E-GOVERNMENT GOOD FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 2 (Bernama) -- Improving efficiency and reducing costs
and errors are among the benefits that the developing world can gain in
implementing the e-government application, a workshop here was told Wednesday.

Nepal's National Information Technology Centre executive director Subarna
Shakya said that realising this, Nepal established the Government Integrated
Data Centre (GIDC) in Singha Duarbar in September.

The project, established with the assistance of South Korea, among others
was designed to contribute to the foundations for e-Government in the Himalayan
country for better services to the people, administrative cost reduction as well
as more efficient management, he said.

"The government had also made some investment in the e-passport and
e-procurement," he said in his paper on "ICT Development in Nepal" at the
Asia-Europe (ASEM) Workshop on Building an Inclusive Information Society here
Wednesday.

He said the Nepalese government also introduced an IT policy in 2000 to
establish a knowledge-based society and knowledge-based industries in the
country.

It had also collaborated with international institutions to develop an
e-procurement Road Map as well build fibre optic facilities around Singha
Duarbar.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Higher Education Commission's Director-General (IT),
Anwar Amjad, said that in the context of ICT, the country had implemented a
telemedicine programme in collaboration with the major hospitals.

This had benefited many people in the rural and remote areas, he said,
adding that telemedicine had been very useful during major disasters such as
earthquakes.

The European Commission's ICT and Audiovisual Counsellor for Southeast Asia,
Christophe Forax, said there were many similarities between the Asean and
European Union (EU) countries in the telecommunication industry.

These included high mobile telephony and mobile applications and rapid
progress on fixed and mobile broadband.

"We are also experiencing the rollout of next-generation networks...already
started or planned. Many Asean and EU countries got quick forward-looking
approach," he said.
-- BERNAMA