India, the world's IT services backyard, figures quite low in a global e-Governance ranking

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with a per capita IT spend of just USD 1.29, a new study says.

Country's largest software exporter Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), which has authored the study, said that New Delhi has to catalyse policy decisions to improve e-Governance. India's per capita public sector IT spend is just USD 1.29, compared to USD 199 in New Zealand and USD 153 in Singapore.

"According to the WEF Global Information Technology Report, India ranks 44 out of 122 countries analysed and ahead of us are countries like Barbados, Latvia, Tunisia, Thailand and the Slovak Republic.

"Therefore, there is tremendous potential for e-Governance to benefit citizens exponentially and maximize return on government investments," TCS CEO and Managing Director S Ramadorai said.

If implemented properly, e-Governance can be an asset for the unserved and under-served areas in India and drive new efficiency gains nationwide.

While Indian IT is the envy of the world and is associated with some of the most advanced and complex IT projects globally, India has not fully leveraged its potential of IT and the expertise of Indian IT industry, the study said.

The White Paper is an attempt by TCS to use its experience in e-Governance projects to define a road-map for India and highlight current impediments like a silo-based approach that is limiting the benefits of technology use.