K-P to set up citizen facilitation centres

First centre will be established in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: To facilitate the public in resolving their issues, the provincial government has decided to set up citizen facilitation centres and digital reporting hubs. In the first phase, these centres will be set up in Peshawar and from the next fiscal year, they will be expanded to all divisional headquarters - including to the erstwhile federally administered tribal areas (Fata).

This was stated by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Monday while chairing a meeting on the digitization of various projects by the K-P Information Technology Board (K-PITB) at the CM House.

Chief Minister Mahmood was briefed in detail regarding the establishment of a Digital Reporting Hub ‘Itlah’ in police stations across the province, apart from the establishment of the citizen facilitation centre (CFC) in Peshawar, a digital unit at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, conversion of old arms license into smart cards, the Peshawar Smart City Project, establishment of an E-Office at the CM Secretariat, office automation project for the office of provincial cabinet, E-verification of the documents of all colleges and universities of the province, online registration portal for the simplification of business activities and establishment of digital online job portal for recruitment in different departments.

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The chief minister agreed with a proposal to extend the digital reporting hub in collaboration with the K-PITB for police stations across the province.

Under the programme, the daily activity of police stations, preliminary information reports, police daily diary and other activities would be recorded digitally while the project will also be used to monitor the annual performance of police stations across the province.

The CM was further told that the digital job portal will provide online information to candidates regarding vacant vacancies and that they will be able to apply for these vacancies online.

Moreover, departments will be provided with opportunities for scrutinizing documents of candidates. He was further told that through the digital service unit and E-Office at the CM Secretariat, the performance of all departments across the province can be monitored online. Moreover, the progress of any file moving through any department can be traced online.

Similarly, the performance of all departments will be monitored through the online system once the digitalization process is complete.

Mahmood further agreed to establish a digital service unit in collaboration with the provincial IT board in the Chief Minister’s Secretariat. After the office is set up, the entire secretariat will be digitized.

The chief minister said that the provincial government is taking steps for the promotion of science and technology in the province. He added that by digitizing all institutions of the province, they will be brought at par with the requirements of the modern era, adding that this is a top priority of the provincial government.

He directed to activate the CFC in Peshawar in the ongoing fiscal year 2019-20, adding that the centre will be extended to the divisional headquarters and tribal districts in the next fiscal year to provide swift and easy service delivery to masses.

He assured the programme of his complete backing adding that the establishment of CFCs will not only improve but also modernize service delivery for people of the province.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 3^rd, 2019.