A Study of E-Governance Service in Haryana Municipal Corporation
Kanhaiya Jee Gond1*, Dr. Mahendra Singh Khicher2
1 Research Scholar, Sunrise University, Alwar Rajasthan, India
Email: kanhaiya@gmail.com
2 Professor, Dept.of Public Admin, Sunrise University, Alwar Rajasthan, India
Abstract - E-government is the delivery of government services and information of public importance through electronic means, whereas e-government support refers to the actual carrying out of this duty by the government. In other words, e-governance refers to the use of more minimal electronic systems in government operations, with the goal of storing, gathering, recognizing, and disseminating bandwidth and data affecting daily operations to the civilian population on demand. The term "e-governance" refers to the use of the Internet and related technologies to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, accountability, and openness of government. In this paper research e-governance service in haryana municipal corporation.
Keywords: E-governance, government services, Municipal Corporations.
INTRODUCTION
An overarching concept held by governments is that they can impose order and control via the specific mechanisms of lawmaking, law enforcement, and judicial review. While this view excludes markets and their hierarchies and networks, the activity belief of governance includes them. The broader sense and application of the word "governance" suggests a blurring of the line between the state and civil society, which in turn leads to the belief that it is civil society, and not the government alone, which sets the ground rules for how citizens should interact with one another and with institutions like databases and their associated links. The contemporary proposal proposes government as an incentive for individuals to take a more active role in shaping their own futures.[1]
When applied to a nation, "governance" involves providing its citizens with a stable and prosperous society that can provide their basic requirements while also protecting them. And because a representative government is one in which all releases are carried out by citizens in some way, shape, or form, the government's ability and control must be conclusive as well. Control and authority are also part of governance. When exercising power and authority, it is important to do so with the interests of the public in mind. Sustainable, lucrative, and social growth that relies on a strong infrastructure is the hallmark of good governance.[2-3]
Simply put, e-government is the delivery of government services and information of public importance through electronic means, whereas e-government support refers to the actual carrying out of this duty by the government. In other words, e-governance refers to the use of more minimal electronic systems in government operations, with the goal of storing, gathering, recognizing, and disseminating bandwidth and data affecting daily operations to the civilian population on demand. E-Government, or electronic government, refers to the use of the Internet and other forms of electronic communication to make government operations more accessible to the general public and more accountable to its constituents.[4-5]
E-governance theory may be broken down in still another way. Simple, Moral, Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent (SMART) Governance is the employment of information technology in government procedures that are suitable to bring about these goals.[6-7]
There are two ways to look at e-governance: internally and outside. The perspective from the inside is focused on streamlining and modernizing government operations. Internal Observation, Regulation, and The capacity to make decisions and be cured from the outside are of paramount significance. Data from the government, interface design, and other uses. [8]
Governance is the method or means to achieve development. This means it's important to figure out what kinds of resources would be most useful for advancing the country as a whole. Transparent reasons prevent partial or incomplete from achieving the goal of governance. As government machinery and private efforts, the prerequisite is that the machinery and the procedures be excellent, adaptable, reliable, effective, and objective in timeframe. The government of a country is pivotal in determining the prosperity of its citizens. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) made the observation that poor governance and boring, lucrative industries go hand in hand.The IMF has noted that within India, only a small number of nearly prosperous areas have established norms of good governance.[9]
The goal of the current era of e-governance is to make government more accessible to the people by explaining how it works, streamlining the services it provides, increasing transparency, and ensuring that all citizens have easy access to the information they need to make informed decisions. Citizens are able to take part in governmental processes via e-governance. With e-governance, citizens, government officials, and policymakers will all need to be in constant contact with one another. E-governance will let citizens have a voice in policy decisions and share information about local events. With the use of ICTs, e-governance will bring more accountability and citizen participation to all levels of government by making its operations faster, more transparent, and more easily accessible. With the help of e-governance, the government's ability to conduct transactions with its citizens, with businesses, and among itself might be modernized.[10]
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Municipal Corporations Gurgaon, Karnal, Panchkula, and Rohtak will all play host to this research. The selections made by the Municipal Corporations was completely random. With a focus on bringing in users and recipients mostly from metropolitan areas,The study's population was consist of Users/beneficiaries, Elected Representatives, and officials from the sampled Municipal Corporation. A self-prepared interview schedule for Users beneficiaries and another for officials (obviously prepared with the study's objectives and hypothesis in mind) was used to elicit information on various aspects of the study from a total of 500 users and 200 officials (50 from four selected Municipal Corporations) or 120 Elected Representatives of selected Municipal Corporations. Data was used in conjunction with primary data to address the study's research objectives. Secondary sources include articles from academic journals, the report of the Second Administrative Reform Commission, and the files of some cities.
