E-Business Assignment on E- Governance and Emerging Trends in E-Business

By:

Vinay Kumar Sahil Wadhwa Pankesh

Q1. Discuss briefly the status of E-Governance in the country. Ans1. E-governance has become the key to good-governance in a developing country like India. To be at par with developed countries, the Government of India had made out a plan to use Information Technology extensively in its operation to make more efficient and effective and also to bring transparency and accountability. The e-Governance systems introduced in India in the late 60s and early 70s with an emphasis on computerizing applications of defence services. In order to computerizing departments and bringing IT services, the National Informatics Center was established in the 1980s. The 90s saw the emergence of a national IT initiative by the Government of India with corresponding plans in the states. In the last couple of years, IT has enhanced the delivery of government services as it caters to a large base of people across different segments and geographical locations. The effective use of IT services in government administration has enhanced existing efficiencies, drive down communication costs and increased transparency in the functioning of various departments. Currently, some states are only implementing e-Governance in their departments to bring transparency. This approach will gradually would be extended to other states, which will leverage the power of IT to streamline administrative functions and increase transparency in their departments. Andhra Pradesh The Government of Andhra Pradesh initiated and implemented many statewide e-Governance applications since the year 2000, when the Central Government of India enacted the IT Act 2000 To provide legal recognition to electronic transactions. As part of these initiatives, the state government has set up an e-Procurement Marketplace to link all the departments, agencies and local bodies with their vendors. Gujarat Gujarat Government has made landmark in Asia by implementing the largest optical fibre wide area network stretching over as long as 50,000 km. The state government has connected all departments, municipalities and local bodies. The state government has initiated a new concept called SWAGAT, where government officers can interact with the people living in rural areas through video conferencing. After providing e-Governance services at all its 141 municipalities, now the state government extending e-Governance services at the district level, taluka and the village level. Kerala Aruna Sundararajan, former Kerala IT secretary and CEO, CSC Programme, IL&FS, stated that after attaining total literacy, now Kerala is emerging as an e-Literate state and to be 100% digital society by implementing e-Governance initiatives to the grassroots level.

In order to make it a reality, the state government has rolled out several e-Governance initiatives in a bid to address in the state through an integrated and holistic approach. In 1998, the state government has implemented IT policy with an objective to take IT to the rural masses. By organizing e-Literacy campaigns throughout the state, the state government is attempting to bridge the digital divide. National E-Governance Plan (NeGP), comprising of 27 Mission Mode Projects (MMPs) and 8 core and support components was formulated by the Government, for implementation across the country with following vision: Make all Government services accessible to the common man in his locality, through common service delivery outlets and ensure efficiency, transparency & reliability of such services at affordable costs to realize the basic needs of the common man. If the Central Government is implementing National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) across the country, then some states like Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Haryana, Gujarat, etc., have thought-out more than policies and many initiatives on the ground, but there are some states like Assam, Meghalya, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh are one step behind in bringing e-Governance services.

Q2. What are the key challenges to proliferation of E-Governance in India? Ans2. Countries like India people are poor and infrastructures are not up to the mark. Under such condition it becomes very difficult to provide government services to the people. There are number of reasons for that: Poverty: Internet access is too expensive for the poor in developing countries like India. Installing the necessary telephone lines needed for internet or email access is equally unaffordable in most poor countries. Technical illiteracy: There is general lack of technical literacy as well as literacy in countries like India. Language Dominance: The dominance of English on the internet constrains the access of non-English-speaking population. In the case of India, 95 percent of the population does not speak English. Due to such overwhelming dominance of English over these communication channels, computers and the internet are quite useless in Indian villages. Unawareness: There is general lack of awareness regarding benefits of E-Governance as well as the process involved in implementing successful G-C, G-G and G-B projects. Inequality: Inequality in gaining access to public sector services between various sections of citizens, especially between urban and rural communities, between the educated and illiterate, and between the rich and poor.

Infrastructure: Lack of necessary infrastructure like electricity, internet, technology and ways of communications will affect the speed which delays the implementation. Impediments for the Re-Engineering process: Implementation of E-Governance projects requires lots of restructuring in administrative processes, redefining of administrative procedures and formats which finds the resistance in almost all the departments at all the levels.

