Fri, 16 Jun 2017 13:24:34 +0000
By OSCAR MALIPENGA
GOVERNMENT has introduced electronic payslips for all civil servants, a move which will help government save over K7 million on printing costs, Permanent Secretary in Office of the President Dr. Martine Mtonga has disclosed.
Dr. Mtonga, who is also National Coordinator for Smart Zambia Institute at Cabinet Office, said the implementation of electronic payslips has started with all cabinet ministers, all permanent secretaries and all the directors who have already started receiving their payslips online.
Speaking during a media breakfast to launch of the ministry of national development planning website, Dr Mtonga said he has written a circular to all permanent secretaries requesting all the civil servants to submit their email addresses where they shall be receiving their payslips.
He said deadline for receiving hardcopy payslips for all the civil servants was August.
Dr. Mtonga said in order to improve public service delivery to citizens, business and inter government agencies, government would be launching digital cabinet system, integrated agriculture information system with Farmers’ Input Support Programme (enhanced FISP eVoucher system) and official government web portal.
He said government web portal has been branded the ePamodzi which citizens, non-citizens, business and government institutions could access government information resources and online services from a single point and in designated kiosks.
Dr, Mtonga encouraged the general public to log into the newly launched ministry of national development planning website to provide them feedback on how government could serve them better.
And minister of national development planning Lucky Mulusa said the website shall provide a very vital platform for all important national development strategies, reports and policies which the media shall be able to access at the click of a button.
He said one of the key documents to be uploaded to the site for access by the general public is the 7th National Development Plan.
“The plan is expected to be launched by the head of state Mr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu later this month,” he said.
Mr. Mulusa implored the media and the general public to take keen interest in the launch.
“You may recall also that the ministry launched the climate change policy recently. This important document has also been made available on the site. It gives me great pleasure as such documents alluded to earlier shall now be easily accessed by the public,” he said.
And United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) representative Dr. Mary Otieno said it was her hope that the website would also increase policy discourse and engagements at national and sub-national levels around evidence-based planning and targeting, for the advancement of women and youth empowerment including sexual and reproductive health and rights. “Ultimately, we trust that the website will serve as platform to disseminate information to every Zambia citizen and resident, irrespective of age, sex, urban/rural residence, socio-economic status on the vision of the current administration as articulated in the 7th National Development Plan. “By so doing, the ongoing formulation of the 7NDP implementation plans will be enriched by the voices of Zambians,” Mrs Otieno said.
