e-governance and District Administration in Bangladesh: An Overview of Recent Changes on Service...

e-governance and District Administration in Bangladesh: An Overview of Recent Changes on Service Delivery (A case study on Cox’s Bazar Zila Parishad)

Md. Ahasan Uddin BhuiyanDepartment of Public AdministrationUniversity of Dhaka

Department of Public Administration

University of Dhaka

1 | e-Governance and district administration

AcknowledgementI am grateful to my respectable teachers Dr. Mobasser Monem, Dr. Ferdous Arfina Osman and Sayeda Lasna Kabir, Professors of Department of Public Administration ,University of Dhaka for arranging our visit to Cox’s Bazar Zila Parishad.

Special thanks goes to Cox’s Bazar district authorities for providing me with various information and documents.


Introduction

Today’s world is shaped by availability of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Because global economy is powered by technology, fueled by information and driven by knowledge. This rapid change demands a dynamic renovation in Bangladesh also.

Introduction of e-Government in a phased way, with clearly defined objectives, responsibilities of public officials, and performance evaluation systems can set the basics right for combating corruption and ensuring effective use of public resources, thus alleviating poverty. Furthermore, it can strengthen information flow among government agencies and within the private sector and civil society.

As we all know, information is power in today’s world. Secrecy and opaqueness obstruct the process of sharing information. Many of the frustrations that citizens encounter in their interface with the government in Bangladesh could be removed through the increased practice of e-Government. This will also pave the way for greater openness, transparency, and accountability in government performance.

Bangladesh is divided into 64 districts. Citizens must apply at District Headquarters for various licenses and certificates. This had been burdensome with middlemen benefitting from a lack of transparency and district offices overwhelmed with the paper-based system. With the introduction of e-governance , it becomes easy for people to get their desired service from DC offices with a single click. This paper described the e-service system provided by zilla offices in Bangladesh citing the example of Cox’s Bazar district in Bangladesh.

e- Governance

What is eGovernment? eGovernment is the utilization of IT, ICTs, and other web-based telecommunication technologies to improve and/or enhance on the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery in the public sector.’ (Jeong, 2007) eGovernment can be defined as the application of information and communication technology (ICT) to improve the efficiency, responsiveness, transparency, and accountability of government. Common applications of eGovernment include online delivery of government information and services, computerized licensing and registration, web-based tender notification and procurement, web-enabled complaints submission, and online public comment for draft legislation. eGovernment aims to streamline relationships between government, business, and citizens through effective use of ICT. While computerization and networking among computers is an important first step towards eGovernment, it is not an end in itself. That is, e-Government is not just about being able to type documents using computers. Computerization can only be characterized as eGovernment where ICT automation replaces inefficient manual government processes and thereby contributes to greater transparency and greater time and cost efficiency in the provision of government services to citizens and businesses.


Components of e-Government : e-Government has four major components:

1. G2C (Government-to-Citizen) involves interaction of individual citizens with the government. Examples include payment of utility bills or downloading government forms from the Internet. It also includes mechanisms for citizen feedback and questions.

2. G2B (Government-to-Business) involves interaction of business entities with the government. Examples include corporate tax filing or government procurement through the Internet.

3. G2G (Government-to-Government) involves interaction among government officials, including interactions within a particular government office and interactions among various government offices. Examples include the use of email for internal government communication or customized software applications for tracking the progress of government projects.

4. G2E (Government-to-Employee) involves interaction between the government and government employees with respect to services such as salary, pension, and vacation leave. For example, a government may introduce a database-supported personnel data sheet for each government employee that serves as a record of personnel information that can be easily accessed for various applications.

Figure : Model of e-G Actors

Stages of e-Governance : e-governance comprises of four phases . These are :

Phase-1: Information ( 1 way communication )

• Being present on the web• Providing actors with information• Similar to brochure or leaflet• Publicly accessible• Process of transparency starts which improves democracy and services• Internally also disseminate information, rules and regulations, increases transparency


Citizen

G2GCentral Govt.

