E-governance is not only about utilization of the power of new technology, but also much about critical importance of the ‘use value’ of information. Explain.
Approach · directive: “explain”
What it asks · Explain that e-governance succeeds only when digitised information is actually used, to improve decisions, services and accountability, and not merely by installing technology.
It asks 2 things — answer each
- Explain: e-governance is more than deploying technology; process re-engineering and governance reform matter
- Explain the 'use value' of information: how information used for decisions, services and accountability makes e-governance deliver, what blocks it, and the way forward
Open with · The 2nd ARC's 11th Report, Promoting e-Governance: The SMART Way Forward, made governance reform rather than ICT the key focus; information has 'use value' only when it changes decisions and services.
Cover
- Digitised delay: going online without business process re-engineering automates old delays; the ARC sought step-by-step analysis of each process.
- Better decisions: usable data targets Direct Benefit Transfer and lets PRAGATI (2015) monitor projects in real time.
- Citizen empowerment: Karnataka's Bhoomi land records cut dependence on village accountants; open data on data.gov.in aids scrutiny.
- Feedback loops: CPGRAMS grievance data expose service failures, if officers act on them.
- Barriers and safeguards: poor data quality, silos, digital divide; privacy (Puttaswamy, 2017) and cyber security.
- Way forward: re-engineer before digitising, open standards, data sharing across departments, local-language interfaces.
Close with · Only then will Digital India (2015) achieve its vision to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.
Add value (verified)
- The 2nd ARC's 11th Report made governance reform, not ICT, the key focus of e-Governance, with complete re-engineering of procedures and local-language interfaces.Second Administrative Reforms Commission, 11th Report 'Promoting e-Governance: The SMART Way Forward' - Conclusion and Summary of Recommendations (web.archive.org copy; the live official page did not load) ↗“making governance reforms rather than ICT the key focus for these projects, a step-by-step approach to maximum outcomes and benefits, complete re-engineering of government systems and procedures, constant monitoring and evaluation, and use of local languages for ensuring citizen-friendly interface”
- The ARC recommended Business Process Re-engineering: a step-by-step analysis of every function and service before it is digitised.Second Administrative Reforms Commission, 11th Report 'Promoting e-Governance: The SMART Way Forward' - Conclusion and Summary of Recommendations (web.archive.org copy; the live official page did not load) ↗“Business Process Re-engineering a. For every function a government organisation performs and every service or information it is required to provide, there should be a step-by-step analys”
- Digital India, launched on 1 July 2015, aims to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.About Digital India - Ministry of Electronics and IT, Government of India ↗“launched on July 1, 2015, by Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi with the vision to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2018, GS Paper II — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer· 211words · Minimalist IAS
The 2nd ARC's 11th Report, Promoting e-Governance: The SMART Way Forward, made governance reform rather than ICT the key focus. Technology is the vehicle; the 'use value' of information, its power to change decisions and services, is the destination.
More than the power of technology
- Digitised delay: putting a form online without business process re-engineering only automates old delays; the ARC sought a step-by-step analysis of each process first.
The use value of information
- Better decisions: usable data targets Direct Benefit Transfer and lets PRAGATI (2015) monitor projects in real time.
- Citizen empowerment: Karnataka's Bhoomi land records cut dependence on village accountants; open data on data.gov.in lets people question the State.
- Feedback loops: grievance data from CPGRAMS expose service failures, but only if officers act on them.
- Raw data
- Usable information
- Decision or service
- Citizen feedback
- Correction
What blocks the use value
- Barriers: poor data quality, departmental silos, the digital divide and resistance to transparency.
- Safeguards: privacy, a fundamental right since Puttaswamy (2017), and cyber security must accompany data sharing.
Way forward
- ARC's prescription: re-engineer before digitising, adopt open standards, share data across departments and use local languages for citizen-friendly interfaces.
Only then will Digital India (2015) achieve its vision: to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) · facts checked against official sources (how we verify) · updated 3 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
