E-Governance in Andhra Pradesh in India : Applications in Rural Development and Poverty Reduction Projects

Date: March 25, 2009, Wednesday
Time: 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm
Venue: IFC L-101

(Note: This event is at the IFC Building located at 2121 Pennsylvania Avenue)

Presenter: Mr. Koppula Raju, Principal Secretary of Rural Development, Government of Andhra Pradesh, India  download presentation

Chair: Deepak T. Bhatia, Lead e-Government Specialist, Policy Div (IBRD Telecom & Inf)

The government of Andhra Pradesh has strategically used e-governance to manage and implement its rural development programs in an efficient, effective, accountable and transparent  manner.  It has pioneered the use of web-based transactions and information using the software and program architecture developed in partnership with Tata Consultancy Services, the largest software company in India.  The e-governance mechanisms have been used in context of all large rural development programs implemented by Government of Andhra Pradesh such as National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGA), social safety nets and pensions for the poor  and the largest micro insurance scheme for the poor:  Indira Jeevitha Bima Pathamhttp://www.aaby.ap.gov.in/ . Web-based transaction and record keeping has also made it possible to provide timely and quality services to the poor, and minimize the possibility of fraudulent payments.

Government of Andhra Pradesh has also introduced transactions and payments to the poor households for various programs using SmartCards and biometric forms of identification through community organizations working as customer service provider for delivering of key services at the village level.  It has also pioneered the use of call centers and web-based claims settlement for the micro insurance programs through the network of 10 million women members of Self-Help Groups and its federations acting as franchisees for insurance companies.  This has helped in reducing the premium amounts and reduced the transaction amounts for claim settlement.  

Results so far are:

• 2.6 million poor have been issued SmartCards
• USD 10 million has been disbursed through SmartCard based payments under NREGA Scheme and Social Security Pension Scheme  
• 150,000 poor rural youth have been placed with jobs using the youth database which helps identify and target the poorest in the communities
• 32,863 Life Insurance claims have been reported through the call centers
• Almost 3 million women of Self-Help Groups have mobile phones which they use in their business transactions

The presentation will highlight how e-governance has been used in Andhra Pradesh for service delivery to the rural poor. 

About the Presenter:

Mr. Koppula Raju is the Principal Secretary to Government, Department of Rural Development, Andhra Pradesh, India.  A recipient of the Stockholm Challenge Award for e-governance applications in Rural Development, Mr. Raju is of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) cadre. He has pioneered several innovative poverty alleviation approaches and made significant contributions to poverty reduction strategies in Andhra Pradesh for over two decades. He has made significant contributions to poverty reduction strategies and programs in Andhra Pradesh for over a decade. As the National Project Coordinator for the UNDP-assisted South Asia Poverty Alleviation Program (SAPAP), he demonstrated how poverty reduction approaches can be made sustainable through social mobilization of the poor. As Chief Executive Officer for the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty, he scaled up SAPAP’s strategy of social mobilization and community empowerment for poverty reduction to the entire State, through a World Bank supported poverty reduction program.