Local Govt.G2G

BusinessNGOs

C. SocietyG2C G2B

Phase 2: Interaction (two way com)• Interaction starts between Govt. and citizens and business people• People can ask questions, use search engines and can download• Internally Govt. uses LAN to share information, email to exchange data• It saves time, becomes efficient and effective• But you still have to go to the office in person• Finalizing transaction, paying fees, handing over papers

Phase 3: Transaction starts• Complexity starts but service value is high• People do not have to go to offices• Online services are filling income tax, renewal of licenses, visa, passports, online voting• It is complex because digital signature is not excepted in most of the countries.• Internally Govt. has to create new laws, rule and regulations, legislation of paperless

transactions, • But it saves time, paper and money.

Phase 4: Transformation• All information systems are integrated and people can get services at one counter• Single point of contact is the motto.• The complex aspect is to change the culture, processes, responsibility etc.• Government employees in different department have to work together. • Cost savings, efficiency and customer satisfaction are reaching highest possible levels.

Figure : Stages of e-G : Increasing value to citizen


informationInteraction

Transaction

Transformation

e-Government in Bangladesh

Why eGovernment for Bangladesh?- e-Government is no longer a matter of choice or debate for Bangladesh or other countries that wish to improve governance standards. The key policy considerations are not issues of technology but rather of political resolve. In Bangladesh and other countries in Asia, eGovernment has brought about important transformations in the manner in which governments operate and provide services to citizens and businesses.

The tangible benefits that eGovernment can bring to broader governance reform and economicdevelopment initiatives in Bangladesh include:

Transparency: eGovernment promotes greater transparency in government activities. Having ranked poorly in Transparency International’s Global Corruption Perceptions Index, Bangladesh must undertake strong measures to enhance its international image and commitment to reduce corruption.

Helps increase investor confidence: Improved transparency in government decision-making and other actions raises investor confidence, which in turn contributes to increased foreign direct and domestic investment.

Reduces scope for corruption: Increased transparency reduces the scope for corruption. Combating corruption is a top priority for all political parties and e-Government can provide an effective tool in reducing corruption.

More efficient governance: eGovernment helps to make the procedures of government internal processes more efficient, saving time and resources.

More efficient services to citizens: eGovernment enables the government to respond to citizen needs and demands faster and more efficiently.

Helps boost the private sector: eGovernment helps to boost private sector performance and efficiency by reducing the time and expenses required for businesses to interact with the government—with particular benefits to the business environment for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). In addition, the simplification of government processes and services such as online procurement helps to reduce barriers to entry for new businesses and increases competition.

Allows for decentralization of governance: e-Government makes decentralization of government services and decision-making easier, since data stored in digital format can be updated and accessed from virtually any office within a networked environment.

Allows greater scope for integration: Digital storage of data and software applications provides greater scope for the integration of activities of different government offices, as data can be shared easily and efficiently.

Allows learning from the past: Since e-Government allows data to be stored and retrieved easily, the record and experience of past projects can be easily used for successor projects or the replication of successful initiatives.

Stimulates the local ICT industry: e-Government projects also provide valuable experience to the local ICT industry that enhances competitiveness in an international market.

Makes ICT relevant to the masses: e-Government makes ICT relevant to the general population as its benefits gradually extend to citizens and communities throughout the country.


Overview of e-Government in Bangladesh : Bangladesh is a small country with a population of more than 135 million people. It was part of

India until 1947 and then part of Pakistan until 1971, when it achieved independence. As a young nation, Bangladesh began its journey as a socialist economy that placed most major industries under government ownership and control. This trend was especially adverse for the country’s telecommunication industry, which has yet to fully recover from years of inefficient management by the Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB). As of 2002, telephone penetration (fixed and mobile) had reached only 1.32 per 100 people, far below that of neighbors India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Telephone lines are heavily concentrated in urban areas. BTTB charges for telephone calls are among the highest in the world, with the costs of Internet access through dial-up services commensurably expensive. Due to some shortsighted decisions by the government, Bangladesh is still not directly connected to the Global Information Superhighway, leaving ISPs to connect to it through satellite or Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs).

Completed in 1994-5, and running successfully since, the railway ticketing system automation was the one of first noticeable large-scale e-Government projects in Bangladesh, and was a major milestone in the path of e-Government. Since then, a fairly large number of different initiatives have been taken by the government for the implementation of e-Government. Initially, there was a clear emphasis on building ICT infrastructure, possibly deemed as a pre-requisite to the delivery of e-citizen services. However, despite some successes, many of these e-government projects did not sustain in the long run due to lack of long-term visions for those projects, and myriad other challenges. Over time, the government modified its approach and undertook strategies to address some of those challenges. Increasing number of citizen centric e-services projects was gradually undertaken. However, due to various factors, many of those projects had limited scope, and interoperability and integration between those services were largely absent. In the era of the present government, a confluence of favorable factors has been playing a positive role towards a renewed vigor towards the prospects of e-Government.


