Technology use vital to curb corrupt practices: Firdous

LAHORE: Special Assistant to Chief Minister (SACM) on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said on Thursday that the use of technology was vital for curbing corrupt practices and changing the system.

Talking to the media here, she said that it was a very difficult task to introduce technology in the revenue department and change the decades old system, which revolved around the 'patwari'.

She said that Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar had started the process of setting up 'Araazi' [land] Record Centres to facilitate people in a transparent manner.

Till now, 115 such centres had been set up at 'Kanungoi' level, adding that 20 mobile units were operational in the field across the province to facilitate senior, the disabled and ill persons, who could not visit the 'Araazi' centres, she added.

Dr Firdous said that 20 more mobile units would be made operational and 8,000 'Araazi' record centres would be computerised till the end of this year.

The SACM said that digitalisation mechanism had been updated and uploaded in 100 tehsils, while the registry process had also been made easy.

Up-gradation of 'Jamabandi' and its printing had been stopped for the last 10 years, she said adding that now 'Jamabandi' would be carried out online on regular basis.

Dr Firdous said that agriculture tax amounting to Rs 15.7 billion had also been collected. She said the Punjab government had introduced e-stamping system to crush fake stamp seller mafia, adding that e-pay system was being introduced to make mutation process transparent.

Dr Firdous said that embassies of four countries -- Saudi Arabia, UAE, USA and Britain -- had been given access to the system to facilitate overseas Pakistanis and now they [expatriates] could get their required documents without coming to Pakistan.

The Revenue department had made a decision to set up revenue academy for capacity building of its staff.

To a question, she said that the rule of law was highly important for betterment of any society.

She said, "Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) believes in across-the-board accountability."