USE OF BIG DATA IN E-GOVERNANCE: A STUDY OF SELECT PROJECTS IN INDIA

Abstract

The government is a constantly evolving mix of objectives, frameworks, and operations. Electronic governance, commonly known as e-governance, pertains to the utilization of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in the operational aspects of governmental bodies. E-governance aims to foster SMART governance, which stands for "Simple, Moral, Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent" governance. E-governance brings about a revolutionary transformation in the manner in which governments engage with citizens, businesses, and other government entities, enhancing their interactions and connectivity. The advantages of e-governance are acknowledged globally. In India, substantial investments have been made by the government in recent years to implement numerous new e-governance initiatives and enhance existing ones, all aimed at enhancing the performance of these government services. However, studies suggest that the full benefits of e-governance projects in terms of beneficiary outcomes are yet to be fully realized. While considerable research has been conducted in the Indian context on various aspects of e-governance these studies primarily focus on adoption, service delivery, and performance assessment, etc. Given India's diversity, implementing e-governance has become crucial for realizing the vision of Digital India. The need to utilize data to track individual citizen transactions at a granular level is evident in order to analyze and constantly improve based on feedback. Given the vast amount of data being generated, the incorporation of big data becomes imperative for ensuring the efficacy of e-governance. Big data is commonly characterized using the 3Vs framework: 'Volume' pertains to the extensive quantity of data that necessitates significant storage capacity or consists of a large number of records; 'Velocity' denotes the speed at which data is generated or transmitted; and 'Variety' encompasses data originating from diverse sources and formats, encompassing both structured and unstructured data with multidimensional fields. Over time, two additional dimensions have emerged in the understanding of big data: 'Value' underscores the importance of extracting economic benefits from the abundant data resources, while 'Veracity' emphasizes the criticality of data quality and the level of trust placed in diverse data sources. Leveraging big data provides numerous advantages, including fostering transparency, facilitating performance improvement, enabling data driven decision-making, and enhancing customizations for target-centric applications. These advantages have stimulated the adoption of big data in e-governance to bolster vi performance. However, research analyzing the utilization of big data for enhancing e governance performance remains scarce thus far. The comprehensive review of existing literature has revealed significant gaps, thereby facilitating the formulation of the research objectives. The specific objectives of this study are outlined below. • To identify the variables that can be used to assess the ‘Performance of e governance projects using big data'. • To identify the variables necessary for the successful implementation of 'e governance projects using big data'. • To explore the relationship between the variables that contribute to the successful implementation and ‘Performance of e-governance projects using big data'. • To propose an empirically validated framework aimed at enhancing the ‘Performance of e-governance projects using big data'. To achieve these objectives, a multi-stage approach has been employed. Initially, a pilot study has been conducted to gather preliminary insights. Subsequently, a qualitative study has been undertaken to delve deeper into the subject matter. Finally, a comprehensive survey has been conducted to collect responses from beneficiaries and implementers of selected e-governance projects in India. The gathered data have been analyzed in detail to support the research objectives. This research is grounded in a comprehensive approach that incorporates a literature review, expert interviews, and a survey conducted on specific e-governance projects implemented by both the Central and State governments of India. By drawing insights from existing literature, engaging with experts in the field, and collecting data through surveys, this research aims to provide a well-rounded understanding of the subject matter and contribute valuable insights to the field of e-governance. The implementation of these e governance projects falls under the purview of the National eGovernance Plan (NeGP) 2.0. The study is specifically conducted with a primary focus on the utilization of big data in the five identified e-governance projects. Both State Government as well as Central Government projects have been considered to have a holistic coverage. The projects are: (i) Aadhaar card services from Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY); (ii) Central Government Health Services (CGHS) from Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW); (iii) Passport Seva Kendra vii (PSK) services from Ministry of External Affairs (MEA); (iv) Income Tax Return (ITR) filing from Ministry of Finance; (v) Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) from Ministry of Railways. Prior to the main study, a pilot study was conducted specifically on the Aadhaar card services from UIDAI. These PAN India projects are selected due to their wider acceptability, being in operation for more than five years and using big data for more than two years and that too in huge manner. The research is structured into three distinct parts. The first part involves conducting an extensive literature review on e-governance and the use of big data in e-governance projects. To gain deep insights for the research, the review of literature has been in broad areas of (i) E-governance/E-government: definitions and meaning, scope, maturity models, importance, assessment frameworks, performance indicators, critical success factors (CSFs) for successful implementations and challenges; (ii) Big data; definition and meaning of 5Vs, importance, values, CSFs, frameworks and challenges for implementations; (iii) Utilization of big data in e-governance: criteria, importance, CSFs, frameworks and challenges; (iv) Influence of big data use on e-governance performance: frameworks, models, performance indicators, etc. This extensive review of literature facilitated in identification of macro as well as micro variables for conceptual framework of this research. The second section focuses on the research methodology employed and the survey conducted for this study. The research design incorporates a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to gather and analyze data. The qualitative approach encompasses an opinion survey conducted with four domain experts. Their valuable insights played a pivotal role in shaping the factors used to evaluate the ‘Performance of e-governance projects using big data’. To evaluate the conceptual framework, the study employed the Total Interpretive Structural Modeling with Polarity (TISM-P) technique. For the quantitative aspect, a survey was conducted with a targeted sample size of 150 implementers and 500 beneficiaries. The survey received a total of 120 responses from implementers and 439 responses from beneficiaries. Out of these, 118 responses were considered valid for the implementers' analysis and 426 for the beneficiaries' analysis. The collected survey data were analyzed using the Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) methodology. The analysis of the survey data was performed using Smart PLS version 4.0. The third part consists of detailed outcomes of the study from qualitative as well as quantitative perspectives. The study revealed that the performance of e-governance viii projects can be significantly improved by leveraging big data. The comprehensive insights gained from quantitative as well as qualitative analyses have contributed to the development of a comprehensive framework for assessment of the ‘Performance of e-governance projects using big data’. This framework provides a generalized and structured approach to enhance the overall performance of e-governance initiatives through the effective utilization of big data. The study concludes by summarizing the research contributions, recommendations, implications, limitations and future scope.