Late 1990s to 2006: Early efforts started in mid 1990s, when the government automated the railway ticketing system. Another notable project from this period was the e-birth registration project under Rajshahi City Corporation in 2001, which made the process significantly faster and more efficient. Another early success was the automation of BANBEIS, which included GIS mapping of all schools and detailed information regarding them (including logistics, teachers, etc.), enabling unprecedented efficiency in education planning. It can easily be noticed, however, that each of these projects were essentially the automation of existing government processes. While these increased efficiency in the respective agencies, they were not necessarily targeted towards empowerment of citizens through easy and open access to information and government services.

This trend of infrastructure building and process automation continued in a more coordinated manner from2002-03, with the formation of the Support to ICT (SICT) Task Force Project, a publicly funded implementation arm of the National ICT Task Force based at the Planning Commission. SICT functioned like an internal facilitator which conceptualized, planned and prioritized projects, and provided funding and technical assistance to line ministries to implement them. SICT undertook a total of 38 projects, approximately 63% of which were focused primarily on internal automation and infrastructure building, and has completed 34 so far . Another public entity, the Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC), provided key support with respect to infrastructure development, technical assistance and capacity building for various e-Government initiatives.

The first full-fledged ICT policy of Bangladesh, a major milestone in the path to e-Government, was passed in 2002, following the then Prime Minister's declaration of ICT as a 'thrust sector'. The document was focused heavily on ICT infrastructure building, process automation and creating an enabling environment. The policy, therefore, was literally largely an 'ICT policy', and not an e-government policy per se, although it represented the de-facto e-Government policy until 2009. The policy adequately reflects the approach of the government towards e-Government for much of this period (until 2006) - as being limited to ICT capacity and infrastructure development, and not as a core development and governance issue. Many of the projects initiated by the SICT or the line ministries themselves during this period did not sustain in the long run.

In May 2008, a Review Committee formed by the Caretaker Government found that out of the 103 policy directives of 2002, only 8 were fully or largely accomplished, 61 were partially accomplished and 34 remained unaddressed. Some of the prime reasons and challenges that led these early e-Government initiatives to lack of sustainability include the followings:

2006 to 2009: Since 2006, with the caretaker government taking over, a gradual shift was noticed in the approach to e-Government. The top-down approach to planning was gradually being replaced by more participatory approach within different entities of the government. It was increasingly realized that without internal demand and ownership generated through a planning process, success with such projects, which required extensive change management, could not be achieved.


An entity, which played an important role in this shift, was the Access to Information (A2I) Programme at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). The programme was initiated in 2006 with support from UNDP to support the e-Government Cell at the PMO.

Although A2I was not directly in charge of implementing e-Government projects, it took significant initiatives to generate internal bureaucratic demand for e-Government, such as the series of workshops which led to 53 e-Citizen services being committed to by the secretaries of various ministries and divisions in June 2008. Similarly, 64 e-Citizen services were later identified by District Commissioners (DCs) for implementation. A2I also provided continuous technical support and consultation to these projects. A list of A2I initiatives is available in A2I Programme website .

Apart from projects facilitated by the A2I, there have also been an increasing number of projects being initiated by different divisions and ministries themselves, which insinuate a substantial increase of the administration's demand for e-Government. This demand is likely to increase further with recent initiatives like the Digital Innovation Fair, which required ministries and departments to showcase their e-Government projects and e-services, and are likely to create a sense of competition between ministries.

The shift from infrastructure building towards e-citizen services is clear from the following chart, which is a breakdown of the primary objectives of e-Government projects under various umbrellas at different points in time (SICT projects, 53 'quick win' projects identified by Secretaries in the A2I workshop, and the projects showcased at the Digital Innovation Fair in March 2010) .

2010 and beyond : Recent developments yield indications that e-Government is moving to the next phase in Bangladesh, away from isolated e-services towards more integrated, connected and transactional e-services. The present government came to power with the pledge of building a "Digital Bangladesh", and has kept consistent focus on this promise thus far. This has resulted in a political climate highly supportive of and conducive to e-government projects.

