Akshaya; An E-Governance Initiative in Kerala, India Vijay Gopal Vazhoth Palliyil
Technical University of Darmstadt “Mundus Urbano” International Cooperation in Urban Development Introducing Smart City 2.0 Abstract There is an existing ‘digital divide’ within the growing population of India and most developing nations. A large section of society lacks the know-how for making use of modern digital platforms. As the Kerala government identified the need to embrace ICT (Information and Communications Technology) for higher efficiency and quick access to data and easier provision of services to citizens, the inequality in terms of technical knowledge within the population was evident. ‘Akshaya’ was launched as an initiative to bridge this gap so that quicker ‘e-services’ may be taken advantage of by all strata of the society. This study aims to analyse if Akshaya has succeeded in achieving its aim of bridging the digital divide. Secondary objectives are to identify the limitations of Akshaya in the current scenario and to come up with suggestions to finetune the functional programming for improvement. Keywords: E-Governance, E-Service, Information-Poor, Digital Divide, Digital Literacy
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1. Introduction Kerala, one of the Southernmost states of India, popularly known as ‘god’s own country’ because of its natural abundance and scenic beauty has some other important characteristics. Apart from being a tourist hotspot with many backwaters, beaches, mountains, and tropical greenery, the socio-cultural indicators also suggest something about the state. The state of Kerala boasts a very high literacy rate. As per the 2011 census, Kerala has a literacy rate of 93.91% literacy while the national literacy rate of India stands at 74.04%. In addition to the high literacy rate, the Human Development Index in Kerala is comparable to that in developed nations in Europe and North America. Kerala model of development focuses on public expenditure for social development. In contrast to the high social development, the economy of Kerala is not the strongest in India as many other states like Gujarat, for example, the focus is on public infrastructure development and revenue generation. The adopted model for development in Kerala leads to a situation where the per capita income is moderate and not anywhere near the same in developed nations while the social indicators of development like infant mortality rate, average life expectancy and literacy rate remains very comparable.
2. About Akshaya E-Centres There is an existing ‘digital divide’ within the growing population of India and most developing nations. A large section of society lacks the know-how for making use of modern digital platforms. As the Kerala government identified the need to embrace ICT (Information and Communications Technology) for higher efficiency and quick access to data and easier provision of services to citizens, the inequality in terms of technical knowledge within the population was evident. ‘Akshaya’ was launched as an initiative to bridge this gap so that quicker ‘e-services’ may be taken advantage of by all strata of the society. Akshaya was launched in 2002 as an e-literacy program targeting and empowering the digitally illiterate. Gradually it transformed into a chain of e-centers where a multitude of governance-related e-services was offered. Akshaya e-centers were opened up in a large number and placed strategically (2 in each Panchayat). The most important e-services offered were (i) fast-track applications for (most) government-issued documents\certificates and (ii) payment of utility bills. These are the two broad services based on which this study is being conducted. The project envisioned as a Public-Private-Partnership is market-driven. Each Akshaya E-Centre is a franchise run by a businessman or a group of businessmen. They charge for the services offered at the e-center and try to cover for the investment while the state ensures that the charges remain nominal and supports the franchise owner financially. All centers fall under the umbrella of the Akshaya State Cell which specifies the standards and services. There are executives deployed at the district level for monitoring the operations of e-centers in the region. According to the official website of Akshaya, “Akshaya Centers have emerged as the finest network of effective Common Service Centers (CSC) envisioned to deliver a multitude of G2C, G2B as well as B2C services to the public under a single roof. Presently, around 2,650 Akshaya e-centers spread across Kerala with at least 2 centers in each Panchayats. By bringing ICT to all segments of people Akshaya acts as a vehicle for improved quality of life, accessibility to information, transparency in governance, and overall socio-economic growth.”
3. Objective This study aims to analyse if Akshaya has succeeded in achieving its aim of bridging the digital divide. Secondary objectives are to identify the limitations of Akshaya in the current scenario and to come up with suggestions to finetune the functional programming for improvement. 2
4. Argument As a multitude of Akshaya e-centres has opened up across the state, the proximity to the nearby center for all neighborhoods is high. The e-services provision has been streamlined to be quicker, more transparent, and efficient than the conventional services and hence, citizens, irrespective of their socio-economic background choose Akshaya for the advantages it offers. The initiative thus becomes a very good e-governance solution but falls short of giving a targeted preference to the ‘information-poor’. Also, ‘bridging the digital divide’ requires a more fundamental initiative of imparting knowledge and skills to the digitally illiterate.
