E-Governance: Bangladesh Perspective

Abstract.. .. 1 A. Introduction.. . 1 B. Research Methodology. . 2 C. Theoretical Framework. . 3 Governance. . 3 E-governance. . 3 E-government: A double edged sword. 5 Strategic Objectives. . 7 D.
E-governance, Bangladesh Perspective. . 9 Early Efforts: ICT as a sector. .. 9 Appling E-governance- Towards Digital Bangladesh 9 Public sector initiatives (2002-08) . 9 Policy and Legal context. 10 Emergence of Digital Bangladesh. 10 Challenges in the Run. . 11 Challenges of G2G. . 11 Challenges of G2B and G2C. 13 General Challenges of eGovernance. 14 Some appreciated steps. . 15 150 dollar laptop production. 15 Union Info Centers. . 15 Automation of Internal Processes: . 16
Contents
E-GOVERNMENT: BANGLADESH PERSPECTIVE
E-purjee. . 16 E-birth registration. . 17 Online Investment Registration System. 18 E-results. . 18 Bangladesh Hajj Management Portal. 18 Railway ticketing. . 18 Government E-forms. . 18 Mobile Money Order Service. 19 E-text book for Primary and Secondary level 19 E-college Admission. . 19 SWOT analysis. . 20 Political Aspects. . 20 Economic Aspects. . 21 Social Aspects. . 21 Technological Aspects. . 22 E. Recommendations and Conclusions. . 23 Recommendations for G2G. . 23 Recommendations for G2B and G2C. 25 General Recommendations for eGovernance. 26 Conclusion: . . 27 Questionnaire 28 References 29
Abstract
The Digital (or e-) revolution holds the potential to narrow the differences in the quality of citizen services between developed in the and developing countries, has and made increase accountability, transparency and efficiency of government latter. Bangladesh significant strides forward in the field of e-Government in the past decade, starting with slightly scattered projects for internal automation but moving gradually towards eservices delivery and connected governance. Nevertheless, continue to the country has faced to some typical hurdles faced by developing countries, many of which remain barriers e-Government transparency, reform, and implementation. decentralization, Accountability, administrative
satisfaction of public service by its clients are key problem areas in the present governance system in Bangladesh. E-Governance and exploring the potential role of IT sector to bring about a radical change to improve the situation. Its a narrative study on Egovernance in Bangladesh on the basis of Secondary and Primary data which includes E-governance and
A. Introduction: Digitalization of Bangladesh, its Objectives, Challenges,
Initiatives a powerful tool for bringing about change to government processes in E-Governance is and Practices. the developing world. E-governance operates at the cross roads between Information and Communication Technology and government processes, and can be divided into three overlapping domains: e-administration, eservices and e-society. In order to be successful, e-governance must be firmly embedded in the existing government processes, must be supported, both politically and technically, by the governments, and must provide users with reasons to use these on-line domains.
E-Government is not just electronic government. It is enabled government, the government that delivers different and better programs and services. E-Government is about people: new skill sets, mindsets and leadership approaches. It will transform how public servants work, relate to each other, do business, and engage citizens and others. Egovernment is a process that requires a sustained commitment of political will, resources and engagement among the government, private and public sectors.
B.
Research Methodology:
This study is a simple research work. No statistical tools or techniques are use here but a simple questionnaire. Its a descriptive report, a narrative description on the collected information from Books, Journals, Net Blogs, Websites and Field works. The questionnaire was prepared on the basis of the required information. In order to make it formal and comprehensive report I have gone through a marvelous experience while collecting and combining all information from Primary and Secondary Data source: Primary Data Source: I have interviewed 100 adults (70 students and 30 of other occupations) from 8 different districts of Bangladesh for the purpose of this study. In this purpose I have interviewed them directly, mailed questionnaire or through Facebook questions. Secondary Data source: Foe the specific and defined information I have followed the following sources; i. Websites ii. Blogs iii. Books iv. Reports v. Journals vi. Newspaper etc.
C.
Theoretical Framework:
Governance:
Generally Governance means the continuous exercise of authority over a particular system unit, where there some visible and invisible actors and sectors act together for the betterment of a particular purpose. Governance is concerned with overseeing the responsible, legal, ethical, transparent and effective achievement of national or organizational goals. Governance deals with the formation and stewardship of the formal and informal rules, laws, regulations and policies that regulate delivery of services in the public and private sectors. It can be said, a system of government concentrating on effective and accountable control over country and an open-legitimate relationship between the civil society, private sectors and the state
E-governance:
It is the use of a range of modern information and communication technologies such as internet, local area networks, mobiles etc by Governments to improve effectiveness, efficiency, service delivery and to promote democracy.
E-governance is defined as the application of electronic means in The interaction between government and citizens and government and businesses, as well as in internal government operations to simplify and improve democratic, government and business aspects of Governance.
The term interaction stands for the delivery of government products and services, exchange of information, communication, transactions and system integration.
E-governance contributes to the functioning of democracy by online provision of government information which would otherwise be difficult to obtain or unavailable, and through online debates .. (Teicher et al., 2002).
E-governance is perhaps the second revolution in public management, which may transform not only the way in which most public services are delivered, but also the fundamental relationship between government and citizen. Broadly, e-governance involves the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to transact the business of government. At the level of service, e-governance promises 1. 2. 3. 4. A full service available 24 hours a day And seven days a week Greater accessibility The capability to obtain government services without visiting government offices and 5. Reduced service cost.
E-government: A double edged sword:

