The key mandate before Nagendra Singhal, head of the State e-Governance Mission Team (SeMT), Department of Information Technology, Uttar Pradesh, is to deliver e-governance services to users across the state. The SeMT serves as an advisory body to the government for using and implementing information, communication and technology (ICT) to extend services to citizens.

Singhal’s team primarily works in four domains: project, finance, technology and change management. Of these, the last is the most challenging. “When implementing an e-governance project, sourcing professionals with the right skill sets and rolling out the project is far easier than motivating the workforce to adapt to the new ICT environment. The challenge lies in monitoring and hand-holding government employees during the shift from their traditional way of working and embracing new technologies and systems.”

Under Singhal’s leadership, the SeMT team has rolled out an e-governance project, wherein citizens can avail of 26 services online. The initiative has been a success, he points out, with the government issuing 9 million digital certificates within a year.

According to Singhal, strengthening telecom connectivity in rural and remote areas of the country is a must to expand the scope of e-governance initiatives. There is high demand for data services in rural areas. However, due to the lack of connectivity, the government is unable to leverage ICT to the fullest.

Going forward, Singhal says that the SeMT will take up capacity enhancement projects on a regular basis with the objective of improving connectivity within Uttar Pradesh. It plans to create an electronic workflow of various government-led processes that are currently carried out manually. In addition, with the government planning to provide tablet PCs to various field functionaries such as lekhpals (land record officials), the delivery of essential services will be fast-tracked.

As a manager, Singhal values the principle of collaboration and believes that each member of the team is equally important for the success of a project.

On the personal level, Singhal unwinds by spending time with his family and reading. He finds A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s India 2020: A Vision of the New Millennium particularly inspirational.