Govt launches e-challan to ease payments for services

Now here comes e-challan system for easy payment of fees for government services electronically, without citizens needing to move from pillar to post.

People will be able to submit fees for passport, police clearance, and national-identity card through e-challan under the digital system, launched Sunday by the ministry of finance (MoF).

State Minister for Finance M A Mannan said the digitised e-challan system will help mitigate the problems citizens face in manual system where they spend additional time, cost and conveyance fee.

"Nearly a year's time will be needed for bringing collection of fees for all government services under e-challan," he told the audience at the launching ceremony.

Chief Coordinator for sustainable development goals (SDG) affairs at the PMO Abul Kalam Azad and finance secretary in-charge Mohammad Muslim Chowdhury were among others present at the programme in finance ministry's conference room.

According to MoF officials, in absence of an e-challan system, apart from the service- recipients the bankers also face complications in keeping accounts of challan they receive, timely sending of money in favour of the organizations the challans are received.

Service-recipients in many cases do not get the job done in time as the work is done in manual system.

The e-challan will have works done faster and the ministries, departments and organisations will be able to know about the latest position of fees received on behalf of them immediately.

The access-to-information programme under the prime minister's office (PMO) has created e-challan system through which people will be able to deposit government revenue alongside the existing bank challans.

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