Countries like Bangladesh which have not e-citizen, enough computer infrastructures, coping with administrative corruption yet, even theres not 100% literacy is quite a double edged sword. There are a lot of risks wink with the upcoming benefits.
Risks
There are many considerations and potential implications of implementing and designing e-government, including disintermediation of the government and its citizens, impacts on economic, social, and political factors, vulnerability to cyber attacks, and disturbances to these areas. Hyper-surveillance Increased contact between government and its citizens goes both ways. Once egovernment begins to develop and become more sophisticated, citizens will be forced to interact electronically with the government on a larger scale. This could potentially lead to a lack of privacy for civilians as their government obtains more and more information on them. In a worse case scenario, with so much information being passed electronically between government and civilians, a totalitarian-like system could develop. When the government has easy access to countless information on its citizens, personal privacy is lost. Cost Although a prodigious amount of money has been spent on the development and implementation of e-government, some say it has yielded only a mediocre product. The outcomes and effects of trial Internet-based governments are often difficult to gauge or unsatisfactory. According to Gartner, Worldwide IT spending is estimated to total $3.6 trillion in 2011 which is 5.1% increase from the year 2010($3.4 trillion). Inaccessibility An e-government site that provides web access and support often does not offer the potential to reach many users including those who live in remote areas, are homebound, have low literacy levels, exist on poverty line incomes. False sense of transparency and accountability Opponents of e-government argue that online governmental transparency is dubious because it is maintained by the governments themselves. Information can be added or removed from the public eye. To this day, very few organizations monitor and provide accountability for these modifications. Even the governments themselves do not always keep track of the information they insert and delete.
Benefits
E-government helps simplify processes and makes access to government information more easily accessible for public sector agencies and citizens. It is convenient and costeffective for businesses, and the public benefits by getting easy access to the most current information available without having to spend time, energy and money to get it. The anticipated benefits of e-government include efficiency, improved services, better accessibility of public services, and more transparency and accountability. Democratization One goal of e-government will be greater citizen participation. Through the internet, people from all over the country can interact with politicians or public servants and make their voices heard. Blogging and interactive surveys will allow politicians or public servants to see the views of the people they represent on any given issue. Chat rooms can place citizens in real-time contact with elected officials, their offices or provide them with the means to replace them by interacting directly with public servants, allowing voters to have a direct impact and influence in their government. These technologies can create a more transparent government, allowing voters to immediately see how and why their representation in the capital is voting the way they are. This helps voters better decide who to vote for in the future or how to help the public servants become more productive. A government could theoretically move more towards a true democracy with the proper application of e-government. Government transparency will give insight to the public on how decisions are made and hold elected officials or public servants accountable for their actions. The public could become a direct and prominent influence in government legislature to some degree. Environmental bonuses Proponents of e-government argue that online government services would lessen the need for hard copy forms. Due to recent pressures from environmentalist groups, the media, and the public, some governments and organizations have turned to the Internet to reduce this paper use. Speed, efficiency, and convenience E-government allows citizens to interact with computers to achieve objectives at any time and any location, and eliminates the necessity for physical travel to government agents sitting behind desks and windows. Improved accounting and record keeping can be noted through computerization, and information and forms can be easily accessed, equaling quicker processing time. On the administrative side, access to help find or retrieve files and linked information can now be stored in databases versus hardcopies stored in various locations. Individuals with disabilities or conditions no longer have to be mobile to be active in government and can be in the comfort of their own homes.
Public approval Recent trials of e-government have been met with acceptance and eagerness from the public. Citizens participate in online discussions of political issues with increasing frequency, and young people, who traditionally display minimal interest in government affairs, are drawn to e-voting procedures. Although internet-based governmental programs have been criticized for lack of reliable privacy policies, studies have shown that people value prosecution of offenders over personal confidentiality.
Strategic Objectives:
The strategic objective of e-governance is to support and simplify governance for all parties - government, citizens and businesses. E-governance uses electronic means to support and stimulate good governance. Therefore the objectives of e-governance are similar to the objectives of good governance. Good governance can be seen as an exercise of economic, political, and administrative authority to better manage affairs of a country at all levels, national and local The use of ICTs can connect all three parties and support processes and activities. It provides a common framework and direction in the implementation of Government Policies for the following: Across the public sector organizations and institutions (G2G) Between Government and the Business Community (G2B) Between Government and Citizens (G2C)
Regarding e-government, the distinction is made between the objectives for internally focused processes (operations) and objectives for externally focused services. External strategic objectives. The external objective of e-government is to satisfactorily fulfill the publics needs and expectations on the front-office side, by simplifying their interaction with various online services. The use of ICTs in government operations facilitates speedy, transparent, accountable, efficient and effective interaction with the public, citizens, business and other agencies. Internal strategic objectives. In the back-office, the objective of e-government in government operations is to facilitate a speedy, transparent, accountable, efficient and effective process for performing government administration activities. Significant cost savings (per transaction) in government operations can be the result.
G2G Central Government G2G Business NGOs Civil Society
Citizen
G2C
G2B
Local G2G Government
Figure: Interactions between main groups in e-governance
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D.
E-governance, Bangladesh Perspective:

