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Strategy for Implementating E-governance

GUG/Ref.03/03
Rural Urban Partnership Programme
(NEP/01/020)

Strategy for Implementating E-governance Activities in the Partner Municipalities

A. Background

Information Technology (IT) in 21st century is going to be a very powerful instrument not only for disseminating skill and knowledge but also for influencing the social thinking process and popular opinion building. It has definitely widened access to both international and domestic information, saved time and traveling cost, and helped policy-makers gain from this. There are no need that loads of document travel countrywide with so much of finance and their costs including risks of non-delivery or damage. Similarly, E-governance is going to be the most popular instrument/tool of urban services to citizens of municipality.


The growth of IT has opened a new chapter in municipal administration. The growth in IT and growth in E-governance do not go at the same speed. The growth in IT is pushed by diverse factors. But only the municipal elected representatives supported by the municipal officials private sector and civil society can push the growth in E-governance at all levels. There is always a wide gap between the level of IT and the level of E-governance. Only when the manual form of municipal database is converted into electronic database and updating the database is done using online, one can say that real E-governance has come to stay. The level of E-governance will be directly proportional to the level of database content in the overall computerization process and its updating using on line methods.

B. Need for E-governance in Municipal Development

In case of Municipality, E-governance allows direct participation of constituents in Municipal activities. It is not just about municipal web site and e-mail. It is not just about urban service delivery over the Internet to citizens. It is not just about digital access to Municipal information. It will change how citizens relate to Municipality as much as it changes how citizens relate to each other. It will bring forth-new concepts of citizenship, both in terms of needs and responsibilities. E-governance will allow citizens to communicate with Municipality, participate in the Municipals' policy-making and citizens to communicate each other. The e-governance will truly allow citizens to participate in the municipal decision-making process, reflect their true needs and welfare by utilizing it as a tool.

E-governance in the Municipality can provide its information and service more effectively and efficiently to the citizens. The Municipality will be able to allow all the citizens to access to information or urban services, to articulate their needs and to participate in formulating policy and regulation that will improve their social welfare and well being. The ability of Municipality to understand all needs from ordinary local citizens is limited. Therefore, the participation of citizens in Municipal level is extremely important.

C. Existing Position and Prospective Enhancements

Urban Information Center (UIC) in all-12 municipalities has been established with the technical and financial support of the Programme. All municipal board has approved the operation directives of the UIC. Physically, UIC has computer machine, printer with facilities of Internet, means there are minimum infrastcture to digital access and can initiate the activities for E-governance.

Almost all municipalities have conceptualized to update its current information system by strengthening its linkages with communities and giving special consideration for improving the livelihoods of hardcore poor, women and down trodden people. It also has a tendency to efficiency generate tax base and provide urban services by applying ICT available currently.

Municipalities expressed its strong dedications to translate the concept of e-governance and put into practice more fruitful in the governance through information & communication technologies.

There are Local ISPs that are providing their services to the customers which also include networking, web page designing and hosting e-mail/internet connection, fax to fax and E-fax, etc. in six municipalities: Pokhara, Bharatpur, Nepalgunj, Butwal, Biratnagar and Hetauda.

D. Implementation Arrangement

The support to E-governance activity will be paying attention mainly in different phases and activities as follows:

  1. Phase One:
    Bharatpur:
    1. Activity on E-governance has been put into operation; the focus will be given on the smooth operation and use of e-Governance activities, and its monitoring part.
    2. A separate monitoring and reporting system will be developed for E-governance activities.
    3. A system analysis report on computerization and networking of the municipality will be prepared by using the consultant. Bharatpur municipality as a pioneer in implementing e-Governance has been selected for the study. After the successful completion of the study in Bharatpur, the report will be used in other municipalities to modify as per municipality requirements.
    4. Develop Bharatpur Municipality as an e-Governance Resource Center
      Realizing the current demand from partner organizations towards the E-governance activities, it is felt to have one separate e-Governance center for online demonstration of e-Governance activities as, "e-Governance Resource Center".

