IT is appreciable that on the pattern of Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB), which put the province on fast-paced digitisation, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is assigning targets to the National Information Technology Board (NITB) for digitisation of the Federal Government.
Chairing a review meeting on matters pertaining to the NITB on Monday, he directed the Board to ensure the digitisation of all necessary stages of Hajj to facilitate pilgrims this year and access to government facilities for the masses through technology.
The Federal Government is actively pursuing a paperless government through digital initiatives like e-Office, e-Biz Portals, and e-Summaries aimed at boosting efficiency, transparency and cut costs under its Digital Governance Roadmap. An end-to-end digitisation of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is also underway to increase revenue collection. Hopefully, the plan to digitise all stages of Hajj will mitigate sufferings of intending pilgrims as a sizable number of them include old age people. In a welcome move, preparations are almost complete to open Asan Khidmat Markaz for citizens in the federal capital. “A secure new app for all government sector institutions will be launched soon. Moreover, an integrated One Patient One ID system is in the final stages of preparation for timely and better service delivery in public hospitals. An analytical dashboard for the judiciary using big data was also being developed and it is expected that it will enable real-time tracking of case disposal rates, backlog trends, and institutional efficiency, supporting evidence-based policy making, performance-driven reforms, and enhanced transparency. We hope that due to active interest of the PM, the NITB will be able to transform the digital landscape of the Federal Government in shortest possible time, making it a model for the provinces to emulate.
