Once upon a time, critics of technological progress talked
about the digital divide. And they were right, to a great
extent. Technology itself was centralized and its
application to everyday life and business consolidated
those centralized systems strengthening hierarchical
structures, creating digital haves and have-nots.
But times have changed now. We are in the midst of an
Internet enabled as Information and communication
Technology (ICT) Revolution that will have an impact as
big, if not bigger, than the Industrial Revolution.
Today’s revolution has leveled the playing field by
creating unprecedented opportunities for governments,
companies, and citizens to take part in the
decision-making process around the world.
Given the backdrop of “e-enabled” revolution that we are
experiencing, the ICT — and e-government, more broadly are
widely seen as powerful tool to enhance service delivery
and government effectiveness. These tools are ultimately
expected to impact the progress across all segments of the
society.
e-Governance is no longer a mere buzzword in today’s
India. Most e-Governance and computerization initiatives
across the country now use ICT as a means to achieve a
more effective delivery of government services, and better
governance in general. In fact, e-Governance is a prime
focus area of concern for both state governments and the
central government in India, not only as a means of
achieving efficiency in the running of state departments,
but, more importantly, as a means of providing an easy and
effective way for citizens to access basic government
services.
When we talk about inclusive growth, it primarily means a
clear-empowering of rural India with stress on women with
respect to education, healthcare, and creation of a
knowledge economy.
Moving on from the Dataquest e-Governance Summit 2007 that
attempted to create Strategies for the NextGen Government,
the 2008 event would attempt to evolve a Strategies for
“Inclusive Growth” besides attempting to identify the key
challenges and their solution through discussions,
presentations, case studies, analysis, and feedback.
