Kathmandu, Dec 22- Minister for Communications and Information Technology Gyanendra Bahadur Karki has said that there is need to provide state services to the target groups by connecting them with information and technology. Inaugurating the ‘SMS Gateway’ developed by the Department of Information Technology at the Ministry today, Minister Karki directed to focus on the implementation side of such programs along with the inauguration. “The same level of enthusiasm today in the inauguration should also be in implementation”, he said.

“The state should continue to provide services to the people as much as possible and the society should be able to take advantage of that opportunity. When the society benefits, the state benefits,” said Minister Karki.With the launch of SMS Gateway, a tripartite agreement has been signed between the Department of Information Technology on behalf of the operator, Nepal Telecom and Ncell on behalf of the SMS service provider and the Office of the Attorney General, Department of Transport Management, Ministry of Labor, Employment and Transport, Bagmati Pradesh.

Speaking on the occasion, Secretary at the Ministry Dr Baikuntha Aryal, said that the launch of the gateway would make it easier for the government bodies to connect with the people. He emphasized the need to focus on the risks involved and to be prepared for the consequences.

According to the department, the government has been paying a fee of Rs.1.5 but it will cost only 20 paisa after the system comes into effect. Using the integrated ‘SMS Gateway’ operated by the Department of Information Technology, government agencies will be able to communicate effectively with employees and the public (sending and receiving information on various events, payments and messages in a timely manner) at minimal charges.

Director General of the Department, Prem Sharan Shrestha, said that an integrated report of the SMS sent by the government body to provide services could be received. He clarified that in this system direct connectivity with different telecommunication service providers and management of servers will be done by only one body instead of all government agencies. Based on the total number of SMS used by different government bodies, minimum fee per SMS can be charged.

Although only a few agencies have started using this gateway at present, in the coming days, other government agencies providing SMS services will also be connected to the system, said Director General Shrestha. (RSS):