technology for transparency - the south asian story
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Technology for Transparency The South Asian Story
By Namita SinghResearcher – South Asia
The current context
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South Asia
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• Democracy and South Asia
• People’s movements
• Citizens and Governance
• Initiatives by citizens, civil society, government
• Several challenges, successes and failures
Technology: its access and its effect
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• Access as an issue
• Impact on urban and semi-urban • Generating interest among users
• Initiating action
• Offline efforts tied up with online
• Governments have taken notice as well
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Impacts : Some case studies
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Mumbai Votes
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About: Tracks politicians and political parties, comparing their
promises to performance in order to better inform voters.
What they say:
“While voting for the first time, I realized that my nation, my parents, teachers etc., were casting their vote, their engagement with democracy, in blindness and lack of information - on the basis of perception, opinion, gossip and crude parameters, such as personal charisma!
I understood that blind voting was behind the deficiencies and maladies of our democracy. I vowed to myself that my next vote will be the most informed one, ever!”
Key perspective:
• Informed Voting• Promise Vs Performance
Kiirti
South Asia
South Asia
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South Asia About: Kiirti is a one-stop citizen reporting and petitioning platform
for India, addressing civic and governance issues.
What they say: “Once in Chennai, I noticed things like, traffic police missing
from his post on a busy intersection and I wanted to figure out, how and where to complain - a simple way, where people can complain about simple issues… That’s when ‘Fix Our City and Kiirti came about.
Someone complained about the streetlights, not working. The next day, the department came and fixed it. This small incident, but from a citizen’s point of view, was a dramatic incident – made a big difference - there’s an easy way for them to report, and then to effect a change - that’s the power of this platform!’
Key perspective: • Platform for different initiatives to engage with civic and
governance issue. • Impactful ground work
Centre for Monitoring Election ViolenceSri Lanka
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About: An election watchdog group that monitors violence and voting
irregularities to ensure an informed electorate.
What they say: “In a regional election, in the late 90s, completely marred with
violence, because of our monitoring, the government ordered for re-polling. CMEVs reports are not easy to brush aside, because of the detailed research.
We do plan to develop and use tools for mapping, plotting, graphing or putting up information, in other interesting ways, for citizens and even governments to understand the process better and act” says, Sanjana Hattotuwa, senior researcher, CPA founding member, CMEV.
Key perspective:• Well-researched information • Visual mapping of election violence
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iJanaagraha
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About: An online 'touch-point', between citizens and government, for
information, empowerment and accountability
What they say: “It is not true that people are totally apathetic. There are a
lot of people, who want to engage with governance, but they don’t know, how to go about it.
With Janaagraha’s experience over the last decade, we thought, we need to have an online, citizen training and information platform, especially for the urban youth, with the notion – nation-building starts from your neighborhood’, says Velu Shankar, Co-ordinator, iJanaagraha.
Key perspective: • Bridge between the government and citizens• Involve citizens in their neighborhood
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Looking forward: The Future
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• Better online tools
• Strengthening offline campaigns and work
• Working with the government
• Evoking wider interest in the current internet users
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