All of Singapore just a eclick away

SINGAPORE, SGP:  As part of iGov2010 master plan the government is rolling out several E-initiatives to make the city state, as the most connected and the competent E-governed state. Last December witnessed the launch of a mobile service that provides business users and citizens a convenient access to contact information of government agencies.

The Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA) and the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) have jointly launched the service. The Singapore Government Directory Interactive (SGDI) mobile service is designed such that the information can be accessed via SMS. This is aimed to serve people constantly on the move who need information quickly.

For instance to obtain the details of an officer with a particular department the users have to simply key in space on their mobile phones, send it to 74688 (or SGOVT) and wait for a list of public officers with that name to be sent to them via SMS. Since 2006, the 5-digit short code 74688 has also been used for alerts and notifications such as SMS push, notifications for renewals of passport, road tax and URA season parking.

Another programme, which will immensely benefit the new SMEs, has been launched by Infocomm Development Authority (IDA), in collaboration with Accounting & Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) and Singapore Network Information Center (SGNIC).

From end 2007 to 2010, all ACRA-registered businesses will save up to S$30 for the first-year registration of their first domain name. A presence in the cyberspace is imperative in the borderless, globalizing market, where ecommerce is catching up at an astounding pace. So in order to reach more customers, and to tap on the gaining ecommerce momentum companies of all sizes needs a domain space, and now this is facilitated by the new scheme.

iGov2010 master plan is a nationwide programme, to ensure that the customer centric government services are accessed easily and comfortably so that it delights the customers and connects citizens through the use of infocomm technology. Infocomm has greatly enhanced Singapore’s competitiveness by raising productivity and transforming business processes. For five consecutive years, Singapore has been in the top three positions in the World Economic Forum’s Global IT Report. In the latest ranking, Singapore was ranked third globally and the only Asia-Pacific economy in the top ten positions.

Welcoming the initiatives Ragini Dhanvantray CEO of Rikvin Consultancy says “such services are very much in line with the government’s aspiration to be innovative in creating new value within the public sector as well as for the economic sectors. Infocomm is placed at the heart of the government’s strategy to improve economic competitiveness in the next decade. ”

Source: India Prwire