I.T for Better Governance & Empowerment of People

1. By Dr T.H.Chowdary * Director, Center for Telecom Management & Studies * Chairman, Pragna Bharati (Intellect India), AP * Former Information Technology Adviser, GOAP Chairman & Managing Director Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd., Bombay T: +91 (40) 6667-1191(O)2784-3121(R) F: +91 (40) 6667-1111 (O)‏ Talk @ Andhra Mahila Sabha, Hyd: 10 Oct '09 I.T for Better Governance &Empowerment of People

2. S425_Oct'09 Why e-governance (1) • Government(s) largest handlers of people’s money – (25 to 25)% of GDP & Welfarist • Least efficient, economic & transparent • Eg: Projects in progress for 10 to 25 yrs – $ 25 bln unproductively locked up • 25 mln homes claimed to have been built for 75 mln people in AP alone! • 13 mln. White ration cards for families below poverty line (80 of Pop.)

3. S425_Oct'09 2009-'10 = 400,000 cr Rs.314446 cr Rs.229505 cr DIRECT TAX COLLECTION

4. S425_Oct'09

5. S425_Oct'09 Budget allocation 2009-'10 continue..... • * Subsidies in 2009-'10 = Rs. 95,579 cr • * Total Budgeted Expense = Rs. 9,53,231 cr • * Plan Exp. = Rs. 2,85,149 cr • * NREG = Rs. 39,000 cr

6. The Cost of Delay: Rs. 50,000 cr. (Source: Indian Express 31/8/2006) S425_Oct'09

7. S425_Oct'09 Why E-Goverannce –“Socialism” at work (2) • Subsidies ( $ 6.2 bln. on food, kerosene & sugar and $ 4.5 bln on other items) • Apply, Apply – No Reply • Government officials: • Labour-lordism; Babu-bossism • Insectification of citizen • Sale of Information • Move from office to office again & again

8. S425_Oct'09 Why E- Governance (3) • Taxes increase; Projects Multiply; so do offices • Poverty Alleviation • Poverty Eradication • Integrated Rural Development • Uplift of Utterly poor (Antyodaya –) • Light to the dark (Velugu) • C.M’s Employment of Youth • Indira Awas ( Housing the poor) • Rajiv Arogya Sri

9. S425_Oct'09 Why E- Governance-Revenues Rise (4) • 52 such programmes in 53 years since 1951. Illiteracy, poverty, large family – vicious circle, 15% of benefit money reaches the poor • 25 mln homes claimed to have been built for 75 mln people in AP alone! 100% must be living in Govt Built houses! • 13 mln. White ration cards for families below poverty line (80% of Population)

10. S425_Oct'09 Why E- Governance-Revenues Rise (5) • Garibi Hatao – again after 36 years • 2nd launch of multipoint “Backwardness Eradication” for Minorities. • Moslem Fist “Programs • 35 Rajiv / Indira XYZ Programs

11. S425_Oct'09 Why E- Governance-Revenues Rise (1) • Taxes increase; Projects Multiply; so do offices • Poverty Alleviation • Poverty Eradication • Integrated Rural Development • Uplift of Utterly poor (Antyodaya –) • Light to the dark (Velugu) • C.M’s Employment of Youth • Indira Awas ( Housing the poor) • Schemes named after Rajiv Gandhi- 140; Indira Gandhi -32; Jawaharlal Nehru-15 • In A.P, Rajiv Schemes > 40

12. S425_Oct'09 Good Governance: Prime Necessity (1) • Leadership • Vision • Conviction • Political Will • Communication & Evangelism for development • Value for taxes collected and votes garnered

13. S425_Oct'09 Information & Knowledge • Information in power • Information is the basis of planning, control, management, efficiency, effectiveness • MIS - electronified, stored, updated; accessed; distributed; gathered over telecom network • Telecoms, computers, Web-sites, networks

