Minister Kacır: More than 8,000 services are provided through e-Government

Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır stated that the digital services application launched by the Presidency of Religious Affairs is a clear expression of its people-centered service approach, saying, "Our citizens will now be able to access a wide range of services, from sermon and sermon archives to fatwa and guide content, from prayer times to zakat and fitra calculations, all from a single point, with a user-friendly interface that complies with accessibility standards." Minister Kacır stated in his speech at the "Digital Services Promotion Meeting" organized by the Presidency of Religious Affairs that the wind of technological development is blowing stronger than in the past. Pointing out that every aspect of life is being reshaped in the light of innovative technologies in the new era, Kacır stated that institutions that successfully implement digital transformation by integrating these into business processes have the opportunity to provide fast, secure, and effective services. Kacır explained that, in line with the National Technology Initiative, they see the digital economy as a lever that will expand domestic and national capabilities, increase productivity, employment, and competitiveness in production, and carry citizens to a more prosperous future. Emphasizing that they have successfully implemented a development model based on this understanding under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for 23 years, Kacır said, "We have built a tremendous R&D infrastructure with the comprehensive and qualified incentives we have provided. Today, in our 110 technoparks, nearly 12,000 technology startups are undertaking innovative work in many areas, from artificial intelligence and cybersecurity to biotechnology and green transformation." "OVER 8 THOUSAND SERVICES THROUGH E-GOVERNMENT" Pointing out that entrepreneurs are developing high value-added projects in more than 1600 R&D and design centers within private sector companies, Kacır stated that Turkey is no longer a country that only uses technology, but also has a say in many critical fields of technology and sets global trends. Kacır stated that technology is not only a strategic force multiplier in Turkey's growth and development journey, but also offers a window of opportunity to provide public services with a fast, high-quality, and accountable approach. He continued as follows: "In recent years, by mobilizing the opportunities of the digital age to the service of our beloved nation, we have implemented many steps based on speed, quality, and accessibility, reducing bureaucracy. We are offering more than 8 thousand services to our nation through the e-Government Gateway with a single session, from a single screen, and with a secure, fast, and user-friendly experience." With the strong data governance infrastructure they have created, e-Government applications are a country that sheds light on decision-making mechanisms and directs public policies. Kacır, stating that they have transformed it into a guide, stated that they have carried Türkiye to the top of the countries that are referenced in successful digital state applications. Stating that, as the Ministry, they are the pioneer and supporter of steps that will strengthen the digital identity of the public with domestic and original solutions, Kacır made the following assessment: "We continue to develop and update our open-source-based domestic and national software PARDUS, the work of our TÜBİTAK engineers, in line with the needs and expectations of our public institutions. With calls for public artificial intelligence, we have taken steps for our technology ecosystem to develop domestic artificial intelligence solutions for the needs of our public institutions. Our TÜBİTAK BİLGEM Software Technologies Research Institute mobilizes its knowledge and experience to produce domestic and national solutions tailored to the needs of our public institutions. Our Institute, which has implemented more than 100 digital transformation projects in 34 institutions to date, will continue to strengthen the digital backbone of our state in the 'Türkiye Century'." "GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY MONOPOLIES HAVE CAST A SHADOW ON THE JUSTICE OF THE DIGITAL WORLD" Kacır, noting that the digital age brings with it some problems in addition to the wide opportunities it offers, pointed out that artificial intelligence-supported fake content can pose a serious threat that obscures the truth. Stating that they have experienced the risks posed by monopolization on digital platforms in many areas, from freedom of expression to competition, from personal privacy to national security, Kacır said the following: "In the face of the genocide committed by Israel in Gaza, the double-standard practices of global technology monopolies that conceal the truth have cast a shadow on the justice and freedom of expression of the digital world. The situation we are facing reveals the necessity of national applications based on freedom, data security and privacy by strengthening our domestic and national capabilities, fortifying our legal and administrative framework. What we consider important and prioritized for our digital sovereignty is the integration of the Turkish Natural Language Processing Model and map and navigation applications into our technology ecosystem. "We have recently taken steps to develop it by the [Turkish] public institutions," Kaçır said, emphasizing that it is the duty of public institutions to provide citizens with accurate information at the right time in the face of disinformation. Therefore, he expressed the importance of digitalization in religious services and the delivery of authentic religious information to the public in an accurate, fast and secure manner. ACCESS TO DIGITAL SERVICES OF THE PRESIDENCY OF RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS FROM A SINGLE STOP Pointing out that strengthening the digital infrastructure of the Presidency of Religious Affairs is an indispensable part of the vision of this well-established institution, which has guided the spiritual life of the nation for over a century, to provide more effective, transparent, and secure services in line with the requirements of the age, Kacır concluded his remarks as follows: "With the AYGÖZ System, a joint effort between TÜBİTAK and the Presidency of Religious Affairs, we have brought crescent and horizon observations to a transparent and measurable basis based on scientific data. We are very pleased that our Presidency is widely and effectively using the domestic and national operating system PARDUS. The digital services application is a clear expression of our approach to providing services in line with the requirements of the age and centered on people. Our citizens will now be able to access a wide range of services, from sermon and sermon archives to fatwa and guide content, from prayer times to zakat and fitra calculations, from a single point, with a user-friendly interface that complies with accessibility standards. Every step we take on this path, We see these as steps that serve our goal of a fully independent and strong Türkiye in the 'Turkish Century.'" The Presidency of Religious Affairs' "e-Diyanet" application can be downloaded from the Google Play Store and the APP Store.