PM orders digitisation of Hajj process

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday directed the National Information Technology Board (NITB) officials to ensure digitisation of all necessary stages of Hajj to facilitate pilgrims this year and access to government facilities easier for the masses through technology.

He chaired a review meeting on matters pertaining to the NITB here, a Prime Minister’s Office statement said.

The premier appreciated the extensive preparations made by the Ministry of Information Technology and other concerned ministries to set up Asan Khidmat Markaz in the federal capital.

He also added that he would soon hold a review meeting on QR-based feedback system for overseas Pakistanis.

During the briefing, the NITB officials apprised the prime minister that after the appointment of the new CEO of NITB, the entire structure of the institution was being reorganized in line with contemporary requirements. However, the officials informed that all preparations were complete to open Asan Khidmat Markaz for citizens in the federal capital.

“A secure new app for all government sector institutions will be launched soon. Moreover, an integrated One Patient One ID system is in the final stages of preparation for timely and better service delivery in public hospitals,” the officials said in the briefing.

The officials opined that this system would improve the performance of hospitals and provide better care to patients. They added that an analytics dashboard for the judiciary using big data was also being developed.

It was noted that the NITB was running over 145 government websites, more than 126 portals, and 31 mobile phone applications.

NAVTTC

The prime minister expressed satisfaction over NAVTTC’s recent performance and directed officials to set new targets for technical and vocational training programmes, aiming to improve outcomes and ensure implementation of the Apprenticeship Law.

While chairing a review meeting on the country’s new vocational training ecosystem, the premier examined ongoing NAVTTC programmes in detail.

He said providing international certifications to Pakistani manpower to enhance global competitiveness was a welcome development.

He directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis to accelerate efforts to increase the absorption of Pakistani skilled labour in Gulf countries.

The prime minister emphasised that Pakistani youth possessed immense potential and that a comprehensive programme had been launched through NAVTTC to harness these capabilities.

He added that positive results of technical and vocational training programmes under NAVT