Civil Services Prep

e-governance projects have a built-in bias towards technology and back-end integration than user-centric designs. Examine.

Model answer

E-governance should simplify the citizen’s complete journey, not merely digitise files. The criticism is largely valid because many projects prioritise portals, databases and integration while adding accessibility and grievance redress later. The National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-21) shows the risk: only 33.3% of women, compared with 57.1% of men, had ever used the internet. The two approaches differ as follows: This bias produces several governance problems: **Design without users:** Departments and vendors set requirements, while field workers, elderly people, women and persons with disabilities receive limited testing roles. **Digital exclusion:** Weak connectivity, low literacy, shared phones and authentication failures can turn legal entitlements into digital hurdles. **Burden on citizens:** Errors spread across linked databases, but people visit multiple offices because help desks cannot correct them. **Privacy risks:** Large-scale data linking enables misuse. In **Justice K.S. Puttaswamy v.

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