We are on the brink of a new information society galvanised by social media. This is the era of mobile phones doubling up as payment gateways; thanks to it, we can have a bank in our pocket. Broadband and Wi-fi access can become game changers in delivering governmental benefits to farmers, students, and employees in the government and the organised sector. But little is being done to beef up the e-governance infrastructure. Kerala has shown the way forward by becoming the first state to be declared a digital state. Digital infrastructure can pave the way for the success of e-governance programmes.
In that respect, this Budget is a missed opportunity. A sagacious approach would have been to take note of Kerala's achievements and replicate it in other states, at least in phases through budgetary allocation and control systems.
Sunil S Chiplunkar Bengaluru
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