RESULTS
Distribution of the research's population, as represented by the sample respondents, is necessary for every empirical investigation. Table 5.1 details the study's sample size.
Table 1: Study participants
Municipal Corporations | No. of Beneficiaries. | No. of Municipal Corporation Officials. | No. of Elected Representatives. | Total |
Gurgaon | 125 | 50 | 30 | 205 |
Karnal | 125 | 50 | 30 | 205 |
Panchkula | 125 | 50 | 30 | 205 |
Rohtak | 125 | 50 | 30 | 205 |
Total | 500 | 200 | 120 | 820 |
According to the data table, four different cities (Gurgaon, Karnal, Panchkula, and Rohtak) each contributed 125 study participants. Officials from four different municipalities have been chosen to participate in the research, for a total sample size of 200. The same procedure was used to choose the 120 elected members for the research, with 30 being chosen from each of the four participating Municipal Corporations.
Table 2: Locational Dispersion of the Sampled Recipients Within the Chosen MCO
Municipal Bodies | Number | Percentage |
Rural | 215 | 57.0 |
Urban | 285 | 43.0 |
Total | 500 | 100.0 |
The chart shows that 57.0% of the sample of 500 benefactors hails from metropolitan areas, while the remaining 43.0% lives in rural areas throughout the four chosen Municipal Corporations. People in metropolitan regions are more likely to use E-Government services than those in rural areas, since the sample reflects the fact that rural residents are less inclined to make use of these services.
Table 3: The Selected Municipal Corporation Once Again Distributes the Sampled Beneficiaries
Age | Number | Percentage |
Upto 25 years | 164 | 32.8 |
26 years to 35 years | 182 | 36.4 |
36 years to 45 years | 105 | 21.0 |
Above 45 years | 49 | 9.8 |
Total | 500 | 100.0 |
It can be seen from the table that 32.8% of the respondents are under the age of 25 and 36.4% are in the age bracket of 26–35, out of a total sample size of 500 beneficiaries chosen from the four selected Municipal Corporations. Thus, 69.2 percent of respondents are under the age of 35, however a significant proportion, 21.0 percent, are between the ages of 36 and 45. The majority of recipients are adults older than 45. The reason for this is clear: adults over the age of 45 are statistically less likely to utilize the internet and electronic media than their technologically competent and well-versed younger counterparts.
Table 4: Education Level Distribution of the Selected Municipality's Sampled Beneficiaries
Educational Level | Number | Percentage |
Illiterate | 08 | 1.6 |
Primary | 201 | 40.2 |
Matriculate | 159 | 31.8 |
BA | 97 | 19.4 |
PG/Doctorate | 16 | 3.2 |
Other Professional Courses | 19 | 3.8 |
Total | 500 | 100.0 |
Based on the data shown in table 5.6, we may conclude that 1.6% of the sample of 500 beneficiaries from the four chosen Municipal Corporations are illiterate, while 40.2% have completed just primary school. There were 19.4 percent of respondents with bachelor's degrees or above, and 3.2 percent with master's degrees or higher. There is a 3.8% uptick in the proportion of responders with advanced degrees and/or certifications. This means that more than 70% of responses are high school students or younger.
Table 5: Awareness of E-Government among Sampled Recipients in a Representative Municipality
Perception | Numbers | Percentage |
Whether aware of the E- Governance in their Municipal Corporation | | |
Yes | 322 | 64.4 |
No | 178 | 35.6 |
Total | 500 | 100.0 |
Source of Information about E- Governance | | |
Electronic Media | 180 | 36 |
Print Media | 150 | 30 |
Family/Friends | 90 | 18 |
Self-Education | 80 | 16 |
Total | 500 | 100.0 |
Table shows that, out of a total sample size of 500, 64.4% of respondents are aware of the E-Government services of the four selected Municipal Corporations. The remaining respondents were not found to be aware of the E-Government facilities. Thirty-six percent of those polled had heard about E-Government services via electronic media, whereas only thirty percent had heard of them through print media. Eighteen percent of respondents learned about E-Government via close friends and family members, while sixteen percent learned about it on their own. They were already familiar with E-Government services due to their use of the internet and other electronic media.
