PUNJAB Government has taken yet another lead by deciding to introduce paperless governance in the province from 15 May. In its meeting, the provincial cabinet, under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, decided to implement an e-filing system in all departments and a beginning has already been made by introduction of paperless working in the office of the Chief Secretary. Separately, the Chief Minister also launched the Punjab Police Public App, which will help promote transparency in the working of the police department and addressing grievances of the citizens.
It is widely acknowledged that Punjab has always been in the forefront of the efforts for digitization of the system, thanks to the vision and hard work of Mian Shehbaz Sharif as Chief Minister of Punjab, who invested a lot in making Punjab Information Technology Board a leader in the IT world as the institution not only rendered huge services for computerization of different aspects of governance in Punjab but also offered its services to the Federal and other provincial governments. Computerization of land records and various licenses and certificates are some of the hallmarks of the success that the Board has achieved over the years. Introduction of E-FOAS (e-filing system), if implemented in the true sense of the word, has the potential to revolutionize the working of the provincial government as it would help save billions, bring transparency and improve service delivery. Manual system was cumbersome as it involved use of stationery besides wastage of time and money in the decision-making processes whereas the new system would make it possible to take prompt and timely decisions. Similarly, the police App with eleven features will also go a long way in addressing most of the complaints of the people against the police force as it would take care of important issues like missing children, family tracing, crime reports, traffic services and other facilities. Most importantly, it also includes 18 services currently provided by Khidmat Centres like character certificates, copy of FIR and employee registration. We hope both the initiatives would contribute a lot in making the lives of the people easier.
