The Electronic Service Level Agreement (e-SLA) monitoring system successfully leverages ICT tools to facilitate the efficient implementation of the Delhi Right of Citizen to Time Bound Delivery of Services Act, 2011.

Various Indian states are enacting their respective versions of the Public Service Guarantee Acts that empower citizens with a legal right to demand time bound delivery of services from the government failing which the concerned government official can be penalized. In order for these Acts to be successfully implemented, their enactment has to be accompanied by complementary reforms in service delivery processes and adequate capacity building measures to strengthen public administration. Recognizing the urgency of such reforms in the administrative system, the Government of NCT of Delhi has developed an online monitoring system i.e. electronic Service Level Agreement (e-SLA) for recording and tracking the delivery of various services guaranteed under its Public Service Guarantee Act.

Delhi’s online monitoring system captures the submission of service applications and their disposal electronically through a central software. Various departments’ data is integrated and linked to the central software which can then be used to generate reports and evaluations that assist higher authorities in overseeing and monitoring the performance of their departments and tracking any sort of delay. The e SLA helps in keeping a check on non performing departments and personnel and introduces a culture of transparency and accountability. It also provides citizens’ with a web based interface to track their applications anytime, anywhere and rightly demand their services on time. So far the e SLA system monitors 70 services of 22 departments of the GNCTD. Eventually, this system will monitor up to 100 services.

The e-SLA monitoring system presents an excellent example of leveraging ICT tools for supporting and strengthening governance processes and monitoring mechanisms. Most Indian states can and should learn and adapt from Delhi’s experience to develop an ICT service delivery monitoring infrastructure of their own.

This case study was published in January 2012.

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