- Making fresh inroads for technology adoption, the Union government while announcing slew of digital initiatives has set aside ₹3,726 crore to conduct India’s first digital census by 2022.
- For the 6th straight year, the Philippines remains as the top country worldwide whose citizens spend the most time on the internet and social media, according to research firms Hootsuite and We Are Social.
- In broad lines, the roadmap for Indonesia Digital 2021-2024 clarifies the direction of policies to implement and achieve the target of Indonesia’s digital transformation in four strategic sectors.
- Applicants for digital banking licences in the country should focus on making trust and innovation as the core factors for their ideation process and business model, especially to applicants who are not known for providing financial services.
- This year’s Chinese New Year (CNY) celebrations will be different with infection control measures in place. From digital red packets to virtual lion dances, here are some of the high-tech ways to usher in the new year.
- Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has signed a decision on the national programme on high technology development to 2030, which aims to develop and master 20 prioritised technologies in different fields.
Union Budget 2021: Technology to drive Centre’s digitisation dream
Making fresh inroads for technology adoption, the Union government while announcing slew of digital initiatives has set aside ₹3,726 crore to conduct India’s first digital census by 2022.
According to Sitharaman, the next general census in the country will be the first of its kind mass digital exercise that will boost the business for both technology and hardware companies and is likely see a surge in sales of laptops, tablets, smartphones and printers, and will give a leg up to the software companies that will run and build the technology-enabled backend.
The Union finance minister on Monday not just announced to conduct the country’s first Digital Census but also made Centre’s digitisation intent clear by sharing that the Union government was also set to launch a digital portal for workers that will generate employment. While narrating the success of some of the priority digital programmes, Sitharaman said that the capacity of the GSTN system was enhanced using deep analytics and AI to identify tax evaders and fake billers. The government launched special drives against them and made record collections in the last few months.
During her Budget speech, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the government will use data analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning to launch MCA 21 3.0 which will add the facility of e-scrutiny, e-consultation, compliance management, and e-adjudication among others.
Further excerpts believe that going digital will not just bring further transparency in state funded programmes but will also attract private investment. The big-ticket MCA project is at present handled by tech giant Infosys and with the new announcement the project is likely to get further extension. The second phase of MCA 21 portal upgradation has a total project outlay of Rs 357.81 crore. The portal is likely to enhance its digital capabilities following upgradation and is expected to garner more interest from foreign as well as Indian tech majors
Filipinos remain most active internet, social media users globally — study
For the 6th straight year, the Philippines remains as the top country worldwide whose citizens spend the most time on the internet and social media, according to research firms Hootsuite and We Are Social.
In the latest Digital 2021 report, Hootsuite and We Are Social said the Philippines spend an average of 10 hours and 56 minutes on the internet daily via any device. This is longer compared to last year’s data which recorded only 9 hours and 45 minutes.
Based on the report, Filipinos also spend the most time on social media, averaging 4 hours and 15 minutes, while the average time spent worldwide is only 2 hours and 25 minutes. A separate report released by online marketplace OnBuy.com last year revealed that the Filipinos spend an average of 102,054 hours or 4,252 days during their lifetime on social media platforms. Among the 45 countries included in the report, the Philippines was hailed as most obsessed with social media.
The Communication and Informatics Ministry has drafted a roadmap for Indonesia Digital 2024 in four strategic sectors. The roadmap for Indonesia Digital 2021-2024 was formulated based on five directives from the President in relation to expediting the digital transformation in the country.
“In broad lines, the roadmap for Indonesia Digital 2021-2024 clarifies the direction of policies to implement and achieve the target of Indonesia’s digital transformation in four strategic sectors,” Communication and Informatics Minister, Johnny G Plate, said during a working meeting with Commission I of the House of Representatives (DPR) here on Monday.
He said the formulation of the roadmap has involved the partners of the Communication and Informatics Ministry, including ministries and government institutions as well as representatives of the private sector and the community.
The four strategic sectors are digital infrastructure, digital administration, digital economy, and digital community, he informed. In addition to the roadmap, the Communication and Informatics Ministry also has a number of programs which it will prioritize this year, including plans for the national data center, he added.
KPMG: Trust and innovation should be anchors for Malaysia’s 1st digital banks
Applicants for digital banking licences in the country should focus on making trust and innovation as the core factors for their ideation process and business model, especially to applicants who are not known for providing financial services. KPMG Malaysia head of financial services Adrian Lee said a successful digital bank is one that customers can trust with their money and data.
“We only need to look at Singapore digital bank licence applicants to see the wide variety of companies who applied. We expect to see a similar diversity of applicants here in Malaysia,” said Lee in a statement yesterday.
Lee said the trust the applicants should earn from customers goes beyond techno- logy performance and risks associated with it. According to the firm’s Consumer Loss Barometer — “The Economics of Trust” report — 49% of local consumers have had their financial information compromised, higher than the global average of 37%. A deeper study into the economics of trust within the financial services sector revealed that 40% of local consumers believe their financial institutions should have full or joint responsibility for ensuring mobile devices used for mobile banking are secured.
“This is why fostering trust and gaining confidence from customers is becoming a differentiator for sustainable business. The pandemic has accelerated the shifting trends of customer behaviour in support of digital banking services, so it’s an opportune time for Malaysia to have its own digital banks to serve a wider population in need of financial support in the current economic landscape,” Lee said.
The central bank has issued a policy document on licensing framework for digital banks in December, following a six-month public consultation, and set June 30, 2021, as the deadline for the submission. The central bank plans to award up to five such licences.
A digital Year of the Ox: How tech will transform your CNY
This year’s Chinese New Year (CNY) celebrations will be different with infection control measures in place. Here are some of the high-tech ways to usher in the new year.
Digital red packets
• Instead of physical red packets, Singaporeans are encouraged to give out e-hongbao this CNY to complement safe management measures.
• The Monetary Authority of Singapore said this will enable remote gifting across a variety of visitation practices, including virtual gatherings, and will also reduce crowding at banks.
• These e-hongbao come in different designs depending on the bank, and all funds are sent via the instant transfer service PayNow, which maps people’s bank accounts to either their NRIC or mobile number.
Chingay parade
• For the first time in 49 years, the annual Chingay Parade will go fully digital. The parade, usually held during CNY, will take place on Feb 20 and will be aired on television, online, and on social media channels from 8pm to 9pm.
• Technology will be used to reinvent traditional ethnic performances during the multiculturalism segment to highlight intricate details that usually cannot be seen at physical parades.
• The parade will also use choreographed computer-generated imagery to enhance dragon dance and pole act performances.
Corporate celebrations
• Corporate CNY celebrations are also moving online this year.
• Enterprising event planners have curated virtual celebrations, and these packages offer services like virtual lucky draws, cultural performances and even virtual lion dance performances.
• They also make arrangements for virtual performances, and offer pre-event virtual activities such as workshops or games.
National programme to boost development of high technology
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has signed a decision on the national programme on high technology development to 2030, which aims to develop and master 20 prioritised technologies in different fields.
One of the major objectives of the programme is increasing the export value of the high-tech products to about 60 percent of the total in the manufacturing-processing industry, increasing the proportion of the value of the high-tech agricultural production in the total agricultural production value, while creating new products and services with high added value.
By 2030, three component programmes are expected to be developed – one on technology research, application, and development from the Ministry of Science and Technology; another on developing a number of high-tech sectors from the Ministry of Industry and Trade; and a third on boosting high-tech agriculture, from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
To this end, the programme provides a number of solutions, including completing institutions, supporting technology research and transfer, fostering links between businesses and science-technology organisations, and strengthening international cooperation in high technology.