1. Two Case Studies of Social and Economic Impacts of e-Government Volodymyr Lysenko

2. Bhoomi – Computerization of Land Records Computerization of 20 million records of land ownership Previously: big delays and harassment, bribes Now: a printed copy of the record can be obtained online with moderate fees

3. Application Context In the manual system, land records were maintained by 9,000 village accountants, each serving a cluster of 3-4 villages. For various reasons, the village accountant could afford to ignore “mutation” requests. In practice, it could take up to years for the records to be updated. A typical bribe for a certificate could range from Rs 100-2,000, and up to Rs 10,000. Land records were not open to public scrutiny.

4. New Approach A first-come-first-serve discipline. An inward and outward register is maintained. A 50% jump in the number of mutation requests. An authentication log makes an officer accountable for her decisions and actions. Plans for opening 1,000 kiosks state-wide, with public-private partnerships. Other services could be added to the content.

5. Implementation Challenges Poor quality of manual records Enormity of the data entry task Poor work quality by data entry agencies – validation was necessary Electrical power interruptions and delays in maintenance of computers Careful staff selection and training is necessary

6. Strong Political Support 12 state-level information seminars for 1,200 senior and mid-level officers State ministers actively highlighted the importance of the project publicly Members of the Legislative Assembly officially visited the kiosks

7. Independent Evaluation Ease in use Only one person is necessary for help More error-free documents Reliability and timeliness of the rectification requests responses Mostly only one visit is necessary Reduced corruption Better staff behavior Other social benefits

8. Key Lessons There was a champion who worked a 15-hour day for over a year for the project Strict field supervision is needed (through empowered citizens committees and NGOs) Manually written records were officially declared illegal Systems should be allowed to stabilize and prove their sustainability over a two-year period before attempting any replication

9. Gyandoot Project Establishment of the community-owned, technologically innovative information kiosks in a poor rural area Local rural youth act as entrepreneurs, running information kiosks along commercial lines Two awards for the project in 2000 Evaluations in 2002-3 indicated that the project has begun to falter

10. Implementation Reliability problems with the dial-up connection Resistance from the small-time politicians and the lower-level bureaucracy The success of the project depends on the motivation of the kiosk managers A public awareness campaign has been launched in the district to promote the kiosks

11. Key Features Involvement of the project champion who closely monitored the manual processes of handling complaints at the back end and made sure that district offices were responsive Within a short period of one year attendance at the kiosks has dwindled sharply to less than one user per kiosks per day Reasons and possible treatment?