A very recent initiative, the Digital Innovation Fair, born out of the A2I program at the PMO, took this opportunity and showcased the various successful and ongoing projects undertaken by the Ministries, effectively putting government agencies in a competitive environment and giving citizens an unprecedented opportunity to witness what services the Government is providing, thereby creating a demand for these services.

Apart from the political will, which is undoubtedly a critical element for success, several other favorable factors have also propitiously converged in recent times:

a) The planning and implementation of the 'quick win' projects has possibly led to a fresh and profound understanding within the bureaucracy about the meaning and ultimate aims of e-Government.b) A structured policy and regulatory environment, brought about through the creation and passage of the new ICT Policy 2009 and the ICT Act 2009, can play an enabling role for current and new e-government projects.


c) New opportunities for growth of e-commerce: Bangladesh Bank has recently taken initiative to open up the online e-payment gateway, which was a vital missing link for e-commerce in Bangladesh. A new e-payment system called "MobiTaka" has also been recently started by GrameenPhone, and it is already being used for mobile-based payment for intercity train tickets. This promises to open up the vast territory of e-commerce, and encourage private sector involvement.d) Most ministries have undergone extensive internal process automation and infrastructure development projects, which are usually the most resource consuming, and most of these projects have been completed. There have also been demonstrated successes in the creation and deployment of e-services. All this sets the stage for integrating the front-end services with automated backend processes, through holistic planning, and improving the quality and efficiency of e-services.e) The modality of private sector involvement is also undergoing a paradigm shift, from vendor-like approaches towards public-private partnerships (PPPs), following demonstrated successes of this new model like the customs house automation project. Private software companies are recognizing the business potential in automating government services and making them more accessible, and the government is also encouraging the private sector to come forward in implementing various projects (not specifically e-government ones as yet) as partners.f) The government is in the process of developing a policy document that will highlight the immediate priorities for Digital Bangladesh. This will help detail out the strategic approach and timeline for e-government for the next few years.

Despite these commendable initiatives and positive developments, which have improved the climate and preparedness for e-Government, the following gaps and challenges remain which must be overcome in order to make the most of this opportunity:

a) There is still need for e-Government champions at the top bureaucratic levels for effective and dynamic decision making regarding e-Government.b) A policy and legal framework for implementation of PPP e-government projects is still missing, and needs to be developed in order for effectiveness and sustainability of such projects.c) There is still no central coordinating authority for e-government, and tensions between the various parties involved in e-Government implementation often results in suboptimal performance due to lack of collaboration and integration of plans.

Administrative Structure of e-government in Bangladesh : The Prime Minister's Office is providing high-level leadership with respect to e-Government strategy formulation. The Planning Ministry is also involved with helping with strategy formulation and developing coordinated approach to implementation. The National Digital Task Force, chaired by the Honourable Prime Minister, has the responsibility for monitoring progress of e-Government according to plans. The Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister chairs the Executive Committee of the Digital Task Force and the MoSICT acts as the Task Force's secretariat.

Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) under MoSICT has led the development of the ICT Policy and the ICT Act and is also responsible for monitoring implementation and progress towards Digital Bangladesh. All line Ministries have responsibilities for delivering specific action items of e-Government. In this regard, each Ministry and Division has an e-Government


Focal Point responsible for planning, budgeting, implementing and monitoring of e-service delivery and e-administration initiative and coordination among the subordinate agencies. However, the responsibilities of Focal Points still remain largely theoretical since many of them are not trained or prepared to be undertaking such tasks. There is also no coherent policy or plan to train up the focal points. Another problem is that these focal points get transferred frequently and there is no coherent policy or strategy for transferring knowledge.

e-Government at the Policy Level : e-Government in Bangladesh has only begun to be discussed at the policy level. The National ICT Policy of 2002 gives due importance to the issue of e-Government, declaring that “the Government shall use ICT systems within the public administration to improve efficiency, reduce wastage of resources, enhance planning and raise the quality of services.” The policy further provides that “the Government shall implement ICT systems to provide nation-wide coverage and access by any citizen to the government databases and administrative systems which can be used to extend public services to the remotest corner.” To realize the goals set forth by the ICT Policy, an ICT Task Force has been formed, with the Prime Minister as Chairperson and the Secretary of Ministry of Planning as Member-Secretary. In 2003, the Ministry of Planning launched a “Support to ICT Task Force (SICT)” program, with the mandate of providing administrative and secretarial support to the ICT Task Force in realizing various ICT projects, particularly e-Government. The primary objective of the SICT program is “to ensure access to information by every citizen to facilitate empowerment of people and enhanced democratic values and norms for sustainable economic development by using the infrastructure for human resources development, e-governance, public utility services and all sorts of on-line ICT enabled services.” The objectives of the SICT program include:

Video-conferencing: Establish an alternate communication network, which will provide optimal reliability and security of communication and enhance the speed and efficiency of decision-making and follow-up actions.

