34 E-Services

T. Radha

epgp books

 

 

Introduction

 

E-services are the electronic service. As the name suggests, E-services is nothing but doing our works using the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in different arenas. It has become a trend in the fastly moving society. It simplifies the human works. it is usually done with the help of the Internet.

 

This module focuses on the importance of E-services and the utilization of e-services in different disciplines. This module aims at providing a special reference to the importance of the E-services in the rural areas.

 

Growth of communication

 

As everybody knows, communication plays a significant role in every walks of human lives. It helps to send and receive informations, ideas, opinion to the others. It is indeed true that the act of sending or receiving informations or the process of communication has had a great change from the earlier days. In the ancient days, the communication was passed through doves or letters. Now-a-days, the condition has been changed to a greater extent. We send andreceive informations at an instant through E-mails, face book, twitter, whatsapp etc. the similar changes have been taking place in different areas or disciplines.

 

In the earlier days, a man has to walk to a far of distance to pay his electronic or water bill. But at present, the E-services allow us to pay the billsthrough the internet. In the ancient days, a man has to go to different places to get education. Now-a-days, there are many professional and diploma courses online. Moreover, in the earlier days, a man has to stand in a queue to withdraw his money from the bank, now he/she can withdraw the money through Automated Teller Machine (ATM) or through credit or debit cards. All these are made possible due to the development in the field of E-services.

 

COMPONENTS Of E-SERVICES

According to Rowley, there are three important components in the E-services. They are:

  • Service providers
  • Service receivers
  • Channel

The service providers are the people or the agency involved in providing services. For example, in public services, the public agency is the service provider. Similarly, in the cooperative societies in the rural areas, the Primary Agricultural Credit Society (PACS) is the service provider.

 

Service receivers are the one who receive the services from the agencies. For example, in the public services, the citizens are the service receivers. In the same way, in the cooperative societies, the rural people or the villagers including the land owners and labourers are the service receivers.

 

The channel of E-service is the third and important element as far as E-service is concerned. Without this element, the project will not complete and willnot reach its expected range. Internet is the most oftenly used channels of E-services. The other channels include:

  • Telephones
  • Call Centers
  • Mobile phones
  • Televisions
  • Public kiosks
  • Etc. they are also used for E-services but not as extensively as the Internet.

 

IMPORTANCE OF E-SERVICES

 

E-services reduce the human work and encourage the machines to work in an instant. It is more faster than the human based services. The following are theimportance of E-services.

 

ACCESSING A GREATER CUSTOMER BASE

 

E-services are extensively used by the customers. The main reason being that they are easily accessible to the customers. They need not walk for a longdistance to fulfill their needs. they can access them at a click of a button.

 

EXPANDING MARKET REACH

 

The reach ability of the markets is made possible with the help of the E-services. The scope of the markets are broadened due to the advent of the E-services.

 

ADVANTAGES OF E-SERVICES

 

The following are some of the advantages of E-services.

  • Lowering of entry obstacle to new markets and cost of acquiring new customers: the important advantage of the E-service is that it lowers the obstacles to enter into a new field. Moreover, it reduces the cost of acquiring new customers because, the advertisement is done through the Internet which is a cheaper form of communication.
  • Alternative communication channel to customers: in the ancient days, the advertisements are done through the television or radio, but at present, the advertisements are displayed on the websites. This provides an alternative channel to the customers.
  • Expanding services to customers: the E-services helps in expanding services to the customers. For example, the cooperative societies help the farmers to get loans easily with the help of the E-services.
  • Enhancing perceived company image: the E-services enhance the company image due to its easy access.
  • Gaining competitive advantages: E-services provide the informations about the trend in the current market. Thereby it helps in enhancing the competitive skills of the producers.
  • Possible for increasing Customer knowledge: it is indeed true that the E-services play a crucial role in enhancing the knowledge of the customers or the consumers about the products and services.

DOMAINS OF E-SERVICES

 

E-services have many applications. Therefore, they can be found in many areas or disciplines.

They are mostly used in two main domains. They are:

  • Business or commerce
  • And government

E-BUSINESS

 

E-business is the area in which the E-services are used. They include the E-services provided by the business sectors, areas relating to Commerce and theother non-governmental organizations shortly called as (NGOs). E-services play a crucial role in these areas to maintain data and informations.

 

E-GOVERNMENT

 

E-government is one of the very big area in which the E-services are used extensively. It includes the services provided by the governmental organizationsto the citizens ranging from issuing a ration card to an voter I.D. card. It includes all the services done by the government with the help of electronicinstruments mainly with the internet.

 

Moreover, the measurement of land and survey numbers for the lands are fed into the computers from all the taluk offices and the people can get these numbers and documents from their nearby cooperative societies. This is one of the examples of the E-services.

