Process will be completed in current year since funds have been allocated. PHOTO: AFP
ISLAMABAD: After a successful implementation of the e-office pilot project in the Ministry of Information Technology, the ministry is planning to undertake the exercise in 13 other ministries shortly.
“We have successfully implemented the cost and time-effective e-office system in our ministry and now it will be replicated in all other ministries of the federal government soon,” said Information Technology Minister Anusha Rehman while giving a briefing on the e-office pilot project in her ministry.
“This system will not only save time, but will also save Rs2.5 billion annually in expenditure on papers once the entire system is converted into e-filing,” said the minister. “This is a flagship programme and the foundation of e-governance in the country.”
She said the entire ministry had adopted the e-filing system, which appeared to be efficient, transparent, cost and time-effective. Thirteen other ministries including the Prime Minister’s Secretariat are also being shifted to the e-office system. This process will be completed in the current fiscal year as the ministries have allocated funds for the purpose. The system will not only be introduced in all the federal ministries, but will also be offered to provinces for application in their departments and organisations.
Pakistan is the first country in the region that has successfully implemented this model, according to the minister.
“The system has been operational since July this year and all files of the IT ministry are now communicated through e-office instead of papers, which has saved significant time in addition to providing other advantages,” she said.
The e-office suite is the automation of core businesses of the government to ensure efficiency. It consists of six modules including e-filing modules, which promote less paper usage.
The minister said the system was not only transparent, but totally secure from cyber-attack because it would not have any connection with the internet, rather it was being run through internal software. Additionally, once comments are finalised on an e-file, they can neither be erased nor tampered with, therefore, it will be helpful in checking malpractices by officials.
Under the mechanism, she said, entire details and progress pertaining to any particular file would be available on the dash board of authorised officers and once something was written on it, it could not be changed at any stage, showing the transparency of the system. The information technology ministry has trained 4,200 officers to run the system in various ministries.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 5th, 2015.
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