ISLAMABAD:Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that Pakistan is determined to become a country with cashless economy and asserted that it is essential for sustainable growth, transparency, and modern governance.
Presiding over a high-level meeting on Monday, the prime minister noted that Pakistan had being pursuing the “mission of digital transformation with focus and dedication right from day one” and now evident progress was being made.
Senior officials who briefed the prime minister on the facility told Imran that bills for electricity and gas have been linked to Raast QR code system under which payments could be made digitally.
The Prime Minister was also informed that a million digital wallets have been developed through the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), and will become operational by end of this month, along with future digital cash transfers to beneficiaries.
A mobile app for Islamabad’s government services is also connected to Raast, with digital bank licenses being issued across the country to promote financial inclusion.
There are now 68% of Pakistan’s population financially included, indicating robust progress in adoption of digital finance. The Prime Minister also instructed the ministries to ensure that all targets of cashless economy are met within the deadline and make digital transactions which would curb black dinero and black marketing in their respective domains thus ending corruption.
The meeting was also attended by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja and State Bank Governor Jameel Ahmad.
