Leonid Keselbrener: “The benefits of virtual communication are obvious, it is only a matter of practice”

The computer is gradually leaving the list of luxuries and actively
taking root in the life of the average North Ossetian resident . The
republic will have an electronic government in the near future. The
deputy chairman of the North Ossetian government, Leonid Keselbrener,
told a VK correspondent whether the switch to state and municipal
services with the max use of IT-technologies will eliminate red tape
for businesses and the population .

- What is the current state of North Ossetia’s transition to an
information society?

- Building an information society is going stage-by-stage, according
to the federal schedule. Today we have a website - www.pgu15.ru -
working in test run mode, where people can find information on 144
state executive structures, including documents that used to be for
administrative use only. There are 61 types of republican-level
services and approximately 20 types of federal-level services. This
allows for the printing of application forms, filling them out using
the Individual Ledger Account Insurance Number (ILAIN), sending it to
the necessary institution and monitoring the progress of one’s
document without having to leave the house. But so far it is
impossible to receive a prepared document. According to the schedule
of information technology development, such services will be available
in 2014. There is also an educational website with all the necessary
knowledge about the electronic government. Both websites were created
by enthusiasts without any budget financing. The local programmers
proved to be highly-skilled specialists and were working for the sake
of the idea.

- Do the republic’s authorities support the idea of an electronic
government? How far behind is North Ossetia from the more developed
parts of the federation?

- At a recent Council on Information Society Development it was
declared that those officials that believe in the idea of establishing
an electronic government should reflect on whether they are fit for
their positions. Ossetia needs to work five times harder to keep pace
with more advanced parts of the country. A multifunctional Centre for
State and Municipal Services is currently at the stage of coming into
operation in the Zaterechniy municipal district. In the first stage
the population will receive 43 kinds of social services based on the
‘single-window’ (single point of contact) principle. Terminals for
fast payment will be adapted for the state services’ website. It is
not only the population and state structures that are interested in
the development of IT-technology, but also business, as it is one of
the most profitable spheres.

- How will the problem of computer literacy of the population be solved?

- Obviously the switch to virtual communication with officials
presupposes computer literacy of the population, as well as the staff.
We cannot do without affordable internet tariffs for internet
services. I am confident that these two obstacles can be overcome.
Many pensioners were not comfortable with social cards, yet they
learned to use TV remote controls and mobile phones, so there should
not be problems with cash machines. Bank operators will help them in
the beginning. Russia’s Sberbank is a contractor of the pilot project
‘Electronic social cards of civilians RSO-A'. There is an agreement
with the head of the North Ossetian State University Oleg Khatsayev on
free consultations. The experience of other regions shows that
pensioners are interested in the issue.

- Could the practice of electronic government lead to collective
electronic irresponsibility?

- It all depends on the organization of the process, but logically the
answers and responsibility should be personified. Moreover, no one has
banned personal intercourse with officials. The electronic option is
an alternative to visiting offices, the choice is yours. Certainly we
want to keep up with the times and use all the world’s innovations.
There is a prospect of winning through the age-long tradition of
having to go cap in hand for official documents, wasting precious time
and nerves. The benefits of virtual communication are obvious, it is
only a matter of practice.

Tamara Bunturi, Vladikavkaz. Exclusively for VK