The Hindu 11.12.2013
Private players to manage e-governance
Civic bodies told to part with database developed by IKM
Moves are reportedly afoot for handing over the
management of the e-governance system in urban local bodies to private
IT majors in phases.
Local Self-Government Department sources told
The Hindu
here on Tuesday that Kochi Corporation had taken the lead by roping in a
prominent company for Rs.9 crore and high-level consultations were
completed of late for bringing another IT company to manage the
e-governance system of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation at a cost of Rs.13
crore. Civic bodies have been told to part with the database
painstakingly developed by the Information Kerala Mission (IKM) to the
private players on striking the deal.
More urban
civic bodies will soon relinquish the decentralised IT architecture
developed by the IKM to suit their needs following the devolution of
powers and will switch over to the private service providers who lend
their support at exorbitant rates. This would be a drain on the
exchequer and also affect the quality of services now being offered by
the civic bodies at present. Edging out the IKM would go against the
spirit of decentralisation of powers to civic bodies, the sources said.
Central aid
The
changeover is being expedited on the premise that it is mandatory for
securing Central government assistance apportioned for computerisation
of civic bodies. Despite its minor infirmities, the IT applications
developed by the IKM, Sevana for civil registration, Sulekha for
preparing Plan projects, and Sankya for accounting in LSGIs have been
found to be user-friendly and cost-effective and had eased the problems
faced by the public in registering births, deaths and marriages, pension
disbursal and also streamlining the accounting system.
The
mission had been offering a variety of services and, more importantly,
periodical software upgradation and maintenance at negligible rates. At
the same time, on completing the assigned task, private players tend to
demand substantial fees for attending to the technical problems that
arise in the course of implementing a software and also for making
periodical changes to meet the emerging needs, the sources said.
Earlier
experiments involving private companies in managing the accounts of
civic bodies were proved to be a failure and the IKM had to strive hard
for putting it back on the rails.
Rather than going
in for a thorough changeover, the State government should have taken the
lead to give due technical support for strengthening the IKM and
address the minor glitches being reported by its clients, the sources
said.
