Revamping information systems: New IT posts on the cards

Special committee decides job descriptions for IT managers at district, tehsil and department levels

LAHORE: The provincial government will create new posts of district information technology managers, tehsil information technology officers and information technology managers. Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has given his approval to this plan and has constituted a special committee headed by Additional Chief Secretary Shamail Ahmad Khawaja to chalk out a job description for IT managers to be appointed at the district, tehsil and departmental levels.

Members of the committee met at the Civil Secretariat in Lahore on Sunday. Khawaja chaired the meeting.

The participants decided that the departmental IT managers would provide technical assistance to respective departments in order to improve key performance indicators (KPIs) which would help implement ICT initiatives and other projects related to information technology.

Districts IT managers would ensure functionality and timely delivery of data reports for relevant district coordination officers with the aim of improving public service delivery. An e-governance and IT director would replace the IT deputy secretary at the Finance Department. The departmental IT managers would be subordinate to their respective departments. They would perform duties under the direct supervision of heads of relevant departments.

The departmental, district and tehsil IT officers would have operational duties to institutionalise IT human resource under the Punjab Information Technology Board at all levels. The committee has suggested that these IT managers be given market-based salaries and service rules. The officers would oversee trouble shooting, archiving, system backups and disaster recovery. They would supervise internal and external IT audits while preparing audit reports, regular maintenance of IT equipment and ensuring data entry and analysis of the system by assisting in inventory management.

Khawaja said that he hoped that this initiative would ensure improved liaison through smooth implementation of IT systems at the provincial, district and tehsil levels.

PITB Chairman Omer Saif, Regulations Secretary Saleh Tahir, I&C Secretary Farasat Iqbal, Local Government and Community Development Secretary Muhammad Aslam Kamboh and E-Governance DG Sajid Latif attended the meeting.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 19^th, 2016.