EGD striving for effective e-govt programme
By Hina Kiyani

ISLAMABAD—Electronic Government Directorate (EGD) is making efforts to effectively implement e-government programme, focusing onbasic infrastructure, e-office and agency specific applications to facilitate the people. The directorate has accomplished major projects or about to complete those include Online Recruitment Management System for Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC).
E-government aims at using of Information and Communication Technology(ICT) to promote more efficient and cost effective government, facilitate more convenient government services, allow grater public access to information and make government more accountable to citizen.
IT applications for dissemination of proceedings of Parliament (National Assembly and Senate), the automation of the secretariats of the two Houses will provide public interface for accessing their proceedings.
The directorate has also introduced an Urdu-Lexicon (Dictionary) text-to-speech and English-to-Urdu translation software. By the virtue of these, material which is available on web sites in English will be easily convertible to the Urdu language, as well as spoken out for access by the citizen not to conversant with English or able to read. It will also allow Urdu databases such as National I.D cards, drivinglicenses electoral role etc. The directorate will also ensure online 24 hours access to database ofStatutory and Case laws for the Judiciary and Lawyer community in more than 80 district bar associations nationwide.
The project of E-Enablement of press clubs entails the training of journalists in over 124 press clubs countrywide in basic IT skills. Furthermore, a comprehensive set of services coupled with a state-of-the-art IT infrastructure enables the various press clubs to share knowledge and process information in real time.
Hospital Management Information Systems (HIMS) that is the system for the federal government hospitals, has been deployed at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and Federal Capital Hospital and is yielding many benefits to the hospital staff and the public.
Online proceeding of Hajj applications and status tracking system enable faster processing of Hajj applications and provides up-to-date information regarding applicants, accommodations, flights and also includes special machine readable passports generation for pilgrims.