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April 26, 1999

IMHO:
IT Democracy In India

Srivatsa Krishna is executive director of Andhra Pradesh Technology Services. He can be reached at krishna@apts.gov.in.

In My Humble Opinion

here's an electronic revolution brewing in the state of Andhra Pradesh, in India. The state government is creating a value-added network, called Apvan.com, for making information accessible to the public and raising the standard for delivery of government services beyond what India has ever seen.

One of the goals of Apvan.com is to let citizens receive the information or services they need, through as many electronic points of entry as possible, and with as little interaction with the government as necessary.

Take, for example, acquiring a driver's license. As in the United States, the process is rife with bureaucracy, and seems much more an ordeal than a routine chore. Applicants wait in long lines to schedule tests, make payments, etc., and often begin to doubt the effectiveness of government in delivering these basic services.

Once Apvan.com is in place, a citizen will be able to access the value-added network at an Apvan service center via manned and unmanned terminals, electronic kiosks, the Internet, and perhaps eventually the post office or cable TV.

Citizens will merely enter their personal identification number to gain access to electronic files (Andhra Pradesh being the first state in India to have already built a comprehensive database of records on every citizen).

Once the file is accessed, Apvan.com will let each applicant take the written driver's test and make payments online. Once the test is passed and payment is made, Apvan.com will print the license immediately. It could take as little as 10 to 15 minutes.

Another possible application of the Apvan.com network could be supply-chain management within the state government. Andhra Pradesh's existing procurement mechanism, for example, is tedious and encourages deviations. Through Apvan.com, government could invite bids electronically, with prospective suppliers responding through a Web-based interface. Bids would then be evaluated, suppliers notified, purchase orders issued, invoices accepted, and payment made by the government--all electronically. Not only would this system make procurement easier and less expensive, it would also help reduce prices through real-time comparison shopping, shorter response times, and overall improvements in efficiencies.

Similarly, Apvan.com could enable online payment of utility bills, electronic filing of tax documents, real-time land registration, remote reservation of bus tickets, etc. It would also become the testbed for electronic payment mechanisms in India--so that electronic payment and services could become part of everyday life for millions of people.

Moreover, in almost all cases the services could be delivered at the same or a lower cost to government, or at a modest premium in cases of significant value add. Of course, stringent performance parameters and penalties could be set as well.

Essentially, the Apvan.com network would take advantage of a shared infrastructure and leading-edge technology to distribute services to a disparate and diverse set of users at a fraction of the previous cost. The reach and penetration of the forthcoming system is simply unprecedented.

Here's an opportunity for people who know the value of IT to disprove the critics who say technology serves only the affluent and has nothing to offer the 53% of Andhra Pradesh's population who are illiterate. After all, freedom from everyday tedium, frustration, inconvenience, and fear is something everyone can appreciate.

If that's not a revolution, what is?

In My Humble Opinion is an occasional column expressing the opinions of InformationWeek readers. Submissions of up to 750 words can be sent to imho@cmp.com. Only writers being considered for publication will be contacted. To read other columns on InformationWeek Online, go to our Columnists page.