ECitizen App India

Citizen Applicatio
India

1 ecitizenappindia@gmail.com

We all want a corruption free India

We all think we can bring a change

We all find ways to bring a change

This video is an attempt by an Indian like you to
bring a change

A change to make govt accountable and citizen more
empowered

But this change cannot be brought alone

This Indian needs your support, your
feedback, your opinion

But first Most importantly your
next few minutes

This video is not just another presentation
but an attempt to share with you an ideas

An idea that can change the way we want to bring change in
our government system

Presenting idea for ‘eCitizen Application'
Agenda
Introduction
Audience
Overview of concept for ‘eCitizen Application'
Examples
Understanding what the application can do
Liaison with Civil Society
What’s in it for you/me
Next Steps


Introduction
The evil of corruption is not unknown to we Indians. Corruption
in India has not only deprived common man of good living but has
also dented India’s image internationally which makes investment
climate in India extremely unfriendly.

There have been numerous attempts by Indian citizens, civil
society and government itself (to an extent) to curb this menace
however this problem remains existing with high degree.
In such situation we citizens need to identify ways to counter
corruption through whatever alternate means we can.

This presentation is an attempt to give one of such alternate ideas
without joining politics, without going on fast and believes in non-
violent means using technology.

Please note: I DONOT belong to a political party
Iam NOT against any individual or government
I DONOT represent any company/organization

Iam just an ordinary Indian like you, thinking of alternate means
to curb corruption


Audience
Common man like you and me

An NRI settled out of India

A housewife, office-goer, executive, CEO, farmer,
shopkeeper

A senior citizen

Virtually any citizen sharing ideology of seeing corruption
free India


Overview of concept for ‘eCitizen
Application'
The backbone of this presentation stands on the belief that:
‘Technology has power to reach masses and enable citizens to govern the government’

Imagine a time in future in India when a poor father who has ailing son can
access on his mobile what medical facilities can a local government hospital
provide at no or subsidized rates. Further imagine same father if denied such a
facility by hospital can initiate an enquiry about this denial through a software
application that not only keeps a track of his enquiry until answered by
hospital but also makes it visible to civil society in ‘readable’ and ‘reportable’
way.

Such an application is the theme of this presentation and named ‘eCitizen
Application’. Later in presentation I have couple of examples and pictorial
representations to help you understand idea.

 This application has an objective of giving citizens – You and me an
accountability of our tax utilization by various government agencies.

 It will ensure information if RTI replies by govt department is not lost but is
captured and visible in readable and reportable way to citizens

 Also it would be a platform to understand the inflow of money to various
government agencies (eg. Auction of mobile spectrum) and its outflow through
various initiatives.

 Such an application will give a citizen awareness that government expenditure
has actually gone to right cause and show government’s accountability to citizens
with discrete facts and numbers in a manner that is understandable by common
citizen.

 This is a concept to use technology to trigger an SMS or reminder in case a govt
initiative reaches a deadline (Eg. Initiate an SMS to remind citizen of applying an
RTI/PIL if govt’s deadline to replace old buses has crossed the date)

Examples
 Example 1: Toll booths on highway

The Delhi – Amritsar National Highway1 has around 5 toll booths. These toll booths are
built on ‘Build Operate Transfer’ method. That is the private contractor will build the
highway, charge the toll from traveler (citizen) to recover the cost/margin and then
transfer the ownership of highway back to public.
However currently an ordinary citizen who pays the toll at toll booth does not know:
 How much money is still remaining to be paid to toll contractor
 For how many years more do I have to pay the toll
Without knowing answer to these questions the contractor can keep extracting the
money from common man and there will be no check on him to end charging toll.
Now imagine that if you have a Website/mobile application where this detail is visible in
readable form by a common man (who may not be a computer expert).

Having this information available to general public a PIL (public interest litigation) can be
submitted in court to stop toll contractor from charging once his contract is over or
alternatively create a public opinion with help of civil society to put pressure on govt.

 Example 2: Installation of CCTV Cameras
On August 2, 2012 Pune experienced series of explosions. The
recording of those bombs by terrorists could have been captured
in couple of CCTV cameras installed. However all of these CCTV
cameras were found to be non functioning.

This leads to a wider question – Which government agency
procured these cameras and at what cost? Which department was
originally responsible for their maintenance?
Now imagine that had these questions been asked while local
government announced purchase of these cameras in newspapers
so that these answers could be made public on a website, then the
general public could have challenged in court why the did the
authority responsible for its maintenance failed to maintain them.
After all these cameras were installed with our (public’s) money and
we have right to know this.

