the fortunate 30%has 30%has to suffer daily daily power power cuts. Since Since there are yet no lowcost methods of running computers without electricity, the issue of electricity has to be solved before a widespread dissemination of ICTs is possible. High-cost, low-reliability of Internet access
Internet access cost in Bangladesh is very high and highly unreliable. There are virtually no dial-up options outside major cities since long distance calls are exorbitantly expensive.
Internet access and availability of PCs are disproportionately concentrated in Dhaka. Most ISPs are dependent on VSAT transmission and the bandwidths being used varies from 64Kbps to 4Mbps. 60 percent ISPs are between 128Kbps and 1Mbps in this concern. This is far below what is required even by current demand. Current situation of dialup Internet connection is rather poor. Connection over 21Kbps to 31Kbps is the speed in home use.
Some appreciated steps In digitalizing Bangladesh there are some Government’s steps which have really been appreciated. Those are follows… 150 dollar laptop production
Government has taken a great step to take the rural students closure to the world. Bangladesh is going to produce student laptop under “1Laptop per student” project which
will cost Tk. 10,000-12,000 in Bangladesh currency. This project has started from May2011. If this step comes to success then a lot of Bangladeshi rural students can be taken to touch of the knowledge of internet. The best thing about this, thousands of rural students will get it for Tk3000-9000 only. Union Info Centers
The main goal of UISC program is to ensure that information and service can reach to thedoor steps of ordinary people by b y using Information Technology. With this, theimplem entation process of Digital Bangladesh vision 2021 has started. On the other hand, according to the decision of local government division, within the current month of June, 1000 Union Parishad and 2000 entrepreneurs have been selected from these Unions so that another 1000 service centers can be set up. These entrepreneurs would have to invest a certain amount of money and then get contracted with the Union Parishads to carry out their activities. Now people getting all information and services from Union Info Centers like
Agriculture
Disaster Management
Driving License
Education
Environment and Forests of Bangladesh
Health Systems
Income Tax
Law and Order
Mobile Banking
Passport
Recruitment
Visa
Utility Services
University Admission
Mobile Money Order Service
Even a few years ago Bangladesh Post Office was famous for its slow services. But its really true that now it serves the fastest money order service in Bangladesh. It only takes 2-3 minutes to send money through this service and it’s available at any post office in Bangladesh. This service was introduced on May 2010. People can send up toTk50, 000 at a very few cost of Tk27 for first thousand and Tk10 for later. E-text book for Primary and Secondary level
At least 106 textbooks of primary and secondary levels have been converted to e-books, electronic version of textbooks, published by the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) and uploaded on www.ebook.gov.bd on www.ebook.gov.bd with the technical assistance of Access to Information (A2I) of Prime Minister's Office (PMO).Students can log on to the website and flip through the e-books just like the printed ones. Besides, they can also download any page they want. The e-books have options to zoom in on pages and bookmark any of
those, said A2I programme officials. Anyone can download the contents for free and read those also on mobile phones. The students, who take the primary terminal and secondary examinations abroad, will benefit greatly from it as they will be able to download textbooks from the website. In January last year, soft copies of 139 textbooks were put in PDF version on the NCTB website that drew much attention of both students and guardians at ho me and abroad. But, the new website with e-books would be much easier to use. E-College Admission
From this year admission
in college will be through
mobile sms
that will reducestudent’s run and line for f or the forms. It will ensure accountability and clear admission and lessen the corruption. 19colleges of Dhaka board and 9 colleges of Comill a board are taken into this first step. Online Investment Registration System
Both
domestic
and foreign investment
is a must
for industrialization. industrialization. On last
December (Dec 2010) Board of Investment has introduced Online Investment Registration System. Online registration of the BoI would help create an enabling atmosphere for business andinvestment in the country. The new system will simplify investment registration proce dures for local and foreign investors with a new online registration service system by reducing time and unnecessary documentation and hassle It will attract more investors from home and abroad and prop up the investment activities in particular E-results
Staring with the SSC and HSC results now each and every public exam result are published in internet and mobile SMS, So students or applicants need not to go to center for collecting result, he can get it from his/her mobile phone. Bangladesh Hajj Management Portal
The Ministry of Religious Affairs, GoB introduced the Hajj Web Site in 2002 to service ten and thousands of pilgrims who go to Mecca to perform holy Hajj. During the Hajj, the website also acts as an important information portal for the family members of the pilgrims and other interested persons and organizations. One of the best examples of a PublicPrivate Partnership project, the site provides timely and reliable information to a large segment of the population. Railway ticketing
Technically, Railway ticketing might not be a simpler e-government project but from people’s convenience perspective, this is one of the important one. Bangladesh Railway outsourced the job to a local IT vendor. With a few technical hiccups the system was put to operation in 1996. The vendor owned operated and maintained the system till early2002. The system was than transferred to Bangladesh Railway, who later decided to outsource its operation to another private vendor. Government E-forms:
Now about every Government forms are available in corresponding website. Accessing Accessing government forms online is made possible by the Prime Minister’s Office of Bangladesh
though a project funded by UNDP Bangladesh. This not only saves time but also the cost and hassles associated with the traveling to the government offices located at a distance.
