Peshawar - The 16th board meeting of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Technology Board (KPITB) was held with Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Khan Gandapur in the chair, at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat.
In a significant step toward digital transformation in the province, the meeting finalized the Digital Transformation Policy and Roadmap 2030, which will be presented for formal approval at the next provincial cabinet meeting. This comprehensive policy covers key domains, including digital governance, skills development, cyber resilience, emerging technologies, fintech, digital payments, digital platform infrastructure, climate tech, and the startup and innovation ecosystem.
The meeting was attended by KP Chief Secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, Additional Chief Secretaries, IT Department officials, and other board members. The meeting reviewed the implementation of decisions made in previous meetings, actions taken under the digital policy, and the future course of action.
It was briefed during the meeting that over 60 projects have been launched under KPITB to improve service delivery in the province. Flagship initiatives include the Public Service Delivery Portal (Dastak), the Digital Revenue Collection Platform, the Digital FinTech Platform (Pamir), Digital Stamp Duty, the Motor Vehicle Registration System, and the Carbon Credit Portal.
The meeting also highlighted key achievements under the digital payment platform, which has processed over 1 million transactions for arms licenses, resulting in payments exceeding Rs89 crore. Similarly, the Excise Department has collected over Rs12 crore through this platform.
Additionally, 6,058 new vehicle registrations have been processed, generating over Rs. 6 crore in revenue. Other achievements include the collection of Rs5 crore in token tax, Rs57 lakh in transfers, and Rs28 lakh in other matters. It was noted that a unified digital platform for revenue collection, tax, and fine collection has been established, providing a single platform for all services. Additionally, the Carbon Credit Portal will offer details of all carbon deposits and related services on one platform.
The KPITB has spent a total of Rs206 million on these initiatives, with an estimated return of Rs1.8 billion.
Similarly, the KPITB has made significant progress in digital skills development, with 13,800 youth trained in graphic design, web development, digital marketing, and animation over the past few years, with 37% securing employment in the respective fields. Furthermore, 2,500 youth have been trained in cloud computing and data engineering, with 49% securing employment.
Under ongoing initiatives, an additional 27,000 youth are being trained in various fields, including e-commerce, IT governance, mobile development, social media marketing, computer networking, and cybersecurity. The authorities also informed that over 7,000 youth from merged districts will receive training in various fields, while the Digital Economy and Skills Centre in Mardan will provide training to over 4,000 youth.
They further shared that the Digital Internship Programme has provided internships to 23 youth at the China Accelerator, while over 2,000 youth have received internships at IT Park companies, with 67% of them now employed.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has also developed the Khyber Pass digital identity platform, which will provide digital and transportable electronic IDs. The platform will offer online services for all citizen needs, from birth registration to death certificates, making it a complete paperless system.
Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur directed the acceleration of the digitization process in provincial government departments. He emphasized that enhancing the capacity of government departments and improving transparency, good governance, and service delivery across sectors is a key priority for his government. He directed the relevant authorities to immediately complete the remaining work on Digital City Haripur and initiate the project for establishing an IT Park in Peshawar. He termed this development a testament to the KPITB’s commitment to driving digital growth and empowering the youth of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, adding that the KPITB is playing a pivotal role in shaping the province’s digital future.