5. Methodology Through secondary data collection, the major e-services offered to the citizens by Akshaya are identified. Primary data collection is then conducted through questionnaire surveys and one-on-one telephonic interviews. The questionnaire is formed in such a way that the cross-analysis of answers obtained from multiple questions can lead to inferences. Apart from the basic information about one’s age, gender, professional status, and income, the main questions posed are connected to the e-services (applications for govt. issued certificates/documents & payment of utility bills) offered at Akshaya e-centres.
6. Analysis Sixty-eight respondents filled the questionnaire. Interestingly, only a small fraction (3%) of the survey subjects had never availed any kind of service from an Akshaya e-center. A vast majority (82.35%) of the respondents went to Akshaya to apply for a government-issued certificate/document while a smaller chunk of the group (23.5%) paid utility bills through Akshaya. The analysis is based on the cross-analysis of their preferences, age, annual income, etc. 6.1. Mode of Application for Govt. issued Documents/Certificates Observing the relationship between two parameters; annual income and preferred mode of application for government-issued certificates/documents, a very predictable pattern can be observed. As income level goes up, people prefer to apply online as long as the option is available. As they have are more exposure to such digital systems and technologies, it can be done with ease. Moreover, as this gets the job done without having to physically go to any offices, it is convenient. A higher fraction of people with a lower income prefer to go to Akshaya, because of the lack of exposure to digital platforms, it is easier for them to interact with the personnel at an e-center and get the job done. Moreover, the proximity of a nearby Akshaya e-center is always high because there are so many of them, strategically placed (each Panchayat has two) across the state.
Chart 1. [Annual Income] & [Mode of application for government-issued certificates] - Relationship 3
Some prefer to go to the respective government offices and the reason behind people choosing this option is mainly because they have established contacts at the specific office(s) which help quicken the procedure. A few retired citizens during the interview even mentioned that they enjoy visiting these offices as they know the workers there and it is even considered an opportunity to socialize. The preference changes across age groups too. Younger people prefer the online option (if available) more than the older groups.
Chart 2. [Age Group] & [Mode of application for government-issued certificates] - Relationship
This combined with the insights from person interviews makes it safe to say that the ‘information-poor’ or ‘digitally illiterate’ are the economically weaker sections and older age groups. Chances are more for a person who is older and poorer to be digitally illiterate. 6.2. Mode of Payment of Utility Bills A little less than three-quarters of the respondents said they pay their utility bills online while a quarter said they pay at the respective offices. A very minute fraction said they pay utility bills via Akshaya e-centres. As long as an option to do the task online exists, the majority with the know-how will choose it over other conventional methods. Those who chose government office over Akshaya e-center for the payment of utility bills had two major reasons. Either the government office was closer than Akshaya or they had connections with some government employee(s) who could make the procedure easier and faster. The very few who chose Akshaya did so because it was close by and the government office, farther. There were also Keralites who chose to go to the government office even though they had an Akshaya which was nearer because they were too accustomed to this and were reluctant to change. Having an online option for payment of utility bills takes a big part of the crowd out of these government offices and Akshaya e-centres, freeing it up for whom it is the only option.
Chart 2. [Age Group] & [Mode of Utility Bill Payment] - Relationship 4
7. Current Limitations & Suggestions for Improvement A vast majority of those who visit an Akshaya e-center go there to apply for and get a government-issued certificate/document. The procedure takes some time as the documents submitted by the applicant need to be collected, verified, entered in the database, and the application filed. All these steps take place as the applicant and the rest of the queue waits. This process is still quicker than going to the respective government office (in most cases), because of the bureaucracy and sometimes even corruption that exists in government offices. Hence, citizens of all economic and social backgrounds prefer Akshaya for acquiring government-issued papers, leading to overcrowding of the place and consequently extended waiting periods. A big chunk of the respondents (42.6%) clearly states that they would prefer an online application for government-issued papers, if possible but unfortunately the option does not exist in most cases. This brings us to the main suggestion that this study puts forth, ie, to have a website/mobile-application (ideally both) for filing applications of the mentioned sort. Consecutively, the document when ready may be delivered at the applicant’s doorstep. If this is practically not possible and the document needs to be personally collected, then a fixed time slot could be allotted for a quick handover, cutting down on the waiting period for everyone. If the Akshaya online application has a mechanism for the users to rate the overall service and also submit complaints, the increased transparency will ensure a better quality of services. Such an add-on to this existing initiative can help achieve its real goal of bridging the gap between the information-rich and the information-poor. Akshaya e-centres will be freed up for the ‘technologically challenged’ or ‘information-poor’ as intended at conception. The fundamental problem of the ‘digital divide’ can be tackled at its root only by e-literacy programs in the form of classes or workshops.
