AJK accelerates digital drive to streamline public services

MUZAFFARABAD:

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government has accelerated work on a range of digital initiatives aimed at making public services faster, more transparent and accessible, potentially reducing citizens' need to visit government offices repeatedly for routine matters.

The initiatives, being implemented through the AJK Information Technology Board, include computerisation of land records, a one-window public service system, a complaints management mechanism and IT excellence centres designed to expand access to technology and digital skills.

The progress on the projects was reviewed at a meeting of the IT Board chaired by AJK Prime Minister Iftikhar Gilani. Secretary IT and Information Rashid Hanif briefed the meeting on the ongoing initiatives and their implementation.

The computerisation of land records is expected to make ownership and other land-related information more readily accessible to citizens while reducing dependence on paper-based records and lengthy administrative procedures. Digital records could also help improve transparency and reduce the need to approach multiple offices for land-related matters.

Under the one-window operation, different government services are being brought under a single system so that citizens can obtain services through one platform instead of visiting several departments for a single matter.

The proposed complaints cell is intended to provide citizens with a formal mechanism to lodge complaints and track their progress. The system will also allow authorities to monitor complaints and hold the relevant departments accountable for timely action.

The IT Excellence Centres will focus on technology training and skills development, with particular emphasis on creating opportunities for young people to acquire modern IT skills and improve their prospects in the digital economy.

Addressing the meeting, Prime Minister Gilani directed the authorities to use modern technology to make government services easier, faster and more transparent for the public.

He said the government's focus was on public service and initiatives that could bring tangible improvements to people's daily lives.

The prime minister particularly directed the authorities to establish an effective and transparent mechanism for the registration, monitoring and resolution of public complaints so that citizens did not have to make unnecessary visits to government offices and could receive timely relief.