I T Applications

I T can be effectively applied in numerous fields. Some of the important areas of IT
application are e-governance, health care, business, commerce and resource management.
E-GOVERNANCE
The emergence of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has provided
means for faster and better communication, efficient storage, retrieval and processing of data and
exchange and utilization of information to its users. With growing computerization and increasing
internet connectivity, this process has presently reached a stage where more and more users are
motivated to modifying their ways of doing things in order to get the advantages provided by ICT.
India has been harnessing the benefits provided by the Information and Communication
Technologies (ICT) to provide integrated governance, reach to the citizens faster, provide efficient
services and citizen empowerment through access to information. The aim is to redefine
governance in the ICT age to provide SMART GOVERNANCE. Several significant initiatives
have been taken at the center and the state level in this direction. The government of India has
drawn up a ‘Minimum Agenda of E-Governance’. Further Ministries and Departments have
provision of 2 to 3 percent of their annual budgets to be spent on IT related activities. The
government has enacted IT Act 2000 which provides legal status to the information and
transactions carried on the net. A list of some significant e-governance projects implemented are
project Bhoomi in Karnataka, E-Seva in Andhra Pradesh, Gyandoot in Madhya Pradesh, Warana
in Maharashtra, RajNidhi & Raj-SWIFT – Rajasthan etc.
Some of the ongoing projects in Kerala state are FRIENDS, AkshySa, IT @ School,
Dr. SMS, IDEAS etc.
E-Governance would generally involve the use of ICTs by the government agencies for any
or all of the following reasons.
1. Exchange of information with citizens, businesses or other government departments.
2. Speedier and more efficient delivery of public services.
3. Improving internal efficiency
4. Reducing costs/increasing revenue
5. Re-structuring of administrative processes and
6. Improving quality of services.

Defining e-Governance: ‘E-Government' (or Digital Government) is defined as ‘The employment of the
Internet and the world-wide-web for delivering government information and services to the citizens.
(United Nations, 2006; AOEMA, 2005).
'Electronic Government' (or in short 'e-Government') essentially refers to ‘The utilization of
IT, ICTs, and other web-based telecommunication technologies to improve and/or enhance on the
efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery in the public sector.’ (Jeong, 2007).
E-government describes the use of technologies to facilitate the operation of government
and the disbursement of government information and services. E-government, short for electronic
government, deals heavily with Internet and non-internet applications to aid in governments.
E-government includes the use of electronics in government as large-scale as the use of telephones
and fax machines, as well as surveillance systems, tracking systems such as RFID tags, and even
the use of television and radios to provide government-related information and services to the
citizens
Disadvantages
The main disadvantages concerning e-government is the lack of equality in public access to
the internet, reliability of information on the web, and hidden agendas of government groups that
could influence and bias public opinions.
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 the status
quo in these areas.[.
Hyper-surveillance
Increased contact between government and its citizens goes both ways. Once e-government
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 worst 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/ Digital divide
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.