Keshav Kharal, Raj Kumar Thakur, Kiran Barakoti, Krishna Kumar Rai, Drona Prasad Acharya, Sagar Sitaula
Cloud based public services can improve the accessibility, responsiveness, and efficiency of municipal administration, but the availability of digital infrastructure does not by itself guarantee meaningful use. This study examines the role of digital literacy in the use of online municipal services in Biratnagar Municipality, Nepal. A cross-sectional survey of 75 respondents, comprising 50 citizens and 25 municipal employees, was analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson chi-square testing, and multiple regression. The analysis indicates a statistically significant association between digital literacy and cloud service use. In the regression model predicting online municipal service use, digital literacy was the only statistically significant predictor among digital literacy, education, and age, and the model explained approximately one third of the observed variation in service use. By contrast, the model predicting perceived ease of using cloud services was not statistically significant. These findings suggest that digital skills are particularly important for moving citizens and staff from the availability of online services to actual use. The study recommends practical digital literacy training, simplified service interfaces, accessible user support, and continued attention to inclusion when municipal services are digitized.
Digital Literacy; E-Government; Cloud Computing; Municipal Services; Biratnagar Municipality