E-GOVERNANCE ADOPTION AND ADMINISTRATIVE EFFICIENCY IN ANDHRA PRADESH: AN EMPIRICAL ASSESSMENT OF CITIZEN-CENTRIC SERVICE DELIVERY

Abstract

The reorganisation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014 presented a unique governance challenge: a newly constituted state government was compelled to rebuild its administrative infrastructure while simultaneously accelerating digital service delivery for approximately 49 million citizens across 13 districts. This paper empirically examines e-governance adoption and its impact on administrative efficiency in the post-bifurcation Andhra Pradesh, drawing on a stratified survey of 480 citizens across six purposively selected districts (2016–17), official MeeSeva transaction records, government administrative efficiency data, and secondary sources. The study employs multiple regression analysis, descriptive statistics, and comparative pre/post assessment to evaluate the effectiveness of citizen-centric e-services—principally MeeSeva, AP Online, eSeva, and the e-District portal—in streamlining public service delivery. Results show that the most significant factors influencing the adoption of e-services are digital literacy (β = 0.341), internet access (β = 0.298), and perceived ease of use (β = 0.264). The indicators of administrative efficiency have also greatly improved, dropping by 78.1% in the average time to issue a certificate and rising by 402% in the number of online service transactions during the same period (2013-2016). But there are significant educational and rural–urban gaps that limit inclusive adoption.  The paper concludes with policy recommendations oriented toward infrastructure augmentation, digital literacy programming, and institutional capacity building to realise equitable e-governance outcomes.