Naveed Ahmed

The Balochistan government will improve service delivery and its performance with the help of modern technology, WealthPK reports. The provincial government has planned to establish e-service centres to run its affairs efficiently and improve service delivery. The initiative will also help the government to generate revenue.

Irfan Bashir, Director General of the Directorate General of Information Technology, Balochistan, told WealthPK that the chief minister of the province approved the establishment of an e-service centre under the Department of Science and Information Technology in Quetta.

He said that an amount of Rs51,075 million was also allocated for the project. He said that the project was an exemplary step towards good governance as it would help to ensure transparency in government affairs. Irfan Bashir said that although the Balochistan government offered limited online services, they were gaining popularity rapidly. “Government departments and organisations are working tirelessly to provide local users with the best online services,” he added.

As part of the e-service project, he said, 20 online services would be provided to citizens under one roof by the government. The centre will improve the government’s capability of dealing with public affairs quickly without wasting the time and resources of the people. Irfan Bashir said that the government launched many apps and websites in recent years. “These services now function effectively like Easy Paisa, E-Eahulat Nadra and all network package apps to provide convenience to the local population,” he added.

In addition to these steps, the government has planned to establish e-service centres in Quetta, Gwadar, Khuzdar and Loralai under the current financial year's Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP). The establishment of e-service centres will be a significant achievement of the government.

The e-service centres, which will have a state-of-the-art computing system, will make it very convenient for people to access a variety of services at the same time. As a result of establishing these facilitation centres, the district governments will relieve some of their burden and citizens will receive prompt services.

Irfan Bashir said that the establishment of e-service centres would promote transparency, efficiency and accountability in public dealing offices. “Moreover, it will simplify application procedures and processes for resolving problems of people,” he added. He said that the overall infrastructure in Balochistan needed improvement. “The bad condition of infrastructure creates problems for local people to reach government offices to solve their issues. Via e-services, they can easily access public office holders. The project will also help to reduce transportation costs,” he added.

Besides benefiting local people, the project will also help government officials to perform their duty and accomplish their tasks efficiently. Government organisations will benefit from the project as it will increase their efficiency, reduce operational costs and increase revenue. The project will also help officials to reduce the duration of their tasks and promote the use of modern technology in the government structure to serve people in a befitting manner.

“Information and Communication Technology is used to provide e-services to people. E-services consist of three main components including service providers, service receivers and service delivery channels,” said Irfan Bashir. He said that government agencies are the primary service providers, while citizens and businesses are the service receivers. “Internet is the preferred technology for e-service delivery while other traditional methods including telephone, call centre, public kiosk, mobile phone and television are also used,” he told WealthPK.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk