Municipal services now at citizens’ fingertips

App developed for registration of birth, death, marriage, divorce

LAHORE:

Punjab has surpassed other provinces in developing a multi-feature mobile application for basis municipal services.

The local government and community development (LG&CD) department has developed "Baldiya App" for registration of birth, death, marriage and divorce.

A spokesperson for the department said on Wednesday that over 150,000 people in all districts of the province had already downloaded the app. He said the highest demand was for marriage and birth registration forms.

The spokesperson said the data of forms downloaded for municipal services at the union council, town, tehsil and district level was being collected. He said that after formal inauguration of the app by the chief minister in the coming days, a cell at the civil secretariat would monitor it and its data would be made public daily.

The app will also be used for receiving complaints and suggestions from the people of the province.

In the present system, it is compulsory for every citizen to register the birth of his or her child at the union council. Similarly, the registration of death, marriage and divorce is also required.

Secretary Local Government and Community Development Punjab Dr Ahmed Javed Qazi told The Express Tribune that any citizen of the province could register birth, death, marriage and divorce from his smartphone. "This would particularly benefit overseas Pakistanis who usually face difficulties when it comes to registration of such important matters from abroad."

The LG&CD department is gradually shifting to IT-based services and work. "In the twenty-first century, we can't afford to avoid latest technologies. The LG&CD department is going to digitise 455 local bodies all over Punjab," said Dr Qazi.

Under the project, Lahore would be made a model and from next month, e-tendering and e-auctioning will be introduced.

"A human resource management system (HRMS) will be operationalised within a couple of weeks," said Special Secretary LG&CD Babur Aman. "The pilot project of online ADP will be launched from Sheikhupura and Ferozwala, simultaneously," he revealed.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 20^th, 2020.