Table 6: Residents in a Representative Sample of One Municipality
Type of E- Governance services availed | Number | Percentage |
Death and Birth Registration | 122 | 37.9 |
Business Licenses | 28 | 8.7 |
Building Plan approval | 39 | 12.1 |
Issuance of Occupation certificate | 33 | 10.2 |
Water and Sewage Connection | 62 | 19.3 |
Property Tax Payment | 7 | 2.2 |
Arms License including Renewal | 4 | 1.2 |
Complaint Registration | 27 | 8.4 |
Total | 322 | 100.0 |
Based on the data presented in table 5.11, we can see that 37.9 percent of respondents used E-Government services for birth and death registration among the 322 beneficiaries who accessed municipal services via E-Government . With respect to the approval of building plans, 12.1% of respondents used E-Government of Municipal Corporation, while 8.7% used it for the approval and renewal of business licenses. Ten percent of respondents utilized it for obtaining occupational certifications, and almost twenty percent used it to become connected to municipal water and sewer systems. In terms of Property Tax, 2.2 percent of respondents made use of it. Only 1.2% of respondents used E-Government to get or renew a license to carry a concealed weapon. Finally, 8.4 percent of respondents used the Municipal Corporation's electronic grievance and complaint system (known as the "E-Government facility") to voice dissatisfaction with the quality of municipal services.
Table 7: Perspectives on the early stages of E-Government implementation in the Selected Municipal Corporation as expressed by the Sampled Beneficiaries
Incidence of being complicated and time consuming | Number | Percentage |
Yes | 283 | 56.6 |
No | 217 | 43.4 |
Total | 500 | 100.0 |
Table 5.12 shows that more than half (56.9%) of respondents from the sample of 500 beneficiaries drawn from the four selected Municipal Corporations feel the preliminary process while submitting an application for obtaining E-Government services under Municipal Corporation is very time consuming and complicated. The remaining respondents do not share your perception that it is difficult and time-consuming.
Table 8: Proportion of Sampled Recipients Who Have Decreased Their Office Visits to the Local Government
Perception | Number | Percentage |
Yes | 271 | 84.2 |
No | 51 | 15.8 |
Total | 322 | 100.0 |
Table shows that 84.2 percent of the sample of 500 beneficiaries drawn from the four selected Municipal Corporations who used E-Governance to obtain municipal services agreed that the number of visits required to obtain municipal services is much lower under E-Governance than under the traditional process of obtaining municipal services. The majority of respondents believe that the E-Government model does not result in fewer trips to city hall for access to municipal services, compared to the conventional approach.
Table 9: Time and effort savings experienced by E-Government beneficiaries in the selected municipality's distribution
Perception | Number | Percentage |
Yes | 258 | 80.1 |
No | 38 | 11.8 |
Uncertain | 26 | 08.1 |
Total | 322 | 100.0 |
Table presents the results of a random sample of 500 beneficiaries from the four chosen Municipal Corporations, showing that 322 of them used the E-Government services offered by the municipalities. Eighty-one percent of those who have benefited from E-Government say that using it is easier and faster than it was in the pre-E-Government era. While 8.1% of respondents were unsure, 11.8% were of the opinion that using the E-Government mode to access municipal services did not minimize time and effort compared to using the old approach.
Table 10: Improvements in Municipal Service Quality and Their Impact on Sampled Beneficiaries
Perception | Number | Percentage |
Strongly Agree | 265 | 53.0 |
Agree | 188 | 37.6 |
Disagree | 12 | 2.4 |
Strongly Disagree | 00 | 0.0 |
Uncertain | 35 | 7.0 |
Total | 500 | 100.0 |
Out of a total sample size of 500 users in the four selected Municipal Corporations, 53.0 percent of respondents strongly agree that E-Government will bring qualitative improvements in the delivery system of the municipal services. This is shown in table 5.17. The majority of respondents (37.6%) believe that E-Government would increase the quality of service delivery to residents in the digital realm. About a quarter of those polled (2.4%) are skeptical that E-Government would result in better service delivery. A sizeable percentage of respondents (7%), however, expressed no opinion on the matter because they were unsure about it.
