Monday, June 2, 2003		Book Review

The book under review is a collective and collaborated work by three persons who have brought together their experiences as administrator, trainer and professional. The authors - a senior IPS officer (Kiran Bedi), a police officer and trainer (Parminderjeet Singh) and an IT professional (Sandeep Srivastva) -have tried to present an effective framework for e-governance, which, according to them, can be helpful in redefining the vision and the scope of the entire gamut of relationships between the government and citizens.

There is no denying the fact that even after over 50 years of Independence, we are still struggling for good governance. The duty of the government is to serve citizens in the best possible way but very often we find the governance inefficient. In a chapter, Governance Matters, the authors have tried to present opportunities offered by the Internet-based technologies for the efficient working of the government. By taking up various basic issues that are ailing the present system, the authors believe that only transparency and accountability through information and communication technologies can help solve the problem. They have also stressed the need for devising new strategies to enable the government to work with agility and efficiency.

In the emerging global scenario, the Net plays a significant role in dissemination of information. Its impacts are far reaching. It has emerged as the major platform for bringing together and articulating concerns from across the globe. In India too, a few states have taken steps to utilise it. A chapter discusses how in the emerging new economy the Net can be helpful in organising meaningful and sustainable economic opportunities for people in the unorganised sectors. For example, in Punjab farmer are selling their produce through online auction at the portal, farmerbazaar.com, which made its beginning in 2000 by inviting farmers for auctioning of apples in Himachal.

The chapter, Addressing the Basics, has taken up issues in detail. The government’s performance in providing quality health care, education and social security to everyone has been below mark. The chapter discusses how the government can fulfil the basic needs of those with the help of new technologies. It has suggested the ways that can provide all-round health, relevant and useful education and need-based social security at low cost. On the other hand, the government too requires resources to provide a better socio-economic infrastructure for the public. In India, most of the persons resent direct taxes, as they usually complain of not getting adequate facilities. While raising revenue through taxes is government’s sovereign right, people will never mind paying flexible service-based charges with better facilities. The Business in Governance chapter has identified various means, which can be able to help the government generate revenues.

The district community, according to the book, is the ideal unit for meaningful governance that is close to people. For better understanding, it has presented the narrative of an imagery village that is connected to the district through the Net. The narrative presents a complete framework for e-governance. It is addressed to the administrators of the country who hold the key of ushering in new age of hope for Indians.

The book has tried to present concrete and comprehensive solutions to the various problems being faced by the government. If implemented with full sincerity, these solutions can be able to transform the lives of citizens.