Police: Facilitate improved communication between citizens and police and empower police departments to better monitor and supervise police functions.

Digital Divisional Town: Provide electronic delivery of major citizen services, empower local officials, introduce electronic services, and build cyber-kiosks to enhance citizen access to government services.

Web Portals: Help citizens to improve their employment and income-generating potential.

E-Government Initiatives: improve the efficiency, effectiveness, transparency, and accountability of government through ICT applications.

The Ministry of Science and Information and Communications Technology (MSICT) is also working to advance the computerization and internal networking of different government offices, particularly at the Ministry and Division levels.


e-Governance and district administration (Cox’s Bazar district)

This was unthinkable even a few months ago but the District E-service Centres have made this possible. From these centres, people of all the 64 districts are now receiving multiple services from the DC offices in an incredibly short time. Thanks to the government's much-talked-about Access to Information (A2I) project aided by UNDP. Earlier, for getting any documents or public services, people had to roam around the DC office for weeks and had to spend money and time. Now the conventional office services have been replaced with e-service centres equipped with information technology equipment. The total scenario of the DC offices has changed altogether countrywide. Now one can hardly find a lot of people loitering in the verandahs of different offices in the DC office compound or long queues there.

Over the last two hundred years, the DC offices have been the centres for all government services for all the people residing in the rural and urban areas. There are about 37 types of services provided from there which include licences, certificates, land documents, revenue, enquiries, pension, education, relief, social welfare etc. By providing these services, the DC office represents the central government at the grass-roots level. But unfortunately this highly important place remained abysmal to the common people so far due to its century-old paper-based office management system. The services provided there were very time consuming and labour intensive for both the service provider and receiver. Furthermore, it caused frequent delays and thus made way for abuse and corruption, and prohibited access for the poor, marginalized and vulnerable.

Five steps to get e-service : To get e-service from district office, one have to follow five steps which include :

Step -1 : At the beginning stage a person must have to enter the website of the district . i.e. www.coxsbazar.gov.bd. From where s/he will be able to lo in using user name and pass word.


http://www.coxsbazar.gov.bd/

Step -2 : After entering the website all information of the district will be seen as below :

Step- 3 : After that, by clicking on document management he’ll be able to see details of the documents including reception number .

Step-4 : DC visits the documents, read then and send them to respective magistrate . if they fail to solve or take decision in time, DC can show cause him / her.


Step-5 : Final output and updated information of the district are seen on the notice board of the website .

Besides above steps , from e-service icon citizens can get difference information about e-services, e-books, agriculture information and different forms regarding services provided by zila office.


There is also a link of information regarding other institutions in the district including educational institutions, religious institutions, banks and other clubs and organizations.

E-service provided an window to view all relevant public offices from following link:


All information about zilla, it’s personnel and hierarchical positions and duties can be seen from following link. Besides, it is easy to reach individual higher officials with a single click.

All information of the zilla can be seen from following link:


E-service of the government reach at the root level of the local government. From following link (marked in red ink) of the district website, it is possible to reach union level information and services.

The website also contain clear instruction regarding how to get e-services, how these will be got from postal system and how using internet.


Union Information Service Centre (UISC) : UISC emerged from its earlier version known as CeC (Community e- Centre) is a Public Service Delivery Chanel at union level. In 2007, two Community e-Centre (CeC) was established as pilot under Democratic Government Thematic Trust Fund (DGTTF) of UNDP. In early 2008, CeC has been included as a driver project of UNDP supported Access to Information (a2i) Programme of Prime Minister’s Office. In 2008, Local Government Division (LGD) started 30 CeCs in Union Parishad. In line with that, LGD established UISCs in all Union Parishads of Bangladesh step by step. UNDP supported Access to Information (a2i) Programme of Prime Minister’s Office plays a catalytic role in this regard. Each UISC is operated by two local entrepreneurs – one female and one male local youth - who have invested in the centre, and is supervised by the associated Union Parishad which provides space and utilities. Union Parishad, or the Local Govt. Division also borne some initial costs including basic equipments such as a computer, a printer, internet modem and a webcam; the entrepreneurs are free to install additional facilities keeping pace with business growth. Entrepreneurs are self-employed, they are not the paid employees of Bangladesh Government, and they manage their life with their own income. These employment opportunities created by the UISCs have stimulated thousands more employments in the country.

