The Hindu Business Line : Digital divide in Govt

It was a reader mail with an unusual subject line: `IT vs Govt.' It began thus: "Like all private sector industries, IT (information technology) industry does not make an effective sales-pitch to Government agencies (since most senior people in Government do not have a background to realise the potential of IT)."

There is little effort in the IT industry to invest in understanding how the Government works, to enable it to sell IT to Government, rued the reader. "It is mutually assured ignorance. There is so much scope for IT in Government that it could herald a second IT revolution in India!" he declared.

And there was more that the reader had to say. "The sociological effects of IT on an organisation are much deeper (in a subtle way) than the mere increased efficiency. It breaks down the debilitating departmental and geographical divisions in the organisation. It tones down the hierarchical rigidities. It shifts the power balance towards the customer away from megalith organisations. It thus makes the organisation more cohesively oriented its customers. All these effects are sorely required in Government, since most of present IT has been implemented within departmental boundaries — thus missing these benefits. I doubt whether the IT industry realises its own sociological impact on organisations. Perhaps some more research on this may be needed... "

The reader, who wishes not to be identified, is a senior official in the Government machinery. Importantly, he has seen waves of computerisation in his department over the last score and more years. Well, deciding to do further research on the points he had raised, eWorld contacted Tanmoy Chakrabarty, Vice-President & Head - Global Government Industry Group, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (www.tcs.com) , New Delhi, for his views. Here is Chakrabarty's take on a few questions.

Is the reader right?

I agree with the reader in parts. Most of the dept computerisation is inward-looking. It is true that the utilisation of IT in India is far lower than what it could be considering that we are IT providers to the world.

But the scenario is changing rapidly now with people who have domain experience in IT and sectoral experience (within the Government sector) being inducted into IT companies.

These very people are also driving the IT business with the Government. In addition, more and more senior private-sector IT specialists and bureaucrats are coming together in fora such as conferences and conventions where they share the dais and articulate similar perspective. This is also helping bridge the gap between the private sector IT persons and the government. Besides, with more and more government officials travelling overseas frequently, their exposure to IT in developed countries also helps make them more receptive to the use of IT in India.

However, the challenges of bringing in IT into Government are manifold and high amongst these are tackling the legislative changes that need to be brought about to enable IT proliferation, the Herculean mindset change that is required to get Government officials to work collaboratively and with one unified and enterprise wide system, the protracted and archaic procurement processes that invariably never allow the government to choose the most able partner for IT services.

On the sociological effects of IT...

The need to reduce the contact between stakeholders/citizens and the Government is something where IT can make a big difference. Also, extending customers' reach to organisations beyond their working hours to set up a 24x7 contact is what IT can do.

With the advent of Mission-mode projects and the National eGovernance Plan, there is an increased awareness.

However, the change is still slow, as Mission mode projects themselves seem to be on the backburner after the first one - MCA21 that TCS is executing.

These projects cut across Ministries and Departments to look at the Government as a single entity and present a single contact point to stakeholders.

Who is to blame? Where is the apathy?

From the Government perspective, there has been a resistance to change, more so when it is technology-driven, while from the IT industry perspective, with the lack of emphasis on IT by the government, operating in India is fraught with uncertainty, and very often unremunerative.

And why?

One of the biggest apprehensions of Government servants is that IT would dilute their controls and lead to information pertinent to their domain being shared in a public domain. This is really not true. What the IT industry has been consistently saying is that IT interventions are designed to take the drudgery out of the mundane tasks that every Government servant has to perform and let them focus on value-added task.

What is the solution?

Government has to do more with less. IT is a catalyst that will help them do their tasks efficiently and in a timely manner. Arrogantly, though, the government has been keeping the globally proven prowess of the Indian IT industry at bay and continually trying to do things on its own. It is now clear that the Government has been unable to retain the requisite skills and have the necessary vision to bring about impactful and holistic implementation of IT through these internal agencies of the Government. There is a growing conviction amongst Government officials now that a balanced PPP (private public partnership) approach is the way forward as has been outlined in the NEGP to bring about transformation.

How long will it take for Government agencies to catch up on IT?

Next generation of bureaucrats may not be on electromechanical lines but hunger for IT. We can expect changes to happen when they become decision-makers, over the next 5-7 years.

Do you see a paradox in the country earning forex through software exports even as a digital divide exists in the Government Departments?

Yes, the divide is real.

Should we have a set of new metrics to assess the performance of Indian IT companies? Such as, the ratio of Indian business, Government work, and so on.

The work done by an IT services company in its own country - in this case India, is indicative of its commitment to the nation and the will to cascade the benefits of IT to India. This is not easy and very few companies, therefore, engage in it.

How is it elsewhere? How important is government work for IT companies abroad in their respective nations?

Most developed countries tend to leverage the experience and expertise of their own companies in the IT space. Progressive Governments even outsource their work, maintain their databases with private providers and engage holistically with IT service providers. In India, we find an inclination to engage international IT companies by the Government to do the work whereas there is a great deal of skills and ability amongst domestic IT players to deliver the outcome that is sought by them.

What is the extra mile that the Government should walk to reap the benefits of IT in its Departments?

Leadership vision and stated intent on deploying IT as a part of the transformed Government life, plus total focus - involving IT in Government. Indian Government ignores IT companies here in preference to foreign agencies. It is also important to involve private sector IT service providers in apex level Government think-tanks to take the benefits of their experience and expertise in shaping IT policy and conceptualising and implementing strategic nationwide IT initiatives.

Does the IT industry realise its sociological impact on organisations?

The IT industry definitely realises its sociological impact on organisations, and strives to achieve a positive impact. However, constraining factors still exist in the Indian economy. The Government could play a big role in accelerating the proliferation and acceptance of IT in India by setting a positive example. India is known and respected all over the world for its IT prowess and yet when you look at the absorption of IT within India you will find a huge dichotomy! This gap needs to be narrowed if our children in the next generation are to live and prosper in a vibrant and a strong and fully developed Nation. For that, work has to start now and on a holistic and enterprise-wide basis and not on the basis of pilots that seem to be the way presently.

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