KABUL - Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) officials say all systems of the ministry have been computerized to ensure transparency, accountability, speedy administration and reduce corruption.
They say they have recently replaced the old and traditional system of administration and management with a modern and technology based one.
Abdul Qadir Mutfa, MoMP spokesman, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the ministry had prepared the plan of replacing the traditional system to electronic one three years ago for better performance and reducing corruption.
He said the ministry had been performing only basic activities through technology during the last three years due to lack of a clear roadmap, problems in the legal and organizational structure of the ministry as well as lack of enough capacity.
Mutfa said the ministry was currently able to design and implement information systems in the accountability and transparency areas as well as promoting electronic governance.
Data center
The MoMP spokesman said the ministry had designed and created its data center with a high capacity in 2018.
Five provinces including Kabul, Nangarhar, Herat, Balkh and Parwan have so far been connected to this data center and there was a plan to connect five more provinces this year, he said.
Mutfa said the data center was designed with Cisco Enterprise Architecture and could store the ministry’s fifty-year documents and accelerate electronic governance and development of the mining and industry sector.
He said the center was created for institutionalization of digital connection, brining reforms and accountability, management of information systems and promotion of electronic governance in the ministry.
“This center stores and manages geological, cadastre and other relevant information”, he said.
Information management
Abdul Qadir Mutfa said that the system of processing non-tax revenue and evaluation of non-tax revenue from mining contracts was designed and implemented last year.
He said so far 9,900 payments concerning last 10 years’ contracts have so far added to the system which was automatically managing.
“Besides that, the system is also able to accept payments of different currencies if the government approves such a plan.”
Mining Cadastre Administration System (MCAS)
Abdul Qadir Mutfa said that Mining Cadastre Administration System (MCAS) was designed and implemented last year for process, management and reporting of mining licenses and management of contracts related issues.
He said so far 1,020 contracts relating to the past 10 years and current time had been stored in the system.
Small scale system for online mining requests
Mutfa said for the first time a small scale system for online requests of mining was created in March this year with the aim to ensure transparency in the sector and promote e-governance.
He said the online system included detailed information about mines for applicants and companies could register their requests electronically for mining in a specific area.
Mutfa said 42 mining areas located in Kabul, Parwan, Bamyan, Maidan Wardak, Logar, Kapisa and Panjshir provinces were announced online and so far 60 requests had been registered on the regard.
Tasks, documents tracking system
According to MoMP spokesman, the tasks and documents tracking system is managing documents and regulations and track tasks.
Task tracking system of major mining units
Mutfa said this system was created this year for the assessment of projects. He said in this system, the director assigns duties to officials of other sections for implementation and these tasks are assessed.
Geological reporting system
Abdul Qadir Mutfa said that the database for management of natural resources collection was created this year with the aim to improve the information systems of geological surveys.
He said the system stored all mines reports in the capital and provinces in details as well as located the location of a mine in Google Map.
Workers performance assessment system
Mutfa said this system was created for human resources department of the ministry to maintain high transparency in the employees’ assessment area.
“This system stores all information required for the assessment of workers”, he said. (Pajhwok)