Shah highlights transparency and efficiencies as Rs12.8b collected, paperless system and ‘Sindh Pay’ next in pipeline
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah speaks during a press conference on Wednesday. Photo: NNI
KARACHI:
Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah said on Tuesday that technology-driven reforms are essential to establish a transparent, efficient and citizen-centric governance system as he presided over a ceremony marking the expansion of the e-stamping system in the province.
The event, held at the Chief Minister’s House, witnessed the signing of a master service level agreement and service order between the Board of Revenue (BoR) Sindh and the Sindh Information Technology Company (SITC) to ensure the continuity and scale-up of the e-stamping platform.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said the initiative was part of a broader strategy to modernize governance in Sindh through digital transformation, aimed at improving transparency, efficiency and public access to government services.
He revealed that within just five months of SITC taking over the system, more than 730,000 challans had been processed while Rs12.8 billion had been collected through the e-stamping platform in a transparent manner.
CM Shah said the reform was not limited to revenue generation but also targeted long-standing irregularities in the documentation system. “The e-stamping system will help eliminate the fake paper mafia, curb backdated documentation and save citizens from standing in long queues outside government offices,” he added.
He announced that the next phase of the initiative would introduce a fully paperless system that would enable citizens to generate stamp documents online through mobile devices and computers. “This is not just a technological upgrade, but a step towards restoring public confidence in government institutions,” he said.
He highlighted the importance of digital governance in a province like Sindh, noting that its large population and economic activity required modern administrative tools for effective management. He added that SITC had been established as an institutional driver to accelerate digital transformation across government agencies.
The Chief Minister also referred to the recently approved Government-to-Government (G2G) framework under which departments can engage directly with SITC through Service Level Agreements and MoUs, eliminating lengthy procurement procedures and speeding up project implementation.
He said the simplified framework would enable departments to deal with technical challenges more effectively and significantly increase the pace of digital reforms.
CM Shah announced further upcoming initiatives including the launch of “Sindh Pay”, a unified digital payment platform that will allow citizens to pay taxes, fees and other government charges through mobile devices. He added that a provincial data center was also established to ensure that sensitive government and citizen data remain securely stored in the country.
He said the government was also exploring the responsible use of artificial intelligence to provide round-the-clock digital assistance to citizens in English, Sindhi and Urdu.
