The government has approved the Electronic Delivery of Services Bill (EDS),2011 which will help it provide driving licence and other such permits electronically,bringing in transparency in public dealings and checking corruption. The bill has been signed by the President,after it was recently approved by the Prime Minister and the Cabinet,officials close to the development said. The Bill was to be tabled in the ongoing Winter Session but has been delayed due to various reasons,they added. Once the bill is cleared by Parliament,states will be given six months for the notification. Within five years of the Act,the Centre as well as the states will have to deliver all public services electronically,the officials said. The bill aims at reducing interface between the public and government officials to save time and costs as well as to enhance transparency to check corruption,they added. The draft Bill,prepared by the Communications and IT Ministry,proposed penalties for officials in case they fail to adhere to the norms. It also required each Ministry or Department to identify the basket of citizen-centric services to be delivered through the electronic means along with the delivery channels,with stipulated timelines and service levels for each service. Each ministry will be required to assess its readiness and accordingly fix the timelines for mandatory electronic service delivery.