Early Efforts: ICT as a sector:
The realization that ICTs can be an important enabler for Bangladeshs development is not new. The early efforts in 1991, in this regard were directed towards developing ICT as an export sector and a potential area of employment generation for ICT graduates. One of the most recognized efforts in this regard was taken in 1997. A committee was formed with Professor Jamilur Reza Choudhury as its convener to explore the potential of an export oriented software industry in Bangladesh. The committee comprised of representatives from the government, industry, and academia, which submitted its report in September 14, 1997. Several of the recommendations of the committee were implemented which, in many ways, shaped the modern discourse around ICT in Bangladesh. Establishment of Bangladesh Association of Software & Information Services (BASIS), formation of ICT Task force headed by the Prime Minister in 2000, substantial reduction of government levies on ICT imports, can be traced back to the recommendations made in that report. The role of the role of Bangladesh Computer Shamity (BCS) also played a part in implementing these recommendations.
Appling E-governance- Towards Digital Bangladesh:

Public sector initiatives (2002-08)
The country's first National ICT policy, approved in 2002, touched upon issues related with e-Governance and ICT4D but stopped short of addressing them from a holistic viewpoint. Especially, in the absence of concerted effort to implement the policy within the government, the real impact of the policy was not significant. Establishment of Support to ICT Task Force (SICT) project was the first major public sector initiative to leverage ICT for development. Launched in 2002, the project started its operation from 2003. The project was created to implement the ICT Task force decisions. Unfortunately, the task force remained largely inactive ever since and hence the project could not benefit from the task force much. Rather it became the de facto implementation wing of the executive committee of the task force. A year later, another project was initiated in the Prime Ministers Office with technical support from UNDP in July 2004. The activities of the project led to the formulation of a comprehensive action plan for e-Governance including government process reengineering and promoted the pioneering initiative to build leadership for ICT enabled change in civil administration. Appointment of a senior officer as ICT focal point for each ministry started the process of building the critical mass and awareness within the administration for ICT enabled change. The project initiative to publish 50 most frequently government forms online can be cited as one of the first e-Governance initiatives to directly benefit the citizens.
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The Access to Information (A2I) Programme, a follow-up project in the PMO, started in 2007 with a proclaimed goal to leverage ICT in public service delivery and build necessary capacity of the stakeholders to promote the use of ICTs in development. This project too was supported by UNDP. True to its objective, the project initiated action research to identify the potential use of ICTs in social sectors such as education, health, agriculture, etc. In the meantime, several other projects such as the World Bank supported ICT component of Economic Management Technical Assistance Project (EMTAP) of Ministry of Science and ICT came up with specific recommendations to leverage ICTs for-development. Finally, the largest ICT initiative in the country to date was implemented during 20072008 for the preparation of Photo voter roll used ICT tools to prepare a credible voter list with technical assistance form UNDP. In the course of the project, common citizens of the country, most of them for the first time in their lives, saw ICT tools, and appreciated their immense potential. In parallel, about 50,000 young boys and girls were trained to operate a sophisticated software application system and carried out bulk of the activities of the project.
Policy and Legal context

Over 2002-2008, new understanding of ICT as a development enabler has made its way into the various policy documents of the government. The revised ICT Policy 2009, which has been approved in the cabinet, has specific direction and guidelines reflecting most of the priorities of the Digital Bangladesh agenda. The 9th Parliament passed the Right to Information Act. The act has required legal imperatives that corroborates and promotes the overall context of Digital Bangladesh vision. The policy directives to introduce Citizen's Charter at all levels of government should act as another policy incentive to promote use of ICT in delivery of government services and information. Steps taken thus far to introduce such charter and related lessons learned would be useful inputs in implementing Digital Bangladesh.
Emergence of Digital Bangladesh

Digital Bangladesh by 2021 emerged as part of Charter for Changethe election manifesto of Bangladesh Awami League for the 9th Parliamentary Election. The declaration was made in December 12, 2008 for the election held in December 29, 2008. Though a date is attached to this agenda, it is interpreted as a long-term vision rather than a target. This forward-looking vision quickly captured peoples imagination and became the cornerstone of the entire election manifesto.
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Indeed, this is probably the first time in the history of Bangladesh that the vision of poverty reduction and human development leveraging ICTs was proposed that received instant support from common citizens. In many ways, the Digital Bangladesh vision took the policy makers and practitioners by surprise. While the basic premise of the vision is not new, the all-encompassing nature of the vision demands a fundamental shift of mindset of the implementers. It not only needs thinking anew but new ways of thinking.
Challenges in the Run:

