Enhancing E-Governance: The NeSDA- Way Forward Monthly Report
Context:
The Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances (DARPG) has unveiled the sixth edition of the National e-Governance Service Delivery Assessment (NeSDA) – Way Forward Monthly Report for States/Union Territories (UTs) that delves into the current state of e-service delivery across India, offering valuable insights into the progress and potential for improvement in the digital governance landscape.
NeSDA Framework:
- This framework was introduced in August 2018 and has been a catalyst for measuring effectiveness of e-Governance service delivery mechanisms in India.
- Having roots in the Online Service Index (OSI) of the UN e-Government Survey, the framework spans six important sectors: Finance, Labour & Employment, Education, Local Government & Utilities, Social Welfare (including Agriculture & Health), and Environment (including Fire).
- It operates on a biennial study cycle- assessing States, Union Territories, and key Central Ministries.
The Role of NeSDA:
- Objective: To gauge the efficiency and impact of e-Governance service delivery to empower governments at various levels to enhance their provision of citizen-centric services.
- Additionally, NeSDA serves as a platform for sharing best practices, fostering collaboration, and driving the adoption of successful e-governance models across the nation.
Key Highlights of the NeSDA Way Forward Monthly Report:
- The August monthly report reveals an increase of 869 services, totaling 14,736 e-services, showcases a growing commitment to digital governance.
- The report shows progress in achieving saturation of mandatory e-services. With 74.6% saturation, 1,505 out of 2,016 mandatory e-services are now accessible.
- The report sheds light on the distribution of e-services across sectors. The local governance and utility services sector leads the way with 5,502 e-services, emphasizing the importance of grassroots governance.
- The tourism sector has seen an impressive growth, with 61% of States/UTs achieving saturation of mandatory e-services. The environment sector follows with 53% coverage.
- Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, and Odisha have emerged as trailblazers. These states provide a remarkable 100% of their services through dedicated Single Unified Service Delivery Portals.
- Haryana leads the charge in the labour and employment sector by offering 149 e-services, setting a noteworthy example. Tamil Nadu and Jharkhand closely follow with 96 and 89 e-services, respectively.
- The report also spotlights several best practices in e-governance from various states like Bihar’s Child Labour Tracking System (CLTS) for managing cases of rescued child labourers, Gujarat’s Anubandham platform for connecting job seekers and providers transparently, Rajasthan’s unified platform for accessing government offerings, and Uttarakhand’s Rojgar Prayag portal for providing employment opportunities to unemployed youth.
