EGA working on 10 e-services to support 'smart government'

Information and Communications Technology Minister Anudith Nakornthap yesterday said the overall goal was to leverage government services to become e-services under the smart-government theme, which will result in the provision of better services to the public.

The government needs to swiftly adjust itself and choose the right technology, with the key focus placed on speed and standard platforms, he said.

Meanwhile, the EGA has been officially established to provide ICT infrastructure and e-services for government agencies.

The agency will enable the government to save on investment costs and government organisations will be better able to communicate together on a networking basis.

"I think the EGA has an important role to play in creating a paradigm shift in e-government services," said Anudith.

The agency this year has a budget of about Bt580 million to manage its organisation and provide information infrastructure for all government offices, said EGA president Sak Degkhoontho.

The agency has four main strategies to drive the development of smart government: the building up of a network and the knowledge base necessary for smart administration, as well as the development of state-sector IT personnel; building a basic infrastructure and key applications for government agencies; upgrading of e-services and the integration of related back-office services among government agencies, so that one-stop services can be provided to the public; and the creation of standard platforms and IT architecture in the government sector.

The agency expects that in the second haft of this year, some 10 government agencies will create pilot projects for the provision of e-services to the public.

These will be in areas such as the registration of farmers, the rice-pledging project, e-mail for all government agencies, e-document workflow services, and a cloud service for government agencies, Sak said.

The EGA expects overall e-services will help reduce government agency costs in the long term by between 30 and 50 per cent.

"I think the plan will facilitate communication and the gathering of information among government agencies under the rice-pledging project, due to the increased efficiency of government services. It will also support private-sector services," said the agency chief.

Moreover, over the next four years, the agency expects to achieve full implementation of government electronic documentation seamlessly.

The government will also be able to provide services to people without requesting a copy of their ID or house registration, as smart cards will be used to access e-government services.