'IT Hub' K'taka Ranks No 12 in E-Deals

‘IT Hub’ K’taka Ranks No 12 in E-Deals is a The New Indian Express article by Christin Mathew Philip published on 27 December 2016. The report examines Karnataka’s unexpectedly low ranking in e-governance transactions despite its reputation as India’s information technology hub, contrasting state government claims with federal portal data and calls for improving citizen-facing e-services.

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Article Details

📰 Published in:: The New Indian Express
📅 Date:: 27 December 2016
👤 Author:: Christin Mathew Philip
📄 Type:: News Report
📰 Newspaper Link:: Read Online

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BENGALURU: Karnataka may be dubbed the 'IT hub' of the country but when it comes to e-governance transactions, the state clearly has a long way to go. Statistics from Union government web portal Electronic Transaction Aggregation and Analysis Layer (etaal), which manages e-transactions undertaken by e-governance projects, suggests that Karnataka ranks 12th in the country with just 5.66 crore e-transactions this year as of Monday.

Among the states with maximum number of e-transactions this year so far are Andhra Pradesh, topping the list with 101 crore e-transactions followed by Telangana (80.35 crore e- transactions) and Kerala (75.30 crore e-transactions).

Karnataka's poor standing on the e-governance transactions front can largely be attributed to a low number of e-services - 86 - in sharp contrast to Andhra Pradesh's 250. The e-services include registration of births and deaths, land record registration, utility, bill payments and other government related services.

This clearly underlines the fact that Karnataka needs to include more government services online and also create more awareness among the people about the existing e-governance projects to achieve 'digital India' and cashless payment system.

When contacted, Karnataka's IT minister Priyank Kharge said: "Karnataka is a pioneer in e-governance projects, which includes Bhoomi, Khajane and Mobile-One. Mobile-One is offering nearly 4,500 services, both government and private services at the finger tip. All these initiatives have become the model for other states."

Statistics from Union government web portal Electronic Transaction Aggregation and Analysis Layer (etaal), which manages e-transactions undertaken by e-governance projects, suggests that Karnataka ranks 12th in the country.

Commenting on this, IT Minister Priyank Kharge said, "The Centre has also recently ranked Karnataka at No.13 in ease of doing business in the country. I don't know how they are coming up with such rankings without considering the merit."

Sunil Abraham, executive director of the Centre for Internet and Society, a Bengaluru based-research organisation, said: "The government should make e-services friendly to the citizens and also make it more transparent." He said implementation of proposed Electronic Service Delivery Bill, which will make it mandatory for every government organisation to deliver public services online at a stipulated period, will bring more accountability and attract more people to use government e-services.

Context and Background

This article appeared during the post-demonetisation period when the Indian government promoted digital payment systems and e-governance initiatives as pillars of its “Digital India” campaign. Karnataka’s unexpectedly low ranking on the Electronic Transaction Aggregation and Analysis Layer portal created a discrepancy between the state’s international reputation as a technology centre and its domestic e-governance performance metrics.

The data pointed to a limited number of digitised government services rather than the scale of technology infrastructure available in the state. Karnataka offered only 86 e-services compared to Andhra Pradesh’s 250, suggesting limited digitisation of government functions rather than implementation failures. Southern states dominated the rankings, with Andhra Pradesh recording 101 crore transactions, Telangana 80.35 crore, and Kerala 75.30 crore, whilst Karnataka managed merely 5.66 crore transactions.

IT Minister Priyank Kharge defended the state’s record by citing pioneering projects including Bhoomi (land records), Khajane (treasury management), and Mobile-One (integrated service delivery platform). He questioned federal ranking methodologies, noting Karnataka’s concurrent placement at 13th in ease of doing business despite its established digital infrastructure.

Sunil Abraham from the Centre for Internet and Society advocated for user-centric design improvements and legislative backing through the proposed Electronic Service Delivery Bill. This legislation would mandate online delivery of public services within stipulated timeframes, introducing accountability mechanisms that could drive adoption through service quality rather than mere availability. The disconnect between Karnataka’s private sector technology excellence and public sector digital service uptake highlighted governance challenges distinct from infrastructure readiness.