Fees of 3 govt services can be paid online

Hassles over filling up challans or acknowledgement receipts and long waits in queues to deposit associated fees could soon be over as the government yesterday introduced an 'electronic challan management system'.

Challans are official forms or documents used in collecting or transacting fees for government services. Under the existing manual system, challans are collected from banks or photocopy shops, filled up and then submitted along with the fees at banks.

Under the new system, citizens will initially be able to electronically submit challans and pay fees for government services involving passports, police verification and national identification card revision.

MA Mannan, state minister for finance and planning, introduced the new system at the finance ministry. He said the system would be made available for all government challans and associated fees within a year.

Finance Secretary Mohammad Muslim Chowdhury said the system would cut citizens' sufferings and save their time while fees would be quickly deposited with government offices.

Fraud and discrepancy in accounting occur in the current system and the new system will remove those, he said.

The system -- http://echallan.gov.bd -- has been developed under the Access to Information programme of the Prime Minister's Office.

Anyone having access to online banking facilities can pay relevant fees associated with challans from their bank account. Their status can then be viewed online. Others will have to fill up the e-challans and take a print out to a bank in order to pay the fees.

The system will have separate dashboards for ministries, divisions and agencies, allowing the government to see the amount of money deposited in individual accounts.