Challenges of G2G:
Inadequate ICT Infrastructure within the government: Most ministries have a largely inadequate number of working computers. Very few government offices have their computers connected to the Internet. Even fewer have internal networks. However, it is also true that a number of government offices have computers that remain almost completely unused due to lack of integrated planning. Inadequate access to ICT by government officials: It is generally the case that computers in government offices generally find their way into the offices of the highlevel officials. Sometimes it is seen that they possess more than one computer coming from different externally-funded projects. The desk level officers generally are not considered for access to computers despite the fact that interest about ICTs and ability to learn new technologies are higher among younger officers than older. Computers have sadly become somewhat of a status symbol in government offices. Awareness of government officials about ICT: More than anything else, it is the mindset of government officials that poses the biggest bottleneck to e-Government. There are a number of reasons why they resist the use of computers beyond usual typing of letters and documents. Some of the primary reasons are mentioned: (1) They are resistant to any kind of change in their familiar working environment; (2) They fear that computerization of different government activities may make some people redundant; (3) They think that computers are meant for low-level typist kind of work. Non-acceptability of IT systems: It is often seen that even after an IT system is implemented in a government office, it becomes hard for government officials to convince them to use it. Besides the general lack of awareness about ICTs and the fears discussed earlier, some other factors also play a part in their non-acceptability of IT systems. They fear important data getting lost or they are doubtful about the security features of computers.
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Lack of incentive structure for government officials: In the private sector, it is seen that people skilled in the use of IT are generally valued more than a counterpart who is not as IT proficient. In the government, however, there is no such system of discriminatory valuation of personnel. As a consequence, there is not enough of an incentive for government officials to become IT savvy. The use of IT is mostly selfmotivated and a matter of individual free choice. Lack of adequate training programs: Many e-Government or computerization projects suffer gravely from lack of adequate training programs. Training is of vital necessity in familiarizing users with computers and breaking their fears. Some officials go through unplanned IT Training, often in another country, and then come back not getting any scope for utilizing his/her newly gathered knowledge of IT and forgetting it all in due time. The training programs are mostly not need-based and arranged at arbitrary periods, not during the implementation phase of an e-Government project. Lack of reliable maintenance: Another significant problem is that generally there is no in-house maintenance personnel. It is of vital necessity that computers gets fixed as soon as they malfunction or users very easily lose confidence over IT systems. Most offices have contracts with local hardware companies for maintenance, but their services are often not immediate. Lack of sustainability of IT Systems: Almost all e-Government projects are funded through external sources, primarily foreign funds. This brings about a very vulnerable situation with regards to the sustainability of these projects. As soon as the external fund dries up, it is often seen that there is no fund left even to buy printer paper. As a result of this, there is a lot of hardware sitting in government offices unused as memories of a bygone project. Frequent, unpredictable transfer of government officials: Another major problem to popularizing e-Government in an office is that government officials get frequently and unpredictably transferred. It is seen that IT systems are often dependent on one or two IT champions. As soon as they are transferred, no one remains to take their position. Lack of ownership of IT systems: A direct result of the system of government transfers is that there is great unwillingness to take ownership of IT-related projects. If hardware and IT systems remain unused, there is no one to take responsibility and encourage others. There is currently no government structure in place to create this ownership of e-Government at the level of individual offices. Lack of Bangla standardization: Currently, there is no standardization for use of Bangla in the electronic format. Different people use different fonts, often resulting in documents not opening in someone elses computer. Another major issue is that none of these fonts maintain the international standard UNICODE - as a result of which Bangla content cannot be put up on the Internet using these fonts. Bangla documents now have to be uploaded on the Web as files only.
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Challenges of G2B and G2C:

ICT infrastructure across the nation: Bangladeshs ICT infrastructure is still quite underdeveloped. The international submarine cable installation has significantly been delayed, despite the keen necessity of an optical fiber link with global network. This delay has caused a difficulty of setting up Internet Exchange (IX) in Bangladesh, as establishment of IX is a must from the viewpoints of the efficient Internet connection and the national security. However, there is a good progress of digitalization of network for narrowband service. Construction of DDN (Digital Data Network) is smoothly on-going throughout the country, including digitalization by using optical fiber cables for backbone network and junction network in the city areas. This development will cater to the demands for the time being. Bangladesh has also joined the submarine cable network consortium which will link Bangladesh with Southeast Asia, Middle East and Western Europe (SEA-ME-WE). The SEA-ME-WE 4 is scheduled to be operational by the first quarter of 2004. Access to ICT by citizens: Bangladesh has a very low level of Internet and PC penetration standing at 0.04% and 0.09% respectively, according to a global IT study conducted by Harvard University, USA. There are no public places that allow access to the Internet at low cost. In such a scenario, it is a matter of great concerns how people would get G2C services even if they were offered publicly. Access to ICTs by businesses: It is mostly the larger businesses in Bangladesh that have computers. Very few among these have connectivity to the Internet. Under such circumstances, many businesses may not be able to participate in online tenders or application procedures. Public Awareness about ICTs: Although there is much hype about IT among the younger generation, there is not a high level of awareness among the general public about how ICTs may be useful to their lives. Also, there is cultural inhibition about the use of PCs in this country. From a cultural context, people are generally not familiar with the concept of using computers. ICTs are still generally perceived to be a thing for the rich and the elite. As a result, there is no demand or pressure from the public for service delivery through the use of ICTs.
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General Challenges of e-Governance:

Lack of necessary regulatory/legal framework: The regulatory/legal framework in Bangladesh has not yet been modernized to accommodate the growing needs of the electronic world. Still, in government offices, an e-mail has no official value and cannot be legally considered an acceptable mode of communication. There are no laws to protect against cyber-crime, neither are there any laws for electronic authentication. Inadequate human resource capacity: For a country of more than 130 million people, the number of IT-trained people in the country is meager with about 1,630 incoming students at public universities, 2,370 at private universities and 1,120 at polytechnics. On top of that, most of the well-trained IT graduates of the country leave since there is little scope for them in Bangladesh in terms of professional development. Preparedness of local software companies: Most local software companies still have not developed the level of expertise or professionalism needed to handle large-scale integrated e-Government projects. Although the scenario is rapidly changing in terms of needed technical expertise, the companies are still lagging behind in terms of professionalism and experienced management. Supply of electricity across the nation: With about 30% of the population of Bangladesh having access to electricity, the question of providing access to computers to a large section of the population seems like a two-step problem. Even the fortunate 30% has to suffer daily power cuts. Since there are yet no low-cost methods of running computers without electricity, the issue of electricity has to be solved before a widespread dissemination of ICTs is possible. High-cost, low-reliability of Internet access: Internet access cost in Bangladesh is very high and highly unreliable. There are virtually no dial-up options outside major cities since long distance calls are exorbitantly expensive. Internet access and availability of PCs are disproportionately concentrated in Dhaka. Most ISPs are dependent on VSAT transmission and the bandwidths being used varies from 64Kbps to 4Mbps. 60 percent ISPs are between 128Kbps and 1Mbps in this concern. This is far below what is required even by current demand. Current situation of dialup Internet connection is rather poor. Connection over 21Kbps to 31Kbps is the speed in home use.
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Some appreciated steps:

