Day 64 – Q 3. What are the key risks associated with the implementation of e-governance projects? Present a brief analysis with the help of a case study. (15 Marks)

3. What are the key risks associated with the implementation of e-governance projects? Present a brief analysis with the help of a case study. (15 Marks)

ई-गवर्नेंस परियोजनाओं के कार्यान्वयन से जुड़े प्रमुख जोखिम क्या हैं? एक केस स्टडी की सहायता से एक संक्षिप्त विश्लेषण प्रस्तुत करें।

Approach-

Candidates need to explain the key risks associated with the implementation of e-governance projects? Also present a brief analysis with the help of a case study.

Introduction:

The “e” in e-governance stands for “electronic.” The term refers to the use of ICTs to convert and support a governance system’s techniques and structures. The emergence of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has provided means for faster and better communication, retrieval of data and utilization of information to its users. e-Governance is basically the application of ICT to provide government services to the citizens through internet. In developing countries like India, where literacy level is very low and even most of the people are living below poverty line, people are not even aware about the benefits of e-Governance activities and people do not use Information and Communication technologies to a much extent, there exist a number of problems to implement e-Governance activities.

Explain the key risks associated with the implementation of e-governance projects? 

• There are a large number of obstacles in implementation of e-Governance in India. Understanding the risks associated with e-governance is essential since it is one of the most critical components of project management in the digital world. 
• Risk concerning e-governance is mainly associated with arising issues with IT, which is, unfortunately, a common occurrence. We can say that IT illiteracy is a major obstacle in implementation of e-Governance in India. So, first of all Indian people must be made aware about the usage of Information Technology.
• The diversity of people in context of language is a huge challenge for implementing e-Governance projects as e-Governance applications are written in English language.
• Even if the users of Internet are growing but still there is a major part of Indian population which is not able to access e-Governance activities for variety of reasons.
• Another set of risks can be labelled as hazards when overseeing a project virtually. These hazards can be mistrust, cliques, uninformed managers, and the allure of other exciting but unrelated work. 
• Per capita income of India is low as compare to the other countries. Therefore, people cannot afford on-line services provided by the government which is a challenge for implementation of e-governance.
• The implementation of public administration functions via e-Government requires that the user must be confident and comfortable while using the technology.
• A critical risk in implementing e-Governance is the privacy and security of an individual’s personal data that he/she provides to obtain government services.
• Nonetheless, the resolution of risks and issues still depends on precise mitigation strategies executed quickly and efficiently.

A brief analysis with the help of a case study

E-governance aims to improve governance processes and outcomes through new technology tools, such as AI, Blockchain, dashboards, and collaborative business intelligence (BI). They are used to monitor developmental projects. We can do a brief analysis of risks associated with the implementation of e-governance projects with risk associated with these tools as explained below:

• Despite the benefits of AI in e-governance, there are some risks related to it. For example, a lack of knowledge in operating the adopted ICTs can make managing projects difficult. If data has been incorrectly entered, it may undermine the quality of the decisions made by a project management team.
• AI affects project management in specific ways. In big data and business analytics, gathering data using simple approaches could be time-consuming and incapable of capturing accurate data. Consequently, such risks may undermine the efficiency of implementing e-governance in project management.
• Blockchain is another tool used to record all transactions and digital events in the internet world. Risks to take into consideration to e-governance technology are a lack of scalability and continuity, which affects the project reliant on Blockchain. 
• Other risks involve cryptographic essential management functions, and likewise algorithms, as improper management of cryptographic key-pairs could result in unauthorized access to an organization’s information management system.

Conclusion

As the usage of Information Technology is growing very fast, Indian government is making many efforts to provide services to its citizens through e-Governance. Although Indian government is spending a lot of money on e-Governance projects but still these projects are not successful in all parts of India. Unawareness in people, local language of the people of a particular area, privacy for the personal data of the people etc. are main challenges which are responsible for the unsuccessful implementation of eGovernance in India. Government must take some actions to make the people aware about the e-Governance activities so that people may take full advantage of these activities and eGovernance projects can be implemented successfully. The participation of people can play a vital role in implementation of e-Governance in India.