Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Shahab Ali Shah chaired a weekly review meeting, where the provincial government’s newly launched e-Fard portal and Digital Public Feedback System were reviewed. The meeting was given a detailed briefing on how the new system will work and what benefits it is expected to deliver. The forum was informed that the province has formally launched the e-Fard portal as part of efforts to modernise land record services.

Citizens will no longer need to visit revenue offices to obtain a Fard, a land ownership record, and can instead get it from home or from a nearby facilitation centre. The briefing noted that the digital reforms will improve the speed and transparency of land record services, and that delivering easy, transparent and fast services to people at their doorstep remains a key priority of the provincial government. Through the e-Fard portal, citizens will be able to obtain a Fard in a simple, secure and automated manner.

The service will be available through three channels: NADRA e-Sahulat centres, the self-service portal on the official website, and the Dastak app. Only users whose identity has been verified biometrically by NADRA will be able to download an e-Fard. The fee will be paid electronically through 1Link and Easypaisa and deposited directly into the public treasury. According to the briefing, once payment is made the Fard will remain saved in the citizen’s account and can be downloaded again at any time. A QR code on the document will allow it to be verified online against the central land records, which is expected to remove doubts about the document’s authenticity.

The meeting was also briefed on the Digital Public Feedback System. Citizens who use revenue services will be contacted by telephone for their feedback, and satisfaction will be recorded on a four-level scale. Complaints from dissatisfied citizens will appear directly on the Deputy Commissioner’s dashboard so that they can be addressed promptly. The forum was told that the feedback will be used to continuously monitor district performance and citizen satisfaction, and will be included as a key performance indicator in the Deputy Commissioners’ monthly meetings.

Districts with the best performance will be encouraged, while those performing poorly will be held accountable. The system will also help identify delays and poor performance in revenue services. Participants were told that the digital reforms are expected to reduce land-related complaints and help restore public trust in the land record system. A public awareness campaign on e-Fard is under way so that citizens can make full use of the new facility. In addition, a call centre is being set up at the Board of Revenue, and artificial intelligence services are also being brought into use.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)