Other examples
Though there are no dearth of such examples in our country
but few more are listed below:
How many quintals of wheat India imported in year 2011-
2012 ? How many quintals did India produce in same year ?
How much price India paid per quintal to import Vs
price India paid to local farmers?

How many buses in Chennai have reached their maximum
lifespan in year 2012 but are still in operation?

How many foreign trips did employees of Chandigarh
administration make in 2011 ? What are the tangible and
intangible benefits Chandigarh city received or expects to
receive after their return?

Understanding what the application can do
Process
Citizen - Office goer, ‘eCitizen App’
Government – ‘eCitizen Application’ Technical experts
Local or National shopkeeper, housewife admin team

Announce a Get access to infromation on Decide how functionally this Add details to ‘eCitizen App’
scheme Scheme and extract information will be added to application’
quantitative and qualitative eCitizen App.
information from confirmed Then send to technical
sources (Newspaper, Govt experts
Websites or RTI response).
Send to ‘eCitizen App’ admin
team

Give information to
common man on
Website

Send SMS

Give information on mobile app

Specific Example 1
Citizen - Office goer, ‘eCitizen App’
Government – ‘eCitizen App’ Technical experts
Local or National shopkeeper, housewife admin team

XYZ State A housewife reads this news
and organizes the information Discuss and decide how this Add details to ‘eCitizen App’
government data can be organized in
announces a toll like for how many years we
need to pay toll, what presentable and reportable
road on an way in ‘eCitizen App’;.
expressway guaranteed services can we
expect to get from paying Then send to technical
toll. The information not experts
given in newspaper is
collected through ‘’Govt
website’ or in extreme
through RTI Inform common man on Website
that toll is to paid for next X years
and road will be free from potholes
A for next 5 years
Contd
in next
slide ... Send periodic SMS giving this information
to travellers who have subscribed
Give same information on mobile app ondemand

RTI Activists

Get response from state govt that
pothole will be fixed in X days

‘eCitizen App’ Receive an SMS or check on
A admin team Website the response state
Contd ... Govt has given

‘eCitizen App’ admin team
then sends this information to
Either of these citizens now travel on all registered activist who then
expressway and find there are many files RTI application to that
potholes. State Govt first asking when
These travelers then send feedback to was last maintenance check of
‘eCitizen App Admin’ team through the highway was done and then
email/sms with pictures and coordinates seeking answer when these
potpoles will be fixed
In case Govt does not reply
then create public opinion


Specific Example 2
Government – Citizen - Office goer, ‘eCitizen App’
Local or National shopkeeper, housewife admin team RTI Activists

Get response from govt on any
other expected benefits from
package and timeline of govt. to
Central government A shopkeeper of that state Get information on this relief use the package
announces a relief comes to know about this package and validate the data sent
package for a state through newspaper and sends by shopkeeper from other sources.
specific details from news Then refer ‘Open Govt.’ website or
paper like ‘Amount of relief in extreme seek RTI’s help in
packg announced’, ‘List of seeking information from govt on
purposes (eg. Rehabilitation any other benefit for which this
of poor, improve medical package is accounted for.
facility) to ‘eCitizen App’
admin team
Go
Inform common man ont’ Th v Website on
s
of is Ap resp
status of progressrem development as
o
per the relief package de p wi nse
ap in
pli
of r l i
de catio to l gen s add
ve n vo er
lop for lun ate ed t
m g te a o
Send periodic SMS giving this ent ovt t ers t utom ‘eCit
o k o r a t iz e
information no ais ic p n A
w e a er pp
16 ecitizenappindia@gmail.com pr n o i od ’
og th ic
res er
Give same information on mobile app ondemand s/ RT
S I

Understanding Govt Of India’s application ‘Open Govt Platform’
(To help us understand later what help it can give to ‘eCitizen App’)

 We are already aware that India has a Right to Information act that gives right
to citizen to seek details from govt. on its functioning and accounts. This is one
powerful tool that we Indians have got.

 However what we might not be aware is that Indian govt. has collaborated
with US govt to develop an application called ‘Open Govt Platform’
 This platform is a software that was jointly developed by developers from US and
India and sponsored by respective govts and was released on 30th Mar 2012

 This software makes all govt data and information public in form of documents.
Hence we can expect to see land records, coal auction details, policies to be made
public.
Contd ….