Objectives: UISCs have been established with an aim to develop the UPs as reliable and dependable resourceful centres having connectivity among global, national and local network. More specific objectives are as follows-

To ensure easy access of common people to government and commercial and social information and services

To create ICT infrastructure at all union parishads and to increase efficiency of union parishads through prompt delivery of information and other day to day services.

To provide a supportive environment for creation of local entrepreneurs. To ensure free flow of information for empowering rural community. To create a vibrant, knowledge-based union parishad.

Services of UISC:Popular Government Services:• Public examination results• Online university admission• Government forms• Birth and death registration• Citizenship certificate• VGD/VGF list• Government circulars and notices• Agriculture and health consultancy• Govt. life insurance• Services of DC office (35+)

Development (VGD, VGF, TR, minority welfare, Kabikha, sports & cultural activities, development of educational institutions)


Revenue (Porcha, khas land distribution, Ashrayon, Non-agricultural land purchase, land acquisition money, requisition, certificate suit, hat & bazaar, vested property, exchange property, stamp vendor license, land survey)

-License (C.I Sheet, Cement, Poison, Food grain)-Complain & remedy (pension, land, family affairs, law & orders)-Relief & rehabilitation (Donation, grant, GR)-Certification (marriage, NGO)-Miscellaneous (Different committee approval, different appointments, dramatic performance, expatriate welfare, examination matters)

Popular private services:• Email• Internet browsing• Computer training• English learning of British Council• m-Banking (Dutch Bangla Bank, Mercantile Bank, Trust Bank, One Bank, bKash limited)• Photography• Job information• Passport processing• Visa application and tracking• Service camp• Video conference• Print• Scan• Lamination• Compose• Photocopy• Mobile service• Height & weight measurement• Deed writings

Partners of UISC: In order for UISCs to survive successfully in the long run, support from various govt. and private organizations is being mobilized through partnerships, these entities not only offer people oriented services through these centres, some of them also provides hardware maintenance and other technical support to keep these centres operational. In the forefront of such partnerships are public and private banks (e.g. Dutch Bangla, Mercantile Bank) – powered by the upcoming online banking facilities, Life Insurance agency (e.g. Jibonbima), telecommunications (e.g. Robi, Banglalink), non-govt. organizations (Dhaka Ahsania Mission, Practical Action) and govt. agencies and projects (e.g. Cabinet Division, Bangladesh Computer Council). A range of useful services (e.g. British Council’s English learning) is available at the union level, and govt. agencies are benefitting by using the UISC infrastructure and resources for data collection, registration for various schemes, transparent beneficiary identification and disbursement of Social Safety Nets allowances, so on and so forth.


Benefits of district e-services : First. Lessen corruption : Previously it was very hard to reach to DC and a high level

officials. Thus bribery , red tapism and other corruption were available. Which are decreased with the practice of e-governance at district level.

Second. Save time- as paper job is time consuming because it take time to prepare a paper , preparing file and handover these from on official to other, it seems from the practice of e-governance that by a single click a digital file can be downloaded / uploaded which save time and money.

Third. Easy to get and send documents-all document regarding services provided by zilla office are available at the website. So, it is easy to get them.

Fourth. Enrich efficiency and speed- It is given speed to public works as well as works as a catalyst of ensuring efficiency of work that are done by officials at district level.

Fifth. Environment friendly-Internet based services consume to paper, mean no paper usage therefore, there is no environment pollution.

Sixth. Easy to reach mass population using UISC-Through Union Information Service Centre, zilla officers easily can reach root level population.

Seventh. Ensured transparency and accountability-It is the main success of e-governance that transparency of all zilla officials are ensured. Because all official’s activities are displayed in the website which also make them accountable.

Eighth. Easy to communicate with ministry –it makes easy for zilla officials to communicate with ministries without delay.

Ninth. Decrease power distances- it ensures more friendly workable relation among various level officials.

