Minister for communications and information technology Kapil Sibal today tabled the Electronic Delivery of Services (EDS), 2011 in parliament. The bill aims to provide a mechanism for better government services to citizens. If passed, it will revamp the overall service delivery mechanism in the country and will be instrumental in enhancing transparency, efficiency, accountability, accessibility and reliability in delivery of government services.

All departments will have to identify services to be e-enabled within 180 days of enactment of the EDS Act. The departments will have to fix a cut-off date for electronic delivery of the identified services and implement the same.

The bill proposes to establish electronic service delivery commissions at the centre and state level on lines of central information commission (CIC) and state information commissions (SIC) under the RTI Act. These commissions will look into the implementation of the EDS Act, provide an appellate mechanism for non-introduction of electronic services, oversee annual reports on implementation of the Act and push up for joined up services.

The bill also proposes a penalty of Rs. 5,000 to be levied on defaulting officials. It proposes that the central government, the state government and public authorities shall deliver all public services by electronic mode within five years of the commencement of the Act, except the services which cannot be delivered electronically.