1. Andhra Pradesh e-Governance
The eGovernance system in Andhra Pradesh is an outstanding attempt to
overcome the poverty, illiteracy and corruption endemic in India by using Internet
technology to empower citizens in their everyday dealings with the State
Government.
Andhra Pradesh has a multi-ethnic population of 76 million. Five languages are
spoken, but only 8% have completed high school education, and 48% are
illiterate. Some 70% earn their living from the land. The average annual
household income is $600, with 20% of the population below the poverty line of
$49 per year. Some 50% of homes have no electricity, and 69% do not have
piped water.
Under the forward-looking leadership of Nara Chandrababu Naidu, the
Government of Andhra Pradesh employed McKinsey & Co. to produce a twenty-
year plan for the State's agriculture, healthcare, education and industry
development. TheirVision 2020 advocated:
1. A radical change of mindset.
2. Simple, moral, accountable, responsive and transparent government.
3. A shift from 'institution-centered' to 'citizen-centered' objectives.
4. Provision of sustainable and affordable IT infrastructure.
5. Software development to center on health, agriculture, education and
business.
6. Recruiting recent ICT graduates, while training existing staff.
7. Implementing initiatives created in the late 1990s.
The benefits to State Government included:
1. Higher employee productivity.
2. Better use and re-use of information by Government departments.
3. Reduced maintenance and training costs by adopting common systems and
processes.
The 'C-6 Model' envisaged:

2. 1. Content. Develop existing software to desired ends.
2. Competencies. Train existing staff rather than recruit new.
3. Connectivity. Encourage private operators to lay fiber-optic cable throughout
the state.
4. Cyberlaws. AP's Information Technology Act 2000 to cover data privacy,
integrity, access control, non-repudiation and audit of electronic transactions.
5. Citizen Interface Options. Connect citizen service centers, Internet kiosks,
home PCs, etc.
6. Capital. Financing by public private partnership.
Each eSeva center (seva means 'service' in Sanskrit) would run on:
Sun E250 servers, Compaq ML 530 database servers.
Oracle 9iAS, application server running on Sun Solaris.
Oracle 8i R3 database server running on Microsoft Windows 2000.
Firewall server.
Network monitoring system running on Cisco.
10 KVA UPS with one-hour backup and 5 KVA UPS for all servers in the
datacenter. 10 client machines and 10 printers at each eSeva Center.
Seva centers (outsourced to private companies) would run 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 7
days week over the Internet through www.esevaonline.com. Centers would have
24-44 staff members. Citizens would not be charged for the service, except for
utilities, which would be billed Rs.5 per transaction.
Implementation
Implementation was staggered, with various services appearing as need and
circumstances permitted. The computer-aided Administration of Registration
Department (CARD), for example, was one of the first eGovernance initiatives
implemented, with 2.8 million land records dating from 1983 digitized and
accessible from 387 offices around the state. The pilot study conducted in 1996
cost $55,000, and the full project, launched in 1998, cost $6 million. Six months
after implementation, some 80% of all land registration transactions were carried
out electronically. Land registration can now be completed in one hour instead of
7-15 days of the previous system. Title searches over the past 20 years can be

3. done in 15 minutes rather than the 3 days. Certified copies of documents are
obtainable in 30 minutes rather than the 3 days of the conventional system.
Old habit died hard, however. Some 90% rural and 80% urban land registrants
attended a CARD office with a document writer or a middleman. The average
bribe paid was an additional 7.95% (2.85% urban and 25.81% rural) of the actual
fees due. Some 83% (60% urban and 94% rural) of citizens thought the
registration officer was corrupt, and 85% (64% urban and 96% rural) thought the
Land Department itself was corrupt.
Services for the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewage Board were
rolled out early, and quickly paid for themselves. Prior to April 2002, the average
number of customers who paid was roughly 60,000 across all districts. From
August 2001, thanks to TV-, print-, computer- and word-of-mouth-advertising, the
number of paying customers rose to 100,000, an increase of 66%. Customer
service improved, and complaint waiting times were generally halved.
The original Andhra Pradesh State Electricity Board was unbundled into several
companies, and similar improvements achieved.
Services Payable at Seva Centers
Electricity Transfer of vehicle ownership
Water and sewerage Issue of driving licenses
Telephone bills Renewal of driving licenses (non-transport vehicles)
Property tax Registration of new vehicles
CST returns Quarterly tax payments of autos
A2 returns of APGST Quarterly tax payments of goods vehicles
AA9 returns of APGST Lifetime tax payments of new vehicles
Examination fee Registration of birth
IT returns of Salaried class Registration of death
Prepaid parking tickets Issue of birth certificates
Renewal of Trade licenses Issue of death certificates
Change of vehicle owner address Internet-enabled electronic payments
Transfer of vehicle ownership Download of forms and Government Orders

4. Issue of driving licenses Reservation of APSRTC bus tickets
Renewal of driving licenses (non-transport vehicles) Reservation of water tanker
Registration of new vehicles Filing of passport applications
Quarterly tax payments of autos Sale of non-judicial stamps
Quarterly tax payments of goods vehicles Sale of trade license applications
Lifetime tax payments of new vehicles Sale of National Games Tickets
Registration of birth Sale of entry tickets for WTA
Electricity Sale of EAMCET applications
Water and sewerage Collection of telephone bill payments
Telephone bills Sale of new AirTel Prepaid Phone cards
Property tax Top up/recharge of AirTel Magic cards
CST returns Sale of entry tickets for Tollywood Star cricket
A2 returns of APGST Sale of entry tickets for Cricket match (RWSO)
AA9 returns of APGST Filing of Reliance CDMA Mobile Phone connections
Examination fee
Change of vehicle owner address
Services Subsequently Payable at Seva Centers
General insurance
Railway reservation Reservation of tourist accommodation
Sale of movie tickets Reservation of tourist bus tickets
Payment of traffic-related offenses Call center
Payment of degree examination fees of O.U. Indian Airlines ticket reservation
Sale of I-CET applications Life insurance premium payment
Online reservation of Tirupati Temple Tickets Issue of caste certificates
Collection of bill payments of Idea Cellular Sale of Indira Vikas Patra ATM services
Collection of bill payments of HUTCH Collection of bill payments of Air Tel
Issue of encumbrance Renewal of drug licenses
Certificate Market value assistance Issue of bus passes
Collection of trade licenses of Labor department
Rural Services

5. Advice and information on:
Crop selection Diseases
Farm practices Tele-veterinary services
Pest control Agricultural market prices Employment
Overall Successes
The system has been a well-publicized success. Notable features:
1. 7.02 million transactions have been accomplished since inception in August
2001 and Rs.19.6 billion collected.
2. 45 services became accessible, with each transaction designed to take no
more than 90 seconds.
3. Time saved was the greatest boon: particularly by middle class citizens.
4. 78% of users were educated, and 97% were literate.
5. Utility payment was the most used: electricity 93%, telephone 77% and 72%
for water bills.
6. Investment was drawn from Andhra Pradesh , Indian and overseas sources,
including the World Bank and the UK's Department of International Development.
7. The PPP approach is working, with increased opportunities for private
companies to employ and train staff.
8. A gradual improvement in the quality of life is being observed.