Goa tops e-gov scorecard: IDC-DQ study

MUMBAI: Goa is the best e-governed State in the country followed by Karnataka, according to a study.

Delhi is third in the ranking while Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh is at the fourth and fifth slots respectively, the e-Governance Satisfaction Study 2006, by research firm IDC India for leading IT industry magazine, Dataquest, said.

The State having the poorest record in e-governance is Uttar Pradesh. Other States that lag are Himachal Pradesh, Orissa, Punjab and Rajasthan, which is the second last in IDC India rankings.

Assam, Goa, Delhi, Karnataka are the best e-governed States, the study said.

The survey of the key IT functionaries was conducted in 20 Indian States to assess their ICT policy and vision and to understand their e-governance priorities. The evaluation of the effectiveness of IT departments was done through a survey of 3,033 citizens and business users, with rural and urban areas contributing an equal number.

The States were ranked on citizen satisfaction and e-readiness of individual States. The ranking took into account three criteria: level of satisfaction of citizens, the industry and e-readiness of the government.

The citizens’ satisfaction was measured on the basis of ease of interaction, availability and the quality of services offered. The three-phase study excluded States such as Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura, and the Union Territories.

"This survey of over 3,000 citizens shows that businesses show higher satisfaction with e-Governance initiatives than individual citizens,” Pradeep Gupta, publisher and chairman of CyberMedia commented. “The track record of successful government-to-business projects is steadily improving, but most States have a very long way to go in citizen services."

Citizen scorecard

Residents in Karnataka are the most satisfied with the State’s e-governance services, followed by those in Goa and Gujarat. The study ranked Maharashtra and Assam fourth and fifth, respectively.

Citizens in Orissa, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh are the least satisfied with e-governance services in their respective states, the Dataquest study revealed.

Punjab recorded the lowest satisfaction level for police and security, besides power utilities.

Businesses also placed Karnataka at the top for e-governance services. Goa and Gujarat took the second and third place, while Andhra Pradesh and Assam claimed the next two slots.

The study found that corporations are least satisfied with the e-governance services and initiatives taken by Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.

In services for business organizations, Assam bagged the maximum score for passport services, followed by Gujarat, for power utilities.

Goa, Delhi and AP top

E-readiness scores are generally low across the board, indicating more need to be done. The study exhorts States to put in more e-Governance initiatives in place and to ensure that those initiatives reach the intended beneficiaries.

Delivery of benefits to citizens is identified as the key result area for the States. The top five States in terms of e-readiness are Goa, Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab while the bottom five are Haryana, Jharkhand, UP, Rajasthan and Orissa.

Businesses and individuals are also satisfied with way IT has made services like education, power utilities, income tax department, passport services, supplies, provisions and business registration more accessible and easier to use, the study said.

However, State governments have not used IT to improve services like police, security, agriculture and licenses and permits, which are the pain areas. Overall, businesses show higher satisfaction with e-Governance initiatives than individual citizens, states the study.

This higher satisfaction level is attributed to businesses interacting directly with governments oftener than individuals. The State governments are also more focused towards businesses when it comes to e-Governance.

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