“Digitization creates jobs and efficiency in the system”
Digital transformation requires changes, to both processes and IT systems that are more challenging to implement in the public sector than in the private sector. In a conversation with Dataquest, Smt. Kiran Soni Gupta, Department of Youth Affairs and Sports, talks on how digitization of Government Departments play a significant role in propelling the digital drive in the country —KIRAN SONI GUPTA Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor, Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports & Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India
Digital India is a flagship initiative of the government. This initiative is not only beneficial for private sector but it also helps public sector to achieve massive savings through digitization. However, this requires organizational transformation, which the government finds hard to implement. Although a lot of focus and emphasis is being channeled in its direction as many government departments are trying and many have already given green signal for e-offices and e-governance. Many of them are also in the process of doing so.
Kiran Soni shares, “Our ministry is also in the process of implementing e-governance. I think digital India is transforming our lives; not only official lives but personal lives as well. When you observe the economy, you will come across the speed at which now the communication is taking place. It plays a very important role. The faster the communication, the more it acts as an accelerating agent for the economic growth. Therefore, in government also, e-governance and Digital India is truely aiding decision making”.
The speed of communication and people getting connected to one another is undoubtedly doubling by the second. The speed at which e-mails are received, how people get connected to the whole world through social media, whether it facebook or twitter, it has transformed lives and made the world a much smaller place. Likewise, when we talk about digital India, particularly in government space, the movement of information and files can become much faster and ultimately help in taking decisions. While decisions have to be taken by somebody in person, use of technology surely eases up the process. If a decision has to be taken with all the data available in front of the person, one can sit at comfort and transmit the whole information without any fuss. Everything is available in easy to reach compact format, then it is easier to work upon.
DIGITIZATION BRIDGING THE CONNECTIVITY GAP
Digitization has immensely changed the whole concept of communication. Now if you don’t use tech then people might judge you as backward. If you do not respond to a mail in a couple of hours then it is taken as rude behavior, people feel bad about that. At times you forget, at times your inbox is flooded with the sixty mails that you’ve received in past few hours then it is not always possible to respond to each and every mail instantly. It takes time but then that is the expectation of the people that once the information has reached then you are supposed to respond. The same is with physical files when you have received the file, one must take a call on it.
“I think Digital India is helping the government as well and probably in times to come, ministries at all levels will become digital. I think it will be a great move. Even digitizing old records is a huge step ahead. Each department is trying at its own level. Now it has percolated to the lowest level. Many of our departments have also taken a call that any new file which is being started from now on will be digital. Simultaneously, there is an effort to convert the already existing files into digitized format, into a paperless mode. We had success of Digital India when we computerized our land records. Nobody could think all the land records in our country could be transformed in such a way. So many issues related to that were faced by us. I recall when we started our service, this process was ongoing. I used to go and check how much digitization has been done. Compared to that time, now the whole deal has become so much easier.” says Kiran.
Digitizing old records does makes life simpler. You get an access to follow up the file, you are aware where it is pending, with whom it is pending and why it is pending; so you don’t have to unnecessarily run behind people for work to get done. Everything is simplified. One may not need even half of the people as the whole government becomes digitized. It is a fact that when computerization took pace in India, people thought there will be greater unemployment and they will be out of job. Now that was not the case, rather more jobs were created as you have to create efficiencies in the system. If one job can be done by one person then we don’t need five people doing the same work. People need to put in better skill training depending on their ability and make the best use of their resources that are available.
DIGITIZATION IN SPORTS WELFARE
Ultimately, technology is a tool. It depends on how much we want to use it. Any device is as good as the user, not more than that. Similarly, a number of technologies are used in government departments which are bringing about a digital change on various levels. “We are trying to develop an app for sports infrastructure. The app will provide information to players about what kind of sports infrastructure is available in different cities. It will be drafted state wise with the necessary information of who is managing it and what the condition of the place is. This is a great example of how combining and organizing all information at one place can give a very beautiful overview of that sector. Otherwise when you have many departments doing one job, the departments’ coordination is all the more based on the availability of the data and information at convenience.”
In times to come, technology is going to get more and more importance. There is no way out. It is hard to imagine now if we can live without computers or e-mails as we have already crossed that stage. That’s where the development is, that is how we are growing. Nobody thought we could make calls across countries on face time. But now we have whatsapp, viber, hike and what not. Whatever we are surrounded with is all built with some technology.
“We started with our computer and digital training long back. We have given continuous training to all the employees. The most important barrier was their mindset. But when you give them no option to run a manual file then only they will work digitally. You are forced to do that otherwise you never learn. Other than just a few tips and tricks which act as speed breakers in the way, we are all for digital development and we are also insisting all our employees to use the digitized formats for their work.” boosts Kiran on her department’s role in digitization.
CHALLENGES FACED BY GOVERNMENT IN DIGITIZATION
The data should be stored in one place and it should be used from there on. As the issue with having piles of files is the lengthy process of searching a single piece of information. What government needs is a person who can dedicate his time for the particular job of looking up that information and manually searching heaps of documents. But through machine learning, the process can be easily reduced from five days to one, that too automatic.
The main barrier in the way and the biggest challenge is acceptance of technology. That is in the mind set. “As technology keeps revolutionizing constantly, the mind set needs to be changed as well and it takes time but people do change eventually. Even children are so technologically hooked that I think the coming generations are going to be all about technology, they will be technology driven. I still feel that behind each paper, there is a human life associated. In government we need to appreciate the power of tech. taking decisions for a cause or keeping human welfare in mind. Technology is again assisting you to take decisions. It is not replacing your work or mind, the application of brains still has to be there.” says Kiran.
People are so used to writing on paper. Data available on paper is almost equal to no use when stacked in thousand more similar ones. However having it on a system makes it so convenient to revisit the data anytime, anywhere. The data written on paper needs to be converted into text and used further. Something done on this concept can really improve the whole system and help the organizations as well as the end customer.