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ICTs for fighting corruption
Basheerhamad Shadrach, bshadrach@idrc.org.in
Secretary, Mission 2007
Asia Senior Program Officer, telecentre.org, IDRC
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2. Corruption effects…
The poor are the most affected
Real loss of revenue for
government
Petty corruption the large form of
corruption in practice
Distances people from
government and those in authority
Increases tolerance to corruption
in society
Extortion, collusion and systemic
corruption are norms of the day

3. eGovernance effects…
The poor and the rich are equal
beneficiaries
A real income drive for government;
many a times saves cost
Petty corruption is difficult as
discretionary power does not exist
Brings government services at the
door steps and finger tips, but
makes the authority invisible, thus
collusion and extortion nearly
impossible
Increased awareness about rights

4. Yet the less known
facts…
The relationship between
•eGovernance and fighting corruption
•ICT-enabled mechanisms to fight
corruption and improving governance

5. ICTs for fighting
corruption…
Some early trends
Curtailing large scale petty corruption in ‘Jumping
the Queue’ phenomenon – Railway reservation?
Bhoomi project? DAVP computerisation? Pro-poor
eGov research of TI national chapters? Community
monitoring of education? (typical eGov projects)
•Reducing the 4 billion dollar tuition industry –
digital curriculum (an ICT for Development initiative)
•Withstanding the pesticides lobby – the Kolam
Badi project (a program that banks upon the use of
ICT in a mainstream pilot)
•Booking high profile criminals - the ‘YOU’
phenomenon at work (the spin-off benefits of ICTs)

6. ICTs for fighting
corruption…
The ‘YOU’ phenomenon
• Citizens’ journalism/reporting
• Tehelkha case
• The Delhi ceilings
• Haj pilgrims management?
• Strong bondage between citizens and
media; and, demand for ‘Right to
information’
• Higher level of participation, empathy and
solidarity

7. eGovernance as a
disguise…
Creating incentives and ; better
ecosystem for work
Call for a transparent Delhi replicating the
Chicago model
The “name and shame” drive – teh CVC,
CBI sites
Public grievances systems a mandatory
tool to serve citizens
Mission mode projects to help fight
corruption

8. eGovernance (India)…
The Plan
26 Mission mode projects
8 support components
Rs. 23000 Cr. ( US5.1 billion )

9. eGovernance (India)…
e-Panchayats 2/26 projects
Panchayats Ministry of Panchayati
Raj
Services Proposed Under
Service Levels Defined Benchmarked Service Levels
e-Panchayats
Copy of Proceedings of Within 3 working days of the Copy of Proceedings made online & through
Gram Sabha and Action transaction through service centres within 2 working days of the
Taken Report information made available on transaction in villages where a CSC exist – else
the Panchayat Boards and within 5 working days
Ultimately Web Certified Copy of Proceedings to be made
available through CSCs / Panchayat Office
within 20 minutes of request.
Receipt of Funds / Progress Information made available on Unaudited accounts / progress report to be
Report the Panchayat Boards and updated online < 7 days of the month-end.
Ultimately Web Audited Accounts to be finalized within 4
months of the financial closure
Dissemination of Data – Information made available on A consolidated data, updated every 6 months
BPL, PF for Landless the Panchayat Boards and (within one month of September 30 and March
Agricultural Laborers, Ultimately Web 31) for a district to be coordinated by DPC to be
education, Health facilities made available through the Internet
& status
Digitization of the Village Information made available Beside CD, this information should also be made
Infrastructure on a Map through CDs – updated once available on the net. Information should be
every year updated within 3 months of the end of the
financial year.
39 National e-Governance Plan

10. eGovernance (India)…
Agriculture (1/26 projects)
Creation of a village level authentic, reliable
and updatable database of soil health and the
production of user friendly and updatable soil
health cards/passbooks for farming lands
•Creation of a nation-wide information
Systems for quality seeds production,
preservation and distribution
•Creating credit and insurance information
and advisory systems for the rural poor
• Creation of land information systems for the
nation with cultivating patterns

11. eGovernance (India)…
Common Service Centres
•100,000 telecentres in rural areas
•At least 10,000 centres in urban areas
•Access by mobile phone, web
•Capacity building for information
entrepreneurs and change agents
•Access to private services
•An ally in national focus areas – health,
agriculture, education, livelihoods,
governance

12. eGovernance (India)…
What is there for citizens
•Integrated & enhanced access to
government services
•Clearly defined service levels
•Services at the doorstep with
substantial rural outreach
•Increased efficiency
•Enhanced transparency
•Improved reliability
•Affordable cost

13. eGovernance (India)…
e-governance key to making India
corruption free; All government
programmes must consider citizens
as privileged customers and
become accountable for providing
all services without interruption
and hassles. One of the means to
ensure this is by incorporation of a
sound e-governance system
-The Honourable President of India
Dr A P J Abdul Kalam at the State
Anti-corruption Bureaux/Vigilance
Bureaux-2006‘ (16 Nov 2006)

14. eGovernance and anti-
corruption….
E-government projects should not
make a mention of anti-corruption
intent; but achieve it
Anti-corruption intent should not
avoid making a mention of
eGovernance; but labour it

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A million citizen-centric knowledge
And empowerment centres
to revolutionize the world by 2010
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