In e-Governance, governments use information technology, especially the Internet, to support government operations, engage citizens, and deliver government services.
The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) publishes the e-Government Development Index. According to the UN e-Government Survey 2022, which assesses development over the past two years, Bangladesh has moved up eight places to rank 111 out of 193 countries in this year's UN E-Government Development Index. Because in 2020, it was 119th place. It is a huge achievement for us. I thank the government for that. So, it has become possible with the right guidance from the government.
Moreover, E-Governance processes save time and money. Files or documents can be approved from anywhere. It speeds up official work. This recognition reflects the initiatives taken by the government to make Bangladesh digital. Online and digital activities have now started in almost every sector.
It moved up 20 places to rank 75 in the e-Participation Index, underscoring the country's improvement in e-Participation despite the global crisis of the past two years caused by the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic. The survey assesses online service delivery, legal and policy frameworks, e-participation status, telecommunication infrastructure, and human capital. The survey includes the most important international indicators that measure the development of digital government in e-services, telecommunications infrastructure, and human capital worldwide.
According to the report, Bangladesh has shown remarkable growth in access to digital financial accounts through the expansion of branchless banking, reaching the doorsteps of rural citizens across the countryservices that have taken retail banking and increased mobile financial services. This service covers more than 100 million clients.
A citizen-friendly framework for digital payment of all allowances under the social safety net program has been developed by the Ministry of Social Welfare, Ministry of Finance, and Bangladesh Bank in collaboration with A2I, UNDP, and the Consultative Group of the Government of Bangladesh. As a result, all allowances, including old age allowance, widow allowance, allowance for destitute women, and financially challenged, are being made through the digital system which is very effective and reduces the harassment of poor people.
In Bangladesh, e-participation tools available on national portals facilitate communication and collaboration at the country, municipal and rural local government levels. The Disability Innovation Lab will help develop, test, and commercialize disability-inclusive products and e-services, the report said.
In 2009, Bangladesh adopted the National Digital Bangladesh Strategy, which aims to transform the country into a digitally developed country by 2021 through the integration of ICT in support of good governance, law enforcement, employment and growth. Which looks like a lot of success. However, this activity should be continued so that people in all sectors can enjoy the services of e-Government. It will play a major role in the economy of Bangladesh.
One of the benefits of e-Governance is improving the efficiency of the current paper work system. This reduces the manpower required to deal with large chunks of paper-based work. Thus, the process allows for handling by fewer employees and hence lowers the operation cost. E-Governance allows government agencies to centralize decision-making and procurement to reduce costs. Centralization of specific activities eliminates inefficient and costly issues. Many developed countries play a major role in the country's economy through e-governance.
An example of this is the business e-park in Beijing, China. This e-park has a new system that applies modern computer and internet technology to improve the efficiency and responsiveness of the government. It has the opportunity to submit data online, greatly enhancing the quality of service for customers.
Another example of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles is that of the United States, where citizens can access forms and information online in an efficient manner. Thus benefiting many citizens who do not have time to physically visit the Bureau office Therefore, its real reflection can be shown in our country. Bangladesh Road Transport Authority can take action in this regard to reduce suffering, and corruption in obtaining a license seems to be reduced. In this way, the development of the country is possible.
The services governments provide through their websites have many benefits for the government and its citizens or website users. Both parties can save time. Another benefit that e-Government implementation will facilitate is better communication between citizens and businesses as well as government institutions. An example of this is e-procurement, which facilitates A2A and E2E communication; This allows businesses to compete for government contracts. Thus, creating an open market and strong economy, thus working extensively to create better and better relations between government and business.
An efficient e-Government system requires all citizens or the majority of a large population to access the Internet, which is very expensive. Therefore, Internet-enabled devices, hardware such as routers, and connectivity infrastructure are essential to connect to government websites. Hence there are both advantages and disadvantages to implementing e-Government. However, implementing it at all levels has a great role in the country's economic development. Because the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. The current government's dream is to build a digital Bangladesh. To that end, it should be made more effective. The E-Government system should be introduced in all educational institutions. First, it can be launched from the university. Above all, the e-Government Development Index needs to go further.
The writer is associate professor, Dept of Accounting & Information Systems, Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University
