The government on Monday launched the Project Processing, Appraisal and Management System (PPS) software aiming to save cost and time as well as ensuring more transparency and accountability in the project formulation and approval process.
Planning Minister MA Mannan spoke at the PPS software launching ceremony as the chief guest while State Minister for Planning DrShamsulAlam, Secretary of Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock DrNahid Rashid and Planning Commission Member (Agriculture, Water Resources and Rural Institutions Division) AKM FazlulHaque spoke as special guests held at the NEC Conference Room in the city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area this afternoon.
Planning Division Secretary SatyajitKarmakar presided over the function.
Project director of the SDPP project NurunNahar gave the opening remarks. Members of the Planning Commission; Secretary, Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division; and other senior officers were present.
The project titled "Community Based Fisheries Management in Nimgachi Area" was approved today at the program on digital platform by the Planning Minister.
The entire process of approval of this project taken by the Department of Fisheries under the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock has been completed online using PPS software.
Online project approval using PPS software will be a milestone in building 'Smart Bangladesh' which will increase transparency, dynamism and knowledge reliance in the national planning system.
Speaking on the occasion as the chief guest, Planning Minister MA Mannan said that today was a great day for the Ministry of Planning and also for the Planning Commission as both the entities have been able to launch successfully the PPS software which would eventually benefit all the concerned stakeholders.
Noting that the different executing agencies have performed less in utilization of RADP in the last fiscal year (FY23) compared to the previous fiscal year (FY22), Mannan suggested for developing such software in the project implementation monitoring process to have much better outcomes.
He also directed all the concerned officials involved in the project framing and appraisal process to perform their duties and responsibilities as per the existing rules and regulations and also through rectifying the errors in their work.
State Minister for Planning DrShamsulAlam said that today marks an epoch-making event of the Ministry of Planning and the Planning Division as the launching of the PPS software would minimize the cost and save time in the project formulation and approval process while it would also ensure transparency and accountability.
Secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock DrNahid Rashid said that launching of the PPS software would facilitate the project framing and appraisal process and thus would benefit the entire nation.
DrNahid also said that she was proud that her Ministry was the pioneer to be associated with this software.
Planning Commission member AKM FazlulHaque said that this PPS software would help the government to save time and cost as well as eradicate the trend in duplication of work and in undertaking of projects.
He said that under such initiative, it would be possible to know the work on how many projects are going on in which areas.
The Planning Commission member also hoped that through operation of such software it would be possible to process the development projects in a speedy manner.
Planning Division Secretary SatyajitKarmakar said that the development projects of different ministries would be gradually processed under this software which would also give relief to the implementing agencies for coming out of the tradition of printing Development Project Performs.
The function was informed that since building 'Smart Bangladesh' is one of the goals of the current government, Digital Service Roadmap 2021 was prepared at the national level to materialize this goal.
The Planning Division is a partner in the roadmap implementation plan. Keeping this objective in mind, two day-long workshops on Digital Service Implementation Roadmap 2021 was held at the Prime Minister's Office on 30-31 December 2017 and a draft of "Digital Service Implementation Roadmap 2021" was prepared for the Planning Division and Planning Commission with the participation of Planning Division and Planning Commission officials.
Later, on 15-20 April, 2019, in the workshop titled "Digital Service Design and Planning Lab" organized by the Planning Division in collaboration with A2I, five digital services of the Planning Division and the Planning Commission were identified which will accelerate the national planning system.
The five digital services are as follows: Project Processing, Appraisal & Management System (https://pps.plandiv.gov.bd), National Plan Management System (https://npm.plandiv.gov.bd), GIS Based Resource Management System (https://grm.plandiv.gov.bd), Research Management System (https://rms.plandiv.gov.bd) and ADP/RADP Management System (http://adp.plancomm.gov.bd) (cent percent implemented).
It is necessary to create an integrated digital service delivery platform to implement all these services in an integrated manner and provide services. For that purpose, an agreement was signed with the consulting firm on 24.11.2020.
According to the contract, the Project Processing, Appraisal and Management System (PPS) software was completed by the consulting company in the beginning of 2022.
Development Project (DPP/TAPP) can be prepared online by the implementing agencies by using the PPS software, can be sent to the concerned Ministries and after processing can be sent to the Planning Commission for approval.
As a result Time, Cost, Visit (TCV) will be reduced and transparency and accountability will be ensured. A central database of ADP projects prepared online will be created and duplication of projects will be avoided.
PPS is being developed as a decision making tool in project acceptance through which various project related reports including area wise and financial year wise number of ongoing projects in ADP can be prepared from this software.
In a meeting held on 13 February 2020 under the chairmanship of the Cabinet Secretary, the progress of digital service implementation activities of 16 ministries/divisions and directorates/organizations under its jurisdiction was reviewed.
Project Processing, Appraisal and Management system (PPS) and Research Management System (RMS) software of the Planning Division among the digital services of the mentioned 16 Ministries/Departments was officially inaugurated by the Planning Minister on 03/04/2022 as the first digital service.
After the official launch of PPS software, 12 ministries (Planning Division, Local Government Division, Information and Communication Technology Division, Industries Ministry, Cultural Affairs Ministry, Fisheries and Livestock Ministry, Statistics and Informatics Division, Religious Affairs Ministry, Textile and Jute Ministry, Social Welfare Ministry and Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division) initiated PPS piloting.
At present, a total of 33 projects are under process at the PPS piloting stage, of which 18 are in agencies, 13 are in ministries and one is in planning commission.