Contd …
This ‘Open Govt software’ is currently in testing phase and is
expected to be released to general public around Nov 2012.
Further India has also released ‘National Open Data Policy’ in
Feb 2012 which is approved by Cabinet.

As per this policy every govt department will publish its
documents online which can be accessed by public and
every year these documents will be updated.

Last but not least ‘Open Govt Platform’ has also developed a
tool that shows which govt dept has contributed how many
documents and which has not –Equally applicable for state
governments as well.


State and Union Govt Adds documents Citizens access documents

Land Record
Document
Highway dev.
Record Document
Flood Relief fund
Record Document

Govt. Hospital
Record Document

Crime record
document

Foreign Travel Record
Document


‘Open Govt Platform’ application can publish data that eCitizen Application
can subscribe and make that data presentable and reportable
Eg. NREGA scheme’s records can be published by ‘Open Govt Platform’ that eCitizen
Application can make presentable on Portal or on mobile app

Access Data

Access Reportable/Presentable
Access Documents Information

Citizens


‘Open Govt Platform Application’ Vs
‘eCitizen Application’
‘Open Govt Platform’ will disclose all govt documents to
public but it will not make information in those documents
readable, reportable and actionable to general public.
‘eCitizen Application’ can take data from ‘Open Govt.
Application’ like dates, amount, names and will present it to
citizens :
•So that citizen can access information with few clicks rather
than going through multiple pages of govt documents
•So that citizens with this information can be sent SMSes and
emails periodically (Eg. 60 days are remaining for Old buses
to be decommissioned in Kolkata)
•So that reports can be generated to present through bar charts,
pie charts etc. (Eg. How many RTI queries are unanswered
21 after 30 days of submission)
ecitizenappindia@gmail.com

Liaison with Civil Society
‘eCitizen application’ will work along side the other civil
society organizations and applications that share same
ideologies

These entities may include but not limited to:
Civil society (Forums, groups, societies like SCAD, ‘IAC (India
against corruption) etc.
Applications that are devoted to cause of bringing social change
(Eg. Avaaz.org, getup4change.org (RTI Anonymous))
Eminent citizens like retd officers, film personalities
Virtually anyone


www.GetUp 4Change.org

RTI Activists

Get response from state govt that
pothole will be fixed in X days

‘Open Govt. Receive an SMS or check on
A App’ admin team Website the response state
Contd ... Govt has given

‘eCitizen App’ admin team
then sends this information to
Either of these citizens now travel on all registered activist who then
expressway and find there are many files RTI application to that
potholes. State Govt first asking when
These travelers then send feedback to was last maintenance check of
‘eCitizen App Admin’ team through the highway was done and then
email/sms with pictures and coordinates seeking answer when these
potpoles will be fixed
In case Govt does not reply
then create public opinion

ecitizenappindia@gmail.com www.Avaaz.org
23

What’s in it for you/me ?
House wife, office goer,
Software businessman, NRI,
Senior Citizens virtually any citizen
Engineer • Guide and advise • Participate in governance
•Contribute in designing an IT • Actively participate in body
application (eCitizen App) for governance body • Contribute in design and
benefit of citizens • Optionally raise RTIs for the funding
•Development in open source cause • Raise RTIs
technologies • Manage operations

Fundamental Principle: Open Source and NOT for Profit
Management
NGOs, civil
Graduates
• Find sources of finance to society
cover expenses (*No profits) • Participate in governance
• Develop marketing body
strategies to promote use of • Contribute in design
app by citizens • Manage Operations
• Manage accounts/finance

Next Steps
 Step 1: Is to have your feedback, comments and constructive critics for the
concept of building ‘eCitizen App’
 ‘You’ can be anyone, from any walk of life who shares an ideology in
controlling corruption in India

 To send your inputs please mail ecitizenappindia@gmail.com

 Join the group – “Ecitizen App India” on Facebook/LinkedIn:

 http://www.facebook.com/groups/234517556671403/

 http://www.linkedin.com/groups/eCitizen-App-India-
4570293?trk=myg_ugrp_ovr

 Step 2: Once we have substantial group members over next 2 months (by Oct
2012) we will formulate groups like designers of application, advisors, action
group members

Step 3: As group members we elect a governance body to
manage finance and operations. Finalize a charter and plan

These links are given in this video below.


Lets stop complaining about India and start
doing something that brings positive
change

We are technology gurus for world , lets
start contributing some of our time for
developing technology for India

Lets atleast try doing something to make
India corruption free, atleast we will be
able to tell our kids that WE DID TRY

Jai Hind

ECitizen App India

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