In digitalizing Bangladesh there are some Governments steps which have really been appreciated. Those are follows
150 dollar laptop production:
Government has taken a great step to take the rural students closure to the world. Bangladesh is going to produce student laptop under 1Laptop per student project which will cost Tk. 10,000-12,000 in Bangladesh currency. This project has started from May 2011. If this step comes to success then a lot of Bangladeshi rural students can be taken to touch of the knowledge of internet. The best thing about this, thousands of rural students will get it for Tk3000-9000 only.
Union Info Centers:

The main goal of UISC program is to ensure that information and service can reach to the door steps of ordinary people by using Information Technology. With this, the implementation process of Digital Bangladesh vision 2021 has started. On the other hand, according to the decision of local government division, within the current month of June, 1000 Union Parishad and 2000 entrepreneurs have been selected from these Unions so that another 1000 service centers can be set up. These entrepreneurs would have to invest a certain amount of money and then get contracted with the Union Parishads to carry out their activities. Now people getting all information and services from Union Info Centers like

Agriculture Disaster Management Driving License Education Environment and Forests of Bangladesh Health Systems Income Tax Law and Order Mobile Banking Passport Recruitment Visa Utility Services University Admission
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Picture: Rural people can now talk face to face with their family member abroad through Video Chatting. Earlier, people of the union had no options for such information. They had to go upazila headquarter for different government forms like passport and driving license but they can now collect those from the UISC, which has given the people of the union a new lease of life
Bangladesh Bank began to computerize its functions almost at the same time most government offices started investing in automation. However, the Bank is only among the handfuls that have been successful in integrating ICT into the core business processes of the institute. Today it is one of the most fully computerized public institutions in the country. The current system actually automates most of the Banks operational processes and some of the most important strategic processes including monitoring of commercial bank transactions.
Automation of Internal Processes:
E-purjee
The moment the purjee is issued, the visibility in the mobile phones of the farmers through the software of the sugar mills instantly is the e-purjee. In other words, to deliver the information concerning purjee using the information technology is known as e-purjee. Similar to the previous purjee system, e-purjee also contains the basic information of the sugarcane growers e.g. name, address, passbook no, name of the unit and center, date of the delivery and the amount of the sugarcanes. The difference is that, in the e-purjee service the purjee is sent to the sugarcane growers through the SMS based mobile service
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from the server of the sugar mills, where all the information of the farmers (name, mobile phone number, quantity of sugarcane, passbook number, name of the unit and the centre). Formerly, it took one or two days for the farmers to receive the purjee. Even in some cases, the purjee reached in the farmer's hands after the validity of the purjee was over, whereas in the prevailing e-purjee system, the farmers are notified instantly about the purjee issuance. Moreover, through the e-purjee service, it is now possible to inform the farmers about the payment of the sugarcanes as well.
E-birth registration:
The electronic Birth Registration Information System (BRIS) was introduced on a pilot basis in Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC), one of the oldest municipalities in Bangladesh. BRIS is based on a distributed application architecture, with four clients and one server connected via a local area network. BRIS, as its name suggests, registers births electronically, providing a basic citizen identity, and building this with other data into a population database that can be shared with other public agencies. For example, the Department of Health uses the system to help ensure immunization of all children, with vaccination lists provided for health workers and immunization schedules provided for parents on the basis of registration data. The system could also be used to assist with the process of school enrolment. BRIS works in Bengali, although in can also generate certificates and reports in English. BRIS has removed duplication and redundancy from birth/registration records through centralized storage of data. It has automated searching, sorting, processing and reporting tasks (such as those associated with immunization) and very significantly reduced the time taken for such tasks. Error rates have also been reduced, with a combined ID number and barcoding system. A CD-ROM of BRIS data has been created; as well as providing backup would also allow transfer and reuse of registration data outside the LAN system. Both registration and immunization rates have increased since the introduction of the system.
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Online Investment Registration System:

Both domestic and foreign investment is a must for industrialization. On last December (Dec 2010) Board of Investment has introduced Online Investment Registration System. Online registration of the BoI would help create an enabling atmosphere for business and investment in the country. The new system will simplify investment registration procedures for local and foreign investors with a new online registration service system by reducing time and unnecessary documentation and hassle It will attract more investors from home and abroad and prop up the investment activities in particular
E-results:
Staring with the SSC and HSC results now each and every public exam result are published in internet and mobile SMS, So students or applicants need not to go to center for collecting result, he can get it from his/her mobile phone.
Bangladesh Hajj Management Portal:
The Ministry of Religious Affairs, GoB introduced the Hajj Web Site in 2002 to service ten and thousands of pilgrims who go to Mecca to perform holy Hajj. During the Hajj, the website also acts as an important information portal for the family members of the pilgrims and other interested persons and organizations. One of the best examples of a Public-Private Partnership project, the site provides timely and reliable information to a large segment of the population.
Railway ticketing
Technically, Railway ticketing might not be a simpler e-government project but from peoples convenience perspective, this is one of the important one. Bangladesh Railway outsourced the job to a local IT vendor. With a few technical hiccups the system was put to operation in 1996. The vendor owned operated and maintained the system till early 2002. The system was than transferred to Bangladesh Railway, who later decided to outsource its operation to another private vendor.
Government E-forms:
Now about every Government forms are available in corresponding website. Accessing government forms online is made possible by the Prime Minsters Office of Bangladesh though a project funded by UNDP Bangladesh. This not only saves time but also the cost and hassles associated with the traveling to the government offices located at a distance.
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Mobile Money Order Service

