eGov to work with J-PAL to improve the delivery of public services

eGov Foundation (eGov) will work with Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab South Asia (J-PAL South Asia)  to improve public service delivery in smaller cities using technology and data. 

As part of the initiative, eGov will make administrative data including real-time information on transactions and metrics around municipal services available to researchers affiliated with J-PAL for design and evaluation purposes. 

eGov has access to large volumes of data on citizen services. Making this data available to researchers will pave the way for improving the delivery of public services to citizens in tier 2 and tier 3 cities of India.  

According to eGov,  local governments and civic bodies in these cities are facing a severe shortage of workers and funds. 

In addition to leveraging data provided by eGov, researchers working with J-PAL will also work with state and local governments to identify gaps in public service delivery for urban residents and work on improving citizen engagement and welfare. 

Urban services, health, sanitation, and public finance are some of the core focus areas of this partnership. 

Further, eGov and J-PAL South Asia will also work on improving the decision-making process of local governments by providing them with customized capacity building and recommendations on analyzing administrative data.

“Over the last 18 years, eGov foundation has built digital platforms for cities that make real-time data on municipal services available to policymakers and governments. With J-PAL now onboard, we hope this data will be used to study, analyze and design effective government policies," Viraj Tyagi, CEO, eGov Foundation said in a statement. 

"We are pleased to partner with eGov to support governments at all levels in enhancing the use of digitally stored administrative data for public service delivery," Aparna Krishnan, Project Director, J-PAL South Asia said in a statement. 

Krishnan pointed out, we can significantly improve our social programs by collecting, aggregating, and analyzing data promptly, transforming the lives of the millions of Indians who depend on them daily.  

Founded in 2003 by Nandan Nilekani and Srikanth Nadhamuni, eGov Foundation has partnered with local governments and civic bodies in over 2600 towns and cities across India. The foundation claims to have benefited more than 150 million citizens.