GOVERNMENT
OF INDIA
A Digital India Initiative
GOVERNMENT
OF INDIA
Open Government Data is a dynamic and emerging concept which has gained momentum over the last decade or so. As it is quite evident from the terminology, Open Data can be seen as an idea that certain data should be freely available to everyone to use and republish as they wish, without restrictions from copyright, patents or other mechanisms of control. This idea of data being available at large without any restriction has fuelled a movement of sorts emphasizing on the use of data and consequent analytics to provide answers and specific solutions to the daily issues at large. Open Data correlated with Government Data has gained a lot of prominence and limelight courtesy the continuous effort of the citizen groups demanding a more transparent and accountable governance mechanism. To take it further one can also say that Open Government Data is fast emerging as a pivotal benchmark for ascertaining the levels of accountability and responsiveness of government institutions across the world.
As the trends across the world suggest the concept of Open Government Data has been accepted at large by the bigger international community as an effective means of inclusive governance. The citizen’s demand to recognize their fundamental rights to actively engage in policy making and implementation has spurned the government across the world to promote the concept of open government data. The character of Open Government Data not only brings to the table a much more informed decision making process but also empowers the citizen at large enabling them to ask questions and demand answers with regard to governance.
Similarly in case of India, there is no doubting the fact that the demand for transparency and accountability in government dealing has dominated the Indian Politico-economic discourses in recent times. Supplementing this demand it is heartening to see that India has been one of the trendsetters when it comes to Open Government Data movement. India has been at the forefront in initiating and promoting Open Government Data and there is no doubt that an OGD Platform like this is in line with the best in the world promoting and creating an atmosphere for sharing of data in open format. The initiation of NDSAP policy and the consequent development of OGD platform has enabled the sharing Open Government Data to the public at large. Further opening them up for value addition and enabling an enhanced citizen delivery mechanism.
Despite the wonderful initiation which has taken place in this regard, one need to conform to reality check and there is no doubting the fact that a lot more needs to be done. In order to experience the real impact of Open Government Data when it comes to transparency and accountability can only be felt when a platform like this can host data from all the government institutions across the country. More importantly data from state and local governments. The real time data from these governments actually have more potential to affect the daily life of a citizen and empowering them in their quest for government accountability.
In addition to this as mentioned earlier the concept of Open Government Data is an emerging one, therefore it is essential that the larger public at large are brought up to speed with regard to the benefits and impact of Open Data through value addition, development of apps and larger community engagement. Another suggestion which can be taken into account with regard to transparency and accountability in the Indian scenario is the linking up of provisions pertaining to Right to Information with the envisaged concept of Open Data in India. The proactive disclosures if made in Open Format can create a symbiotic atmosphere where Open Data can complement the envisaged goals and objectives of Right to Information Act. This is something which can be delved into further looking at the knitty gritties to create a path for proactive disclosures through Open Data to work in tandem.