8. Conclusion The primary intention of bridging the digital know-how inequality gap is met indirectly by providing the disadvantaged with the fast-tracked application systems and e-payment of utility bills, etc. But as there is no other e-governance platform, Akshaya grew to be a caterer of e-services to the entire population and not just the disadvantaged. through the development and streamlining of an e-governance platform (mobile application + website) for all, Akshaya e-centers can focus on their primary goal of serving the technologically disadvantaged.
9. References 1. Parwez, Sazzad. (2016). A Comparative Study of Gujarat and Kerala Developmental Experiences. International Journal of Rural Management. 12. 10.1177/0973005216660908. 2. https://globaldatalab.org/shdi/maps/shdi/ 3. https://www.ibtimes.co.in/kerala-becomes-1st-indian-state-achieve-100-primary-education-662878 4. http://www.akshaya.kerala.gov.in/
10. Appendix Link to the online questionnaire survey; https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfgOjcno4Wk_qezyoXgtG4S-mWIJsmuUfDjRIw7drEY2o5JFg/ viewform?usp=sf_link Survey results attached after this page. 5
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Social Survey on Akshaya E-Centres - Google Forms
Social Survey on Akshaya E-Centres Questions
Responses
68
68 responses Accepting responses
Summary
എ
ാണ് നി
Question
Individual
ളുെട പായം? What is your age?
68 responses
<15 17.6%
11.8%
16-25 26-35
13.2% 10.3%
36-45 46-55 56-65 66-75 >75
44.1%
നി
ളുെട ലിംഗേഭദം? Your gender?
68 responses
Male [പുരുഷൻ] Female [സ് തീ] 16.2%
Other Prefer not to answer
80.9%
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1UsZm1By0qp2PE7x5GFFaLiVa2X2lhQ1aBMvoYYrpapc/edit#responses
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നി
Social Survey on Akshaya E-Centres - Google Forms
ളുെട െ പാഫഷണൽ നില എ
ാണ്? What is your professional status?
68 responses
െതാഴിൽ േതടു 16.2%
ു [Seeking empl…
പവർ
ി
ു
ി
പവർ
ി
ു
ു [Employed]
[Not working]
സംരംഭകൻ [Entrepreneur] 45.6%
retired 7.4%
Retired Student
19.1%
Freelance sales 1/2
വാർഷിക വരുമാനം. Annual income. 68 responses
< 300,000 ₹ 300.000 - 500,000 ₹
22.1% 13.2%
500,000 - 1000,000 ₹ 1000,000 - 1500,000 ₹ > 1500,000 ₹ > 150,000 ₹ 500,000 - 100,000 ₹
29.4% 26.5%
Akshaya e-centres
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What services have you availed from an Akshaya e-centre? ഒരു അ െസന്ററിൽ നി ് നി ൾ എ ് േസവന ൾ േനടി?
യ ഇ-
68 responses
സർ ിഫി
ുകൾ
ായി അ… Nothing actually Aadhar applicatiob Encumberance certificate Nativity certificate Pocession certificate, encumbrance cert…
Aadhar card Possession certificate Driving license, passport etc. Nothing 0
51 (75%) 16 (23.5%) 1 (1.5%) 1 (1.5%) 1 (1.5%) 1 (1.5%) 1 (1.5%) 1 (1.5%) 1 (1.5%) 1 (1.5%) 1 (1.5%) 1 (1.5%) 1 (1.5%) 20
40
60
മുകളിൽ പറ േസവന ൾഅ യയിൽ ലഭ മാെണ ് നി ൾ റിയാേമാ? Were you aware of the above-mentioned services being offered in Akshaya? 68 responses
അറിയാം [Yes] അറിയി
[No]
വ
[Not clearly]
മ
94.1%
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ഇ ാര ിൽ അ Akshaya in this aspect?
