icegov2012 proceedings

Internet Connection &
Usage Policy, 2004
Copyright (Amended)
Act, 2005
Provide a framework for the use of
internet facilities
Protect intellectual property rights
and legalise electronic
communication
ICT Act, 2006 Provide legal basis of the ICT
Right to Information
Act, 2009
Provide legal entitlement to citizens
to seek public information and
demand transparency &
accountability of public institutions
ICT Policy, 2009 Provide an up-to-date and
comprehensive framework for the
development of ICT with action
plans consistent with Digital
Bangladesh vision
ICT Act, 2009 Improve legal structure of ICT by
incorporating necessary
amendments to ICT Act, 2006
Broadband Policy, 2009 Facilitate the growth of high-speed
internet services at an affordable
price
Telecommunications
Act (Amended), 2010
International Long
Distance
Telecommunication
Services Policy, 2010
Update Telecommunications Act,
2001
Facilitate low-cost ILDTS
including VOIP services
Source: Based on [14] and other sources
4. TRANSFORMATION OF GOVERNANCE
AND SERVICE DELIVERY: SELECTED E-
GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS
Although a late starter, the government of Bangladesh has
initiated and implemented a large number of schemes with the aim
of realizing the visions and goals as outlined above. More
specifically, these programs seek to transform governance and
service delivery system offering citizens with improved services.
In this section of the paper we focus on selected e-government
schemes that portray the current state of e-government in
Bangladesh and the progress made to-date in various spheres.
These are some well-known programmes and they capture G2C,
G2B and G2G dimensions.
4.1 Web-Presence of Government & Forms
Concerted governmental drives during recent years have resulted
in a considerable progress towards making government
information and services available online. One clear indication is
that most government agencies including ministries, divisions,
departments and statutory bodies have web-presence with useful
information and contact details. The national web portal of the
government of Bangladesh (www.bangladesh.gov.bd) serves as a
one-stop access to information and services offered by various
274
agencies and departments. Governmental websites and portals
have begun to offer services beyond information dissemination.
The Prime Minister’s Office has launched a website
(www.forms.gov.bd) which has made virtually all government
forms accessible online. This is a significant development in that
the citizens and businesses are now able to access variety of forms
without having to visit respective offices. This saves time and
helps them avoid the hassle associated with visiting various
agencies.
4.2 Digitisation of Land Records System
This involves digitisation of country’s complex and age-old land
ownership records that are source of huge corruption and
litigations. Following several successful pilot projects the
government decided to spread the benefits of such experiments
throughout the country. Currently in progress, this project would
drastically reduce the complexities and corruption associated with
land administration. This would greatly simplify land
administration and put an end to the current practice where
citizens need to visit more than 10 different agencies to obtain
their records and/or to have them updated.
4.3 Online Hajj Information Management System
The Online Hajj Information Management system of the Ministry
of Religious Affairs is an example of innovation in area of G2C
service. In place since 2002 the portal serves as a source of
information to thousands of pilgrims who go to Mecca to perform
Hajj every year. Besides allowing verification of information like
their location, health condition and flight details etc. the
interactive features of the portal allow easy and reliable
communication between pilgrims and their relatives.
4.4 Land Resources Information System
The Agro-Ecological Zone (AEZ) database of the Bangladesh
Agricultural Research Council (BARC) contains information on
country’s land resources including geography, soil, and climate,
hydrology, cropping system and crop sustainability. This is used
to generate readily accessible information of the physical land
resources of the country for use by researchers, extension workers,
and decision makers in land and agricultural resource
management as well as for agricultural planning. This has served
as the basis for the development of a more comprehensive and
multi-scale GIS-based Land Resources Information System which
helps deal with the intricacies of land resource planning under
complex environmental conditions.
4.5 Electronic Birth Registration System, RCC
The Electronic Birth Registration Information System (EBRIS)
introduced by Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) with technical
assistance from the UNICEF has earned award as an innovative egovernment
at the local level. It allows registration of birth
electronically, generates birth certificate and immunisation card
for each newly born babies and list of babies due for vaccination
on a particular day. The EBRIS has replaced the manual process
of registration where multiple agencies were involved thus
helping remove duplication of entries and other problem. Also, it
has contributed to achieve near 100 % immunisation coverage in
RCC area [1].