Punjab to Establish Dastak Centres at Union Council Level
LAHORE: The Punjab government is set to establish Dastak centres at the union council (UC) level to provide a wide range of government services closer to citizens’ homes.
A meeting chaired by Local Government and Community Development (LG&CD) Secretary Zaid Bin Maqsood reviewed the proposal. Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) Chairman Faisal Yousaf and other officials attended the meeting.
The meeting reviewed the proposed service delivery mechanism, availability of suitable buildings, IT facilities, public accessibility and other infrastructure requirements for establishing Dastak centres across Punjab.
PITB Chairman Faisal Yousaf briefed participants on the proposed service delivery model for the centres.
The meeting was informed that more than 170 government services are planned to be provided under one roof. The initiative is aimed at bringing public services closer to communities and making government services more accessible and convenient at the grassroots level.
Officials said field assessments of union councils had been completed to identify suitable locations and buildings for the centres. The assessments covered building suitability, IT requirements, public accessibility and other facilities required for effective service delivery.
The estimated cost of establishing the centres is more than Rs4 billion, while more than 4,000 union councils across Punjab will be included in the initiative.
Zaid Bin Maqsood said the services available at each Dastak centre should be determined according to the needs of the local population.
He stressed that public convenience and accessibility should remain key considerations when selecting buildings and developing IT infrastructure for the centres.
The secretary said the initiative would significantly improve the quality of public service delivery and reduce the need for citizens to visit government offices to obtain different services.
He also emphasised the use of modern technology to make service delivery more efficient, transparent and citizen-friendly, saying the initiative would strengthen public facilitation at the grassroots level.
