E-filing to be mandatory for all govt institutions: Shafiqul Alam

The government plans to make e-filing mandatory in all government institutions to streamline operations and reduce corruption, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said today (24 February).

"This decision was reached during a high-level meeting focused on addressing economic challenges," he said at a press briefing at Foreign Service Academy this evening.

Shafiqul Alam said the implementation of e-filing aims to accelerate government decision-making by improving coordination and efficiency. 

"While some agencies, like Bida, utilise e-filing, its absence in many other institutions has been identified as a bottleneck. The government intends to implement the system swiftly," he added.

Shafiqul Alam emphasised that e-filing is expected to significantly reduce corruption, citing international examples like Estonia's success. 

What other countries are getting right about fighting corruption

"The European Union has offered to share insights on Estonia's anti-corruption strategies with Bangladesh," he said. 

Additionally, he stated that the government has decided to implement third-party evaluations of development projects. 

"This move comes after findings revealed a 70% average cost increase in Bangladeshi development projects between 2009 and 2023, resulting in an estimated $14-24 billion in wasted funds due to political influence and unnecessary cost inflation," Shafiqul said.

As an example, he said an ADB evaluation of a portion of the metro rail project indicated potential savings of $500 million out of a $5.2 billion budget.