ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday decided to fully digitise its national economy, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif tasked relevant ministries and institutions with driving the initiative forward and directed the formation of a working group to oversee implementation and monitoring.
Prime Minister Shehbaz, chairing a review meeting on the digitisation of the national economy, said that improving the national economy and eliminating the informal and parallel economy were key components of the government’s reform agenda.
“We are implementing reforms in an integrated and institutionalised manner to ensure that the change is sustainable and long-lasting. We are restructuring the system along modern lines for Pakistan’s development,” the prime minister said.
PM Shehbaz lauded the successful implementation of the digital wallet system for the distribution of the Ramadan Relief Package and directed to emulate the system in other sectors as well.
The meeting was informed that, following the Prime Minister’s instructions, the Ramadan package was delivered to the public entirely through digital means.
The meeting was briefed on ongoing and future measures and proposals related to the digitisation of the economy.
It was told that the ICT application had been launched in Islamabad, providing access to over 150 government services.
Besides, the volume of payments through the Raast Gateway had significantly increased, and the government, in collaboration with the State Bank of Pakistan, was accelerating efforts to promote its use in daily transactions.
The meeting was also briefed on the government’s five-point plan, which includes: ensuring the collection of digital payments, offering incentives to consumers and businesses to prefer digital transactions over cash, fully digitising government payments, raising awareness on the subject, and implementing a robust data monitoring mechanism.
The meeting was informed that the government is ensuring the collection of digital payments, providing various facilities to buyers and businesses to encourage digital payments as opposed to cash, and completely digitising government payments.
It was also informed that all federal government payments, including salaries and other billings, were now being processed through the digital system.
To ensure the implementation and oversight of all these initiatives, the prime minister directed the immediate formation of a working group.