14. I.T in Vision 2020 for Andhra Pradesh (then, India) S425_Oct'09

15. S425_Oct'09 What E-Governance Can Deliver (1) • ICT – based MIS eg: Story of Weaker Section Housing • Delivery of government services – One stop – Many Services • Speed Up Process • Corruption decreases • Dissatisfaction decreases • Time & fuel economy • Reduced Transaction costs

16. S425_Oct'09 What E-Governance Can Deliver (2) • Responsiveness & Accountability • Dial the Chief Minister, Commissioner (Police, Municipal Corpn), Collector… • Economy & Effectiveness • E-Procurement • e- Cops • Better planning ( MPHS; GIS; Data Bank; Oversight, Speedy Correction ) • Video in jails –prisoners not physically brought to courts – escapes prevented

17. S425_Oct'09 What E-Governance Can Deliver (3) • Interviews from video- enabled Internet Kiosks # e-ways of SIFY (saving time & money) • In courts – original documents scanned, stored on floppy/ CD; document theft avoided • Land records, titles, encumbrances easily accessed by farmers (BHOOMI in Karnataka) • E-Chaupal (ITC procurement & farmer education; market information); multi-services • Rural Service Delivery Points ( for e-Seva of Andhra Pradesh )

18. S425_Oct'09 What E-Governance Can Deliver (4) • Job search by Internet Browsing • Students write Project Reports • Computer Education in High Schools • All teachers to become computer literature • STD/ISD PTs upgrade to Internet Kiosks – e-mail in Indian Languages • Public libraries computerised more titles, subscription to foreign “electronic” form journals

19. S425_Oct'09 Major EG Projects in Andhra Pradesh: • MPHS .. Building the citizen’s & land data base • CARD .. Registration of legal & sale deeds • FHIMS .. IT in Primary Health Sector • FAST.. Transport services through IT • Compact.. Streamlining commercial taxes • e-COPS .. IT in Police • SmartGov.. Knowledge-led governance (Secretariat) • e-Procurement.. • eSeva .. Redefining citizen services • APOnline .. Convergence of info, forms & services • Kiosks .. Network of internet kiosks in villages • OLTP .. Online Transaction Processing • Treasury.. Receipts& Payments (there are over 50 other e-governance projects)

20. S425_Oct'09 Some Spectacular Outcomes (1) • E-Procurement • Award time reduced from 150 to 20 days • On 52 e-tenders (Rs. 3.5 bln), 23% saving • 1500 e-tenders in progress (Rs. 16.4 bln) in 2003-04 • Procurement would cross Rs. 15,000 cr in 2004-05 • 0.24% of tender value as commission (reduced to 0.05% in 2005)

21. S425_Oct'09 Some Spectacular Outcomes (2) • E-Seva in Andhra Pradesh • Multiple services offered at each counter • Utility / Tax Payments • Electricity, Water, Property Tax, Telephone bills • Filing Sales Tax and Income Tax Returns • Certificates • Birth / death certificates • Encumbrance certificates for property • Passport and Licenses • Filing applications for passports • Municipal trade licenses, Learner’s License, Vehicle registration … • Bus tickets … train tickets, airline tickets, travel bookings • Rail Reservations • E-Payments on internet ( www.esevaonline.com)

22. S425_Oct'09 Some Spectacular Outcomes (3) • E-Seva in Andhra Pradesh • One-stop-Shop for G2C services • 31 service centres, 6 bank branches, 81 ATMs (in Hyderabad) • Volume of Transactions increasing • 0.8 mil in April 2001 • 8.5 mil since Aug 03; 12 mln, Dec ‘04 • 46 services across any of 290 counters • Extending to all urban areas by Dec 03 • 232 more eSeva Centres in 116 cities & towns & • 2500 villages by March 2004 • 5000 villages by Dec 2004

