Three years from now Bhutanese can expect to access the majority of the public services online. The Ministry of Information and Communications (MoIC) will be implementing Digital Drukyul, an ICT flagship programme. The programme is expected to transform Bhutan by digitally empowering its citizens.
The programme consists of seven components which will be implemented by various government agencies led by the MoIC.
Under Digital Drukyul Flagship programme, there will be integrated online citizen services, integrated online business licensing and online single customs-trade approvals to enable citizens to experience satisfactory public services.
“In the integrated licensing system as a citizen when people want to obtain a trade license, he/she have to only apply for the trade license. He doesn’t have to worry about those line agencies’ regulatory requirements. This Business Licensing system will direct the services and apply to the relevant line agencies and then line agencies will actually approve based on their SLAs and the citizens will be notified as the approval process happens in the due course of time,” Lobzang Jamtsho of MoIC, said
Digital Drukyul also contains a component called the digital school that will allow schools to have digital contents to enhance teaching and learning outcomes.
One of the major focus of the programme is on improving the quality of healthcare by implementing electronic patient information system in all hospitals.
All of these online services will be possible through the system’s critical component called the digital identity. This component requires citizens’ facial IDs and thumbprints to authenticate that the service seekers are Bhutanese and genuine. The component will be connected to about 1,000 government offices and schools and hospitals.
The ministry is expecting that successful completion of this programme will lay the foundation for the success of e-Commerce and IT Industry in Bhutan.
There is a budget allocation of Nu 2.5bn for implementation of Digital Drukyul. The ministry is expecting to complete the programme in the next two to three years.
