Union Cabinet approved Electronic Services Bill

The Union Government on 18 March 2013 approved a bill that is directed towards providing access to all central and state government services such as passport, ration card and driving licences electronically, especially the Internet, within eight years.

The bill will be of directive nature and mandate the government organisations to start providing all services for citizen within eight years time through electronic medium.

The (central and state) governments will notify the service that they will provide electronically in next 5 years. They will be given extra three years after five years to ensure all services all provided electronically.

The bill is supposed to bring more transparency in the system as the electronic delivery of services will help rein in corruption.

The Electronic Service Delivery bill was brought before the Cabinet to bring it in sync with Citizens Charter Bill or The Right of Citizens for Time-Bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Redressal of their Grievances Bill, 2011, and was approved by Union Cabinet on 7 March 2013.