Q3. What role do you envisage for the government in smooth conduct of E-Commerce in country? Ans3. The role of government is to provide a legal framework for E Commerce so that while domestic and international trade are allowed to expand their horizons, basic rights such as privacy, intellectual property, prevention of fraud, consumer protection etc are all taken care of. The government of India has passed the Information and Technology Act to keep a check on the transactions carried on via the electronic media and to make the process of Ecommerce safe and reliable. The Act imposes heavy penalties and punishment on those who try to misuse this channel for personal benefit or to defraud others. The law has also established the authentication of the electronic records. Increase in the Cyber crimes in e-commerce is causing concern among the credit card users in India. Now, the government has opened Cyber Crime Police Station. Online complaints can be filed for both cyber and Non Cyber crimes, through an online form which is available at http://www.bcp.gov.in/english/complaints/newcomplaint.asp to accept complaints filed with digital signatures. The Government should take necessary actions for The protection of Intellectual property rights requires that governments and the private sector develop and implement an appropriate mix of regulatory, contractual, and technological measures, and ensure adequate public awareness of the role of copyright and related rights in the information society. This would, on the one hand, provide protection to local industries in global markets and, on the other hand, spur investment and growth by providing a safe and legal environment. The issue is to develop technology and regimes that can be applied to the digital environment in a manner that promotes electronic commerce while protecting intellectual property rights. Limited Internet access among customers. Poor telecom and infrastructure for reliable connectivity. Multiple gaps in the current legal and regulatory framework.

Bridging the digital divide or promoting access to inexpensive and easy access to information networks; Legal recognition of e-commerce transactions; Legal protection against cracking (or unauthorized access to computer systems)

Emerging Trends in E-Business

Digital Wallet:- A Digital Wallet is a relatively new concept, which works beyond just an app that allows you to pay for goods and services. The concept of the Digital wallet is simple. you shouldnt have to carry your money, cards, change, receipts etc with you (And lets be honest, it is a pain). Instead your wallet is incorporated in an everyday object you normally carry with you like your phone or iPod and you use that to pay when purchasing goods both in-store or online. The trend is catching on in India as well with many companies introducing the concept of mobile/online money. Flipkart was one of the first few companies in India to realize the importance of a digital wallet and were smart enough to tweak the concept according to the needs of its consumers. The flipkart wallet allows users to make payment once and make repeat purchases. Micropayment:- A micropayment is a financial transaction involving a very small sum of money and usually one that occurs online. This trend is facilitated by the W3C working group that approved these protocols and technical standards for the interworking. These systems will change not only how we carry money but how we value money and think about purchases. Payment systems that make it easier to buy online, coupled with mobile technologies will accelerate the usage of global e-commerce applications. Social commerce:- Social commerce is a subset of electronic commerce that involves using social media, online media that supports social interaction, and user contributions to assist in the online buying and selling of products and services. As Facebook has become the most visited site on the Web, the role of social media, including Facebook and its local clones such as Twitter, is increasingly important. Social media sites increasingly act as points of entry to e-commerce sites, and vice versa, as e-commerce sites build rating, loyalty and referral systems tied to social media. Mobile commerce:- The phrase mobile commerce was originally coined in 1997 to mean "the delivery of electronic commerce capabilities directly into the consumers hand, anywhere, via wireless technology. Mobile devices open up unique opportunities for e-commerce companies. Mobile technologies facilitate comparison shopping; with the advent of barcode reader apps and price-comparison databases, a consumer could snap a bar code in Walmart and quickly reference product reviews and prices on walmart.com.

Localization:- Localization is the key for e-commerce to go global. For e-commerce going forward, localization is becoming more and more important. And good localization means a deep understanding of local costumers. Regulation of e-commerce systems will become more and more mature; therefore, understanding local regulations, as well as international or regional regulations, matters a lot when a company is expanding. DELIVERY OF CASH (DOC):- Two years after the launch of its era-changing Cash on Delivery option, Flipkart gears up to initiate its one-of-a-kind Delivery of Cash service. You no longer have to visit ATMs for that much needed money! Just go online or call Flipkart everready personnel to get quick cash delivered home. And pay Flipkart with a simple swipe of your card!