E-silence

E-governance is all the rage in India now as a solution to reduce corruption, but a Mumbai audience listening to an official from the ministry of information and technology on the subject would be forgiven for thinking otherwise. Since he had to leave Mumbai early for Parliamentary work, the official concerned was allowed to speak first. Instead of elaborating on the topic, he spoke extensively on India’s GDP growth and the country’s future as an economic superpower by 2015. He also emphasised that all Indian villages would have banking facilities in the next 18 months. By then, he realised he had about three minutes left and hurried over e-governance, leaving no time for questions.