Even a few years ago Bangladesh Post Office was famous for its slow services. But its really true that now it serves the fastest money order service in Bangladesh.
It only takes 2-3 minutes to send money through this service and its available at any post office in Bangladesh. This service was introduced on May 2010. People can send up to Tk50, 000 at a very few cost of Tk27 for first thousand and Tk10 for later.
E-text book for Primary and Secondary level

At least 106 textbooks of primary and secondary levels have been converted to e-books, electronic version of textbooks, published by the National Curriculum and Textbook Board (NCTB) and uploaded on www.ebook.gov.bd with the technical assistance of Access to Information (A2I) of Prime Minister's Office (PMO). Students can log on to the website and flip through the e-books just like the printed ones. Besides, they can also download any page they want. The e-books have options to zoom in on pages and bookmark any of those, said A2I programme officials. Anyone can download the contents for free and read those also on mobile phones. The students, who take the primary terminal and secondary examinations abroad, will benefit greatly from it as they will be able to download textbooks from the website. In January last year, soft copies of 139 textbooks were put in PDF version on the NCTB website that drew much attention of both students and guardians at home and abroad. But, the new website with e-books would be much easier to use.
E-College Admission:
From this year admission in college will be through mobile sms, that will reduce students run and line for the forms. It will ensure accountability and clearity in
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admission and lessen the corruption. 19colleges of Dhaka board and 9 colleges of Comilla board are taken into this first step.
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SWOT analysis:
Going through the field study and some journals here is given four SWOT analyses with a focus on the following aspects of e-governance in Bangladesh:
1) Political 2) Social 3) Economic 4) Technological
***Political Aspects***
Political aspects related to e-governance are e.g. the formulated strategy and policy, laws and legislation, leadership, decision making processes, funding issues, international affairs, and political stability. Political aspects Implementation and maintaining of e-governance solutions Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats Combination with democratization reforms Internet as pull factor Modern image Budget Cyber laws not available No problem owner within government No expertise about technology Slow decision making process Hierarchy in organisations Short term approach due to elections Integration and reform Raise external funding Show competitive edge Transparency causes natural change of processes Reinvent government Bureaucracy Piracy, misuse Corruption Maintaining disorder, no transparency Political instability Resistance
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***Economic Aspects***
Economical aspects related to e-governance are funding, cost-savings, business models, e-Commerce, and spin-offs of e-governance. Economic Implementation and maintaining e-governance solutions Opportunities Strengths Weaknesses Threats E-Governance Investors good argument for external funding Budget control Transparency for businesses (procurement) Cost efficiency through egovernance New business More efficiency tax revenues Corruption
***Social Aspects***
Examples of some of the social aspects related to e-governance are people, (level of) education, employment, income, digital divide, rural areas vs. cities, rich vs. poor, literacy, IT skills. Social aspects Implementation and maintaining e-governance solutions Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats People eager to learn IT skills Skilled people possible export product Basic education poor: trainers needed No IT literacy Low literacy Different languages Public acceptance of self-service models Skill shortage: competition with private sector Cheap manpower widely available Promotion of internet Better healthcare Privacy Employment increases Education system improve People learn structural job Brain drain IT skilled people after training Resistance of people Digital divide
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***Technological Aspects***
As discussed in the previous chapter, technology will be a bottleneck for e-governance in developing countries. Technological aspects involve software, hardware, infrastructure, telecom, IT skilled people, maintenance, safety and security issues. Technological aspects Implementation and maintaining e-governance solutions Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats Everything is new: no negative legacy Leapfrogging possible Internet as driving (pull) factor Lack of IT standards Shortage IT skilled people High cost of internet Heterogeneous data Lack of IT standards? Costs of software licenses 2nd hand hardware available Use one standard Dependency of technology
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E.Recommendations and Conclusions:

We can say Bangladesh is crossing the third stage of implementing e-governance out of four. Considering that we have to notice the following sectors carefully.
And obviously other recommendations are given following..
Recommendations for G2G:

