Fostering Economic Development Through E-government: A Case Study of Bhoomi Project in Karnataka. Anand Shukla ( )

2 Objectives of the presentation To evaluate the case: Bhoomi project implemented in Karnataka. develop a conceptual framework for evaluation. extract key learning out of this digitisation of land record initiative.

3 The logical framework Cost reduction Effect Promoting economic development Enhancing accountability/transparency Improving service delivery/accessibility Improving public administration Impact Source:

4 The context For 66% of population the main occupation is agriculture. 6.7 million farmers own 20 million land holdings. Use of an official document called the Record of Rights, Tenancy and Cultivation (RTC). Farmers need a land record at least three times a year to get loans for crops. The state government uses it for planning and formulating development programmes.

5 The problem Opaque system Prone to manipulations Harassment and extortion Cumbersome mutation process Delays in delivery of land records Delay in disposal of civil litigations Lack of timely data for planning purpose

6 E-government Application Name of the projectBhoomi (Land) Sponsoring/partnering Agency Government of Karnataka and Ministry of Rural Development, GoI. Project implementing agencyRevenue and E-Governance Departments of Govt. of Karnataka. Project duration Number of kiosks set up177 (In all the sub-districts of the state) Software support (gratis)National Informatics Centre, Bangalore. Total costRs. 250 million Exp. on data entry operations for 20 million RTC Rs. 80 million Source:

7 Features Farmers pay a charge of Rs. 15 for every service they avail. All services are availed from kiosks only. Land record centre in each taluk. Online updation to ensure that the RTCs provided to the farmers is in sync with the time. Fully online system to carry out mutations on land records data.

8 Features Finger print biometrics authentication to ensure fool proof authentication system and to enforce the concept of non-repudiation. Facility to scan the field mutation order passed by revenue authorities and the notice served on the public. Provision for interfacing of Touch Screen Kiosk at taluka office

9 Outcome Analysis Cost per kiosk (after data entry of RTC’s)Rs. 10 lacks Per kiosk exp. on computer hardware, construction of computer rooms and kiosks Rs. 6.4 lacks Cost of processing a RTC including stationary, cartridges and electricity (assuming a life of 5 years for hardware and a total of 2 million RTC issued) Rs. 13 User fee per RTCRs. 15 No. of users since inception12 million Total collection180 million No. of person days/wages saved per annum1.32 million/Rs 66 million Weighted average of bribe paid in Manual system Vs.Bhoomi Rs Vs. Rs Source:

10 Outcome analysis Also 85% of Bhoomi users rated staff behaviour at the Bhoomi kiosks as ‘good’ in comparison to none of the users in case of Manual system. Source: E-Government: From Vision to Implementation by Subhash Bhatnagar.

11 Analysis contd… 42.4 per cent of those using the new system spent 10 minutes or less doing so, and a further 33.9 per cent spent between 11 and 30 minutes, in comparison to weeks taken in case of old system. The mutation process cycle time has decreased from days to days.

12 Analysis cont… Rs. 806 billion is the expected savings per annum because of reduction in bribe. Adjudication of disputes has been made faster because of efficient access to land records.

13 Analysis contd…. Now nearly 2500 branches of different banks in Karnataka, loan approximately Rs. 40 billion to Bhoomi farmers as working capital every year. The system generates various types of reports on land ownership by size, type of crop/soil, gender etc… which is useful in planning poverty alleviation programmes and supplying agriculture inputs.

14 Key learnings Project specific objectives 1) Provide farmers cheap and easy access to their land records. 2) Easy maintenance and prompt upgradation of land records. 3) Make records tamper proof. 4) Create databases of land revenue, cropping pattern, land use, etc… 5) Utilize the data for formulating development programmes. 6) Enable usage of this database by courts, banks, and private organizations. Cost reduction Promoting economic development Enhancing Accountability/Transparency Improving Service Delivery/Accessibility Improving public administration The evaluation framework

15 Learnings contd… Objectives should be SMART. Identify the stakeholders and their felt need after a participatory consultation. Helps one identify the point where the vicious circle can be broken. Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound. Aim at incremental change and not radical. Should be planned properly. Harness political support for your effort. Financial self sufficiency is a must for the project to continue in the long-run. Let economics and not politics decide the aspect of scaling-up. Emphasis on training of personnel and human resource management. Back-end computerisation of the process is as important as the front- end. Inbuilt feedback mechanism from stakeholders, so that the interventions adapts with changing situations..

16 Refrences Bhatnagar, Subhash, 2004 E-Government: From Vision to Implementation, Sage Publication. s/e-Gov_guideline.pdf s/e-Gov_guideline.pdf