Singaporeans may soon renew their passports via the mobile phone
MHA issues addenda to President's Address which features using tech to make services more convenient
Renewing or applying for a new passport may be done with a click on one's mobile phone in future.
That is the goal of MyICA, a new Web portal the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) rolled out last month.
Users can log on to the portal - currently in its beta testing stage - with their SingPass to apply for a passport, identity card or address changes, among other services.
The digital change is part of the agency's plan to make its services more convenient, said Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam yesterday in his ministry's addenda to the President's Address.
The various ministries began issuing their addenda - statements that spell out their priorities and plans - yesterday, and will do so till Friday.
Their addenda are grouped into the five key priorities that President Halimah Yacob highlighted in her inaugural address on Monday, including securing Singapore's place in the world and building a world-class city.
The Home Team will “take bold and transformative steps to develop stronger capabilities, leverage emerging technology for operations”.Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam
Yesterday, Mr Shanmugam said the Home Team will also use technology to maintain homeland security. He noted that crime and terror threats are increasingly sophisticated, with criminal syndicates exploiting technology and operating across national boundaries.
To tackle these challenges, the Home Team will "take bold and transformative steps to develop stronger capabilities, leverage emerging technology for operations".
For example, the new Home Team Operations Centre will be a nerve centre that will "employ cutting-edge technologies and harness data" to ensure a fast and coordinated response to threats.
The islandwide network of cameras and sensors will be further integrated so the authorities can identify threats more efficiently, Mr Shanmugamsaid.
Besides MHA, the Defence Ministry, Foreign Affairs Ministry and National Security Coordination Secretariat yesterday set out their plans to keep Singapore safe and secure.
The Transport Ministry, Environment and Water Resources Ministry and National Development Ministry summed up their initiatives to develop a world-class city.
In his ministry's addenda, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said the rail network will expand another 130km by 2030. The Thomson-East Coast Line is being built, with the Jurong Region Line and Cross Island Line to follow.
To improve rail reliability, the renewal of assets will be accelerated and maintenance of older rail lines intensified, he added.
National Development Minister Lawrence Wong outlined his ministry's plans to transform Singapore, from major long-term projects to greening the city further by expanding the network of green corridors from 310km to 400km.
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