PM sets one-month deadline for govt offices to go paperless

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday chaired a meeting to review the legal aspects and final procedures on the closure of Pak Public Works Department (PakPWD).

The prime minister directed that the financial package for employees who will be laid off due to dissolution will not be applicable to those who have been proven guilty of serious corruption charges.

PM Shehbaz also instructed that the final plan for transferring ongoing projects under the PakPWD to the provinces and relevant departments should be presented soon. He further directed that all final recommendations on the closure of PakPWD should be presented to the cabinet.

The prime minister also ordered the implementation of age relaxation proposal to re-employ hardworking and honest individuals with short period of employment in the PakPWD.

The meeting was attended by Minister for Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb, Minister for Economic Affairs Division Ahad Khan Cheema, Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Housing and Works Riaz Hussain Pirzada and high officials of the relevant departments.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz on Sunday assigned the Ministry of Information Technology and other relevant departments, the task of implementing the e-office system in all government offices.

Directing to ensure paperless office work within a month, the prime minister warned that delay in the implementation of e-office in government offices would not be tolerated. “There should be no file work without e-office in the government offices from next month,” the prime minister said, adding that implementation of e-office to speed up transparency in the system was the top priority of the government.

He further directed that all officers in the government offices should ensure file work through e-offices. On the direction of prime minister, the staff of PM Office has already completed the e-office training. Last week the prime minister also received files through the e-office system. PM Shehbaz said that e-office was an important step towards improving governance and promoting digitization in the country. He also directed to present a report on the progress of launching e-office in next two weeks.