ISLAMABAD, JUL 29: Prime Minister Shehbaz on Wednesday stressed that the National Digital Vision (NDV) must be implemented first in health, agriculture, utilities, housing and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to ensure timely delivery of improved public services.

Chairing a review meeting on the implementation status of the NDV, PM Shehbaz said that upon full implementation of the vision, citizens would be able to access a wide range of public services through a single digital identity, including government document verification, banking facilities, healthcare services, transfers and other essential services through a unified platform.

He further stated that full implementation of the NDV, in consultation with all relevant institutions and federal and provincial governments, would align decision-making, institutional performance and transparency with international standards.

The premier directed the authorities to take immediate and effective measures to make the facilities of the newly established federal government-operated national central data center, Sky47, available to all federal institutions.

He also directed that a meeting of the National Digital Commission should be convened at the earliest to take all stakeholders, including the provinces, into confidence regarding the policy.

The prime minister said that a single, integrated national data center for the public sector would provide a centralised platform for the data of all government institutions, helping eliminate the need for separate data centers and resulting in significant savings of national resources.

He observed that the Pakistan Digital Authority was providing an active, efficient and transformative direction for government services, social systems and, in particular, the delivery of citizen-centric services.

The PM further emphasised that implementing the NDV in line with contemporary requirements was essential for building an integrated society.

The prime minister praised progress under the three core pillars of the National Digital Vision—digital economy, digital citizen services and digital government services—and said that effective implementation of the integrated digital policy would strengthen international partnerships and ensure Pakistan’s effective representation at global forums.

During a briefing, participants were informed that, in line with the PM’s directives, the NDV is currently being implemented in the sectors of agriculture, food, health, energy, housing and SMEs.

The authorities said that implementation of the vision in the housing sector would enable the introduction of a centralised identification number for all public and private properties, while its application in the SME sector would establish a unified system of unique legal business identities, contributing to increased national productivity.

The meeting was informed that all legal, administrative and institutional measures required for the full implementation of the National Digital Vision were being expedited.