 

TYPES OF E-SERVICES

 

There are many types of E-services. Some of them are:

  • E- Banking services
  • E- Governance
  • E- Bill payment services
  • E- Food services
  • E- Shopping
  • E- Portal

 

E-BANKING SERVICES

 

E-banking is an active area. In the ancient days, the people had to walk to a long distance to use the banks. They also had to stand in a long line topay or withdraw money. In that case, E-banking acts as a rescue. It saves the people’s time and energy. They can use the E-banking services such as the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) or the debit or credit cards to pay and withdraw the money. E-lockers are also introduced to provide safety to the customers wealth.

 

E-GOVERNANCE

 

A key component of the Digital India initiative is providing e-governance which is aimed at promoting through e-Kranti or electronic delivery of services. Under this, the central and state governments will pull Information and communication technologies to grant an integrated services on an end-to-end basis. In fact, the rural e-governance applications implemented in the recent past have demonstrated the significance of Informations and communication Technologies in the alarmed domains of rural development. Some of the recent initiatives that have gone live and are expected to significantly affect rural areas are:

 

E-lockers, E-health care services, agriculture, education etc. Moreover, the cyclone announcing systems allows to get to know the weather and they help in taking necessary precautions during the times of cyclone. Similarly, the web cameras allow the governments to prevent robbery or any other offensive acts.

 

E-BILL PAYMENT SERVICES

 

E-bill payment services act as an important element in the digital world. In the older days, our ancesters had to walk to a long distance to pay Electric or water bill. It took a considerable amount of time. Now the condition has been changed due to the advent of the E-services. The bills can be payed with the help of E-bill payment services. They can use their internet to pay their bills from home. Credit and debit cards are used to pay the bills. Similarly, tickets for buses, trains or flights can be booked through online services. It simplifies the act of travelling. Over all, the E-bill services reduce the time and energy of human beings.

 

E-FOOD SERVICES

 

It is the latest development in the digital era. It is an app developed by two men while travelling. The E-food app is available in the playstore. If wehave this app in our mobile phones, we can order the food that we want while we travel through this app. The food from the nearby branch will be delivered in the railway stations or bus stands. We need not search for a guaranteed food while travelling. Moreover, the food can also be ordered through the system of doordelivery. All we have to do is that calling up them and ordering the food we want. They will be. delivered from the nearby branch at a minimum time. The Dominos is very popular for its e-food services

 

E-SHOPPING

 

E-shopping has become a trend in the twenty first century. It is the easiest way of purchase. It is true that the world is moving at an air’s speed. Now-a-days, nobody spends much time for shopping except a few. It is because, they have many works to do and have many obligations to fulfill. In this case, they prefer E-shopping. It is very easy and simple. They can order the things or materials by looking their pictures online. The rate for each material will also be put near the picture. If they like to buy them, they can place the order and can pay the money through E-banking. They can also pay the amount as cash on delivery. The mostly used E-shopping sites include: Amazon, Flipkart, shopcluse etc. This E-shopping provides much options within a very lesser time and with a click of a button.

 

E-PORTALS

 

E-portals are used extensively to connect to various sites. They take us to various options for the subject we search for. It saves the time of searching.

 

It simplifies the human work. It provides the informations about all the fields include: science, ethics, philosophy, economy, mathematics, literature, arts, social works, etc. therefore, it consumes much time.

 

HEALTH CARE

 

There is currently a huge demand-supply gap in the medicare section and a dearth of 1.5 million-2 million doctors. In addition, as per estimates, around 65 per cent of people in rural India do not have access to necessary medicines. But then, technology can play an crucial role in bridging this gap. The e-health initiatives envisaged under Digital India involve providing online medical consultation, integrating patients’ electronic health records in a digital locker, online medicine supply and pan-Indian exchange of patient information. This provides the people from the rural areas to access to the health services. The government aims to provide e-healthcare coverage throughout the country by 2018. Digital locker is the prime important component which will store a database of person’s information for easy access by the government and private establishments. This broad database will not be restricted to an individual’s health records. It will act as a dedicated cloud- based personal storage space linked to each resident’s Aadhaar card number. It will store the e-documents as well as the Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) of the e-documents issued by various departments and will have an e-signature option. Moreover, the E-services play a crucial role in saving blood in the blood banks. This can be much of help both to the rural as well as urban population.

 

E-EDUCATION

 

Digital India intiative is the vital important in information and communication system. Both the central and state government idea is to connect broadband connections in all school andimportant places. In addition, free Wi-Fi will be granted in all secondary and higher secondary schools. Moreover, a programme on digital literacy will be implemented at the national level. Massive open online courses (MOOCs) will be developed and leveraged for education. These initiatives are likely to boost education facilities in rural areas, which otherwise lack proper infrastructure for imparting quality education. Further, many state governments have launched e-education programmes that use mobile and broadband technology to deliver primary as well as higher education in rural areas. The private sector has also taken several initiatives in e-education. Some of the successful initiatives in this regard are Microsoft India’s project Shiksha and e-Shiksha. All these are aimed at providing education both to the rural as well as urban population.

