REPORTS pouring in from different areas of the Punjab speak of huge popularity of the ‘Maryam ki Dastak Programme’ launched by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to move towards the goal of good governance and service delivery at the doorsteps of the citizens. Its popularity can be gauged by the fact that the relevant app has been downloaded by over 160,000 people and hundreds more are added daily because of the beneficial nature of the programme.
Reflecting the government’s commitment to accessible, transparent and technology-driven public service delivery the programme was initially launched as a pilot project but has now been expanded to 32 districts of the province because of its usefulness and popularity. The Government offers a lot of services to its citizens but a majority of the people could not avail them because of various constraints, bureaucratic hurdles and accessibility issues. Maryam Ki Dastak takes care of these issues and offers a large number of facilities (65 in number) to the people at their doorsteps in a prompt and transparent manner. The web portal, along with the mobile app, serves as a user-friendly platform for approaching essential government services online. These include, among others, issuance and renewal of licenses, domicile, e-stamping, birth, death, marriage certificates, property tax, token tax, motor vehicle transfer and new vehicle registration. Services of Police, Revenue, Municipalities, Excise, TMA, Development Authorities and other departments are available and more are being added. Citizens can apply for these services through an appointment with a representative of ‘Maryam Ki Dastak,’ web portal, mobile app or call centre 1202. The programme is also generating job opportunities and ‘facilitators’ are hired for delivery of different services at the door-steps of the citizens. It is rightly said that leveraging technology and prioritizing civilian convenience, the Maryam Ki Dastak project is setting a new standard for public provision delivery in Pakistan. It may be pointed out that this is not the only programme aimed at facilitating citizens as, under the dynamic leadership of the Chief Minister, a number of programmes have been initiated to resolve problems of the people and make their life comfortable. In this regard, one must specifically mention the ‘Clinic on Wheels’ programme under which vehicles equipped with experienced doctors, lady health workers, dispensers and vaccinators are offering basic health services, illness diagnosis, vaccinations, nutritional screening for children, ultrasound and treatment for malaria and diabetes to people in their areas in 112 tehsils of the province.