Build ICT Infrastructure throughout the government: Investment should be
made on building ICT infrastructure throughout the government, keeping in mind that the returns from such investment will be long-term. Stand-alone computers (i.e. those that are not connected in a network) are not very useful for e-Government. There should be plans for computers to be connected internally in offices through LAN, and then inter-connected with other relevant offices through WAN. Eventually the network needs to extend to localgovernment level. It is important to recognize that the savings in time and money from e-Government will be realized gradually. No overnight returns should be expected. Stress on awareness before training: One of the primary reasons why government officials resist the use of IT lies in the way the training programs are structured. The typical training programs introduce government officials to the world of
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IT through programs such as Microsoft Word, thus throwing them into a confusion about what computers are really about and how it will benefit them. Since most officials do not need to type documents themselves, they cannot relate to the computers as far as their daily office work is concerned. These IT training programs should be re-oriented so that in the first classes they are introduced to the concepts of how computers may make their work more efficient. The training programs should stress on awareness about the potential of IT in government rather than concentrate too much on teaching officials how to type. And more importantly, there is not much typing involved in most of the customized e-Government software. The training programs should concentrate on creating a mental framework towards IT, not on physical skills in using the keyboard. Provide networked computers to mid-to-lower level officers as well as high-level officers: The practice of providing computers to only high-level officials needs to be reconsidered. It is the younger officials who are more enthusiastic about ICTs and, more likely to find more creative use of computers and even train themselves in basic handling of computers. Mid-to-lower level officers should be given access to computers. This would be a good way of investing into the future, of preparing the government officers who will take the lead in the future. Create incentive structure for use of IT: There should be some kind of incentive structure for the promoters of IT in the government. Recognition or award from the Prime Minister or the President may be a good way of starting a practice of appreciating the work of IT champions in the government. Give importance to regular training: There should be planned training programs to orient officers for using computers and more importantly, to develop awareness about the potential of IT. Without adequate and timely training and awareness programs, eGovernment projects are likely to fail no matter how much the investment. Make plans for reliable maintenance: There should be a process to have 24 hr., and immediate maintenance, without which critical e-Government projects should not be undertaken. It is also vital to maintain confidence of users. The maintenance work should be ideally outsourced since the current government structure does not allow internal IT maintenance team. Updating of database: There should also be a process for regular updating of data since almost all e-Government projects involve the storage and retrieval of huge amounts of data. An outdated database is worse or potentially more dangerous than no database at all. Build sustainable models for e-Government: To build sustainable models for eGovernment, three processes have to be outsourced: those involving personnel training, hardware and software maintenance and updating of databases. Also, steps have to be taken so e-Government projects that get started through external funds are internalized within the budget of the government so that these projects do not meet sad deaths after external funding stops.
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Transfer issue: Transfer of government officials is an inherent part of the government process. While taking decisions about such transfer, the level of IT training of the candidate for transfer should be taken into account. Appoint CIO: To create ownership and accountability structure for e-Government projects, an interested mid-to-high level government official in a particular office should be appointed as CIO (Chief Information Officer) of that office. It will be the responsibility of the CIO to make plans for integration of ICT into the activities of that office and promote e-Government. In many Asian countries such as Thailand, Japan and Malaysia, the concept of CIO in government has been internalized and their responsibilities made mandatory. They go through a different kind of more rigorous IT training. In Japan, Inter-Ministerial CIO Council was formed, which meets regularly to discuss issues of e-Government implementation. In Thailand also, CIOs are required to meet regularly and a regular CIO award is given by the government gets much highlight in the media. Standardization for use of Bangla: To ease the use of Bangla in electronic formats, there should be some kind of standardization of fonts that maintain international UNICODE standards. Since communication and official documents in the government are still in Bangla, this standardization is a very urgent need without which integration of ICTs with government activities will face major hurdles. Consider issues of interoperability and interconnectivity: Another important issue for consideration is maintaining open standards in building IT systems so that they can be integrated with IT systems in other government offices. Use of open source technologies can be an important step in this respect.
Recommendations for G2B and G2C:

Build ICT infrastructure across the nation: Investment should be made to build ICT infrastructure throughout the nation. The international submarine cable project should be expedited as well as the Internet Exchange (IX) establishment project. The following are some of JICAs recommendations in building infrastructure: The following are the existing infrastructures that can be used for broadband transmissionof optical fiber cable transmission: OPGW (Optical fiber Grounding Wire) of high tension power line: PDB has advanced installation of OPGW considering its usefulness as resource. Sooner or later, PDB with PGCB intends to realize an entire 48-core optical fiber network throughout the country. This OPGW network is very valuable as a national ICT resource. Optical fiber cable of BR: BR has installed optical fiber cables along their railways. The entire optical fiber cable network, however, have exclusively used in the mobile telephone network by
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GrameenPhone in accordance with the Contract. Almost all the number of cores is two and those seem not to be always in good condition, as far as we were learned. Highway: According to Highway & Road Department, there has not existed any plan under which duct installation is considered for optical fiber cable from planning stage. The ducts were always constructed upon the request of BTTB, separately from road construction. Gas Pipelines: According to GTCL, there are no optical fiber cables in its Right of Way (RoW). GTCL is aware of how best to use the RoW today. The company is desirous to install some optical fiber cables along their pipe lines when newly planned. Create online access points at public places: Online access points should be made from public places such as post offices so that anyone can get access to the Internet at low, subsidized cost. This is a model that is popular in almost all countries. Without such facilities, G2C and G2B services may not be able to reach target population easily. Extend connectivity outside cities: Steps have to be taken to allow easy Internet access from outside cities. Incentives will have to be given to ISPs to locate outside cities. Organize public awareness programs on IT: Public awareness programs should be arranged highlighting the relevance of IT in daily life. It should be emphasized that IT and computerization is not only about typing documents in the computer. The cultural inhibition to using computers must be overcome.
General Recommendations for e-Governance:

