Chief Secretary Launches Volunteer Tourism and MIS Portals
GILGIT: After taking charge of the Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) administration, the incoming Chief Secretary (CS) Mr. Abrar Ahmed Mirza convened at the GB Performance Management and Reforms Unit (PMRU) office to inaugurate a series of groundbreaking digital initiatives. The PMRU was established in May 2023 after approval from the provincial cabinet and has since employed the use of IT professionals from various government departments to build several digital solutions under the e-Governance program.
Mr. Sajad Khan, Additional Secretary Education and PMRU, Office the Chief Secretary, briefed the CS on the recently developed solutions, including a Management Information System (MIS), e-ACR, Asset Management System, and a GB Heatmaps Portal, to monitor the progress of development initiatives across the province. He also introduced a Volunteer Tourism initiative that is being developed under guidance from Code for Pakistan, a non-profit organization working closely with the GB Government to help digitize and improve its systems. Code for Pakistan is helping drive the digital initiatives of PMRU as well as providing technical and management support to the solutions being developed under this collaboration.
The Volunteer Tourism initiative is the first project created under the recently launched GB Government Innovation Fellowship, which is a collaborative effort between GB PMRU and Code for Pakistan. It was conceived under the innovative leadership of outgoing Chief Secretary of GB, Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani, with support from Commissioner Diamer Altamash Janjua, to further digital governance. The Volunteer Tourism program by GB PMRU and Code for Pakistan is the first of its kind in the country, advocating for the cultivation of responsible, community-driven tourism in Pakistan.
Mr. Faheem Baig, Program Manager at Code for Pakistan in GB, outlined their civic innovation programs in Pakistan, with a special focus on the recent collaboration with GB PMRU. He expressed sincere appreciation to the former Chief Secretary for his pioneering initiatives and shared a commitment with the Chief Secretary’s office towards the development of digital solutions in public offices across Gilgit-Baltistan.
The Chief Secretary of Gilgit-Baltistan, Mr. Abrar Ahmed Mirza, appreciated the accomplishments of GB PMRU and expressed support for implementing more public-centric solutions. He stressed that our actions should be result-oriented and integrated with the needs and demands of the common people.