Table 11: Formalities completed by users in the selected city as reported by a random sample of city officials.
Perception | Number | Percentage |
Yes | 132 | 66.0 |
No | 68 | 34.0 |
Total | 200 | 100.0 |
According to the data in Table 5.26, a total of 66.0% of the 200 officials polled across the four selected Municipal Corporations reported that users come to them with all the necessary paperwork completed before they can receive municipal services, while the remaining 33.0% said the opposite. Municipal service delivery and processing times are impacted because authorities have to assist citizens in completing necessary paperwork, which requires them to spend more time than necessary at the front counter.
Table 12: Proportion of Officials in a Selected Municipal Corporation Who Think Preliminary Procedures Are Necessary
Perception | Number | Percentage |
Essential | 146 | 73.0 |
Can be reduced | 54 | 27.0 |
Total | 200 | 100.0 |
Table shows that, among the 200 officials surveyed from the four selected Municipal Corporations, 73% agree that all necessary procedures are included in the list of those that must be followed before receiving any municipal services. The remaining authorities estimate that 27% of the time spent on procedures and deliveries may be cut down by simplifying the process. Both the service provider and the people who utilize the service stand to gain from these time and energy savings.
Table 13: E-Government service enhancement idea distribution among a random sample of municipal officials
Suggestions | Number | Percentage |
Appointment of Permanent staff | 44 | 22.0 |
Token system | 33 | 16.5 |
Online system of appointment | 63 | 31.5 |
Proper Training to the staff | 12 | 6.0 |
Sufficient equipments and accessories | 28 | 14.0 |
Uninterrupted power supply and connectivity | 20 | 10.0 |
Total | 200 | 100.0 |
Table 5.32 reveals that out of a total sample size of 200 officials from the four chosen Municipal Corporations, 22.0% believe that hiring permanent workers would lead to better E-Government in municipal service delivery. In terms of enhancing E-Government of municipal services, 31.5% of officials believe that a centralized online appointment system is the most important factor. Sixteen percent of government employees think that E-Government will improve as a result of the token system being implemented. Ten percent of the authorities believe that ensuring constant access to electricity and the internet is the most important factor in ensuring the efficient operation of E-Government for municipal services. In order to strengthen the e-governance process, 14% of officials believe that suitable equipments and their accessories are required.
Table 14: The Opinions of Elected Officials Regarding the Quality of the Materials Used in the Municipal Corporation's E-Services
Perceptions of Elected Representative | Number | Percentage |
Very Good | 45 | 37.5 |
Good | 50 | 41.66 |
Poor | 30 | 25 |
Total | 120 | 100.0 |
Out of a total sample size of 120 Elected Representatives drawn from the four chosen Municipal Corporations, 37.5% believe the quality of the material utilized is above average, as shown in Table. 41.66% say the content quality of Municipal Corporation's E-Services is high. Twenty-five percent of the unofficial responders make the claim that the quality of the content is low. That the quality material utilized in Municipal Corporation's E-Services is excellent has been affirmed by a large majority of Elected Representatives.
If the system supporting the idea of E-Government is flawed, it will be impossible to put into practice and will not provide the expected outcomes. Municipal Corporation officials and Elected Representatives are the backbone of the process that brings E-Government to those who need it. Since municipal corporation officials constitute the backbone of the local administration, it would not be inappropriate to seek and examine their perspectives. Despite the importance of the resources at their disposal, what really counts is the effectiveness of the government and its employees.
CONCLUSION
The goal of this research was to identify the most pressing problems with e-governance in a sample of Haryana's municipal corporations. This evaluation was based on a study of significant features of urban local governments, including their constitution and governance, tasks, composition, management and financial practices, and State/Local initiatives and difficulties. This research shows that urban municipal governments in Haryana have several challenges that prevent them from performing their tasks effectively. These issues with Haryana's municipal government center on citizens' ability to have a voice in policymaking, the availability of information about how infrastructure projects are planned and funded, and the effectiveness of different approaches to municipal administration and accounting. We need to know what further can be done to make sure the suggestions made by the SFC are really put into action.
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