Push for a comprehensive regulatory framework for e-Governance: There is an urgent need for a comprehensive regulatory/legal framework for realization of eGovernance. Some of the issues to be included in the framework are IPR laws to protect intellectual property, laws for acceptance of documents in electronic format (such as downloaded documents), laws against cyber-terrorism to protect against unauthorized hacking, laws to enable electronic authentication. Also needed is an Electronic Certification Authority designated by the government which should have the authority to provide electronic certification to organization and individuals. Create and retain adequate IT human resource: There needs to be a wellplanned program to create a greater number of IT human resource in the country. The number of seats in the computer science and engineering departments of universities needs to be increased. Steps need to be taken to monitor the quality of training institutes. Government certification programs to test individuals need to be arranged for maintaining quality of IT-related diplomas. Efforts should also be taken to retain the massive number of IT-trained personnel Bangladesh is losing each year.
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Invest in public IT literacy: IT literacy programs should start early in schools because it is at that tender age that students are most open to new ideas and technologies. The government should also arrange, encourage and subsidize IT vocational training to create an IT-literate society. Encourage local software companies to prepare themselves: The local software companies should take steps to become more prepared for handling government IT projects, especially in areas of project management. The software companies may also need to cooperate among themselves to jointly handle large-scale e-Government projects. Individual software companies in Bangladesh mostly do not have the human resource capacity to handle government projects. The government should take steps to give public projects to software companies so that they gain needed experience for larger projects. Invest in reliable supply of electricity: Steps need to be taken to explore alternative sources of power or alternative means of power generation. Different developing countries are experimenting with solar power, bicycle-generated power etc. Bangladesh should also take similar steps. Deregulation of ISP and telephony service providers: The ISP and telephone service provision must be deregulated to allow for greater competition and lower price. Also, VoIP is a popular means of communicating with the outside world, but it is still illegal under current regulations. VoIP should be made legal as soon as possible to allow greater use of computers for everyday activities of people and generate peoples interest in ICTs.
Conclusion:
Its always easier to set up a vision than its completion. The current government has resurrected that vision and made it ready for the 21st century highly globalize world and names it Digital Bangladesh. Although Bangladesh has its own limitations in resources, capacity and knowledge, the countrys potential in human resources can be tapped through appropriate use of ICT tools. With lack of Power supply and Corruption in public sector, in my study 63% of respondents are quite pessimistic about their digital Bangladesh by 2021; but the taken projects say Government is committed towards reaching the goal of a knowledge based and middle income country by 2021. With an actionable ICT Policy 2009, Right to Information Act and ICT Act that provide the enabling environment for citizens information access and e-commerce, a network of proactive and ready change agents in the Ministries, districts and upazilas, a number of initiatives that demonstrate the true concept and benefits of Digital Bangladesh, a technology-savvy young workforce ready to be guided and led, the country is staring at a tremendous opportunity to leapfrog. Guidance and assistance from development partners can greatly accelerate this journey.
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Questionnaire
(Feel free to answer-Its only an academic study, not a political survey)
Name: Occupation:
1. Are you familiar with e-governance/ Digital Bangladesh??? YES NO 2. What is a Digital Bangladesh to you????
Date:
3. Do you have computer and Internet??? NO I have Computer YES NO I use internet Sometimes I have both Frequently 4. Do you use any of services involving ICT??
5. Do you think, the goals of vision 2021 will be achieved by 2021??? YES NO Dont know 6. What are the challenges in this run (Digital Bangladesh)??
7. What is the best step taken yet by the Govt. in digitalizing Bangladesh???
8. Which of the following should come first??? o 100 Dollar laptops o 3-G Network o Free Wi-fi in every public campus o E-voting system in every form of Elections o (Or Any of your Demand) Thank You
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Keshab Roy
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References
Books and Journals: I. Alam Mahbubul, Ahmed Kawsar, E-Governance Initiatives in Bangladesh Ministry of Water Resources, IICT, BUET. II. Backus Michiel, E - G o v e r n a n c e a n d D e v e l o p i n g C o u n t r i e s Introduction and examples. III. Bannister Frank, New Problems for Old? An exploration of egovernance, Trinity College, Dublin. IV. Hoque Shah Mohammad Sanaul, E-Governance in Bangladesh: A Scrutiny from Citizens' Perspective, Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre (BPATC) Savar, Dhaka V. Kalsi N. S., Kiran Ravi, Vaidya S. C., Effective e-Governance for Good Governance in India, Vol.5 No. 1 January 2009 Pp. 212-229 VI. Karim Md. Abdul, Digital Bangladesh for Good governance, Bangladesh Development Forum, Feb, 2010 VII. K.A.M. Morshed, E-Governance: Bangladesh Perspective, April 2007. VIII. Realizing the Vision of Digital Bangladesh through eGovernment, Bangladesh Enterprise Institute. July 2010. Internet Links: I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. www.decentralization.org/ www.digitalgovernance.org/ www.iicd.org/ www.inasp.org.uk/ www.bestpractices.org/ www.ecitizen.gov.sg/ www.cafrad.org/ www.google.com/ www.worldbank.org/publicsector/egov/ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ www.digitalbangladesh.gov.bd/ www.prothom-alo.com/ www.thedailystar.net/
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E-Governance: Bangladesh Perspective

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Abstract.. .. 1 A. Introduction.. . 1 B. Research Methodology. . 2 C. Theoretical Framework. . 3 Governance. . 3 E-governance. . 3 E-government: A double edged sword. 5 Strategic Objectives. . 7 D.

E-GOVERNMENT: BANGLADESH PERSPECTIVE

E-GOVERNMENT: BANGLADESH PERSPECTIVE

E-GOVERNMENT: BANGLADESH PERSPECTIVE

E-GOVERNMENT: BANGLADESH PERSPECTIVE

E-GOVERNMENT: BANGLADESH PERSPECTIVE

E-GOVERNMENT: BANGLADESH PERSPECTIVE

E-government: A double edged sword:

E-GOVERNMENT: BANGLADESH PERSPECTIVE

E-GOVERNMENT: BANGLADESH PERSPECTIVE

E-GOVERNMENT: BANGLADESH PERSPECTIVE

G2G Central Government G2G Business NGOs Civil Society

Local G2G Government

Figure: Interactions between main groups in e-governance

E-GOVERNMENT: BANGLADESH PERSPECTIVE