Pakistan commits to e-government implementation: The government of Pakistan has committed to the adoption of e-government and a 'paperless office' environment for all ministries and departments. The decision was announced after the inaugural meeting of the National E-Government Council, which was chaired by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. The prime minister said that e-government would help to make information available to the public in an efficient manner, would lead to greater transparency and would help to prepare the country for future challenges. "Pakistan has to keep pace with international practices of office management and decision-making by improving our work culture," said Prime Minister Aziz. The council approved a strategy for the practical implementation of e-government in all agencies and departments, and an amendment was proposed to set the stage for the introduction of the paperless office environment. The prime minister said that IT training would be made compulsory for all government employees.
US government to increase IT spending: IT spending by the US federal government is set to reach USD92 billion by 2010, up from USD71 billion this year, according to a forecast by research firm Input. The main factors driving this growth will be the continued investment in homeland security and a streamlining of business processes for federal agencies. "Homeland security initiatives will continue to be the primary driver behind significant growth for another one to two years," said Payton Smith, director of public sector market analysis at Input. Smith also notes that the Office of Management and Budget's call for increased federal IT spending "validates the importance this Administration places on IT as a key tool, not only in the war on terror, but in enhancing the business practices of federal agencies. We will see the continued efforts to identify and consolidate unnecessary IT systems remain a focus throughout the next few years." The study says that support services make up the largest portion of federal IT spending at nearly 43 percent and are predicted to experience the most significant growth over the next five years.
Dubai police launch new mobile services: The municipal government of Dubai has rolled out two new 'mDubai' services for mobile phone users. The services, which are being offered by the Dubai Police, allow citizens to receive feedback on their suggestions or complaints and enable them to check the status of job applications, using their mobile devices. Citizens who make suggestions or complaints to the Police via the department's web portal are given a reference number. They can then receive an update on the status of their suggestion direct to their mobile phone by texting the letters "sug" and the reference number to a dedicated four-digit mobile phone number. In a similar manner, people who apply for jobs with the Police can send a message to the same number to check the status of their application. "The addition of two new Dubai Police services to our SMS 'pull system' demonstrates Dubai Police's commitment to follow customer-centric policies. It also shows that mDubai has become extremely popular among mobile phone users," said Rehab Lootah, eServices Provisioning Manager with Dubai eGovernment.
Online tax filing on the rise in Lithuania: Electronic filing of taxes is becoming increasingly popular in Lithuania, reports the European Commission's eGovernment Observatory. The e-tax service, launched in 2004, enables both citizens and businesses to submit a range of tax forms electronically, including income tax returns, VAT returns, and corporate tax returns. In the current fiscal year, almost 20 percent of all tax declarations were filed electronically, compared with just 5 percent in the first year of the e-service going live. The figures for this year included around 70,000 annual income tax declarations, 14,000 annual residents' property declarations and 13,000 one-off property declarations. Key features of the e-filing system include notification of the status of declarations, multiple authentication methods, a centralised archive and the ability for exchange of data with other systems.
UK councils show efficiency gains: A new study of local councils in the UK demonstrates how ICT can be used to achieve transformational change and create efficiency gains. The report by Socitm Insight, "E is for efficiency: reaping the benefits of technology," draws on three case studies that describe transformational change programmes implemented by local authorities. The first is Bracknell Forest Borough Council, which is using a web-based portal to support flexible working initiatives for staff. The second is East Riding of Yorkshire Council, which is providing access for citizens to personalised, location-based information. The third example is West Lothian Council, which has developed new models of care for older people based on the use of assistive technology. The study also stresses that, if properly focused, investment in e-government programmes should support business transformation in local public services.
Autor: Sylvia Leatham
Quelle: ElectricNews, 05.05.2005
