24 august 2009

During his visit to Kazan, Russian Deputy Prime Minister and Chief of the Government Executive Office Sergei Sobyanin held a meeting on using information and communications technology to provide government services to citizens and organisations

Participants:
“We have approved a list of high-priority services, and have required that government agencies provide them electronically by the end of 2011. After additional analysis and consultations, we are adding almost 20 more services to the list. This will be the list of priority services,” said Sergei Sobyanin. He added that in the near future the government would approve an executive order outlining deadlines for implementing the project.

In particular, at the meeting Sergei Sobyanin noted that the number of government services electronically available to citizens would be increased from 40 to 60.

In June of this year, the Russian cabinet released a list of government services that use information and communications technologies (ICT). The list includes the government services that federal authorities will be required to provide electronically starting in 2011.

"We have approved a list of high-priority services, and have required that government agencies provide them electronically by the end of 2011. After additional analysis and consultations, we are adding almost 20 more services to the list. This will be the list of priority services," said Sergei Sobyanin. He added that in the near future the government would approve an executive order outlining deadlines for implementing the project.

The deputy prime minister also announced that the new list would include detailed plans outlining the timeframe and type of service to be converted to electronic form.

"Not only oversight by the cabinet but also oversight by the President will ensure the project implementation, because the list of priorities will be a part of the presidential commission's priority project," noted Sobyanin, adding that the plan to provide government services electronically along with the project entitled "Electronic Region", are regarded as priority projects by the president's commission for modernising the economy. The government thus hopes to establish a "model system for regional governance and replicating this system in other constituent entities of the Russian Federation as soon as possible".

Tatarstan will be one of the basic regions for the development of this project. Sobyanin emphasized that all the measures must be implemented within a few months in order for "the whole system to start ‘breathing' and function in its entirety."

"This is one of the most important issues for the country's government agencies to function, including agencies in the federal, regional and local governments. It is an issue that affects all systems, structures and areas of our life," said the deputy prime minister.

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During his visit to Kazan, Sobyanin and Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiyev visited the administrations of the Tatar Republic's Federal Registration Service and Federal Real Estate Cadastre Agency, where he was shown how new technology would be used to provide government services to the population.

In particular, Sobyanin and delegation members examined new technology allowing information from the integrated government registry of real estate claims to be accessed from electronic kiosks.

Sobyanin was also shown terminals that allow a visitor to fill out an application, make an appointment, and check whether his or her documents are ready.