E-Governance in India - Center-level MMPs

This post is slightly longer and can pass for a dry subject. But do read-on as a proud Indian !

India has become one of the Information Technology (IT) super-powers across the globe no sooner than the computers were invented. Indian IT product and service companies have empowered many organizations in different Sectors and Industries across the Globe with IT solutions. In that context, is it a wonder if government of India has embraced the IT to increase efficiency and provide transparency in the processes while serving the Citizens and Businesses?

It was perceived that if e-Governance was to be speeded up across the various arms of government at the national , state and local government level, a program approach would need to be adopted, which must be guided by a common vision, strategy and approach to objectives. This led to the creation of National e-governance Plan (NeGP) in 2006 by government of India. NeGP comprises of 27 Mission Mode Projects (MMP) to be implemented at Central, State and Local Government levels.

It should be interesting for every citizen of India to know and appreciate how the Global IT super-power is applying IT in its own backyard to provide good governance to Citizens. Take a brief look at the center-level MMPs which are being implemented and operational ! (source: http://mit.gov.in)

MCA21 (http://www.mca.gov.in)	A secure portal that offers availability of all registry related services including filing of documents, registration of companies and public access to corporate information. There are more than 100 services covered within the scope of MCA21.
Pensions (http://persmin.nic.in/)	The pensions MMP is primarily aimed at making the pension/ retirement related information, services and grievances handling mechanism accessible online to the needy pensioners, through a combination of interactive and non-interactive components, and thus, help bridge the gap between the Pensioners and the Government.
Income Tax (http://www.incometaxindia.gov.in/)	Provide PAN card to citizens and improve authentication for all major financial transactions. To enable all taxpayers to fulfill their statutory obligation of filing their Income Tax Return electronically, securely and conveniently using the Internet. Fast track issue of refunds through agency bank (SBI) and enable web based tracking of refund status
Passport and Visa (http://mha.nic.in/)	For delivery of Passport Services to the citizens in a timely, transparent, more accessible, reliable manner and in a comfortable environment.
Immigration (http://www.immigrationindia.nic.in/)	A secure and integrated ICT system for Immigration, Visa Registration & Tracking and an interface with the e-Passport, Emigration and other relevant systems.
Central Excise (http://www.cbec.gov.in/)	The Central Board for Excise and Customs (CBEC) has brought about a major change in the way the Central Excise and Service Tax formations conduct their regular business vis-à-vis the trade & Industry, by developing and deploying a software application called Automation of Central Excise and Service Tax (ACES). ACES aims at improving tax-payer services, transparency, accountability and efficiency in the indirect tax administration in India. This application has automated all major processes in Central Excise and Service Tax through a web-based and workflow-based system.
Banking	The MMP which is being implemented by the banking industry aims at streamlining various e-services initiatives undertaken by individual banks.
National Population Register (NPR)	The Government wanted to create a NPR of all the usual residents in the country to help in better targeting of the benefits and services under various Government schemes / programmes, improve infrastructural planning, provide a fillip to strengthen security of the country and prevent identity fraud.
UID (http://uidai.gov.in/)	The Unique identification project was conceived as an initiative that would provide identification for each resident across the country and would be used primarily as the basis for efficient delivery of welfare services. The UIDAI collects 10 fingerprints, a photo and an iris scan (eye scan) of citizens as part of the biometric data collection exercise for the Aadhar ID card project. NPR and UID are being collated now.
e-Office	The e-Office Mission Mode Project has been taken up by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DAR&PG) in order to improve efficiency in government processes and service delivery mechanisms. The e-Office MMP aims at driving the transitioning to Less Paper and efficient Offices (LPO) in the Government of India and all State Governments.
Insurance	The insurance MMP has been envisaged to provide easier, faster and  transparent services to the customers of all public insurance companies. It will help Intermediaries such as agents and brokers to retain their clientele. The services under Insurance MMP include: Online Issue / Renewal of Policies Premium Calculations and online Receipt of Premium Online Processing of Claims and Settlement of Claims Storing policy documents in soft form Improve Customer Awareness, through education and Information Online Registration / Redressal of Grievances (Direct from Customers) Online Registration / Redressal of Complaints / references from DPG / GOI / VIPs

As a part of Government-to-citizen (G2C) services in India, every one of us would encounter the above IT touchpoints at some point in time. Any experiences?