Punjab govt launches ‘paperless governance’

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz inaugurated a "paperless governance" initiative on Thursday, launching government-to-government, government-to-business, and government-to-citizen services. The CM announced that Punjab had become the first province to establish e-FOAS, e-Procurement, e-Pay, e-Auction, OneMap, HRMIS, and a data warehouse.

In an online meeting to review digitalization progress and automation, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz directed the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) to procure paperless automation software and sought continuous feedback from applicants. Nawaz highlighted that paperless automation would help eliminate corruption by enabling people to access government services without visiting offices, even for minor tasks.

She emphasized that the digital system would enhance transparency by removing the need for applicants to reveal their identity. With over 6,000 systems now linked to the PITB's central system, 600 organizations digitally connected via e-FOAS, and the e-filing system issuing 176,173 summary notices, the digital transformation has resulted in savings of Rs9.1 million.

Additionally, smart monitoring of development projects has set a new benchmark for transparency, with more than 25,000 suppliers linked to the province-wide e-procurement system, processing digital purchases worth Rs6 trillion and 1.29 million tenders, leading to Rs1.137 billion in revenue collection.