Smart Governance: Governance 2.0

Maintaining the tandem between IT and Governance, E18, a division of Network 18 Media & Investments Limited, organized its Government ICT initiative titled “Governance 2.0” with the Department of Information Technology. The mega conclave was presented by Accenture in association with CNBC TV18. The National Institute for Smart Government (NISG) provided the Knowledge Support to this initiative. Over 300 senior government officials and industry leaders participated in the Summit.

Governance 2.0 brought about the confluence of thought leaders from both the government and the industry and focussed on the practical aspects of strategic delivery of the Government's new ICT strategy. This initiative attracted the best brains and experts who shared their views and suggestions on the eGovernance era gone by and their vision for the decade ahead. The Summit had a blend of thought-provoking panel discussions and technical presentations focussing on the technology and business aspects of maximizing efficiency along with presentations of case-studies on the evolvement of eGovernance over the years.

The colloquium amplifies the importance of ICT and intends to bridge the divide between e-haves and e-have-nots

In the inaugural session, Shri Sachin Pilot, Hon'ble Minister of State for Communication and IT, shared his views on the progress and the challenges being faced in the implementation of eGovernance strategies and discussed the plans for the future. He highlighted several eGovernance initiatives rolled out by the Government and its consistent efforts for effective execution. He also underlined that information technology is playing an important role in facilitating economic progress of the country. Shri Pilot's thoughts were complemented by Sanjiv Mital, CEO, NISG, and Krishna GV Giri, Managing Director - Public Sector, Accenture. Giri especially highlighted the role of the industry in the efficient rollout of NeGP. He also underlined the technology evolvement in the eGovernance space, and stressed on the need for faster technology adoption by the Government for efficient citizen service delivery.

The Inaugural Session was followed by a discussion between some of India's prominent eGovernance thought leaders such as Shri Savitur Prasad, Secretary - IT, Government of Delhi, and Shri Ajay Sawhney, President & CEO of the NeGD, and other industry veterans. The discussions reviewed the successes and failures of eGovernance in the last decade and identify the eGovernance priorities for India in the year 2011-2020. Shri Prasad highlighted various eGovernance projects initiated by the Delhi Government as well as technology adoption by the State Government. Industry leaders like Harsh Chitale, CEO, HCL Infosystems, enunciated their experience in helping governments achieve agility through ICT adoption.

There were also several intellectual technical presentations by senior government and industry representatives. One of the key speakers was Dr Neeta Shah, Director - eGovernance, Government of Gujarat. She presented a case-study on the success of eGovernance implementation in Gujarat.  She mentioned that technology was the key instrument for info-extension and effective mobilization. During an exclusive panel discussion on administrative reforms in eGovernance, Shri Shailesh Gandhi, Central Information Commissioner, stressed on the need for transparent governance and administrative reforms for efficient eGovernance implementation. He also emphasized on the adequate personnel training requirements to address these challenges.

The Summit not only enabled discussions on the immediate requirements of the Indian Government, but also facilitated industry to showcase the deployment of the strategy to achieve value for money in processes that need restructuring. Each session encompassed vital discussions between the key stakeholders of eGovernance in India and also presented technology advancements made by the industry to support government's eGovernance conduit.

Some Key Topics of Discussion

*  Building eGovernment Readiness: From Online Services to Administrative Reform
*  Building Secure, Resilient, Integrated Systems
*  Innovative Use of ICT for Collaboration and Creating Strategic Advantage
*  eGovernance and Efficiency in Health Services