IfG.CC - The Institute for eGovernment

Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (OP&HRD) is about to introduce paperless culture in the ministry to ensure speedy communication among its attached departments.

The spokesperson of the ministry said that the department was planning to outsource the project to a private company and the work in this regard was in progress.

According to a report released by the United Nations titled "United Nations Survey 2008; from e-Governance to Connected Governance", e-governance was best tool to check transparency, accountability, efficiency and effectiveness of any government.

On the directives of Chief of Army Staff, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, not only his office has been interlinked with all headquarters but also E-Governance system has been operationalized in GHQ under foolproof and security proof software, defense sources informed Online on Saturday.

Pakistan Citizen Portal App was selected amongst the top three apps out of over 4600 entries for an award at the World Government Summit on Monday.

Reports revealed that the application from Pakistan secured a spot in the top three, from 87 participating countries with over 4,646 entries at the World Government Summit in Dubai in the category of Best Mobile Government Apps.

Chairing a meeting here, she said the youth should not only use the latest services for entertainment but also explore the technology for development of database and software.

The meeting was convened to review progress of different projects which are being carried out under the direct supervision of the Ministry.

Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecom Anusha Rehman said the plan is aimed at providing e-services to the general public through an efficient and effective mechanism.

Addressing a workshop in the capital, she said the plan would cover all possible areas including e-learning, e-health and e-agriculture, Radio Pakistan reported.

Khawaja Tauseef Ahmad, CEO of the Aga Khan Foundation Cultural Services Pakistan (AKCSP), paid a visit to Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Ch. Pervaiz Elahi at the CM Office.

The key decision to build Lahore as a smart city in collaboration with the AKCSP was taken during the meeting.

In this context, the CM also sought a project plan. He stated that Lahore will enjoy the distinction of becoming Pakistan’s first smart city.

Citizens of Pakistan can now apply for a national ID card using a mobile app that enables them to scan the documents needed to support their application and verify their identity with their fingerprint and a photograph of their face from their smartphone.

The Pak-ID mobile app is available for both Android and iOS devices and has been launched by Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to allow Pakistani citizens — including those living abroad —  to complete their application remotely and without needing to visit a registration office.

Talking to mediamen here at a license awarding ceremony Kaira said he was in favour of extending the deadline for SIMs registration.

"The PPP government is also looking into the issue of PTCL employees and the decision will be taken in interest of the employees," he said.

According to official sources, MRP is conceived to absorb the knowledge-based capacity using recently-developed state-of-the-art data warehouse and infrastructure facilities.

Pakistan’s State Minister for Information & Broadcasting Syed Sumsam Ali Shah Bukhari launched the portal recently, called the National Rabta Information Portal, which was developed by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).

Mr Bukhari said: “The Government of Pakistan has a strong believe in utilising Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) to move into the era of electronic service delivery (e-Services) by simplifying procedures, and making credible and timely information available to all the citizens at all levels.

In the 2020 UN E-Government Development Index (EGDI) report, Pakistan was placed at 153rd spot among the total of 193 countries surveyed in the report. For Pakistan, it marks a decline in ranking, in contrast, with the report published in 2018 [148th].

Earlier, UN EGDI was the only measuring index for e-government development but now encompasses elements of digital government development of member nations by placing them across three different indicators including Online Services Index (OSI), Human Capital Index (HCI), and Telecommunication Infrastructure Index (TII).

Huawei, a global leader in ICT related solutions and systems recently published the global connectivity index 2018. The Huawei Global Connectivity Index 2018 (GCI), now in its fifth year, the GCI ‘S-curve’ is a visual representation of 79 nations’ path to the digital economy and the relationship between GCI score and GDP.

Huawei’s Global Connectivity Index (GCI) measures how nations are progressing with digital transformation using Information and Communications Technology (ICT). It is a quantitative assessment that comprehensively evaluates connectivity from both a national and industrial perspective.

Technology has reduced distances and connected people across continents, turning the world into a true global village. In today’s world, nearly all of us wake up and instinctively reach out for our smartphones to check our email and social media updates, grab news bites, and engage in conversations. Many of us call the cab to work, get the previous day’s closing numbers, look for updates from our favourite brands, send or receive money, read a page or two from our favourite book, and a lot more all through our cell phones. The tech marvels we could not imagine ever coming out of the science fiction and into the real world are more than commonplace today.

Pakistan is heading towards a technology-oriented government with plans of eVisas and e-governance in motion. Recently, Rana Tanveer, Federal Minister for Science and Technology suggested that the country should appoint engineers as the secretaries of technical ministries and heads of technical institutions that work under such ministries.

It was stated on Wednesday while addressing the closing session of 1st Deans International Conference of Engineering Institutions, organized by PEC (Pakistan Engineering Council) in alliance with HEC (Higher Education Commission) and FEIIC (Federation of Engineering Institutions of Islamic Countries). The conference was themed as “Engineering Education Standardization, Challenges and Solutions: Post Washington Accord Scenario”.

Under Internship Phase-III programme run by Pakistan Software Export Board, fresh graduates will be groomed by engaging them with software companies so that they can acquire practical skills required by the IT industry.

While under the National ICT Scholarship programme, the target this year is to provide about 400 students with scholarships for 4-year Bachelor’s degree programme in various national universities.

Telemedicine project aims to provide telemedicine facility to the grass root level population as part of proof of concept technology demonstration programme. This telemedicine facility will connect the district hospitals and health centres with super specialty hospitals in major cities to provide expert consultation to the needy and underserved population. People living in rural/remote areas of Pakistan will be able to seek advice and treatment from specialist doctors of major hospitals in big cities. The project will also contribute towards professional development of doctors working in rural/remote hospitals, who will be able to get guidance, advice, and training in advance diagnostics and treatment methods through interaction with specialist doctors in urban hospitals.

The Ministry of Information Technology (MoIT) has already introduced e-government technology at the Prime Minister’s Office and MoIT.“The MoIT has requested PTCL to provide this facility for an indefinite period but its management agreed to provide it for 15 months free of charge,” said an official source.

The decision came at the first meeting of National e-Government Council, chaired by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz at the PM House.

“Pakistan has to keep pace with international practices of office management and decision making by improving our work culture,” Prime Minister said.

The government is targeting far flung areas of Pakistan for provision of broadband services and very recently President of Pakistan has inaugurated a broadband project in an underserved district of Pak Patan. A number of fiber optic projects are also underway and we have recently introduced services like easy payments and IPTV for local telecom users, according to Sardar Muhammad Latif Khan Khosa, the Minister In charge MoIT.