A delegation of GIZ visits E-Khadmit Centre Lahore

Lahore : A delegation of Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Interrnationale Zusammenarbeit (giz)’s Health Sector Support Program visited the Punjab Information Technology Board’s (PITB) Citizens Facilitation Center e-Khidmat, to explore the possibilities of leveraging service delivery model of the center here today.

In collaboration with Punjab Social Protection Authority (PSPA), giz is looking to integrate all service being provided by different social sectors agencies following the model of e-Khidmat markaz.

The delegation will firm up a proposal in this regard and will meet next week with the Chairman Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) and Vice Chancellor Information Technology University (ITU) Dr. Umar Saif for signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to roll out the same across the province.

The members of the delegation took a detailed round of the Centre and witnessed the ongoing process of free services extended to the common citizen, free of charge. The delegation was informed that in addition to providing birth certificate, character, domicile certificate, learner driving license, marriage documents and other alike facilities, the centre is also equipped with NADRA outlet for issuance of Computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) registration of property and vehicles.

The Project Manager Ms. Alexandra Plueschke of giz termed the social assistance under one roof for the citizens as amazing, impressive and disciplined and similar to the German centres. Citizen computerized identification as being practiced in Pakistan was not witnessed in the other regional countries including India, she remarked.

The Director General e-Governance Sajid Latif informed the delegation that other provinces of Pakistan have also shown interest in such facilities and want replica for their respective areas. The different projects of PITB were also attracting other countries as the Nigerian Haj authorities have approached Pakistan for PITB’s assistance in automation of Haj management, he added.

Muhammad Waseem Bhatti, Director Citizens Facilitation Services (CFS) briefed the delegation regarding the functioning, monitoring and feedback from the citizens to ensure the prompt facilitation, which has been registered 98.8 % success ration. The other members of the delegation included Dr. Kamran Ajaib, Senior Technical Advisor and Ms. Silvia Popp, Technical Advisor, Social Protection-Social Health Program giz.