23. S425_Oct'09 Some Spectacular Outcomes (4) • CARD • In-house execution of the Project • More than 240 registration offices • Old documents scanned and indexed • 20 year title search in less than 15 mnts. • Certified copies of registration deeds • Encumbrance certificates • Valuation slips for properties • Registration deeds like sale, mortgage, lease& gift

24. S425_Oct'09 E-Communication with People • Video-conferencing • Face to face with Chief Minister • Transportable VSATs and Discussion with Village Assemblies

25. S425_Oct'09 IT based Elections • Registration • Canvassing • Voting • Results

26. S425_Oct'09 Infrastructure for e-governance/commerce • Broadband electronic/ photonic telecom network • Microwave Radio – Terrestrial Satellite • Wireless Access: Cellular Mobile System with Internet Access • Optical Fiber Cables – underground & undersea • Communication devices • cell phones, Laptops, i-phone, PCs

27. Bring down price to increase affordability S425_Oct'09 (a) Affordability A X TSP PCI Time • A PCI/ Tele-Service Price • PCI: Per Capita Income • TSP: Telephone Service Price • A: Affordability

28. Affordability of Telephone Affordability PCI Tel. Svce.Price S425_Oct'09

29. S425_Oct'09 E-GOVERNANCE STRATEGY (1)Governments on the Band Wagon • Almost all (except a few dishonorable exceptions) States and Union Governments are enthused and committed to e-governance. • All have launched many and implemented some programs • All are Government-centric • May falter and flounder like PSU disinvestment and telecom demonopolisation

30. S425_Oct'09 E-GOVERNANCE STRATEGY (2)TECHNOLOGY’S ROLE • Technologies are Enablers, Promotive of Efficiency, Speed, Effectiveness & Economy • Offices/Officials need not be technology-savy but skilled to use • To make a difference, move to E-Governance should be swift (>5 Years), not graduated; otherwise old absorbs, assimilates, disfigures the New

31. S425_Oct'09 E-GOVERNANCE STRATEGY (3)TECHNOLOGY’S ROLE • Information Infrastructure (Electronic) Photonic Highways) is Available; Improving; Extending Thro’ Multiple Enterprises.

32. S425_Oct'09 E-GOVERNANCE STRATEGY (4)Implementation • A vision and master-mind • Best Instrument - Government Department or Society (eg STP) or Mission

33. S425_Oct'09 Opposition Carps (1) • Does I.T give water, medicine, house –sites • World Bank, Multi-nationals want to exploit India • MNC’s exploiting Indian “labour” (ignore that there are millions unemployed graduates; • I.T professional gets (3 to 10) times a non-IT Engineer) • Reduces Employment • Benefits only the elite • Has not reduced corruption (true but cut delays)

34. S425_Oct'09 Opposition Carps (2) • English language destroys Indian languages (true; but every such politician sends children to “convent schools” & exports to USA • Neglects agriculture; irrigation • Power to IT companies; darkness for farmers & poor • Tax concessions to I.T companies hurt us • No reservations for back-ward and lower castes in jobs

35. S425_Oct'09 Peoples’ Perception • Derogation of ICTs by opposition parties as elitist &wasteful • Hitec, Hitex, IIIT, IBS, Roads,Fly-overs, Corporate Hospitals/ Schools as negligent of rural areas/ people • Telephone's Acceptability • Public telephones in villages • Mobile phones • PCs & I.T & Internet • Unaffordable, too sophisticated • Not relevant for voter masses

36. S425_Oct'09 E-governance & I.TAll-Party Agenda • Criticised but embraced by “opposition” partis when come to power ( A P; UP; Kerala…) • Consultative & involvement in program planning • Vision Document: Peoples/ not party’s • Get into Manifestos – Professionals to write & “sell” • Get parties to go High-tech ( eg: TDP in Andhra Pradesh ) • Self-help Groups ( 350,000 in A P) given mobile telephones (Internet-enabled) • Talk not jargon; develop popular style • Extend reliable power to the entire territory

