Minister of Science and Technology Dr Rupert Griffith revealed a number of these initiatives yesterday during his address at a seminar hosted by the Ministry of Planning and Sustainable Development and the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute, titled “Building Competitiveness Through Innovation in ICT”, at the MovieTowne conference and banquet hall, Invaders Bay, Port of Spain.
Read more: TT: Griffith announces new tech-based initiatives
Reported in Trinidad Express, Dr Glenn Ramadharsingh – the Minister for Social Development – made the comments speaking to reporters after a United National Congress national executive meeting and specified that the new system will include a retinal scan.
Read more: TT: Trinidad and Tobago to roll out biometric system in July
Commenting on the programme, the Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan, Minister of Public Administration, said “Shared service is not a new concept. Many private sector organisations use shared services to realise greater efficiencies and savings. Public sector organisations in many Commonwealth countries are following this trend. We already have a pilot programme in place between the Ministry of Public Administration and the Ministry of Communications that is being used to help define a model for wider application of this concept.”
The current hope is that great leaps forward can be achieved through the use of computer technology to build ‘e-government’ platforms that can make a range of public goods and services accessible online. The use of modern technology to distribute governmental services will provide an entry to creating entrepreneurial government.
The scheme is part of the country’s ‘Direct Deposit’ initiative being launched by the Ministry of the People and Social Development.
The biometric card scheme aims to allow senior citizens access to all their social benefits which should significantly reduce incidents of fraud, as well as provide a more secure system for the socially vulnerable.