SWOT analysis Going through the field study and some journals here is given four SWOT analyses with a focus on the following aspects of e-governance in Bangladesh: 1) Political 2) Social 3) Economic
4) Technological
***Political Aspects*** Political aspects related to e-governance are e.g. the formulated strategy and policy, laws and legislation, leadership, decision making processes, funding issues, international affairs, and political stability. Political aspects: Implementation and maintaining of e-governance solutions Strengths
Weakness
Combination
Opportunities
with Budget
Raise
democratization Cyber
laws
not
available as
factor
external Bureaucracy
funding
reforms
Internet
Threats
Piracy, misuse Show
pull
competitive
edge
Corruption
Transparency
Maintaining
No problem owner within government
Modern image
causes
natural disorder,
No expertise about change of processes
no
transparency
technology Reinvent Slow
Political instability
decision government
making process
Hierarchy
Resistance
in
organizations
Short term approach due to elections
Integration
and
reform
***Economic Aspects*** Economical aspects related to e-governance are funding, cost-savings, business models, eCommerce, and spin-offs of e-governance. Economic: Implementation and maintaining e-governance solutions Strengths
Weakness
Opportunities
E-Governance good Investors
Cost
argument
through
for external funding
Budget control
Transparency
Threats
efficiency Corruption e-
governance
New business
for businesses (procurement)
More efficiency tax revenues
***Social Aspects***
Examples of some of the social aspects related to e-governance are people, (level of) education, employment, income, digital digital divide, rural areas vs. cities, rich vs. poor, literacy, IT skills. Social aspects: Implementation and maintaining e-governance solutions Strengths
People
eager
learn IT skills
Weaknesses
to Basic education poor:
Opportunities
Threats
Employment
Brain drain
increases
trainers needed Skilled people possible
IT skilled people Education
No IT literacy
system after training
improve
export product
Resistance Low literacy
People
learn of people
structural job Different languages
Digital Cheap
Public
acceptance manpower widely
of self-service
available
models Promotion Skill
shortage: of internet
competition with private sector
***Technological Aspects***
Better healthcare
Privacy
divide
As discussed in the previous chapter, technology will be a bottleneck for e-governance in developing countries. Technological aspects involve software, hardware, infrastructure, telecom, IT skilled people, and maintenance, safety and security issues. Technological aspects: Implementation and maintaining e-governance solutions Strengths
Weaknesses
Everything is new: no Lack negative legacy
of
Threats
IT 2nd hand hardware Dependency
standards
available
Leapfrogging possible Shortage Internet
Opportunities
of technology
IT Use one standard
as skilled people
driving(pull) factor High
cost
of
internet
Heterogeneous data
Lack
of
IT
standards?
Costs of software licenses
E-governance and FMIS Representative democracy relies on supposition that best way to make a decision is wider participation for all its citizens having access to relevant information. If the people of the
country can take place in the decision making and policy making of a country and its government, it can be more effective for the development of the country. But this is a very much complex task to continue. In that case, there must be arranged such a system which help the government to handle financial decisions and also let people participate in the decision making authority. ■
Government is by nature an information intensive organization. Government of any country needs lots of information as any government wants to take more effective decisions. Without proper information, government cannot take a single step. This is possible only when government of a country can implement such systems which is integrated by different operations of a country and interlinked through medium so that enough information is gathered as well as no redundant information is accumulated here.
■
Information is power and information management is political. Because the more government collect information, the more effective their decisions will be. As they know the behavior of people, necessity of people, the prone to crime o people, probable success factor of people. people. When When a central government of a country can have all those necessary information of their people, they can formulate different types of rules and regulations for their public sector. For all this perspective, FMIS is such a system which can ensure all these facilities for the government of a country.
FMIS framework for developing country Stage 1: Preparatory
Preliminary concept design including an institutional and organizational assessment
Analysis of the key problem areas and ongoing reform programs
Feasibility study
Design project and draft project proposal
Formal approval of the project-securing government approval and donors’ funding
Stage 2: Design
Develop functional specification
Outline
information
technology
(IT)
strategy,
including
hardware
and
organizational issues
Prepare tender documents
Stage 3: Procurement
Issue tenders for hardware and software and associated requirements
Evaluation of bids and award contract
Stage 4: Implementation
Configuration analysis and specify any additional IT, infrastructure, and communication requirements
Detailed business process and gap analysis mapping required functionality to package and identifying and specifying detailed parameterization, parameterization, customization, procedural etc. changes changes
Detailed action plan for phased implementation and the pilot-run of the s ystem
Agreed customization and configuration of the system
Determine training needs and conduct training of personnel
Pilot run — parallel run of the system, resolve initial problems and evaluate system performance for roll-out roll-out
Roll-out system to other ministries and agencies
Phased implementation of additional modules
Strengthening of internal system support and phasing out consultant/contractor support
Governance FMIS framework
■
Expansion of Internet and electronic commerce, is redefining relationships among various stake holders in the process of Governance. All the relationship among the people of a country through internet internet is redefining and redesigned. redesigned. In that case, new formation of technology is required and should be integrated to the governance system.
■
A new model of governance would be based upon the transactions in virtual space, digital economy and dealing with knowledge oriented societies. This new governance will introduce a new dimension of the overall planning of the government for their national purpose. People can use their id and password to access to the virtual space, share their ideas and opinions about national economy, policy making and and different national tasks.
■
Electronic Governance is an emerging trend to re-invent the way the Government works. It will bring the new era of governance of country. Government of a country will be greatly facilitated by the FMIS implementation which is integrated with the e-governance systems.
FMIS contribution to e-governance
