E-Governance: A Step Towards Digital Democracy

Today, new global standards of governance are emerging. Citizens of developing countries are demanding better performance on the part of their governments, and they are increasingly aware of the costs of poor management and corruption. Attitudes are also changing in industrial countries where bribery is no longer viewed as a legitimate cost of doing business overseas. Development in ICT sector carried various e-Governance projects in Asia, with particular focus on India. The paper is intended to make us realize that only effective implementation of E-Governance can take ICT to the common man, helping national and state governments to align their services with the hanging needs of both citizens and stakeholders, as well as to develop the economy. An ICT-driven E-Governance system primarily involves the creation, storage, analysis, dissemination and use of information and communication. It can provide vital inputs to the government's policy-making process. It makes government processes accountable. The paper finds that E-Governance automates and thereby speeds up routine administrative functions. It enables the government to work better, yields higher revenue growth and costs less, apart from servicing citizens ' needs as never before. Citizens can freely interact with various government departments anytime, anywhere with maximum speed and with minimal effort and this is what digital democracy actually means