CM launches major push for digital governance in Sindh

Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Tuesday said that technology-driven reforms are essential for establishing a transparent, efficient and citizen-centric system of governance, as he presided over a ceremony marking the expansion of the e-stamping system in the province.

The event, held at the Chief Minister's House, witnessed the signing of a master service level agreement and service order between the Board of Revenue (BoR) Sindh and the Sindh Information Technology Company (SITC) to ensure the continuity and scaling up of the e-stamping platform.

Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said the initiative was part of a broader strategy to modernise governance in Sindh through digital transformation, aimed at improving transparency, efficiency and public access to government services.

He revealed that within just five months of SITC taking over the system, more than 730,000 challans had been processed, while Rs12.8 billion had been collected through the e-stamping platform in a transparent manner.

CM Shah said the reform was not limited to revenue generation but also targeted longstanding irregularities in the documentation system. "The e-stamping system is helping eliminate the fake stamp paper mafia, curb backdated documentation and save citizens from standing in long queues outside government offices," he added.

He announced that the next phase of the initiative would introduce a fully paperless system, enabling citizens to generate stamp documents online through mobile devices and computers. "This is not merely a technological upgrade but a step towards restoring public trust in government institutions," he said.

Highlighting the importance of digital governance in a province like Sindh, he noted that its large population and economic activity required modern administrative tools for effective management. He added that SITC had been established as an institutional driver to accelerate digital transformation across government departments.

The chief minister also referred to the recently approved government-to-government (G2G) framework, under which departments can directly engage with SITC through service level agreements and memorandums of understanding, eliminating lengthy procurement procedures and expediting project implementation.

He said the simplified framework would enable departments to address technical challenges more efficiently and significantly enhance the pace of digital reforms.

CM Shah further announced upcoming initiatives, including the launch of "Sindh Pay", a unified digital payment platform that will allow citizens to pay taxes, fees and other government dues via mobile devices. He added that a provincial data centre was also being established to ensure that sensitive government and citizen data remains securely stored within the country.

He said the government was also exploring the responsible use of artificial intelligence to provide round-the-clock digital assistance to citizens in English, Sindhi and Urdu.