[Pakistan] First e-Government portal to be launched soon

["Irfan Khan" <khania2@super.net.pk>]

From: "SDNP Info" <info@isb.sdnpk.org>
To: "Comp-list" <comp-list@isb.sdnpk.org>
Date: Tue, 24 Sep 2002 15:16:34 +0500

First e-Government portal to be launched soon
The News, By Imran Ayub, 24/9/2002
http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/sep2002-daily/24-09-
2002/business/b2.htm

KARACHI: The Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST), would soon be 
launching the first ever web portal which would provide several 
services and easy access to information for the general public on all 
government departments.  

"As part of the 'E-Government Project', websites relating to all the 
35 federal divisions have been developed, which will contain all the 
relevant information about these divisions", a top MoST official told 
The News.  

All government forms would be available through this portal. The 
portal has been hosted on trial basis and would be launched 
commercially by the end of September 2002, he added. "This portal 
will enable the citizens to apply for things like ID cards, etc 
online as well as submit their tax returns," he added.  

He informed that the main objective which the government aimed to 
achieve by the implementation of the electronic government programme 
was to improve the internal efficiency of government operations, 
enhance transparency in government transactions and facilitate the 
citizens.  

"The programme comprises different specific IT projects that will be 
implemented in phases over a period of many years", said the 
official. "To help citizens who are facing a lot of problems in 
payment of utility bills by standing in long queues, time constraints 
and unfavourable weather conditions government is encouraging the 
banks, utility companies and private sector firms to team up and 
provide a solution for payment of utility bills', he elaborated.  

The solutions being explored include Internet payment as well as 
payment through a network of kiosks, and added that the Pakistan 
Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) had already taken the 
initiative and was launching projects on trial basis.  

He said that under a pilot project, the IT & Telecom Division of MoST 
was jointly participating with a nationalised bank for installation 
of 18 Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) at locations in Islamabad and 
Rawalpindi initially, which would facilitate in payment of salaries 
to the federal government employees.  

"The locations selected are near government offices and residential 
localities where there is a concentration of low and middle income 
government employees", he said. Under this project, a 24 hours, 7 
days a week banking facility would be provided to the government 
employees he said adding that "this project is expected to be 
completed by the end of this month (September)."  

"We are also providing computer training to thousands of federal 
government employees to enable them to work efficiently. Besides the 
federally driven and managed programme, provinces are also being 
encouraged to bring up their projects for e-government in support of 
the IT initiatives for the Federal Government", he said.  

"The IT & Telecom Division is providing technical and financial 
assistance to the provinces for development of projects within the 
broad framework of the e-government programme", said the official.  


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