Dear Editor,
With reference to your front page news item (Nov 11) on the President’s directive to digitize NIS documents. President Ali is held in great esteem and reverence for several government projects. Modernising the public service is another that is welcomed by both sides of the political divide. All government records should be computerized (digitized) for easy access for business and services. The public will be the beneficiary with efficient services as documents will be easily accessed for verification.
President Ali is supported in this directive to Finance Minister Ashni Singh to have the records of the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) digitized within the next eight months. It is also in government’s interest that all government documents (past and present) be digitized; all historical (colonial) records (slavery and indentureship) should also be computerized.
Also cheered is the launching of “Upskilling Platform”, providing training (in digitization and other skills) for the public service to further government efficiency when the public access various public services. Training for staff are critically important steps in digital transformation. Staff must be tech savvy. Digitizing records (NIS and others) provide searchable access to records of the public. It leads to increased efficiency and productivity by allowing for quick access to computerized documents. Reducing paperwork will save government a lot of money. Paper records are growing and require extensive physical storage space which is expensive and difficult to maintain as well as manual labour. Digitization eliminates the need for storage of large volumes of paperwork. Paper wastage is eliminated, a gain for the environment. And one does not need to go through large amounts of paper files to verify documents; it eliminates the need for storage space or physical labour to move files. Information can be accessed from anywhere. A few keys on a computer provide all the necessary information to verify information and provide services to the public. Money is saved as overall administrative costs of government services are reduced resulting in less manpower and associated costs. The country is a winner in digitization.