‘Punjab is the only province taking the lead thru use of IT’

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has stressed the need to restore public trust in the government, saying that 24 hours a day were not enough to serve the people and that there should be 48 hours in a day.

Addressing a ceremony at the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB), the chief minister said every successful project in Punjab had PITB’s technical support behind it. She appreciated PITB Chairman Faisal Yousaf and his entire team for their efforts.

She said credit must be given to Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif for understanding the future of the digital revolution many years ago and developing the structure of PITB. “This is the age of technology and nothing is possible in today’s world without artificial intelligence,” she added.

Maryam Nawaz said continuing with traditional and outdated methods would inevitably lead to failure and stressed the need to use technology in every sphere. “Punjab is the only province taking the lead through the use of information technology,” she said.

She said the entire system in Punjab was being shifted to automation, with e-governance, e-business, Maryam Ki Dastak and other initiatives becoming part of an integrated digital ecosystem. “There is no traditional filing system in Punjab anymore; every file is now processed through the digital system,” she said, adding that officials no longer needed to travel from Rahim Yar Khan to submit files as all work was being done through e-Faas. The use of e-Faas was saving Rs6 billion every month, she claimed.

The chief minister said every department, district and division had been shifted to the digital ecosystem. The system had enabled the entire government to work as one integrated unit. Digital monitoring had also ensured better coordination during floods and urban flooding. She said the dashboard established at her office enabled monitoring of departments across Punjab, while communication with officials throughout the province was possible through iPads and mobile phones. “PITB has brought a revolutionary change in Punjab’s service delivery culture,” she said, adding that the digital ecosystem was ensuring efficiency, merit and transparency.

Recalling the situation when she assumed office as chief minister, Ms Maryam said she had been told that Punjab’s population was 120 million, but there was no authentic data to substantiate the figure. “Population is never static; it keeps increasing. Without reliable data, projects fail,” she said. She thanked Allah Almighty that after a year-long effort, the Punjab Socio-Economic Registry (PSER) database had been completed. She said 26 million households had been registered in Punjab and the data of both local residents and people who had migrated from other provinces was also available.

She appreciated Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb and PITB Chairman Faisal Yousaf for working hard to compile the data.

The chief minister said that when she assumed office, the lack of authentic data had resulted in ration being distributed to both deserving and non-deserving people. After reliable data became available, the government identified deserving people and delivered up to Rs 10,000 each to one million people at their doorsteps. “I want to ensure that the right of a poor person does not reach a non-deserving or wealthy person,” she said, adding that reaching the deserving with their rightful assistance was not a favour but the government’s responsibility.

Referring to the e-Biz project, she said it was helping rebuild a sacred relationship of trust between the government and citizens. In the past, people had to wait for months for NOCs, while in some cases they were issued only to favourites. “Now an NOC is issued within 15 days,” she said.

She said businesspeople were the engine of the economy and were therefore extremely important for the government. All required NOCs were now available through a single portal. If an NOC was not issued within 15 days of an application, the system was activated and a report reached the chief minister.

She said the identity and phone number of a person applying through e-Biz were not disclosed, helping protect citizens from corrupt elements. “Protecting people from corruption is the responsibility of the government and the system,” she said, regretting that, unfortunately, people did not always let an opportunity for corruption pass.

She said the government was providing free medicines worth Rs100 billion, but medicines and injections were still being stolen. “It is unfortunate that a person who enters a government office leaves after emptying his pockets,” she remarked.

The chief minister announced that a system would be introduced within three months under which citizens would not need to visit government offices for their work. She said PITB Chairman Faisal Yousaf had been tasked with developing the new system.

She said marriage and death certificates, licences and other services could now be obtained while sitting at home. Under Maryam Ki Dastak, services had already been delivered to four million people.

Maryam Nawaz cited the case of a citizen who had been trying for nine years to obtain an NOC for a land-use conversion and received it within a few days under the new system. “The bond between the country, government, system and people has been restored. This is the relationship of trust that I want to build with the people,” she said.

The CM Punjab said the economy could not grow if businesspeople had to wait for years for NOCs, adding that inflation could also cause substantial losses. “I am not saying that everything is fine, but we will soon launch a crackdown against corruption and reach those responsible,” she said. “If corruption of even one rupee is proved at the level of a minister or above, I will not spare anyone.”

The chief minister said the Punjab government’s system was now reaching people at their doorsteps. “Like Hazrat Umar Farooq (RA), it is the government’s responsibility to deliver ration to the homes of those in need,” she said. She said ration and other essential items would be delivered to people’s homes within 48 hours through Maryam Ki Dastak. Around 3,000 applications were being processed daily under the initiative, she added.

She said drinking water was also being delivered to homes through vehicles in areas where people previously had to carry water on their shoulders. “Everyone talked about clean drinking water, but the people did not receive it. We will ensure clean water reaches every household within five years,” she said.

The chief minister said that when it rained or floods occurred, people should be confident that the government would reach every household. She recalled that in the past, when the government remained inactive, people in Murree were trapped under heavy snow. “Today, when snowfall occurs, ministers and deputy commissioners reach the affected areas themselves,” she said. She said water that previously remained stagnant for months, weeks or days was now being drained within hours.

Recalling the tenure of Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, she said he had personally supervised the removal of rainwater because an effective system was not available at the time. She said achieving 100 percent accuracy in Lahore’s sewerage system would require trillions of rupees, while an ideal sewerage system in every city would require trillions more.

Referring to last year’s situation in Gujrat, where several feet of rainwater had accumulated and people had to be evacuated on tractor-trolleys, she said a city could not be monitored in its entirety by one person at a time. However, PITB had developed an effective digital system for this purpose.

She said she had personally monitored relief operations through Safe City cameras during a fire in a three-storey building. “I consider the drainage of rainwater more the responsibility of the chief minister than that of a councillor,” she said.

Maryam Nawaz said the government was bidding farewell to outdated traditional procedures and introducing systems that would make public services easier and more accessible. She said commissioners, deputy commissioners and departmental officials deserved appreciation as they were constantly burdened with work. “Serving the people is not an ordinary privilege; it is a great responsibility,” she concluded.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026