Overview
- The Punjab chief secretary issued a mandatory directive at a high‑level secretaries conference requiring all provincial offices to stop using paper files and move to an electronic filing system.
- Regional and district field offices will be legally barred from routine manual correspondence and must adopt the E‑Filing and Office Automation System (e‑FOAS) already used in central departments.
- The Punjab Information Technology Board has been assigned to manage the technical expansion and hands‑on implementation of e‑FOAS across local offices.
- Officials estimate the change will standardize transparency, reduce processing delays, accelerate grievance resolution, and prevent billions of rupees in recurring administrative overhead.
- Senior officials say the order has strong central buy‑in and will affect daily work for clerks, local administrators, and citizens by shifting approvals, records, and service requests onto digital systems, with training and connectivity the key items to watch during rollout.