NEWS COLLECTIONS:
The following is a compilation of excerpts from news articles focused on e-governance and related topics.
UNESCO released 'Guidelines for the Governance of Digital Platforms'
- focus on protection of freedom of expression and access to information and the adoption of multi-stakeholder approach,
- surge of online dis- and misinformation, hate speech and conspiracies taking toll across the globe,
- regulate digital platforms without delay, while at the same time protecting freedom of expression and human rights
- As of September 2023, the number of people using social media has reached 4.75 billion across the globe.
- federal government has issued the E-governance Commission (Formation and Operation) Order, 2022, for the promotion of electronic system in public service delivery and government functions
- functions, duties and powers of the commission: to provide necessary suggestions to the government for the formulation of integrated policy related to cyber security, and establishment and operation of electronic system in government bodies to develop short-term and long-term policies on information technology and e-governance
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal today inaugurated the operation of the 'Hello Sarkar' or 'Hello Government' service 24 hours in three shifts daily.
The complaints and grievances can be relayed to Hello Government via phone, e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, Portal, Viber, Whatsapp and other digital means.
Digital Nepal Framework 2019: broad outset of the Government of Nepal which deliberates about digital government. It was made into one blueprint as eight sectors and 80 digital initiatives to guide Nepal as it embarks on its digital transformation journey.
The 80 digital initiatives aim to propel socio-economic growth in Nepal by addressing crucial challenges while unlocking the growth potential in each of the eight key sectors, that is, Digital foundation, Agriculture, Health, Education, Energy, Tourism, Finance and Urban infrastructure.
The citizen app (Nagarik app) introduced by the government has not been implemented for public service delivery rather than being used as a record keeper only. Until and unless government services are delivered to the public through digital means, the digital transformation will not take a seamless shape.
https://nagarikapp.gov.np
In 2022, Nepal ranked 112th out of 131 economies in the Network Readiness Index, a global index on the application and impact of information and communication technology (ICT) in global economies. Currently, the country is ranked 101st out of 160 countries on the National Cyber Security Index. The Nepali e-government development index 2022 stood at 0.5117, ranking 125th out of 193 countries. And the e-participation index score is extremely low, with a global ranking of 143. These global indices signal subpar levels of Nepali digital status, demanding a paradigm shift of technology with its application in all avenues—education, health, tourism, transport, finance and other services.
In the fiscal year 2020-21, 3,906 cybercrime cases were reported. There have been 1,547 reported cybercrime cases within the first three months of the current fiscal year. These figures suggest a growing need for cyber security awareness and education to protect individuals and organisations from cyber threats.
In the National Financial Inclusion Report for 2023, we pointed out the big transformation in access to finance in Nepal since we worked on the last report for the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) in 2015.
Towards digital transformation (May 2, 2023)
The 14th plan of Nepal has met its target of reaching 65 percent of Nepalis with access to the internet. The 15th plan seeks to ensure 80 percent of Nepalis have internet access by the end of the fiscal year 2023-2024.
Several legal instruments, including the Telecom Policy 2004, the IT Policy 2010, the Broadband Policy 2010, and the ICT Policy 2015, have been formulated in the direction of e-governance. The ICT Policy 2015 envisages the role of ICTs: “ICTs can enhance better governance, with more transparent and efficient civil service. ICT is to play important roles in economic development and poverty alleviation efforts which are the primary goals of SDGs.”
Towards a digital Nepal (Jan 21, 2023)
Despite repeated claims of successive governments of all political hues that in several areas like registration where companies can be registered online, and e-procurement protocols and platforms and consolidated e-identification like the Nagarik app are usable, the beneficiaries are still forced to be physically present at the concerned offices to obtain these services. The country experienced a disastrous failure in implementing the e-learning mode for students of all levels during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Central Bureau of Statistics chose to deploy door-to-door enumerators with pencil and paper instead of making the best use of the state-of-the-art ICT and digital platforms in the recent national census. A very ambitious integrated accounting software, SuTRA (Sub-national Treasury Regulatory Application), originally designed as online compliance, was later relaxed to be (also) offline and now faces the challenge of non-utilisation and increasing non-compliance. These are accurate reflections of the tardy pace of adoption of e-governance in Nepal, almost in every sector.
The Electronic Transaction Act 2006, which theoretically legalised the digital signatures for "some" contracts and transactions, and the Information Technology Umbrella Act 2014 are key legal breakthroughs. The IT Policy 2010, ICT Policy 2015, e-Governance Master Plan (eGMP) 2007 and eGMP-II 2015 and 10 Year Master Plan 2011, among others, complemented these laws.
Nepal's e-governance pipe dreams (Dec 6, 2021)
the 16th period plan has accorded high priority to digital database and e-governance. (RSS) Discussion on preliminary draft of 16th five-year periodic plan (Aug 23, 2023)
No comments:
Post a Comment