Pakistan Government to Digitize National Economy

ISLAMABAD: The government of Pakistan has decided to digitize the national economy, assigning all ministries with the task of implementing measures for digital transformation.

The decision was made during a high-level review meeting in Islamabad on Thursday, chaired by Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif.

In line with the decision, the Prime Minister instructed the relevant authorities to immediately establish a dynamic working group for the implementation and monitoring of digitization measures.

He emphasized that improving the country’s economy and eliminating the parallel informal economy is a central part of the government’s reform agenda. The Prime Minister noted that the reforms are being carried out at coordinated and institutional levels to ensure the changes are sustainable and long-lasting.

The Prime Minister also praised the successful digital wallet system used to distribute the Ramadan package and instructed that it be expanded to other sectors.

Read more: PM Shehbaz directs to make IT compulsory subject from grade 6

The meeting was informed that an ICT application has been launched in Islamabad, providing access to more than 150 government services. Additionally, the volume of payments through the Rast Gateway has seen a significant increase, with the government, in collaboration with the State Bank of Pakistan, working to boost its use for daily transactions.

It was also shared that the government is ensuring digital payment collection, offering various incentives to businesses and consumers to promote digital payments over cash transactions, and fully digitizing government payments. This includes the digital processing of federal government payments such as salaries and billing.