Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA)is preparing to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nepal Rastra Bank(NRB) for expanding digital financial services across the country.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony ofSubisu CAN ICT Conference in Kathmandu on Sunday, DigambarJha, chairman of NTA,said that the MoU will be signed within a week. “The central bank initially washesitant about expanding digital financial services. However, we have managedto convince them to some extent,” he said.

“Though digital platform one of theeffective ways of expanding people's access to finance services, we are yet tounderstand the issue clearly. That is why it took us so much time to getapproval,” Jha added.

As the country cannot prosper withoutdeveloping information communication technology (ICT), the government hastargeted to expand Internet service to all districts within a year, he said,adding that broadband connectivity has reached to more than 60 districts sofar. “Within two years, all local units and government schools will havebroadband connectivity,” he claimed.

Stating that the government has set atarget of distributing computers to 1,500 public schools across the country asa pilot project of developing ICT, Jha requested Computer Associations of Nepal(CAN) Federation to help the government for achieving the target.

The two-day ICT event is being organizedby CAN Federation and supported by Subisu Cable Net Pvt Ltd. The theme of theevent is 'Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Smart Society.'

Delivering her keynote speech, SoniyaBashir Kabir, managing director of Microsoft Bangladesh, said that thegovernment should introduce single click services to ensure access toresponsible and personalized services, e-participation of public, empowermentof government employees, and optimization of government operations as well asmake people aware of cybercrime and other several technology-friendlyactivities. “However, countries have their own needs. So the motive of developingsmart society is to address needs of the public. ICT should be expanded byidentifying the need of the public,” she said, adding that the government andpublic should contribute equally to make smart society.

Earlier, Minister for Communication andInformation Technology, Gokul Prasad Baskota, inaugurated the conference.

According to the organizers, the eventwill focus on developing smart society based on SDGs as well as discussions onIT services.

NepalTelecommunications Authority (NTA) chairman DigambarJha addresses the inauguralsession of the Subisu CAN ICT Conference in Kathmandu on Sunday

Source: MyRepublica, 18^thJune 2018