The government aims to creatively utilize information and communications technologies (ICT) to bring public administration closer to the will of the people and improve citizens' well-being, Premier Mao Chi-kuo said at today's Cabinet meeting.
Innovative ICT usage will strengthen information sharing between the public and private sectors, help resolve various issues and reinforce integration of online and physical resources, he said. This is part of the government's "three arrows" for online communication and better governance.
Due to ICT platforms' instant interactivity, their functionality already surpasses that of traditional media, and the government must make the Internet an even more important channel for communicating with the public, Mao emphasized.
This month, the National Development Council (NDC) will complete a white paper on online development and application policy. The white paper's goal is to establish a long-term foundation for e-government and provide e-government guidelines for ministries to proactively carry out.
The premier made these remarks after a briefing on six new e-government portals, which Vice Premier Chang San-cheng introduced as follows:
The Ministry of Education's platform pools resources from various sectors to conduct creative digital learning.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare's My Health Bank allows citizens to access their medical records in a passbook format, making personal health information portable.
The NDC's commodity price e-bulletin board displays everyday product prices for public reference by utilizing the Ministry of Finance's electronic invoices containing retail information.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs' one-stop youth startup service platform integrates government entrepreneurial service resources.
In order to serve youths returning to their rural hometowns to start agribusinesses, the Council of Agriculture's platform puts together relevant private and cross-ministerial resources via ICT. The council's objective is to entice more young people to enter agriculture.
The Ministry of Labor's senior workforce development platform offers information about opportunities for full-time and flexibly scheduled jobs as well as volunteer services.
Mao thanked Chang and various agencies for their efforts on these projects, which are based on the principles of integrating the online and offline worlds and establishing online avatars for the government.