Disputing automation tantamount to denying transparency

LAHORE: Automation is an effective check against malpractices and the reason the beneficiaries of non-transparency resist it with their lives is that they do not want to be denied the loot they would no longer able to lay their hands on if the system was automatised.

We have seen that after automation of banks huge lines for depositing utility bills have shortened surprisingly. The consumers can now deposit their bills through their banking internet apps. Those accountholders, who are still to adapt to electronic banking are now deposits their utility bills through auto teller machines (ATMs). They can also withdraw their deposits through these machines. The transition from manual to automation was smooth because there was no corruption involved in bank dealings.

The software to apply for passport and its renewal electronically has not yet been used because of the resistance of passport officials as the manual system creates opportunities to grab illegal money every day for numerous stakeholders starting from the touts to the functionary’s in the department. There is though an electronic line but it is openly violated without any fear. The rush at passport offices will vanish if electronic applications are accepted.

Constitutionally every Pakistani has the right to possess a passport. It is issued only to the Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) holders. The details needed in a passport are available in the CNIC. The passport officials simply fill in some information from the applicant that can be obtained electronically.

In Punjab the stamp duty was a major source of revenue leakage as well as fraud as any manual seller of stamp paper could issue it in back date. When the government decided to issue stamps electronically the chances of their backdated issuance were eliminated. The use of fake stamp papers also vanished.

The move was strongly opposed by the erstwhile corrupt beneficiaries; however, it was implemented because not only the software but also the will to put it in place were strong. There was no other way of obtaining stamp paper for legal sale and purchase agreements. The revenue from stamp duty of Punjab government increased four times in just six months after introduction of electronic stamp duty software. But there are some departments just like the passport department, where resistance to automation or technology is very strong.

The Punjab government after strong efforts managed to digitalise the criminal records of all police stations of the province through software that also ensured that all new convictions are automatically recorded. The availability of complete criminal data did help the Punjab government to keep people with criminal records out of sensitive areas and rallies. A handheld devise available with police at check posts can easily isolate individuals with criminal records. This has vastly reduced terror activities in the province.

However, the same information can also be used to issue police certificate to the applicants in no time. All a police officer has to do is to run a fingerprint scan. In case there is no record the certificate could be issued promptly. But the police department is still using the old procedure of verifying the conduct of the applicant through each police station in whose jurisdiction he has lived in his adult life. This may involve seven to eight police stations. The verification takes time for those who fail to pay speed money. As police certificate is the condition of many embassies before they entertain the visa requests, which are applied in thousands every day in all major cities. The amount of bribe involved is too high to let this process become automated.

The absenteeism in education and health department has drastically declined after the attendance of teachers and doctors in Punjab was subjected to GPS verification of photo taken at specific duty place.

The ghost schools have completely vanished as a result of this procedure. The GPS methodology was adopted after the biometric recording of fingerprints was misused. After checking in biometrically, a large number of teachers and doctors used to go away from their workplace and return later only to check out.

The GPS verification, which is done multiple times to ensure presence at the same geographic location, proved to be an electronic tether holding them at their workplace. The resistance to malpractices can be expected but if we go on improving the technology it leaves little room for such practices.