Tenth. IT skill developed among high level public officials-it is mandatory to have IT knowledge of officials in order to ensure e-services . Therefore, all officers are now skilled on IT operation.

Eleventh. Easy to fulfill the commitment of the government – government commitment regarding public services are easily now fulfilled using electronic services as these save time space and speed-up government machineries.

Deficiencies and recommendations

A major deficiency in e-Government in Bangladesh is the lack of innovative means of private sector engagement. In view of the above, some of the key areas that need immediate attention of the government are the following:(i) Ensure of e-Government at all level public offices and treat as a core component of civil

service reform; (ii) Coordinated approach to e-Government (iii) create incentive mechanism to create a more skilled ICT workforce within the

government; (iv) coordinated financing mechanism for e-Government initiatives; (v) develop infrastructure for payment of e-Government services.


Other recommendations include :

e-Government should be better integrated with civil service reform: e-Government is often regarded as a technical matter and is treated separately. There should be explicit efforts to think of e-Government as an integral part of civil service reform initiatives to make the administration more responsive and accountable and provide services to the doorsteps of citizens as much as possible. e-Government training is often limited to computer literacy and fundamentals of networking and other technical matters. There should be explicit training efforts to create policy leadership for e-Government at the Joint Secretary level and above.

Better coordination of e-Government strategy and planning: There is no single coordination point in the government for coordination of planning of e-Government to develop a roadmap for e-Government. Different responsibilities for e-Government are scattered across different government entities, which sometimes hampers centralized strategic planning, something which is quite critical in early stages of e-Government. A coordination point could have largely avoided these issues. Such a cell can also have a few high-level strategists and software architects who can help different government entities develop an e-Government plans, tender documents etc.

Government's internal team for technical assistance: Many of the key government entities have IT staff but often it is very difficult to attract highly skilled people in these positions for two main reasons: (i) the salary scale is not competitive compared to private sector rates; (ii) there is no lucrative career path, since the IT staffs are not part of the government's cadre system. The senior IT staffs have to be in the same position for 15 years or more after reaching the Senior Systems Analyst position. A separate cadre for the IT staff may be considered; also, increased levels of salary may also be considered.

Build on past achievements and failures: Numerous e-Government projects have been taken in the last 15 years - some have focused on software applications, some on networking offices, some on building hardware infrastructure. It may not be denied that many of them have failed to reach desired outcomes - however, that in itself, is not necessarily a negative point. These projects have built infrastructures, trained people, taught people how not to go about doing things in e-Government. The government should systematically be looking at the readiness of different government entities and areas of governance with respect to these past achievements and also failures to push the country into the next level of e-Government

Conclusion : A2I has pursued an innovative bottom up, people-centered strategy, a more pragmatic approach within the realities of Bangladesh than a traditional top-down process reengineering solution. If A2I had tried a top down model, it would have taken years to implement and would have met opposition from bureaucratic apathy, lack of incentives to change and resistance from those benefitting from the rent-seeking opportunities caused by deficiencies in transparency. A2I has dealt with ingrained resistance through an inclusive approach, creating a network of champions by assigning focal points in ministries and asking each to propose one Quick Win.


References :

A2I website: http://www.a2i.pmo.gov.bd

UNDP Bangaldesh website: http://www.undp.org.bd/projects/proj_detail.php?pid=31

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission website: http://www.btrc.gov.bd

Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics website: http://www.bbs.gov.bd

Cox’s Bazar District office website: www.coxsbazar.gov.bd.

Appendix


NICTC

All Ministries/Divisions

DICTC

UICTC

Major Departments/Organizations

7 Divisions

57 Districts

64 Upazilas

All District Level Govt. Offices

FO

FO

FO/Wireless

Info-Sarker (2nd Phase)

417 Upazilas

All Upazila Level Govt. OfficesFO/Wireless

FO

FO/Wireless

BanglaGovNet Connectivity Plan

FO/Wireless

FO/Wireless

http://www.coxsbazar.gov.bd/

http://www.bbs.gov.bd/

http://www.btrc.gov.bd/

http://www.undp.org.bd/projects/proj_detail.php?pid=31

http://www.a2i.pmo.gov.bd/

Date post:	25-Jan-2017
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e-governance and District Administration in Bangladesh: An Overview of Recent Changes on Service...

Government & Nonprofit