The Government is urging ministries, sectors and localities to accelerate the development and application of information technology and the building of an e-Government.

The public administrative centre of Thai Binh province

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc made the remark on March 2 in a written response to a question on the issue raised by National Assembly deputy Ta Van Ha of Bac Lieu province.

He said the Government is stepping up efforts to build an e-Government to serve administrative reforms, which has resulted in positive outcomes over the years.

In 2016, Vietnam was ranked 89th among 193 countries in the United Nations E-Government Development Index (EGDI). Notably, the online services index jumped eight places from the previous EGDI in 2014 to 74th.

Twenty-six ministries, ministry-level agencies and those directly subordinate to the Government along with all 63 provinces and centrally-run cities have had their document management systems inter-connected. All localities and 19 ministries and sectors have publicised the progress of handling papers on the Government Portal.

They have also provided more online public services at level 3 and 4, the highest levels of online services provision in Vietnam, PM Phuc noted.

However, he admitted, those are just initial outcomes, and only about 62 percent of the assigned tasks listed in the Government’s Resolution 36a on e-Government have been completed.

The PM said the Government is urging relevant sides to press on with perfecting mechanisms and policies, including those on investment, tax incentives, renting IT products and services and creating a market for domestic IT products.

They should develop broadband infrastructure, boost digital connectivity and soon put into use common databases, he said. 

They must also improve the country’s EGDI ranking in terms of the three member indices on online services, telecommunication infrastructure and human capital. They need to work with UN agencies to update the latter on e-Government building in Vietnam.

In his answer, PM Phuc also clarified some key tasks for ministries, sectors and localities to speed up e-Government building in 2018.-VNA