| On Friday, a board of the Ministry of Economic Development will be held on the topic “Federal target program “Electronic Russia (2002-2010)”: implementation results and main directions for the medium term,” and the first meeting of the interdepartmental commission coordinating the progress of the program is scheduled for mid-June. Deputy Minister of Economic Development Andrei SHARONOV told columnist for the Vremya Novostei newspaper Vera SITNINA what issues will be discussed at the board and what the future holds for the program.
-- Andrey Vladimirovich, what is the role of the Electronic Russia program in the socio-economic development of our country?
-- The government has high hopes for the Electronic Russia (ER) program. Until now, Russia is perceived as a country with a raw materials economy, and not as a supplier of high-tech goods and services with high added value. And this is precisely what is valued in the world. In addition, it is possible to solve the task set by the president in his message - to double GDP by 2010 - only through diversification of the economic structure. There must be accelerated development of high-tech and new sectors, as well as the introduction of new technologies into traditional sectors of the economy. The “Electronic Russia” program is aimed specifically at changing the structure of the economy and aims not to develop the ICT (information and communication technologies) sector, but to change the functioning of the state apparatus and increase efficiency in the interaction of the state with the population and business.
— It turns out that “Electronic Russia” is part of the administrative reform?
-- The program is broader than administrative reform. More precisely, it intersects with administrative and pension reforms, reforms of natural monopolies and housing and communal services. The Electronic Russia program primarily offers a means to implement these reforms. If we talk about administrative reform, about increasing the openness and efficiency of government, it is necessary to recall the adopted government resolution on access to information. According to this decree, all government agencies must post information on the Internet. By the way, today almost every federal or regional government agency has its own page on the Internet. In terms of increasing efficiency, the ER program includes the implementation of projects aimed at eliminating duplication of functions of many ministries through the introduction of information technologies, in particular the consolidation of state information resources. In addition, the effectiveness of the department’s work can always be assessed. You can count how many certificates were issued or how many tax returns were accepted from legal entities or individuals. The introduction of ICT, for example, will significantly speed up the process of registering businesses. It will be possible to register a company by filling out an online form. It is especially important that a business or person receives services from the state in the most convenient form and in the shortest possible time. To achieve this, we have begun implementing a project to develop electronic administrative regulations. For the consumer of services, it does not matter which letter was sent to whom by the department. He must send a request and receive a response within a short time. It's like a watch, we only see how the hands move and show the time, but we are not interested in how the mechanism itself works. In the next two to three years, new technologies will allow citizens to receive subsidies and subsidies without having to wait in long queues, but simply by filling out a form on the website of the relevant government agency. And for that part of the population that cannot afford to buy a computer and Internet access, the state plans to create public access points at post offices, libraries and educational institutions.
-- Will issues of increasing the efficiency and transparency of government be raised at the board meeting?
- This is just one of the expected questions. It will discuss the results of the implementation of the first stage of the program, the need to increase budget expenditures on ICT, priority areas for the medium term and the required amount of budget funds for its implementation in 2004. I just want to say that one of the most important issues from a political point of view is increasing the efficiency of spending and coordination between departments within the framework of program implementation. Each department has its own information resources and databases, to which not only the population or legal entities, but also other government agencies do not have access, which indicates a lack of transparency of the government and its ineffectiveness. On the one hand, we conducted a study, the results of which revealed that departments spend their funds on ICT ineffectively. On the other hand, last year showed insufficient coordination of government customers of the program. The current situation needs to be changed, and as quickly as possible.
- How can this be achieved?
-- Departments implementing programs in the field of ICT need to combine their efforts and focus on truly priority areas. In 2002, an interdepartmental commission was formed on programs containing activities for the development and use of information and communication technologies. The Commission must solve this problem.
As for government spending on ICT, the current budget system in Russia today has a number of shortcomings, which predetermined the current situation. For example, cost-benefit assessment is not carried out during planning. One possible solution to the problem could be the creation of special coordination structures. Thus, in the near future it is necessary to develop a medium-term strategy for informatization of the public sector and develop a unified policy in the field of public procurement in the field of ICT, including the use of uniform contracts. Interviewed by Vera SITNINA
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