Citizen To Government (C2G) Participation In India Rejuvenated

National E-Governance Plan (NEGP) of India is one of the most important projects. However, by and large e-governance in India has failed. Further, even plans to use m-governance in India are in the pipeline. However, there is no regulatory framework for m-governance in India.

In the absence of proper policies and guidelines, e-governance, m-governance and cloud computing are not going to be successful in India at all and all projects of Indian government are bound to fail.

For instance, e-courts project of India has failed to materialise despite spending huge money. We are still waiting for the establishment of first e-court of India. Further, there is no legal framework for mandatory e-governance services in India. The proposed draft electronic services delivery bill 2011 of India is mere eyewash and nothing more. Even legal enablement of ICT systems in India is missing.

These failures are attributable to the fact that grassroots level stakeholders are not consulted while formulating and implementation of e-governance and m-governance related projects in India. Public private partnership (PPP) has been used for long in India. However, it always remained ineffective. It is only now that crucial fields like internal security and defence sector have been opened up for PPP purposes.

Of course, the department of information technology (DIT) has recently released a concept note on framework for citizen engagement in NEGP. Although the framework is promising yet there is lack of legal enablement of ICT systems in India. Further, by its very nature it is knowledge driven and cannot be undertaken by government itself.

A model that can help in meeting the techno legal requirements of NEGP and framework for citizens’ engagement in NEGP has been suggested by India’s exclusive techno legal ICT law firm Perry4Law. It has launched the exclusive citizen to government (C2G) LPO and KPO services in India. This unique C2G LPO and KPO services by Perry4Law would not only help Indian government in enacting suitable techno legal policies but would also help in meeting the objectives of mandatory e-governance services in India as well as effective PPP in India on a C2G model.

Let us hope experts and stakeholders would be included in the fold this time by Indian government in general and DIT in particular. After all for how long can we tolerate corruption and failures in India? Let us hope that the proposed Jan Lokpal bill 2011 of India would also bring some respite in this regard.

E-Courts Project Of India

Information and communication technology (ICT) has many pro active and useful purposes. In the context of judicial functioning of India, ICT can bring many far reaching judicial reforms in India. Role of ICT for judicial reforms of India is no more a novel concept but a well accepted fact.

However, despite this realisation, e-courts in India have failed to be established. Till the month of April 2011, we are still waiting for the establishment of first e-court of India. In the name of e-courts, India has just computerised some of the traditional courts litigation and administration systems. By and large, e-judiciary in India is still an unfulfilled dream.

According to Praveen Dalal, managing partner of New Delhi base techno legal ICT law firm Perry4Law and leading techno legal expert of India, E-Courts in India have still to see the light of the day. India is still at the first stage of Computerisation of some of the aspects of Courts. Full fledged E-Filling, Submission of Plaints and Documents Online, Online Evidence Producing, etc are still missing, informs Dalal.

Establishment of e-court would require tremendous domain specific techno-legal expertise and in the absence of the same e-courts project is bound to fail. We have a single and exclusive techno legal e-courts training and consultancy centre of India. The centre provides techno legal assistance for establishment, maintenance and upgradation of e-courts infrastructure all over the world.

The present e-court infrastructure of India needs rejuvenation. We do have a legal enablement of ICT systems in India. Till a legal framework conducive for techno legal development of Indian judiciary is not established, legal and judicial systems of India have little incentives to adopt technology. In short, we need legal enablement of ICT systems in India.

Further, judicial e-infrastructure of India also needs rejuvenation. The moment e-filing, presentation, contest and adjudication of the cases in an online environment would start, India would surely be capable of establishing e-courts. In the absence of these capabilities, we have to wait for few more years to get speedier justice in India.

Computer Forensics Courses In India

The importance of information and communication technology (ICT) related research, education and training is self explanatory. This is more so when this is techno legal in nature where both technical as well as legal issues are involved.

This is the reason that the Lok Sabha passed a bill to provide status of IIT to eight new institutes and upgrade BHU's institute of technology into IIT. The government has also asserted that steps were being taken to address shortage of faculty and quality of higher education.

The government has also endorsed the importance of public private partnership (PPP) in imparting qualitative research, education and training in India. One area that can greatly benefit from PPP model is computer forensics research, education and training.

The word computer forensics depicts a picture of science fiction movie where cops or professionals engage in the same with great ease and style. However, in real life things are not as easy and glamorous as they are shown in movies.

Computer forensics is not an easy task. Rather it is a complicated procedure that requires great cyber skills development. Computer forensics requires practical scientific knowledge about computers and associated accessories. The evidence acquired through computer forensics must be legally admissible hence every precaution must be taken to acquire evidence in a legally acceptable manner.

Computer forensics in India is still at its youth stage. This is so because there is a general lack of legal enablement of ICT systems in India that can strengthen computer forensics research, education and training in India. In the absence of adequate legal enablement of ICT systems in India, computer forensics has also not developed much.

Another reason for lack of computer forensics in India is absence of adequate and qualitative techno legal computer forensics institutions. There are very few institutions that provide computer forensics educations and training in India. However, computer forensics is techno legal in nature that must cater both technical and legal requirements of the learners.

India has a single techno legal cyber forensics research, training and educational institution. It is managed by Perry4Law's Techno Legal Base (PTLB) and Perry4Law's Techno Legal ICT Training Centre (PTLITC). The centre is providing techno legal computer forensics education, trainings and course in India.

PTLB and PTLITC are providing their computer forensics courses and other techno legal course and trainings through the use of e-learning and online education models. Registration for online education and trainings in the field of cyber forensics and other techno legal courses of PTLB and PTLITC can be done through their online platforms here and here.

Some of the topics covered by the basic level computer forensics course include basic introduction about applicable law, cyber law of India, digital evidencing in India, e-mail tracing, data recovery, etc. The students or professionals undergoing the basic level trainings and education from PTLB would be given preference for courses and trainings undertaken by PTLITC.

Application form for the enrollment to various courses, internships and trainings can be downloaded from here and more details about the courses of PTLB can be found here.

PTLITC is also in the process of providing highly specialised and domain specific techno legal trainings, courses and educations in the fields like cyber law, cyber security, cyber forensics, anti cyber terrorism, anti cyber warfare, human rights protection in cyberspace, lawful interceptions and self defence against unlawful interceptions, etc. If you have a temperament for techno legal course, get yourself a seat as techno legal profession is going to be one of the most remunerative and in demand profession in future.