 

E-Libraries

 

Libraries play a significant role to collect information. They are the important providers of knowledge. In the ancient days, the people especially the students and the teachers had to walk to libraries and search for the books. Now-a-days, the condition has been changed to a great extent. There are many E-libraries. Some of them include: bookshouldbefree.com,booksfi.org, projectguttenberg.com etc. these libraries provide many books online. The students can access the online books. In the same way, newspapers are also available online. Therefore, people need not search for the print newspapers.

 

Similarly, in the ancient days, people had to search for the books from different shelves. It takes much time. The E-service provides an Online Catalogue by which one can check the availability and the location of the books. Moreover, most of the libraries provide an online access. By which, any member can access to the books within the codes of the library. For example, any member can access the American library. All one has to do is that they should fill in the application form. After sending the application form, one may receive books either through postal or online. These E-libraries play a crucial role in easy access of books.

 

AGRICULTURE

 

We all know that the agriculture is the back bone of India. E-services related web based tools available in the field of agriculture In order to enable farmers to have access to reliable and timely information regarding weather conditions, crop and market prices, farming tips, etc., the government along with a few private telecom players is providing text-based and voice-based services. Among the most comprehensive of these services is the Kisan portal. It is launched in July 2013. This portal allows all central and state government organisations involved in the agriculture and allied sectors to provide information, services and advisories to fanners through SMSs in their preferred language, based on their preference for agricultural practices and location.

 

Other successful initiatives in this regard are M-Krishi, e-Choupal and KisanMitra. M-Krishi was developed by Tata Consultancy Services. It provides farmers with information regarding weather, fertilisers, pest control and food prices in local markets. Similarly, e-Choupal is an initiative of ITC Limited, under which the company has provided access to computers and the internet in rural areas. This helps farmers to get information on Mandy prices and good farming practices, and place orders for agricultural inputs. KisanMitra is an SMS-based service managed by Vodafone India that gives farmers access to basic agriculture- and market-related information. Farmers can also opt for personalised crop management, weather information, pesticide composition and market prices.

 

Cooperative Societies

 

The E-services play a crucial role in the cooperative societies. They enhance the quality of the lives of the rural population. The people can get loans through the Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS). The people can also get the documents which have the record of the land measurements, survey through online from the PACS. All the records in the cooperative societies are maintained with the help of the E-services. Therefore, the E-services play a crucial role in the cooperative societies. Thereby, they help in the development of the rural population.

 

CHALLENGES IN E-SERVICES

 

Though E-services attain a greater claim, it is true that there are some challenges to take the e-services to the rural areas.

 

Firstly, some people in the rural areas are illiterate. They are not openminded to welcome changes. It is very difficult to convince them to use the E-services.

 

The next main challenge regarding is that the lack of technological knowledge of the people. They fail to concentrate and learn the technical skills. Therefore, the E-services cannot be reached to such sort of people.

 

The third main reason is that the difficulties in accessing the internet. Since every activity is based on the internet, the people who cannot afford for the net suffers a lot. The E-services cannot be reached as effectively as expected to such people. Finding a suitable way to bring down these challenges can enhance the use of E-services.

 

MOBILE PHONE NETWORKING

 

The effective use of information and communication technology (ICT) has brought significant changes in the urban economy and helped enhance knowledge, improve productivity, and save time, energy and resources. The government now aims to replicate this success in the rural segment by ensuring greater ICTdeployment in these areas. Technology can help connect these sections of society and bring in major socio-economic benefits.

 

The task of taking technology to rural areas has been made simpler by the roll-out of cellular networks and the proliferation of mobile devices. As perthe Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, the rural teledensity in India stood at 51.37 per cent as of March 2016, up from 47.78 per cent in March 2015.

 

With the rapid increase in telecom penetration in the hinterland, the government is considering this medium as a primary point of contact between the ruralpopulation and the government. Mobile phones are revolutionizing the way critical services can be accessed.

 

CONCLUSION

 

Currently, the central and state governments, in partnership with private players, are delivering a number of e-services in rural India. These includeagriculture, health care, education, banking and the public distribution system. The most ambitious programme in this regard is Digital India, which aims to transform the entire ecosystem of public services through the use of ICT. While the programme includes wide-ranging services for both rural and urban India, it will have a greater impact on the rural sections of the population, given that the existing infrastructure is inadequate in these areas. This process of digital India can be achieved by giving awareness about the E-services to the rural population. If the necessary awareness and training are given to the rural people, there is no doubt that the rural areas can achieve many a great heights.

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