Dr Tshering Cigay Dorji (PhD), commissioner of the Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC), talks with reporter Dechen Dolkar about digital transformation within the RCSC in the 13th Five-Year Plan. In the 13th plan, the government has allocated Nu 10 billion for digital transformation, out of which Nu 5,148.19 million will be invested in strengthening digital governance.

As the first commissioner appointed from outside the civil service, what specific reforms do you plan to introduce within the RCSC to align with the digital transformation goals of the 13th Five Year Plan?

As the first commissioner appointed from outside the civil service, I find experiencing the system from inside for the first time quite fascinating. The Civil Service is a huge system composed of many sub-systems. So, it has to have many rules and regulations. In general, I find these rules quite progressive and have been put in place to uphold the principles of meritocracy, transparency and fairness. Given my background, I try to bring corporate perspectives to the commission. For instance, we need to ensure that the processes are there to help us achieve the outcome we desire. We will streamline rules and processes where necessary.  Under the leadership of our Chairperson, the commission has started our work with an open mindset to work collaboratively with our civil servants, especially the executives, to collectively enhance the skills and professionalism, and nurture new talents in keeping with the fast paced developments happening globally. Civil servants have a crucial role in delivering our 13th Plan and help achieve the vision of a developed Bhutan.

As for the 13th Plan, Bhutan has an ambitious digital transformation goal with a budget outlay of Nu. 10 Billion underpinned by the vision of ‘Intelligent Bhutan’. More than half of this budget is set aside for Digital Governance. The RCSC’s objectives of enhancing professionalism and improving productivity and efficiency in the civil service align very well with the Government’s plan of optimizing government operations, reducing costs, and promoting intelligent governance practices. Given my professional background and experience, I would like to work from within RCSC to support the Government in these initiatives.

How do you foresee these reforms improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the civil service?

The budget of Nu 10 Billion is perhaps the largest ever budget that the IT sector has received. This has come at the right time as Bhutan is at the crossroads today. We have just graduated from the LDC status, and we have set our eyes on becoming a high income GNH nation. The way we do things from hereon should be on a higher standard. By harnessing the power of technologies to re-engineer processes in the bureaucracy and automating them wherever possible, there is no doubt that the efficiency and the effectiveness of the civil service can be enhanced.

With your extensive IT background, how do you envision Bhutan’s digital transformation initiative in the 13th plan contributing to the nation’s goal of becoming a high-income GNH economy?

Today, the world is driven largely by digital technologies. It touches all aspects of our lives. Digital sector is not only an economic sector and industry in itself, but also an enabler of all other sectors. So, the digital transformation initiatives are indispensable for achieving our goal of becoming a high income GNH economy.

Digital governance is a major focus of the 13th plan with an investment of Nu 5,148.19 million. What specific strategies and technologies do you plan to implement to enhance public service delivery and revolutionize government operations?

We will work closely with the Government, among others, to optimise and re-engineer public service delivery processes and systems, automate routine tasks, consolide systems, improve data integration and quality, and facilitate data-driven decision-making.

One of the aims of digital governance is to enhance efficiency and citizen satisfaction through technology-driven solutions. Can you provide examples of how these solutions will be applied in practice within the civil service?

We have already seen how automating service delivery through online platforms, such as online tax returns filing and payment, bill payments, license renewals etc. can improve public service delivery and efficiency. We will focus on building on these and taking automation to the next level by conducting comprehensive reviews of existing processes to identify inefficiencies and areas for improvement.

What is your long-term vision for integrating technology into the civil service, and how can RCSC foster a culture of continuous learning and adaptation among civil servants to keep pace with technological

advancements?

Enhancing the skills, competencies and professionalism of our civil servants is one of the key focus areas of the commission. We will facilitate and encourage all civil servants to become lifelong learners to keep themselves relevant. Doing so is not difficult given all the online resources available as long as one has the mindset to keep learning and improving. On our part, we will include trainings on new trends and technologies as part of our regular HR development and training programmes.