      Rt. Honorable Prime Minister Mr. Lokendra B. Chand has lunched the e-governance portal on January 10, 2003 at Bharatpur. Bharatpur municipality has established an e-governance Unit at municipality premises and in ward offices 2 & 10. At present, e-Governance portal is in smooth operation and has been visited more than four thousand times. So far, ten people downloaded the forms from Internet and submitted in the municipality which includes the Birth Registration, etc. and more than 15 people have taken part in discussion forum. Similarly, several suggestions and comments on municipal activities and decisions have been received from citizens of Bharatpur and Bharatpur municipality has taken it very seriously for future planning and decision-making. Since Bharatpur municipality has become a pioneer in implementing e-Governance in Nepal and providing e-services smoothly to the public, RUPP has selected Bharatpur municipality to establish e-Governance Resource Center.
  2. Phase Two (wherever ISPs available)
    Biratnagar
    Hetauda
    Pokhara
    Butwal
    Nepalgunj
    1. Activities on Digital Infrastructure
      • Replicate E-governance model of Bharatpur Municipality into five municipalities as per their requirements.
      • Web page design of the municipalities.
      • Hardware installation in the e-gov. unit and in wards.
      • Required information will be collected for smooth functioning of the municipalities.
    2. Human Resource Development Activity
      • Materials for orientation will be prepared.
      • The Programme will provide information on orientation to Municipalities.
      • The orientation programmes will be provided to municipality officials, cyber cafes, NGO/INGOs and other UN Programme representatives. In this phase, the orientation programme will be organized in Biratnagar, Pokhara, Hetauda, Butwal and Nepalgunj.
      • All Community Mobilizers of concerned municipalities will participate in orientation Programme so that they will be able to communicate the concept of e-Governance to community in TLO regular meeting.
      • During the orientation program the meeting will be conducted with Executive Officer and other municipal officials in following agendas:
        • Establishment of e-governance Unit at Municipality
        • Establishment of e-governance Unit at Wards
        • Assignment of human resource for e-governance operation.
      • Provide required trainings to the municipal staff for the operation, modification, update and maintenance of e-Governance portal.
    3. Awareness Programme on e-governance
      Awareness Programme on e-governance will be disseminated into TLO through community mobilizers, however the FM, cyber cafes and other relevant media will be intensely used as per requirement. The awareness at TLO level will be started after the completion of the orientation programme. For this purpose the students of concerned institutions and colleges will also be used as per the requirement. The experience will be shared with other possible partners: ICT for Development a UNDP founded prorgramme and Accessing the Feasibility of ICT as a Development Instruments for Rural Urban Linkage in Nepal under Support Service for Policy and Programme Development (SPPD).
    4. Launching of e-governance portal
      • By the end of second week of May the e-governance portal will be launched in five municipalities - Biratnagar, Pokhara, Hetauda, Butwal and Nepalgunj.
      • Municipal online service will be provided to the public through the use of Internet
      • The ICT culture will be developed within the municipalities by facilitating the private sectors (Cyber Cafes).
      • The online services of municipalities will provide facilities to the public to send comments and suggestions on municipal problems and activities.
    5. Other refresher training on e-Governance to assigned manpower by municipalities will be a continuous process
  3. Phase Three
    The activities will repeat phase two in replicating by September 2003.

    Future Strategy:
    Following future action will be focused on e-Governance:

  • Replicate e-Governance portal in RUPP Replicating Municipalities under the 10th Five Year Plan
  • Technical support will be provided to improve and strengthen the e-Governance system and to facilitate municipalities to operate e-Gov unit in all wards.
  • Some of the municipalities have already computerized their financial management and have been facilitating tax administration. So, technical support will be provided to make computerized financial management system available online to the public.
  • Mechanism will be developed to tie-up all information with UIC so that the citizens who is concerned can get the data of whole municipalities through the center.
  • Technical support will be provided to all 12-partner municipalities to implement computerized system on the basis of System Analysis Report produced by the consultant.
  • Technical support will be provided to expand the sphere of e-Governance such as health, education, sanitation and waste management for delivering and strengthening municipal services.
  • Feedback from stakeholders will be taken based on practice & the system will be updated accordingly.
  • The donor resources will be mobilized for strengthening e-Governance.
  • College and School students will be mobilized towards the dissemination of E-governance concept and to facilitate E-governance.