യ എ തേ
ാളം സഹായകരമാണ്? How helpful is
67 responses 30
20
23 (34.3%)
23 (34.3%
4
5
12 (17.9%)
10
4 (6%)
5 (7.5%)
1
2
0 3
Applying for certificates/documents ഏെത ിലും സർ ാർ സർ ിഫി ിനായി അേപ ി ാൻ നി ൾ ഏത് ഓപ്ഷൻ തിരെ ടു ു ു? To apply for any govt certificate which option do you choose? 68 responses
അ
യ [Akshaya]
ബ െ സർ ാർ ഓഫീസ് [The respective govt office]
42.6%
8.8%
11.8% 36.8%
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1UsZm1By0qp2PE7x5GFFaLiVa2X2lhQ1aBMvoYYrpapc/edit#responses
ഓൺൈലൻ അ ിേ ഷൻ (നിലവിലുെ ിൽ) [Online Application (if exists)] അ രം േരഖകൾ ായി ഞാൻ അേപ ി ി ി [I have not applied for such documents]
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ഏെത അ സർ
ിലും സർ
ാർ സർ ിഫി
് േനടു
തിനായി നി
യയുെട േസവനം പേയാജനെ ടു ിയി ുെ ാർ ഓഫീസുകെള ാൾ എ ുെകാ ാണ് നി
ൾ
ിൽ, ബ െ ൾഅ യെയ
തിരെ ടു ത്? If you availed Akshaya's service for obtaining any govt certificate, why did you prefer Akshaya over the respective govt office? 68 responses അ
യ അടു ാണ് [Akshaya is nearer]
പ കിയ േവഗ
36 (52.9%)
ിലാണ് [The process is qu…
അഴിമതി ് ഇടം കുറവാണ് [There is lesser… ഞാൻ ഈ േസവനം പേയാജനെ ടു ിയി ി … I went there once and the service was h…
31 (45.6%) 18 (26.5%) 11 (16.2%) 1 (1.5%)
0
നി
ൾ അടു
10
ിെട ഏെത
ിലും സർ
20
30
ാർ സർ ിഫി
40
ിനായി
അേപ ി ുകയും അ യയ് ് പകരം അതത് സർ ാർ ഓഫീസിേല ് േപാകുകയും െച ി ുെ ിൽ, എ ുെകാ
്? If you have
applied for any govt certificate recently and for the same and went to the respective govt office instead of Akshaya, why? 48 responses
അടു
ാണ് [Govt office is…
18 (37.5%) 12 (25%) 6 (12.5%)
Not relevant Not gone Always been thru Akshaya Not approached Not contacted Not avlbl in akshaya Through akshay Only akshaya 0
1 (2.1%) 1 (2.1%) 1 (2.1%) 1 (2.1%) 1 (2.1%) 1 (2.1%) 1 (2.1%) 1 (2.1%) 1 (2.1%) 1 (2.1%) 1 (2.1%) 1 (2.1%) 5
10
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1UsZm1By0qp2PE7x5GFFaLiVa2X2lhQ1aBMvoYYrpapc/edit#responses
15
20
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Utility Bills How do you pay your utility (electricity, water etc) bills? 68 responses
ബ െ ഓഫീസുകളിൽ [At the concerned offices] ഓൺൈലൻ [Online]
67.6%
അ
യയിൽ [At Akshaya]
26.5%
എ ുെകാ ാണ് നി select this option?
ൾ ഈ ഓപ്ഷൻ തിരെ
ടു
ു
ത്? Why do you
68 responses
ഇത് േവഗ
ിലാണ് [It is quicker]
29 (42.6%)
ഇത് കൂടുതൽ സൗകര പദമാണ് [It is more c… എനി
35 (51.5%)
് ഇത് പരിചിതമാണ് [I am accustomed…
Not aware could pay through Akshaya 0
37 (54.4%)
1 (1.5%) 10
20
30
40
Suggestions
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Social Survey on Akshaya E-Centres - Google Forms
അ യ ഒരു ന സംരംഭമാെണ ് നി അതിന്െറ െമ െ ടു ലിനായി നി
ൾ കരുതു ുേ ൾ ് നിർേ ശ
ാ? എ ുെകാ ്? ളുേ ാ? Do you think
Akshaya is a good initiative? Why? Do you have suggestions for its improvement? 51 responses
Yes No Akhsaya is a very helpful initiative. There should be some way of regulating the crowd at the centers during peak seasons of grant approvals or subside applications possibly through online coupons or tokens to allocate time slots to individuals. This could avoid long waiting periods infront of the centers especially for aged people in cases where their presence is unavoidable. Akshaya does provide all facilities at a greater pace The person in akshaya office should have adequate knowledge. Yes. Should give more publicity on the services given. Akshaya is extremely good. But they must change their attitude towards customers. A smile can bring a lot of change in one's life. We don't demand anything more, just a smile and a polite behaviour.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1UsZm1By0qp2PE7x5GFFaLiVa2X2lhQ1aBMvoYYrpapc/edit#responses
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