LAHORE: The Punjab government has implemented an e-filing and office automation system in all government departments across Punjab which will save the public exchequer billions of rupees per year.

The system has been developed by the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) and managed by its Government Digital Services Wing. For the first time in Punjab, the secretariat manual has been updated by embedding e-Foas in it. All government departments have been made legally bound to conduct their departmental correspondence through e-Foas.

Now all government departments are legally bound for inter/intra-departmental correspondence through e-Foas. In this regard, the Punjab Chief Secretary has instructed all department secretaries to designate a focal person for each department and to give access to PITB teams to all complete documents and a list of currently active or ongoing files. He also asked them to allocate a centralised IT-equipped room and necessary IT equipment to the teams for the scanning of archival files. He issued strict instructions to complete the scanning process by November 30. Moving forward, summaries to the Punjab Chief Minister, Punjab Governor, Punjab Cabinet and official notes, letters and file marking will be distributed digitally rather than on paper.

Commenting on the new system, Government Digital Services Wing Director General Muhammad Waseem Bhatti said that by closing the traditional file system, the government will not only save a huge amount of money but also improve governance and service provision. He added that for the convenience of the officers, the mobile app of e-Foas has also been developed to ensure timely access and solve public problems without any delay.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023