Question

Explain the correlation of the following:

Ombudsman and e-governance

Answer 1

• The concept of Lokpal has been taken from Sweden where the office is called the Ombudsman. The typical duties of an ombudsman are to investigate complaints against government officials and attempt to resolve them. The Lokayukta can investigate allegations or grievances arising out of the conduct of public servants including political executives, legislators, officers of the State Government, local bodies, public enterprises and other instrumentalities of Government.
• E-Governance is one of the most important aspects of the Ombudsman. It involves the employment of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to facilitate efficient and instant transmission and processing of information as well as storing and retrieval of data. Thus, e-governance helps to implement core values of good governance such as transparency, effectiveness, accountability, and participation of citizens.