37. S425_Oct'09 ICT-enabled Employment in Rural areas

38. S425_Oct'09 Work taken to Villages: GramIT (1) • While US, EU, Oceania outsource to Hyderabad, Hyderabad out-sources to villages. • Satyam Computers & Byraju Foundation • 200 Resident village graduates ( BA, B.Com, B.Sc) trained in Ameringlish; imparted computer & Internet skills • Satyam (Hyderabad HQ) outsourced its own internal work (pay-roll, accounting; travel; training; MIS • Satisfied,work from abroad moved to villages

39. S425_Oct'09 Work taken to Villages: GramIT (2) • Broad-band telecom (optical fiber) 512 kbps extended from point of presence (POP) to work-site by PMP wireless • Called Gram ITs, these offer transaction processing services ( accounting, bulk mlng; records digitisation, reminder and follow-up and travel support. • A whole Gram IT can be dedicated to a customer (like twinning of cities across continents; city com@Gram.IT twinning

40. S425_Oct'09 Work taken to Villages: GramIT (3) • Gram IT-team contributed part of profits for village development scheme designed by them – Independent and local initiative • Rural Pressure group to demand and get quality infrastructure and services such as roads, retailing, education, health

41. S425_Oct'09 In Summary • E-governance & ICTs – beneficial but pubic acceptability & appreciation to be built up • Education for all and skills for many to be evangelised • Digital Divide: Reduce by Public Internet Kiosks Haath-heath mein telephone; Gaon-Gaon mein Internet Kiosk

42. S425_Oct'09 “Those who claim to lead the masses must resolutely refuse to be led by them, if we want to avoid mob law and desire ordered progress for the country. I believe that mere protestation of one’s opinion and surrender to the mass opinion is not only not enough, but in matters of vital importance leaders must act contrary to the mass of opinions if it does not commend itself to their reason.” -Mahatma Gandhi

43. S425_Oct'09 Those who carry on great public schemes must be proof against the most fatiguing delays, the most mortifying disappointments, the most shocking insults. And what is most of all the presumptuous judgment of the ignorant. – Edmund Burke

44. S425_Oct'09 We keep on tackling 50-year problem with 5-year plans, staffed by 2-year officials, working with one year appropriations, fondly hoping that somehow the laws of economics will be suspended because we are Indians.

45. S425_Oct'09 1. Indian liberalisation encounters formidable opposition from three quarters. a)        The top heavy bureaucracy reluctant to shed its enormous powers b)        Influential politicians who prefer to let socialism remain the opium of the people and of whom it can  be truly said that if ignorance is bliss, they should be the happiest men alive. c)        Quite a few Indian businessmen men who are much interested in their own personal  prosperity than in the future of the country and who preferred to flourish in the non competitive environment. 2. India continues to remain the only significant country in the free world to hold aloft the tainted and tattered  flag of socialism. 3. “ We shut our eyes to the fact that socialism is to social justice, what ritual is to religion and dogma is to truth”.

46. S425_Oct'09 THANK YOU:DHANYAWAD(Some more after this If you like)

47. S425_Oct'09 Indian Software Industry Exports ( $ mln )

48. Employment in Indian IT sector*,’000 2.5 m 2.0 m 2008 (* Years ending March; + Estimate @ break-up: NA) S425_Oct'09

49. S425_Oct'09 Hyderabad’s & A P’s Surge (1) • Software companies in Hyderabad 1248 • Software companies in rest of A P 30 • Exports from HYD: Rs. 18,294 Cr • Exports from Visakhapatnam: Rs.245 Cr • Exports from Vijayawada: Rs. 42 Cr • Exports from Tirupati: Rs. 1 Cr

50. S425_Oct'09 Hyderabad’s & A P’s Surge (2) • 2008 Exports: Rs.24,000 cr • Employees 187,450 (31.3.2007) • 200,000 Dec 2007 • BPO & Call center companies in HYD 410; • Employees 72,000 • Revenue Rs.6,500 cr