Internal govt transactions may go online

The government may conduct all its transactions online instead of the present paper cheque system to make it faster and secured, officials said.
A committee, headed by Controller General of Accounts (CGA) Abul Kashem, recently suggested that accounts offices under the CGA office will continue to expand their transactions through electronic fund system (EFS) so that the whole payment system can be made digitised.
It also proposed that treasury chalan form can be put on the website of the central bank so that individuals and organisations can deposit money to the government exchequer online by filing up the form using their debit card, credit card and bank account information.
The committee at a recent meeting suggested that self-accounting entities (SAEs) like Public Works Department (PWD), Roads and Highways Department (RHD), and Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE)-- will develop software keeping similarity with the CGA office's Integrated Budgeting and Accounting System (iBAS) and the central bank's computer system to conduct payments online.
Years back, the CGA office had launched iBAS for storing daily transactions and accounting information of all government pay and account offices.
It also suggested for bringing all the branches of the Sonali Bank under computer networks to expand the government's online payment and receipt system. In many cases, the Sonali Bank's branches conduct treasury activities on behalf of the central bank.
Officials said presently the daily cash collection of the government is being done through online transaction system.  
General Manager of the Accounts and Budgeting Department of the Bangladesh Bank (BB) Badrul Haque Khan told the FE a big portion of the government's transactions has already come under online system.
He said presently work is going on to bring treasury system under online network. Once it is done, almost 80 per cent government transactions will become digitised.
Mr Khan said the BB is a fully automated organisation. The Sonali Bank, which conducts treasury activities on behalf of the BB in many rural areas, is also using a software to carry out transactions online.
He said their district level branches are already digitised and a move is there to bring its upazila level branches under online system.
"The entire transaction system of the government may be digitised within 2 to 3 years," Mr Khan said.
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